Modification of lithium ion electrode materials via atomic layer deposition techniques

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12266752-B2
Application number	US-202016855676-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2020
Priority date	Apr 22, 2020
Publication date	Apr 1, 2025
Grant date	Apr 1, 2025

Abstract

A method for coating of lithium ion electrode materials via atomic layer deposition. The coated materials may be integrated in part as a dopant in the electrode itself via heat treatment forming a doped lithium electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of modifying a cathode comprising:
providing a lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide cathode precursor in a reactor; and
depositing on the cathode precursor a first material by atomic layer deposition process including at least one cycle of:
pulsing a first metal precursor into the reactor for a first metal precursor pulse time;
exposing the cathode precursor to the first metal precursor for a first metal precursor exposure time and at a first partial pressure and binding the first metal precursor;
purging the reactor of the first metal precursor;
pulsing a co-reactant precursor into the reactor for a first co-reactant pulse time;
exposing the cathode precursor to the co-reactant precursor for a co-reactant precursor exposure time and at a second partial pressure, the co-reactant precursor reacting with the bound first metal precursor therein to form the first material; and
purging the reactor of the co-reactant precursor;
wherein the cathode precursor prior to deposition is non-calcinated and non-lithiated.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising calcinating the cathode precursor after depositing of the first material.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the calcinating is at a temperature in the range of 300° C. to 1000° C.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cathode precursor comprises a metallic element with a first oxidation state.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the cathode precursor comprises LiCoO 2 or LiOH.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first material comprises an ALD deposited metallic element having the first oxidation state.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first material comprises aluminum.

8. The method of claim 1 , depositing a second material by atomic layer deposition process including at least one cycle of:
pulsing a second metal precursor into the reactor for a second metal precursor pulse time;
exposing the cathode precursor to the second metal precursor for a second metal precursor exposure time and at a second metal precursor partial pressure and binding the second metal precursor;
purging the reactor of the second metal precursor;
pulsing a second co-reactant precursor into the reactor for a second co-reactant pulse time;
exposing the cathode precursor to the second co-reactant precursor for a second co-reactant precursor exposure time and at a second partial pressure, the co-reactant precursor reacting with the bound first metal precursor therein to form the second material and
purging the reactor of the co-reactant precursor.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second material comprises an ALD deposited metallic element having the second oxidation state that is different from the first oxidation state.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein following calcination, the first material forms a first material dopant within the cathode precursor bulk and the second material is not a dopant.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, following or during calcination, lithiation of the coated cathode precursor to form a modified cathode.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cathode precursor comprises a manganese-rich layered-layered spinel carbonate, a nickel-rich hydroxide, or a mixture thereof.

Assignees

• Uchicago Argonne Llc

Inventors

• Mane Anil U
• Croy Jason R
• Elam Jeffrey W
• Gutierrez Arturo
• Gim Jihyeon
• Choudhury Devika
• Lee Eungje
• Iddir Hakim

Classifications

• H01M4/525

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

• H01M4/366

  as layered products · CPC title

• H01M4/483

  for non-aqueous cells (H01M4/485 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2004/028

  Positive electrodes · CPC title

• C23C16/45555

  applied in non-semiconductor technology · CPC title