Method for preparing a positive electrode active material for rechargeable batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024030425-A1
Application number	US-202118265587-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 17, 2021
Priority date	Dec 18, 2020
Publication date	Jan 25, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

Method for manufacturing positive electrode active material for batteries comprising Li, O and M, wherein M consists of: —Co between 5 and 35 mol %; —Mn less than 35 mol %; —A less than 10 mol %, A being an element from: B, Mg, Al, Nb, Ti, W, Y, Ca, S, P, Zr, Sn, Si and W, and—The balance Ni, Which comprises: Step 1: preparing a liquid slurry of a lithium mixed metal oxide powder, Step 2: mixing the powder before or after or during step 1 with a cation selected from: Ala3+, La3+, Co2+, Co3+, Mn2+, Mn3+, Mn4+, Mn6+, Zn2+, Cu+, Cu2+, B3+, Mg2+, and with an anion having a general formula A′yOz′−x′, wherein A′ is: B, Al, Sn, Si, P, W, wherein 0.5≤x≤4, 0.5≤y′≤2 and 1≤z′≤≤12; Step 3: drying said slurry; Step 4: heating the slurry resulting from steps 1 and 2 or the dried slurry from step 3.

First claim

1 . Method for manufacturing a positive electrode active material for solid-state rechargeable batteries comprising Li, O and M, wherein M consists of:
Co in a content x superior or equal to 0 mol % and inferior or equal to 35.00 mol %, Mn in a content y superior or equal to 0 mol % and inferior or equal to 35.00 mol %, A in a content z superior or equal to 0 mol % and inferior or equal to 10.00 mol %, whereby A is at least one element selected from: B, Mg, Al, Nb, Ti, W, Y, Ca, S, P, Sn, Si and Zr, and Ni in a content of 100.00 mol %-x-y-z,
whereby the contents x, y, and z are contents relative to M and are as determined by ICP,
whereby the method comprises the following steps:
Step 1: preparing a slurry, whereby the slurry comprises a liquid and a lithium mixed metal oxide powder, whereby the lithium mixed metal oxide powder comprises Li, O and Q, wherein Q consists of:
Co in a content a superior or equal to 0 mol % and inferior or equal to 35.00 mol %,
Mn in a content b superior or equal to 0 mol % and inferior or equal to 35.00 mol %,
G in a content c superior or equal to 0 mol % and inferior or equal to 10.00 mol %, whereby G is at least one element selected from: B, Mg, Al, Nb, Ti, W, Y, Ca, S, P, Sn, Si and Zr and
Ni in a content of 100.00 mol %-a-b-c,

whereby the contents a, b, and c are contents relative to Q and are as determined by ICP, Step 2: mixing said lithium mixed metal oxide powder, before and/or after and/or during step 1, with a cation precursor comprising at least one cation selected from: Al 3+ , La 3+ , Co 2+ , Co 3+ , Mn 2+ , Mn 3+ , Mn 4+ , Mn 6+ , Zn 2+ , Cu + , Cu 2+ , Mg 2+ , and with an anion precursor comprising at least one anion having a general formula A′ y′ O z′ −x′ , wherein A′ is selected from: B, Al, Sn, Si, P, W, wherein 0.5≤x′≤4, 0.5≤y′≤2 and 1≤z′≤12;
Step 3: filtering and optionally drying said slurry to obtain a wet or dry solid fraction, whereby step 3 is optional; and
Step 4: heating the slurry resulting from steps 1 and 2 or the solid fraction resulting from step 3 at a temperature in the range of 300° C. to 1000° C.

2 . Method according to claim 1 , wherein a is superior or equal to 5.0 mol %.

3 . Method according claim 1 , whereby the lithium mixed metal oxide powder is a plurality of single-crystal particles.

4 . Method according to claim 1 , wherein the positive electrode active material has a Li/(Ni+Co+Mn) molar ratio superior or equal to 0.90 and inferior or equal to 1.10 and wherein the lithium mixed metal oxide powder has a Li/(Ni+Co+Mn) molar ratio superior or equal to 0.90 and inferior or equal to 1.10.

5 . Method according to claim 1 , whereby said liquid is water and whereby said cation precursor and said anion precursor are soluble in the liquid.

6 . Method according to claim 1 whereby the positive electrode active material comprises a phase corresponding to a crystalline salt of a lithium ion and said anion, as determined by XRD.

7 . Method according to claim 1 , wherein A′ is the element W.

8 . Method according to claim 7 , wherein the cation precursor comprises Co 2+ and/or Co 3 .

9 . Method according to claim 7 , whereby the positive electrode active material comprises Li 6 W 2 O 9 , as determined by XRD.

