Silicon composite, making method, and non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cell negative electrode material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9608262-B2
Application number	US-201514635464-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2015
Priority date	Jul 1, 2004
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A silicon composite comprises silicon particles whose surface is at least partially coated with a silicon carbide layer. It is prepared by subjecting a silicon powder to thermal CVD with an organic hydrocarbon gas and/or vapor at 900-1,400° C., and heating the powder for removing an excess free carbon layer from the surface through oxidative decomposition.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of improving cycle retention in cyclic charge/discharge operation of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cell, comprising repeated charging and discharging of a lithium ion secondary cell comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a non-aqueous electrolyte solution, and a separator, wherein said negative electrode comprises a negative electrode active material which comprises:
a silicon composite obtained by a thermal chemical vapor deposition treatment on silicon particles having an average particle size of from 50 nm to 50 μm at a temperature of 900° C. to 1,400° C. in a fluidizing gas atmosphere comprising a hydrocarbon or mono- to tri-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, to obtain a carbon/silicon carbide coated silicon powder, and heat-treating said carbon/silicon carbide coated silicon powder in an oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of 600° C. to 1,400° C. to oxidatively decompose a surface layer of free carbon,
wherein the silicon composite comprises silicon particles having an average particle size of from 50 nm to 50 μm whose surfaces are coated with a fused layer of silicon carbide and comprise free carbon in an amount of from 1.3 wt. % to 2 wt. % based on the total weight of said silicon composite, wherein said silicon carbide is present in an amount of from 10 wt. % to 58.3 wt. % based on the total weight of said silicon composite,
wherein said silicon composite is in the form of a powder having an average particle size of from 0.08 μm to 52 μm, and
wherein said silicon composite further comprises zero-valent silicon in an amount of from 39.9 wt. % to 90 wt. % based on the total weight of said silicon composite, wherein said zero-valent silicon is capable of generating hydrogen gas when reacted with an alkali hydroxide solution.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said silicon carbide is present in an amount of from 20 wt. % to 58.3 wt. % based on the total weight of said silicon composite.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said silicon particles have an average particle size of from 100 nm to 20 μm.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said silicon composite is in the form of a powder having an average particle size of from 0.5 μm to 40 μm.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said zero-valent silicon is present in an amount of from 39.9 wt. % to 80 wt. % based on the total weight of said silicon composite.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a diffraction peak attributable to silicon is observed when said silicon composite is analyzed by diffractometry.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein said diffraction peak centers at approximately 2θ=28.4° and is attributable to Si(111) when said silicon composite is analyzed by x-ray diffractometry.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the silicon particles comprise free carbon in an amount of from 1.3 wt. % to 1.8 wt. % based on the total weight of the silicon composite.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode material provides an initial efficiency of 90-93% and a cycle retention after 50 cycles of 90-93% in a test lithium ion secondary cell.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the negative electrode material provides an initial charging capacity of 1,210-1,570 mAh/g in the test lithium ion secondary cell.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the silicon composite has an average particle size of 1.1-4.0 μm, a total carbon content of 12.1-19.3 wt. %, a silicon carbide content of 36.0-58.3 wt. % and a silicon content of 39.9-62.7 wt. %, in each case based on the total weight of the silicon composite.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the silicon composite has a silicon carbide content of 36.0-58.3 wt. % and a silicon content of 39.9-62.7 wt. %, in each case based on the total weight of the silicon composite.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said silicon particles have an average particle size of from 100 nm to 5 μm.

Assignees

• Shinetsu Chemical Co

Inventors

• Aramata Mikio
• Miyawaki Satoru
• Fukuoka Hirofumi
• Momii Kazuma
• Urano Kouichi

Classifications

• H01M10/44

  Methods for charging or discharging (circuits for charging H02J7/00) · CPC title

• H01M4/366 Primary

  as layered products · CPC title

• H01M4/58

  of inorganic compounds other than oxides or hydroxides, e.g. sulfides, selenides, tellurides, halogenides or LiCoFy; of polyanionic structures, e.g. phosphates, silicates or borates · CPC title

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title

• H01M2004/027

  Negative electrodes · CPC title