Nickel active material precursor for lithium secondary battery, method for producing nickel active material precursor, nickel active material for lithium secondary battery produced by method, and lithium secondary battery having cathode containing nickel active material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11201328-B2
Application number	US-201716463815-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2017
Priority date	Dec 2, 2016
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

Provided are a nickel-based active material precursor for a lithium secondary battery including a porous core and a porous shell, wherein a porosity of the porous shell may be greater than a porosity of the porous core, and a dense intermediate layer may be disposed between the porous core and the porous shell, wherein a porosity of the dense intermediate layer may be lower than the porosity of the porous core and the porosity of the porous shell; a method of preparing the same; a nickel-based active material for a lithium secondary battery formed therefrom; and a lithium secondary battery containing a positive electrode including the same.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A nickel-based active material precursor for a lithium secondary battery, the nickel-based active material precursor comprising:
a porous core,
a porous shell disposed on the porous core,
and a dense intermediate layer disposed between the porous core and the porous shell,
wherein a porosity of the porous shell is greater than a porosity of the porous core, and a porosity of the dense intermediate layer is lower than the porosity of the porous core and the porosity of the porous shell.

2. The nickel-based active material precursor of claim 1 , wherein the porosity of the dense intermediate layer is 5 percent (%) or less.

3. The nickel-based active material precursor of claim 1 , wherein the dense intermediate layer and the porous shell each have a radially arranged structure.

4. The nickel-based active material precursor of claim 1 , wherein the porosity of the porous shell is greater than 15% and 35% or less.

5. The nickel-based active material precursor of claim 1 , wherein the porosity of the core is in a range of 8% to 16%.

6. The nickel-based active material precursor of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the porous shell comprises an irregular porous layer of a thickness of 2 μm or less.

7. The nickel-based active material precursor of claim 1 , wherein the nickel-based active material precursor comprises plate particles, and a major axis of the plate particles is arranged in a radial direction.

8. The nickel-based active material precursor of claim 1 , wherein a specific surface area of the nickel-based active material precursor is 8 square meters per gram (m 2 /g) or greater.

9. The nickel-based active material precursor of claim 1 , wherein the nickel-based active material precursor is a compound represented by Formula 1:
Ni 1-x-y-z Co x Mn y M z (OH) 2   Formula 1

wherein, in Formula 1, M is an element selected from the group consisting of boron (B), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zirconium (Zr), and aluminum (Al), and
x ≤(1- x - y - z ), y ≤(1- x - y - z ),0< x< 1,0≤ y< 1, and 0≤ z< 1.

10. The nickel-based active material precursor of claim 1 , wherein the nickel-based active material precursor is Ni 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 OH, Ni 0.5 Co 0.2 Mn 0.3 OH, Ni 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 OH, Ni 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 OH, or Ni 0.85 Co 0.1 Al 0.05 OH.

11. A nickel-based active material for a lithium secondary battery, obtained from the nickel-based active material precursor for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1 .

12. A lithium secondary battery comprising a positive electrode that comprises the nickel-based active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 11 ; a negative electrode; and an electrolyte between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

13. A method of preparing a nickel-based active material precursor for a lithium secondary battery, the method comprising:
a first step of forming a porous core;
a second step of forming a dense intermediate layer on the porous core formed in the first step; and
after removing a portion of a reaction product obtained in the second step to dilute the reaction product, a third step of forming a porous shell on the reaction product on which the dense intermediate layer is formed.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein a pH and a stirring power of the reaction mixture gradually decreases from the first step to the second step and from the second step to the third step.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein in the first step, the second step, and the third step, a reaction temperature is in a range of 40° C. to 60° C., a stirring power is in a range of 0.5 kilowatts per cubic meter (kW/m 3 ) to 6.0 kW/m 3 , and a pH is controlled to be in a range of 10 to 12.

Assignees

• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yun Pilsang
• Kim Jiyoon
• Yang Wooyoung
• Chang Donggyu
• Cha Minah

Classifications

• C01G53/82 Primary

  Compounds containing nickel, with or without oxygen or hydrogen, and containing two or more other elements · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

  Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/366 Primary

  as layered products · CPC title

• C01P2006/40

  Electric properties · CPC title

• H01M4/505

  of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing manganese for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiMn2O4 or LiMn2OxFy · CPC title