Positive electrode active material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12218351-B2
Application number	US-202318474436-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2023
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Feb 4, 2025
Grant date	Feb 4, 2025

Abstract

A positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes particles of a lithium-transition metal composite oxide that contains nickel in the composition thereof and has a layered structure. The particles have an average particle size D SEM based on electron microscopic observation in a range of 1 μm to 7 μm in which a ratio D 50 /D SEM of a 50% particle size D 50 in volume-based cumulative particle size distribution to the average particle size based on electron microscopic observation is in a range of 1 to 4, and a ratio D 90 /D 10 of a 90% particle size D 90 to a 10% particle size D 10 in volume-based cumulative particle size distribution is 4 or less.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, comprising particles of a lithium-transition metal composite oxide that contains nickel in the composition thereof and has a layered structure, wherein
a ratio D 50 /D SEM of a 50% particle size D 50 in volume-based cumulative particle size distribution to an average particle size D SEM based on electron microscopic observation is in a range of 1 to 4,
wherein the D SEM is to be determined as follows: observing an image at a magnification of 1,000 to 10,000 using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), selecting 100 particles having recognizable outlines, calculating the equivalent spherical diameters of the selected particles using an image processing software, and determining the arithmetic average of the obtained equivalent spherical diameters as D SEM ; and

a ratio D 90 /D 10 of a 90% particle size D 90 to a 10% particle size D 10 in volume-based cumulative particle size distribution is 4 or less.

2. The positive electrode active material according to claim 1 , wherein the D SEM is 7 or less.

3. The positive electrode active material according to claim 1 , wherein the D SEM is 3 or less.

4. The positive electrode active material according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio D 50 /D SEM of the D 50 to the D SEM is 1 to 3.

5. The positive electrode active material according to claim 1 , wherein the lithium-transition metal composite oxide has a composition represented by the following formula (1):
Li p Ni x Co y M 1 z O 2+α   (1),

wherein p, x, y, z, and α satisfy 1.0≤p≤1.3, 0.3≤x≤0.95, 0≤y≤0.4, 0≤z≤0.5, x+y+z=1, and −0.1≤α≤0.1, and M 1 represents at least one of Mn and Al.

6. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein 0.3≤x<0.8, and the ratio D 50 /D SEM of the D 50 to the D SEM is in a range of 1 to 2.

7. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein 0.3≤x<0.6, and a disorder of nickel element in the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particles determined by X-ray diffractometry is 1.5% or less.

8. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein 0.3≤x<0.6, and the ratio D 90 /D 10 of the D 90 to the D 10 is 3 or less.

9. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein 0.3≤x<0.6, and the ratio D 90 /D 10 of the D 90 to the D 10 is 2.5 or less.

10. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein 0.3≤x<0.6, and the D 50 is in a range of 1 μm to 5.5 μm.

11. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein 0.3≤x<0.6, and the D 50 is in a range of 1 μm to 3 μm.

12. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein, when 0.3≤x<0.6, 1.1<p<1.2.

13. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein 0.6≤x<0.8, and the disorder of elemental nickel in the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particles determined by X-ray diffractometry is 2.0% or less.

14. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein 0.6≤x<0.8, and the ratio D 90 /D 10 of the D 90 to the D 10 is 2.3 or less.

15. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein 0.6≤x<0.8, and the D 50 is in a range of 1 μm to 5.5 μm.

16. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein 0.8≤x≤0.95, and the disorder of elemental nickel determined by X-ray diffractometry is 4.0% or less.

17. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein 0.8≤x≤0.95, and the ratio D 90 /D 10 of the D 90 to the D 10 is 3 or less.

18. The positive electrode active material according to claim 5 , wherein 0.8≤x≤0.95, and the D 50 is in a range of 1 μm to 5.5 μm.

19. An electrode for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, comprising:
a current collector; and
a positive electrode active material layer that is disposed on the current collector and contains the positive electrode active material according to claim 1 .

20. A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising the electrode according to claim 19 .

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd
• Nichia Corp

Inventors

• Ogawa Atsushi
• Kawamura Soshi
• Sukigara Toru
• Maeyama Hiroto
• Kobayashi Kenichi

Classifications

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M2004/028

  Positive electrodes · CPC title

• H01M2004/021

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

• H01M4/505

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

• H01M4/366

  as layered products · CPC title