Specification
ANODE ACTIVE MATERIAL AND SECONDARY BATTERY COMPRISING
1 THE SAME
5 The present invention relates to an anode active material and a secondary
battery comprising the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to an
anode active material for secondary batteries, capable of intercalating and
.deintercalating ions, comprising: a core comprising a crystalline carbon-based material;
and a composite coating layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group
10 consisting of low crystalline carbon and amorphous carbon, and silicon oxide capable of
intercalating and deintercalating ions, wherein the composite coating layer comprises: a
matrix comprising one component selected from one or more materials selected from
the group consisting of low crystalline carbon and amorphous carbon, and silicon oxide
capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions; and a filler comprising the other
15 component, incorporated in the matrix.
Technological development and increased demand for mobile equipment have
led to a rapid increase in demand for secondary batteries as energy sources. Among
these secondary batteries, lithium secondary batteries having high energy. density and
voltage, long cycle span and low self-discharge are commercially available and widely
5 used.
1 In addition, increased interest in environmental issues has brought about a great
deal of research associated with electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles as alternatives to vehicles using fossil fuels such as gasoline
vehicles and diesel vehicles which are major causes of air pollution. These electric
10 vehicles generally use nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) secondary batteries as power
sources. However, a great deal of study associated with use of lithium secondary
batteries with high energy density, discharge voltage and power stability is currently
underway and some are commercially available.
A lithium secondary battery has a structure in which a non-aqueous electrolyte
15 comprising a lithium salt is impregnated into an electrode assembly comprising a
cathode and an anode, each comprising an active material coated on a current collector,
and a porous separator interposed therebetween.
Lithium cobalt oxide, lithium manganese oxide, lithium nickel oxide, lithium
composite oxide and the like are generally used as cathode active materials of lithium
secondary batteries and carbon-based materials are generally used as anode active
I
materials thereof. Use of silicon compounds, sulfur compounds and the like has also
1
5 been considered.
However, lithium secondary batteries have various problems, in particular,
problems associated with fabrication and driving properties of an anode.
First, regarding fabrication of an anode, a carbon-based material used as an
anode active material is highly hydrophobic and thus has problems of low miscibility
10 with a hydrophilic solvent in the process of preparing a slurry for electrode fabrication
and low dispersion uniformity of solid components. In addition, this hydrophobicity
of the anode active material complicates impregnation of highly polar electrolytes in the
battery fabrication process. The electrolyte impregnation process is a kind of
bottleneck in the battery fabrication process, thus greatly decreasing productivity.
In order to solve these problems, addition of a surfactant to an anode, an
electrolyte or the like is suggested. However, disadvantageously, the surfactant may
have side effects on driving properties of batteries.
Meanwhile, regarding driving properties of the anode, disadvantageously, the
I
carbon-based anode active material induces initial irreversible reaction, since a solid
electrolyte interface (SEI) layer is formed on the surface of the carbon-based anode
active material during an initial chargeldischarge process (activation process), and
5 battery capacity is reduced due to exhaustion of the electrolyte caused by removal
(breakage) and regeneration of the SEI layer during a continuous chargeldischarge
process.
In order to solve these problems, various methods such as formation of an SEI
layer through stronger bond, or formation of an oxide layer on the surface of the anode
10 active material have been attempted. These methods have properties unsuitable for
commercialization such as deterioration in electrical conductivity caused by the oxide
layer and deterioration in productivity caused by additional processes. Also, there still
exists a problem in that growth of lithium dendrites on the surface of the anode active
material may cause short-circuit.
15 Accordingly, there is an increasing need for secondary batteries capable of
solving these problems.
Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above and other
technical problems that have yet to be resolved.
As a result of a variety of extensive and intensive studies and experiments to
solve the problems as described above, the present inventors discovered that, when an
5 anode active material is produced by forming a composite coating layer on a crystalline
carbon-based core, various problems associated with anode fabrication and battery
driving properties can be simultaneously solved. The present invention has been
completed, based on this discovery.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, provided is an anode
active material for secondary batteries, capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions,
comprising: a core comprising a crystalline carbon-based material; and a composite
coating layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of
low crystalline carbon and amorphous carbon, and silicon oxide capable of intercalating
15 and deintercalating ions, wherein the composite coating layer comprises: a matrix
comprising one component selected fiom (a) the one or more materials selected fiom
the group consisting of low crystalline carbon and amorphous carbon and (b) the silicon
F oxide capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions; and a filler comprising the other
component, incorporated in the matrix.
