Process for preparing electroactive materials for metal-ion batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11905593-B2
Application number	US-201917416671-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2019
Priority date	Dec 21, 2018
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a process for preparing particulate materials having high electrochemical capacities that are suitable for use as anode active materials in rechargeable metal-ion batteries. In one aspect, the disclosure provides a process for preparing a particulate material comprising a plurality of composite particles. The process includes providing particulate porous carbon frameworks comprising micro pores and/or mesopores, wherein the porous carbon frameworks have a D 50 particle diameter of at least 20 μm; depositing an electroactive material selected from silicon and alloys thereof into the micropores and/or mesopores of the porous carbon frameworks using a chemical vapour infiltration process in a fluidised bed reactor, to provide intermediate particles; and comminuting the intermediate particles to provide said composite particles.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for preparing composite particles, the process comprising:
(a) providing particulate porous carbon frameworks comprising micropores and/or mesopores, wherein the porous carbon frameworks have a D 50 particle diameter of at least 20 μm;
(b) depositing an electroactive material selected from silicon, tin, aluminium, germanium and alloys thereof into the micropores and/or mesopores of the porous carbon frameworks using a chemical vapour infiltration process while the porous carbon frameworks are fluidized, to provide intermediate particles; and
(c) comminuting the intermediate particles to provide said composite particles.

2. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising transferring the intermediate particles into a comminuting device prior to step (c).

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the electroactive material is silicon.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate particles and the composite particles comprise a plurality of nanoscale domains of an elemental form of the electroactive material located within the micropores and/or mesopores of the porous carbon frameworks.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the chemical vapour infiltration process is performed at a temperature in the range from 200 to 1,250° C.

6. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of cooling the intermediate particles to a temperature of below 100° C. before comminuting the intermediate particles.

7. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of passivating the intermediate particles before comminuting the intermediate particles.

8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the comminuting is performed by a jet mill.

9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the step of comminuting the intermediate particles is performed in an inert gas or in an environment where the oxygen concentration is less than 10 vol % oxygen.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the micropores and/or mesopores of the porous carbon frameworks have a total pore volume as measured by gas adsorption of P 1 cm 3 /g, wherein the value of P 1 is in the range from 0.4 to 2.5.

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon frameworks have a D 50 particle diameter in the range from 60 to 150 μm.

12. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon frameworks have D 50 particle diameter of at least 30 μm.

13. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon frameworks have a D 50 particle diameter of no more than 1000 μm.

14. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon frameworks have a Do particle diameter of at least 5 μm and a D 90 particle diameter of no more than 1,500 μm.

15. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon frameworks have a BET surface area of at least 750 m 2 /g and no more than 4,000 m 2 /g.

16. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon frameworks have a PD 50 pore diameter as measured by gas adsorption of no more than 5 nm.

17. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the composite particles have a D 50 particle diameter in the range from 0.5 to 20 μm.

18. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the composite particles have a Do particle diameter of at least 0.2 μm and a D 90 particle diameter of no more than 80 μm.

19. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the composite particles have a particle size distribution span of no more than 5.

20. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the electroactive material is silicon, wherein the pore volume of the composite particles is expressed as P 1 cm 3 /g, and wherein the weight ratio, for the composite particles, of silicon to the porous carbon framework in the composite particles is in the range from [0.5×P 1 to 2.2×P 1 ]:1.

21. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the electroactive material is silicon, and wherein the composite particles comprise 30 to 80 wt % silicon.

22. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the composite particles comprise no more than 15 wt % oxygen.

23. A particulate material comprising composite particles obtainable by the process according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Nexeon Ltd

Inventors

• Yilmaz Sefa
• Mason Charles A
• Taylor Richard Gregory
• Bent David

Classifications

• B82Y30/00

  Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites · CPC title

• B82Y40/00

  Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

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

• H01M4/628

  Inhibitors, e.g. gassing inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors · CPC title

• H01M4/625

  Carbon or graphite · CPC title