Method of forming positive electrode active material, kiln, and heating furnace

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023014507-A1
Application number	US-202017782835-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 1, 2020
Priority date	Dec 10, 2019
Publication date	Jan 19, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

To provide a method of forming a positive electrode active material with high productivity. To provide a manufacturing apparatus capable of forming a positive electrode active material with high productivity. Provided is a method of forming a positive electrode active material including lithium, a transition metal, oxygen, and fluorine. An adhesion preventing step is performed during heating of an object. Examples of the adhesion preventing step include stirring by rotating a furnace during the heating, stirring by vibrating a container containing an object during the heating, and crushing performed between the plurality of heating steps. By these manufacturing methods, a positive electrode active material having favorable distribution of an additive at the surface portion can be formed.

First claim

1 . A method of forming a positive electrode active material comprising lithium, a transition metal, oxygen, and fluorine,
wherein an adhesion preventing step is performed during heating of an object.

2 . The method of forming a positive electrode active material, according to claim 1 ,
wherein the adhesion preventing step is stirring by rotating a furnace during the heating.

3 . The method of forming a positive electrode active material, according to claim 1 ,
wherein the adhesion preventing step is stirring by vibrating a container containing the object during the heating.

4 . A method of forming a positive electrode active material comprising lithium, a transition metal, oxygen, and fluorine,
wherein an adhesion preventing step is performed between a plurality of heating steps.

5 . The method of forming a positive electrode active material, according to claim 4 ,
wherein the adhesion preventing step is at least one of stirring by vibrating a container containing an object during the heating and crushing performed between the plurality of heating steps.

6 . The method of forming a positive electrode active material, according to claim 2 ,
wherein a ceramic ball is put together with the object in the furnace.

7 . A rotary kiln successively processing an object put thereto, comprising a kiln main body, a mill, a first heating unit, a second heating unit, a first source material supply unit, a second source material supply unit, and an atmosphere control unit,
wherein the kiln main body has a substantially cylindrical shape and is configured to stir the object by rotating, wherein the kiln main body comprises an upstream portion and a downstream portion, and is configured to retain the object in the upstream portion for an hour or longer and 100 hours or shorter and is configured to retain the object in the downstream portion for an hour or longer and 100 hours or shorter, wherein the mill is configured to inhibit adhesion of the object, wherein the first heating unit is configured to heat the upstream portion of the kiln main body to a temperature higher than or equal to 800° C. and lower than or equal to 1100° C., wherein the second heating unit is configured to heat the downstream portion of the kiln main body to a temperature higher than or equal to 500° C. and lower than or equal to 1130° C., wherein the first source material supply unit is configured to supply the object to the upstream portion of the kiln main body, wherein the second source material supply unit is configured to supply an additional source material to the downstream portion of the kiln main body, and wherein the atmosphere control unit is an oxygen-containing gas introduction line which introduces an oxygen-containing gas to the inside of the kiln main body.

8 . A kiln successively processing an object put thereto, comprising a kiln main body, a first mill, a second mill, a first heating unit, a second heating unit, and a source material supply unit,
wherein the kiln main body has a substantially cylindrical shape and comprises a scraping blade inside, wherein the scraping blade is configured to stir the object, wherein the kiln main body comprises an upstream portion and a downstream portion, and is configured to retain the object in the upstream portion for an hour or longer and 100 hours or shorter and is configured to retain the object in the downstream portion for an hour or longer and 100 hours or shorter, wherein the first mill and the second mill are provided between the upstream portion and the downstream portion and is configured to inhibit adhesion of the object, wherein the first heating unit is configured to heat the upstream portion of the kiln main body to a temperature higher than or equal to 800° C. and lower than or equal to 1100° C., wherein the second heating unit is configured to heat the downstream portion of the kiln main body to a temperature higher than or equal to 500° C. and lower than or equal to 1130° C., and wherein the source material supply unit is configured to supply the object to the upstream portion of the kiln main body.

9 . A roller hearth kiln successively processing an object contained in a container, comprising a tunnel-like kiln main body, a plurality of rollers, a first heating unit, a second heating unit, an atmosphere control unit, and an adhesion preventing unit,
wherein the plurality of rollers are configured to transfer the container, wherein the kiln main body comprises an upstream portion and a downstream portion along a transfer direction of the plurality of rollers, wherein the first heating unit is configured to heat the upstream portion to a temperature higher than or equal to 800° C. and lower than or equal to 1100° C., wherein the second heating unit is configured to heat the downstream portion to a temperature higher than or equal to 500° C. and lower than or equal to 1130° C., wherein the atmosphere control unit is an oxygen-containing gas introduction line which introduces an oxygen-containing gas to the inside of the kiln main body, and wherein the adhesion preventing unit is configured to vibrate the container.

10 . A heating furnace performing batch processing of an object contained in a container, comprising a heating unit, a space in the heating furnace, an atmosphere control unit, and an adhesion preventing unit,
wherein the heating unit is configured to heat the space in the heating furnace to a temperature higher than or equal to 800° C. and lower than or equal to 1100° C., wherein the atmosphere control unit is an oxygen-containing gas introduction line which introduces an oxygen-containing gas to the space in the heating furnace, and wherein the adhesion preventing unit is configured to vibrate the container.

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Momma Yohei
• Saito Jo
• Ochiai Teruaki
• Mikami Mayumi

Classifications

• H01M4/0471

  involving thermal treatment, e.g. firing, sintering, backing particulate active material, thermal decomposition, pyrolysis · CPC title

• C01P2004/80

  Particles consisting of a mixture of two or more inorganic phases · CPC title

• C01P2002/77

  by unit-cell parameters, atom positions or structure diagrams · CPC title

• H01M4/505

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

• F27B5/16

  Arrangements of air or gas supply devices · CPC title