10 . Method according to claim 1 , whereby x≤15.00 mol % and y≤5.00 mol %, whereby A comprises Al, whereby M has content of Al of 1.00 mol % or more.

11 . Method according to claim 1 , whereby z≤5.00 mol % and 10.00 mol %≤y.

12 . Method according to claim 1 , whereby 15.00 mol %≤x≤30.00 mol % and 15.00 mol %≤y≤30.00 mol % and z≤3.00 mol %.

13 . A positive electrode active material for rechargeable solid-state batteries, whereby the positive electrode active material is a powder,
whereby the positive electrode active material has a Co content Co A , a Ni content Ni A , and a Mn content Mn A , whereby Co A , Ni A and Mn A are determined by ICP analysis, whereby Co A , Ni A and Mn A are expressed as molar fractions, whereby the positive electrode active material has a value A which is defined as Co A /(Co A +Ni A +Mn A ), whereby the positive electrode active material, when measured by XPS analysis, shows an average Co fraction Co B , an average Ni fraction Ni B , and an average Mn fraction Mn B , whereby Co B , N iB and Mn B are expressed as molar fractions, whereby the positive electrode active material has a value B which is defined as Co B /(Co B +N iB +Mn B ), whereby the positive electrode active material comprises a Li x W y O z phase as determined by XRD, whereby 1.0≤x≤8.0, 1.0≤y≤5.0, 3.0≤z≤10.0, whereby the ratio B/A is at least 1.25.

14 . Positive electrode material according to claim 13 , wherein the positive electrode material is manufacturable by the method comprising the following steps:
Step 1: preparing a slurry, whereby the slurry comprises a liquid and a lithium mixed metal oxide powder, whereby the lithium mixed metal oxide powder comprises Li, O and Q, wherein Q consists of:
Co in a content a superior or equal to 0 mol % and inferior or equal to 35.00 mol %,
Mn in a content b superior or equal to 0 mol % and inferior or equal to 35.00 mol %,
G in a content c superior or equal to 0 mol % and inferior or equal to 10.00 mol %, whereby G is at least one element selected from: B, Mg, Al, Nb, Ti, W, Y, Ca, S, P, Sn, Si and Zr and
Ni in a content of 100.00 mol %-a-b-c,
whereby the contents a, b, and c are contents relative to Q and are as determined by ICP, Step 2: mixing said lithium mixed metal oxide powder, before and/or after and/or during step 1, with a cation precursor comprising at least one cation selected from: Al 3+ , La 3+ , Co 2+ , Co 3+ , Mn 2+ , Mn 3+ , Mn 4+ , Mn 6+ , Zn 2+ , Cu + , Cu 2+ , Mg 2+ , and with an anion precursor comprising at least one anion having a general formula A′ y′ O z′ −x′ , wherein A′ is selected from: B, Al, Sn, Si, P, W, wherein 0.5≤x′≤4, 0.5≤y′≤2 and 1≤z′≤12; Step 3: filtering and optionally drying said slurry to obtain a wet or dry solid fraction, whereby step 3 is optional; and Step 4: heating the slurry resulting from steps 1 and 2 or the solid fraction resulting from step 3 at a temperature in the range of 300° C. to 1000° C.

15 . Positive electrode active material according to claim 13 , whereby the positive electrode active material has a Li content Li A as determined by ICP and is expressed as molar fraction, whereby Li A /(Co A +Ni A +Mn A ) is at least 0.81 and at most 1.21.

16 . Positive electrode active material according to claim 13 , whereby Ni A /(Co A +Ni A +Mn A ) is at least 0.35.

17 . Positive electrode active material according to claim 16 , whereby Co A /(Co A +Ni A +Mn A ) is at least 0.02 and at most 0.40.

18 . (canceled)

19 . Positive electrode active material according to claim 13 , whereby the powder is a plurality of particles, whereby said Li x W y O z phase is present on the surface of said particles as determined by XRD and TEM/EDS line profiling prepared by SEM-FIB.

20 . Positive electrode active material according to claim 13 , whereby the powder is a plurality of particles, whereby said Li x W y O z phase is present on the surface of said particles as secondary particles.

21 . Positive electrode active material according to claim 13 , whereby said Li x W y O z phase is Li 6 W 2 O 9 as determined by XRD.

22 . Positive electrode active material according to claim 13 , whereby the positive electrode active material has a W content which is at leas

Assignees

• Umicore Nv

Inventors

• Kumakura Shinichi
• Yang Taehyeon

Classifications

• H01M4/505 Primary

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

• C01G53/44

  containing manganese · CPC title

• C01G41/00

  Compounds of tungsten · CPC title