Carbon material supported hollow metal oxide nanoparticles, methods and applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016131609-A1
Application number	US-201414778129-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 21, 2014
Priority date	Apr 26, 2013
Publication date	May 12, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for preparing a material composition comprising a hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle supported upon a carbon material support includes a solution impregnation process step, followed by a thermal reduction process step and finally a thermal oxidation process step. The material composition, an electrode and an electrical component such as but not limited to a battery are all predicated at least in-part upon the material composition prepared in accord with the foregoing method. The foregoing material composition, electrode, battery and method may ultimately provide a LIB with enhanced performance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for preparing a material composition comprising:
impregnating a carbon material support with a transition metal salt to form a transition metal salt impregnated carbon material support; thermally annealing the transition metal salt impregnated carbon material support within a reducing environment to provide a reduced transition metal particle supported on the carbon material support; and thermally annealing the reduced transition metal particle supported on the carbon material support within an oxidizing environment to provide a hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle supported on the carbon material support.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the impregnating is undertaken in solvent selected from the group consisting of water and a low molecular weight alcohol.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the carbon material support is selected from the group consisting of amorphous carbon, crystalline carbon, graphitic carbon, graphene, graphene oxide, carbon nanotube and carbon microtube carbon material supports.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein the transition metal salt is characterized by the formula ML x , where:
M is one or more of cobalt, iron, nickel, manganese, titanium, copper, zinc and vanadium; and
L is one or more of chloride, sulfate, nitrate; and
x ranges from 1 to 4.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the reducing environment is selected from the group consisting of:
a hydrogen gas and a mixture of hydrogen gas and up to about 90 percent inert gas; and
a liquid-based reducing reagent selected from the group consisting of sodium citrate solution, ascorbic acid solution, sodium borate hydrate solution and hydrazine.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein:
a reducing temperature is from about 100° C. to about 800° C.; and
a reducing time is from about 1 hour to about 10 hours.

7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the oxidizing environment comprises at least one of:
an oxidizing gas selected from the group consisting of oxygen, air, and a mixture of oxygen with an inert gas; and
a liquid-based oxidizing reagent selected from the group consisting of hydrogen peroxide, and aqueous nitric acid.

8 . The method of claim 7 wherein:
the oxidizing temperature is from about 100° C. to about 800° C.; and
the oxidizing time is from about 1 hour to about 10 hours.

9 . The method of claim 1 wherein the transition metal oxide nanoparticle has:
a particle size from about 50 to about 300 nanometers;
a pore size from about 5 to about 100 nanometers; and
a hollow volume percentage from about 20 to about 60 percent, wherein the hollow volume includes:
a primary void of greater than about 50 nm;
a plurality of secondary voids of less than about 10 nm; and
a uniform elemental distribution of metal and oxygen across the nanoparticle.

10 . The method of claim 1 wherein the hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle is described by the formula M x O y where:
M includes one or more transition metal elements selected from the group consisting of Co, Fe, Mn, Ni, Ti, Cu, Zn and V;
O is oxygen;
x ranges from 1 to 3;
y ranges from 1 to 4; and
x and y are not limited to integers.

11 . A material composition comprising:
a carbon material support; and a hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle supported upon the carbon material support.

12 . The material composition of claim 11 wherein the carbon material support comprises a carbon material selected from the group consisting of amorphous carbon, crystalline carbon, graphitic carbon, graphene, graphene oxide, carbon nanotube and carbon microtube carbon material supports.

13 . The material composition of claim 11 wherein the hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle comprises a transition metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, iron, manganese, nickel, titanium, copper, zinc and vanadium transition metals.

14 . The material composition of claim 11 wherein the hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle has:
a particle size from about 50 to about 300 nanometers;
a pore size from about 5 to about 100 nanometers; and
a hollow volume percentage from about 20 to about 60 percent.

15 . An electrode comprising:
a conductive substrate; and a coating located upon the conductive substrate and including a material composition comprising:
a carbon material support; and
a hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle supported upon the carbon material support.

16 . The electrode of claim 15 wherein the carbon material support comprises a carbon material selected from the group consisting of amorphous carbon, crystalline carbon, graphitic carbon, graphene, graphene oxide, carbon nanotube and carbon microtube carbon material supports.

17 . The electrode of claim 15 wherein the hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle includes a transition metal selected from the group consisting of of cobalt, iron, manganese, nickel, titanium, copper, zinc and vanadium transition metals.

18 . The electrode of claim 15 wherein the hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle has:
a particle size from about 50 to about 300 nanometers;
a pore size from about 5 to about 100 nanometers; and
a hollow volume percentage from about 20 to about 60 percent.

19 . An electrical component comprising an electrode comprising:
a conductive substrate; and a coating located upon the conductive substrate and including a material composition comprising:
a carbon material support; and
a hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle supported upon the carbon material support.

20 . The electrical component of claim 19 wherein the carbon material support comprises a carbon material selected from the group consisting of amorphous carbon, crystalline carbon, graphitic carbon, graphene, graphene oxide, carbon nanotube and carbon microtube carbon material supports.

21 . The electrical component of claim 19 wherein the hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle includes a transition metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, iron, manganese, nickel, titanium, copper, zinc and vanadium transition metals.

22 . The electrical component of claim 19 wherein the hollow transition metal oxide nanoparticle has:
a particle size from about 50 to about 300 nanometers;
a pore size from about 5 to about 100 nanometers; and
a hollow volume percentage from about 20 to about 60 percent.

23 . The electrical component of claim 19 wherein the electrical component comprises a lithium ion battery.

24 . The battery of claim 23 wherein the electrode comprises an anode.

25 . The electrical component of claim 19 wherein the electrical component comprises a supercapacitor.

26 . The electrical component of claim 19 wherein the electrical component comprises an electrochemical gas cell.

Assignees

• Univ Cornell
• Univ Huazhong Science Tech

Inventors

• Yu Yingchao
• Abruña Héctor D
• Wang Deli
• Zhou Weidong
• Hongfang Liu
• Shuang Qin

Classifications

• H01M4/583

  Carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx · CPC title

• G01N27/308 Primary

  at least partially made of carbon · CPC title

• H01G11/24

  characterised by structural features of the materials making up or comprised in the electrodes, e.g. form, surface area or porosity; characterised by the structural features of powders or particles used therefor · 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

• H01M4/366

  as layered products · CPC title