Cathode active material for lithium secondary battery and lithium secondary battery including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12087945-B2
Application number	US-202117338317-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2021
Priority date	Jun 4, 2020
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

A cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery including a lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle is provided. A crystal grain size of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle measured by an XRD analysis is 250 nm or more, and an XRD peak intensity ratio of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle is 9.8% or less. A lithium secondary battery including the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle and having improved life-span and rate capability is provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery comprising a lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle having a single particle shape having a crystallographic single crystal or polycrystalline structure,
wherein a crystal grain size of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle measured by an XRD analysis is in a range from 250 nm to 600 nm, and
an XRD peak intensity ratio defined by Equation 2 of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle is 9.8% or less:
XRD peak intensity ratio (%)=100× I (110)/{ I (110)+ I (003)}  [Equation 2]

wherein, in Equation 2, I(110) is a maximum height of a peak corresponding to a (110) plane by the XRD analysis of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle, and I(003) is a maximum height of a peak corresponding to a (003) plane by the XRD analysis of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle.

2. The cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the crystal grain size is measured by Equation 1 below:
L= 0.9λ/βcos θ  [Equation 1]

wherein, in Equation 1, L is the crystal grain size, λ is an X-ray wavelength, β is a half width of a peak corresponding to the (003) plane, and θ is a diffraction angle.

3. The cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the crystal grain size of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle is in a range from 300 nm to 600 nm.

4. The cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the XRD peak intensity ratio of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle is in a range from 4 to 9.8.

5. The cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein an XRD peak area ratio defined by Equation 3 of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle is 17% or less:
XRD peak area ratio (%)=100× A (110)/{ A (110)+ A (003)}  [Equation 3]

wherein, in Equation 3, A(110) is a peak area of a peak corresponding to the (110) plane by the XRD analysis of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle, and A(003) is a peak area of a peak corresponding to the (003) plane by the XRD analysis of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle.

6. The cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 5 , wherein the XRD peak area ratio of the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle is in a range from 10% to 17%.

7. The cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the cathode active material comprises a first lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle having a single particle shape having a crystallographic single crystal or polycrystalline structure, and a second lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle having a secondary particle structure,
wherein a crystal grain size of the first lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle measured by an XRD analysis is in a range from 250 nm to 600 nm, and the XRD peak intensity ratio of the first lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle is 9.8% or less.

8. The cathode electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 7 , wherein the second lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle has a crystal grain size less than 250 nm measured by the XRD analysis.

9. The cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 7 , wherein the XRD peak intensity ratio of the second lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle exceeds 9.8%.

10. The cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 7 , wherein a weight ratio of the first lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle and the second lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle is from 3:7 to 7:3.

11. The cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 7 , wherein a particle diameter (D50) of the second lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle is larger than a particle diameter of the first lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle.

12. The cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particle has a composition represented by Chemical Formula 1:
Li x Ni a M 1-a O 2+z   [Chemical Formula 1]

wherein, in Chemical Formula 1, 0.9≤x≤1.2, 0.6≤a≤0.99, −0.1≤z≤0.1, and M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Na, Mg, Ca, Y, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Co, Fe, Cu, Ag, Zn, B, Al, Ga, C, Si, Sn and Zr.

13. The cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 12 , 0.8≤a≤0.95 in Chemical Formula 1.

14. A lithium secondary battery, comprising:
a cathode comprising a cathode active material layer that includes the cathode active material according to claim 1 ; and
an anode facing the cathode.

15. The lithium secondary battery according to claim 14 , wherein the cathode active material comprises first lithium-transition metal composite oxide particles and second lithium-transition metal composite oxide particles having a secondary particle shape,
wherein a crystal grain size of the first lithium-transition metal composite oxide particles measured by an XRD analysis is in a range from 250 nm to 600 nm, and the XRD peak intensity ratio of the first lithium-transition metal composite oxide particles is 9.8% or less.

16. The lithium secondary battery according to claim 15 , wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional area of the first lithium-transition metal composite oxide particles and a cross-sectional area of the second lithium-transition metal composite oxide particles in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) cross-sectional image of the cathode active material layer is from 1:4.5 to 4.5:1.

17. The lithium secondary battery according to claim 15 , wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional area of the first lithium-transition metal composite oxide particles and a cross-sectional area of the second lithium-transition metal composite oxide particles in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) cross-section of the cathode active material layer is from 2:3.7 to 3.7:2.

Assignees

• Sk Innovation Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Sang Han
• Kang Min Gu
• Yoon Jeong Bae
• Cho Yong Hyun

Classifications

• C01G53/82 Primary

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

• H01M2004/028

  Positive electrodes · CPC title

• H01M2004/021

  Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

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

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title