As a positive electrode active material for rechargeable lithium ion batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12294078-B2
Application number	US-202017623688-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2020
Priority date	Jul 3, 2019
Publication date	May 6, 2025
Grant date	May 6, 2025

Abstract

A positive electrode active material powder suitable for lithium-ion batteries, comprising lithium transition metal-based oxide particles comprising a core and a surface layer, said surface layer being on top of said core, said particles comprising the elements: Li, a metal M′ and oxygen, wherein the metal M′ has a formula: M′=(Ni z Mn y Co x ) 1-k A k , wherein A is a dopant, 0.55≤z≤0.89, 0.05≤y≤0.25, 0.05≤x≤0.25, x+y+z+k=1, and k≤0.01, said positive electrode active material powder having a mean particle size D50 ranging from 3 μm to 15 μm and a surface layer thickness ranging from 5 nm to 200 nm. The surface layer comprises aluminum in a content superior or equal to 0.04 wt % and inferior or equal to 0.15 wt % relative to the total weight of the positive electrode active material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A positive electrode active material powder suitable for lithium-ion batteries, comprising lithium transition metal-based oxide particles comprising
a core and
a surface layer, said surface layer being on top of said core,
said particles comprising the elements: Li, a metal M′ and oxygen, wherein the metal M′ has a formula: M′=(Ni z Mn y Co x ) 1-k A k , wherein A is a dopant, 0.50≤z≤0.89, 0.05≤y≤0.25, 0.05≤x≤0.25, x+y+z+k=1, and k≤0.01,
said positive electrode active material powder having a median particle size D50 ranging from 3 μm to 15 μm and a surface layer thickness ranging from 5 nm to 200 nm,
said surface layer comprising aluminum in a content superior or equal to 0.04 wt % and inferior or equal to 0.15 wt % with respect to the total weight of the positive electrode active material powder, and having an AI surface coverage A1/A2 that is superior or equal to 100, wherein A1 is an atomic ratio Al/(Ni+Mn+Co+Al+S) of the elements Al, Ni, Mn, Co, and S contained in the surface layer, said atomic ratio A1 obtained by XPS spectrum analysis, and wherein A2 is an atomic ratio Al/(Ni+Mn+Co+Al+S) of the elements Al, Ni, Mn, Co, and S contained in the surface layer, obtained by ICP;
said surface layer comprising a LiAIO 2 phase and a LiM “O 2 phase with M” comprising Al, Ni, Mn, and Co,
said LiAIO 2 phase being present in said surface layer in a content which is superior or equal to 0.10at % and inferior or equal to 0.30at % with respect to the total atomic content of M′ of the positive electrode active material powder,
said LiM ″O 2 phase being present in a content which is superior to 0.00at % and inferior to 0.14at % with respect to the total atomic content of M′ of the positive electrode active material powder.

2. The positive electrode active material powder according to claim 1 , wherein said core comprising the elements: Li, M′ and oxygen, wherein M′ has a formula: M′=Ni z Mn y Co x A k , wherein A is a dopant, 0.60≤z≤0.86, 0.05≤y≤0.25, 0.05≤x≤0.25, x+y+z+k=1, and k≤0.01.

3. The positive electrode active material powder according to claim 1 , wherein said surface layer has a maximum Al2p peak intensity in the range of binding energies going from 73.0±0.2 eV to 74.5±0.2 eV, said intensity obtained by XPS spectrum analysis.

4. The positive electrode active material powder according to claim 1 , having a general formula: Li 1+a′ ((Ni z′ Mn y′ Co x′ Al v ) 1-k A k ) 1-a′ O 2 , wherein only A is a dopant, wherein 0.50≤z′≤0.89, 0.05≤y′≤0.25, 0.05≤x′≤0.25, x′+y′+Z′+v+k=1, 0.0014≤v≤0.0054,-0.05≤a′≤0.05, and k≤0.01.

5. The positive electrode active material powder according to claim 1 , wherein A comprises one or more of Al, B, S, Mg, Zr, Nb, W, Si, Ba, Sr, Ca, Zn, Cr, V, Y, or Ti.

6. The positive electrode active material powder according to claim 1 comprising a polycrystalline morphology having a span ranging from 0.25-0.90.

7. Process for manufacturing the positive electrode active material powder according to claim 1 , comprising the consecutive steps of:
a) preparing a lithium transition metal-based oxide compound,
b) mixing said lithium transition metal-based oxide compound with a source of aluminum ion, thereby obtaining a mixture, and
c) heating the mixture in an oxidizing atmosphere in a furnace at a temperature between 350° C. and less than 500° C., for a time between 1 hour and 10 hours so as to obtain said positive electrode active material powder.

8. A battery comprising the positive electrode active material powder according to claim 1 .

9. An electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicles comprising the battery according to claim 8 .

Assignees

• Umicore Nv
• Umicore Korea Ltd

Inventors

• Kumakura Shinichi
• Yang Taehyeon
• Paulsen Jens
• Blangero Maxime
• Agustina Elsye

Classifications

• H01M2220/20

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

• H01M2004/028

  Positive electrodes · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

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

• 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

• H01M4/505

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