Cobalt-free layered oxide cathodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11362333-B2
Application number	US-202016750171-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2020
Priority date	Jan 23, 2019
Publication date	Jun 14, 2022
Grant date	Jun 14, 2022

Abstract

A cathode and a battery providing the cathode is provided. The cathode comprises a lithium metal oxide. The lithium metal oxide comprises nickel, aluminum, and iron. The lithium metal oxide is substantially free of cobalt. The battery comprises an anode, the cathode, a separator, and an electrolyte.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cathode comprising a lithium metal oxide, the lithium metal oxide comprising nickel, aluminum, and iron, wherein the lithium metal oxide is substantially free of cobalt, wherein the cathode comprises a primary particle having a surface with the primary particle comprising the lithium metal oxide, and wherein the primary particle comprises an oxide coating disposed on the surface.

2. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the lithium metal oxide the lithium metal oxide has a formula according to Formula I:
Li 1+w Ni x Fe y Al z O 2   I;

wherein 0≤w≤0.05, 0<x<1, 0<y≤0.2, 0<z≤0.2, and x+y+z=1.

3. The cathode of claim 2 , wherein the lithium metal oxide has a formula according to Formula II:
LiNi 0.8 Fe 0.1 Al 0.1 O 2   II.

4. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the iron of the lithium metal oxide is selected from the group of Fe 2+ , Fe 3+ , and combinations thereof.

5. The cathode of claim 4 , wherein the iron of the lithium metal oxide comprises Fe 3+ .

6. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum of the lithium metal oxide comprises Al 3+ .

7. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the cathode comprising iron and substantially free of cobalt exhibits an increase in capacity as compared to a conventional cathode free of iron and comprising cobalt.

8. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the primary particle has a spherical configuration or a hexagonal-shaped nano-plate configuration.

9. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the oxide coating comprises an oxide selected from the group of silicon dioxide, zirconium dioxide, titanium oxide, and a combination thereof.

10. A cathode comprising a lithium metal oxide, the lithium metal oxide comprising nickel, aluminum, and iron, wherein the lithium metal oxide is substantially free of cobalt,
wherein the cathode comprises a primary particle having a surface with the primary particle comprising the lithium metal oxide,
wherein the primary particle has a hexagonal-shaped nano-plate configuration, and wherein the cathode may exhibit improved lithium ion diffusion through the primary particle having the hexagonal-shaped nano-plate configuration relative to a primary particle that does not have the hexagonal-shaped plate configuration.

11. A battery comprising: an anode; a cathode comprising a lithium metal oxide, the lithium metal oxide comprising nickel, aluminum, and iron, wherein the lithium metal oxide is substantially free of cobalt, wherein the cathode comprises a primary particle having a surface with the primary particle comprising the lithium metal oxide, and the primary particle comprises an oxide coating disposed on the surface; and an electrolyte.

12. The battery of claim 11 , wherein the lithium metal oxide has a formula according to Formula I:
Li 1+w Ni x Fe y Al z O 2   I;

wherein 0≤w≤0.05, 0<x<1, 0<y≤0.2, 0<z≤0.2, and x+y+z=1.

13. The battery of claim 12 , wherein the lithium metal oxide has a formula according to Formula II:
LiNi 0.8 Fe 0.1 Al 0.1 O 2   II.

14. The battery of claim 11 , wherein the anode comprises a lithium titanium oxide.

15. The battery of claim 14 , wherein the lithium titanium oxide has a formula according to Formula III:
Li 4 Ti 5 O 12   III.

16. The battery of claim 11 , wherein the electrolyte comprises a mixture of LiPF 6 , ethylene carbonate, and ethyl methyl carbonate.

17. The battery of claim 16 , wherein the mixture further comprises an electrolyte additive selected from the group of fluorinated carbonates, anhydrides, sulfones, sulfites, and combinations thereof.

18. A method of forming the lithium metal oxide of claim 1 , the method comprising:
dissolving lithium, nickel, aluminum, and iron in an aqueous solvent to form a solution;
heating the solution to a first temperature to form a gel;
evaporating the aqueous solvent from the gel to form a precursor powder; and
heating the precursor powder to a second temperature, different than the first temperature, for calcinating the precursor powder to form the lithium metal oxide.

Assignees

• Ut Battelle Llc

Inventors

• Belharouak Ilias
• Wood Marissa
• Mao Chengyu
• Li Jianlin
• Nanda Jagjit
• Muralidharan Nitin

Classifications

• H01M4/485

  of mixed oxides or hydroxides for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiTi2O4 or LiTi2OxFy (H01M4/505, H01M4/525 take precedence) · CPC title

• C01P2002/77

  by unit-cell parameters, atom positions or structure diagrams · CPC title

• C01P2002/72

  by d-values or two theta-values, e.g. as X-ray diagram · CPC title

• H01M4/62

  Selection of inactive substances as ingredients for active masses, e.g. binders, fillers · CPC title

• H01M4/525 Primary

  of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing iron, cobalt or nickel for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiNiO2, LiCoO2 or LiCoOxFy · CPC title