Method for size-reduction of silicon and use of the size-reduced silicon in a lithium-ion battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016164085-A1
Application number	US-201414907889-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 25, 2014
Priority date	Aug 2, 2013
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for size-reducing silicon, wherein a mixture containing a suspension containing silicon to be size-reduced and silicon grinding media is set in motion in the grinding space of a grinding media mill. The size-reduced silicon is used as the active material in the anode of a lithium-ion battery.

First claim

1 . A process for comminuting silicon, wherein a mixture containing a suspension comprising a silicon to be comminuted and milling media comprising silicon is set into motion in a milling space of a milling medium mill.

2 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a median d50 of diameters of the milling media comprising silicon is from 10 to 1000 times greater than a d90 value of a particle size distribution of the silicon to be comminuted.

3 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the silicon to be comminuted is a member selected from the group consisting of elemental silicon, doped silicon, metallurgical silicon, silicon oxide, binary silicon-metal alloy, ternary silicon-metal alloy and multinary silicon-metal alloy.

4 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the silicon to be comminuted has a volume-weighted particle size distribution having a d90<300 μm.

5 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the milling media are silicon particles comprising round edges with approximately equal measurements in three dimensions.

6 . The process as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the milling media composed of silicon have a volume-weighted size distribution in a range of 50 μm<d50<5 mm and a relative width of the volume-weighted size distribution of (d90−d10)/d50<1.

7 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the suspension comprising the silicon to be comminuted comprises a liquid having a viscosity of less than 100 mPas at 20° C.

8 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the silicon which has been comminuted is used as an active material in an anode of a lithium ion battery.

9 . An electrode material for a lithium ion battery, which contains silicon particles which have a volume-weighted particle size distribution with 50 nm<d50<1000 nm and metallic impurities of less than 1% by weight and is produced by a process as claimed in claim 1 .

10 . A lithium ion battery comprising a cathode, an anode, a membrane arranged as separator between cathode and anode, and an electrolyte containing lithium ions, wherein the anode contains an electrode material as claimed in claim 9 .

11 . The process as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the silicon to be comminuted is a member selected from the group consisting of elemental silicon, doped silicon, metallurgical silicon, silicon oxide, binary silicon-metal alloy, ternary silicon-metal alloy and multinary silicon-metal alloy.

12 . The process as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the silicon to be comminuted has a volume-weighted particle size distribution having a d90<300 μm.

13 . The process as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the milling media are silicon particles comprising round edges with approximately equal measurements in three dimensions.

14 . The process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the milling media composed of silicon have a volume-weighted size distribution in a range of 50 μm<d50<5 mm and a relative width of the volume-weighted size distribution of (d90−d10)/d50<1.

15 . The process as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the suspension comprising the silicon to be comminuted comprises a liquid having a viscosity of less than 100 mPas at 20° C.

16 . The process as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the silicon which has been comminuted is used as an active material in an anode of a lithium ion battery.

17 . An electrode material for a lithium ion battery, which contains silicon particles which have a volume-weighted particle size distribution with 50 nm<d50<1000 nm and metallic impurities of less than 1% by weight and is produced by a process as claimed in claim 15 .

18 . A lithium ion battery comprising a cathode, an anode, a membrane arranged as separator between cathode and anode, and an electrolyte containing lithium ions, wherein the anode contains an electrode material as claimed in claim 17 .

19 . An electrode material for a lithium ion battery, which contains silicon particles which have a volume-weighted particle size distribution with 50 nm<d50<1000 nm and metallic impurities of less than 1% by weight.

20 . A lithium ion battery comprising a cathode, an anode, a membrane arranged as separator between cathode and anode, and an electrolyte containing lithium ions, wherein the anode contains an electrode material as claimed in claim 19 .

Assignees

• Wacker Chemie Ag

Inventors

• Hanelt Eckhard

Classifications

• C01P2006/11

  Powder tap density · CPC title

• C01P2006/40

  Electric properties · CPC title

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

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

• C01P2002/89

  by mass-spectroscopy · CPC title