Nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide and process for producing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017352884-A1
Application number	US-201515538146-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 16, 2015
Priority date	Dec 22, 2014
Publication date	Dec 7, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide with low impurity content and high reactivity when synthesizing a positive electrode active material, which can be used as a precursor of the positive electrode active material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries with low irreversible capacity, represented by a general formula: Ni x Co y Mn z M t (OH) 2+a (wherein x+y+z+t=1, 0.20≦x≦0.80, 0.10≦y≦0.50, 0.10≦z≦0.90, 0≦t≦0.10, 0≦a≦0.5, and M is at least one additive element selected from Mg, Ca, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, W), which includes: spherical secondary particles formed by aggregation of a plurality of plate-shaped primary particles, which have an average particle diameter of 3 μm to 20 μm, a sulfate radical content of 1.0 mass % or less, a chlorine content of 0.5 mass % or less, and a carbonate radical content of 1.0 mass % to 2.5 mass %.

First claim

1 . A nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide represented by a general formula: Ni x Co y Mn z M t (OH) 2+a (wherein x+y+z+t=1, 0.20≦x≦0.80, 0.10≦y≦0.50, 0.10≦z≦0.90, 0≦t≦0.10, 0≦a≦0.5, and M is at least one additive element selected from Mg, Ca, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, W), the nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide comprising:
spherical secondary particles formed by aggregation of a plurality of plate-shaped primary particles,
wherein the secondary particles have an average particle diameter of 3 μm to 20 μm, a sulfate radical content of 1.0 mass % or less, a chlorine content of 0.5 mass % or less, and a carbonate radical content of 1.0 mass % to 2.5 mass %.

2 . The nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide according to claim 1 , wherein a value of [(d90−d10)/average particle diameter], which is an index indicating dispersion of particle size distribution of the nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide, is 0.55 or less

3 . The nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide according to claim 1 , wherein a specific surface area is 5 m 2 /g to 60 m 2 /g.

4 . A process for producing a nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide by a crystallization reaction, the process comprising:
a crystallization step in which crystallization is performed in a reaction solution obtained by adding an alkali solution to an aqueous solution containing a mixed aqueous solution containing at least nickel, cobalt and manganese, and an ammonium ion supplier, wherein the alkali solution is a mixed aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide and a carbonate, and a ratio of the carbonate to the alkali metal hydroxide in the mixed aqueous solution represented by [CO 3 2− ]/[OH − ] is 0.002 or more and 0.050 or less.

5 . The process for producing the nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide according to claim 4 , wherein the crystallization step comprises a nucleation step and a particle growth step, and wherein
in the nucleation step, a nucleation is performed in the reaction solution obtained by adding the alkali solution to the aqueous solution so that a pH of the reaction solution is 12.0 to 14.0 as pH measured on the basis of a liquid temperature of 25° C., and in the particle growth step, the alkali solution is added to the reaction solution containing nuclei formed in the nucleation step so that a pH of the reaction solution is 10.5 to 12.0 as pH measured on the basis of a liquid temperature of 25° C.

6 . The process for producing a nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide according to claim 4 , wherein the alkali metal hydroxide is at least one selected from lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide.

7 . The process for producing a nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide according to claim 4 , wherein the carbonate is at least one selected from sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and ammonium carbonate.

8 . The process for producing a nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide according to claim 4 , wherein in the crystallization step, an ammonia concentration of the reaction solution is maintained in a range of 3 g/L to 25 g/L.

9 . The process for producing a nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide according to claim 4 , wherein in the crystallization step, a reaction temperature is maintained in a range of 20° C. to 80° C.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Metal Mining Co

Inventors

• Saruwatari Motoaki
• Oshita Hiroko

Classifications

• C01P2006/40

  Electric properties · CPC title

• H01M2004/028

  Positive electrodes · CPC title

• H01M4/525 Primary

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

• C01P2006/80

  Compositional purity · CPC title

• C01P2004/54

  Particles characterised by their aspect ratio, i.e. the ratio of sizes in the longest to the shortest dimension · CPC title