I As such, the anode active material having a structure in which the core
comprising a crystalline carbon-based material is coated with the composite coating
5 layer having a matridfiller structure comprising one or more materials selected from the
group consisting of low crystalline carbon and amorphous carbon, and silicon oxide
capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions can solve the problems in the related
art, based on specific active material structure and components.
First, the surface of the silicon oxide capable of intercalating and
10 deintercalating ions comprised as a matrix or filler component in the composite coating
layer exhibits high miscibility with a hydrophilic solvent in a slurry for fabrication of an
anode according to the type of materials used, thus improving dispensability in solid
components in the slurry. Accordingly, when an anode is fabricated by applying this
slurry to a current collector, distribution uniformity between components such as a
15 binder and the anode active material can be improved and superior electrode properties
can thus be obtained.
The improvement in uniformity caused by the hydrophilic material can
minimize a decrease in bonding strength between the slurry and the partial current
d collector which occurs on the non-uniform electrode. The hydrophilic material
.improves affinity between the active material layer and the surface of the current
collector, bonding strength between the active material layer and the current collector
and thereby solves a problem of increase in internal resistance caused by separation of
5 the active material layer from the current collector.
Similarly, the silicon oxide capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions
comprised in the composite coating layer imparts relatively high hydrophilicity to at
least a part of the anode active material, thereby greatly reducing impregnation time of
the highly polar electrolyte in the electrode fabrication process and considerably
10 improving battery productivity.
Second, the silicon oxide capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions
comprised in the composite coating layer previously forms a layer that has the same
function as SEI having a strong chemical bond and has a stronger bond on the surface of
the anode, thereby reducing an amount of irreversible ions required for formation of the
15 SEI layer, minimizes collapse of the SEI layer during repeated charge and discharge and
ultimately improves battery lifespan.
Third, the silicon oxide capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions
comprised as a matrix or filler in the composite coating layer minimizes deterioration in
i)
electrical conductivity which may be induced by presence of materials incapable of
intercalating and deintercalating ions.
I Also, in the case of a lithium secondary battery, growth of lithium dendrites
may occur, since the crystalline carbon-based material serving as a core has a similar
5 electric potential to lithium, but this growth can be inhibited by coating silicon oxide
capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions on the surface of the crystalline carbonbased
material at a high oxidation-reduction potential.
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
As described above, the anode active material according to the present
invention comprises: a core comprising a crystalline carbon-based material; and a
composite coating layer comprising: a matrix comprising one component (for example,
amorphous carbon) selected from one or more materials selected from the group
consisting of low crystalline carbon and amorphous carbon, and silicon oxide capable of
15 intercalating and deintercalating ions; and a filler comprising the other component (for
example, silicon oxide capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions), incorporated in
the matrix.
. .
8b Generally, a carbon-based material is classified into graphite having a complete
layered crystal structure such as natural graphite, soft carbon having a low-crystalline
layered crystal structure (graphene structure in which hexagonal honeycomb shaped
planes of carbon are arrayed in the form of a layer), and hard carbon having a structure
5 in which the low-crystalline structures are mixed with non-crystalline parts.
In a preferred embodiment, the core component of the present invention, the
crystalline carbon-based material may be graphite, or a mixture of graphite and low
crystalline carbon, and one of the composite coating layer components may be lowcrystalline
carbon, amorphous carbon or a mixture thereof.
10 Meanwhile, silicon oxide capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions
which is another component constituting the composite coating layer in the present
invention exhibits relatively high hydrophilicity and polarity to one or more materials
selected from the group consisting of low crystalline carbon and amorphous carbon and
thus provides improved properties in terms of mix preparation or electrolyte
15 impregnation.
A preferred example of the silicon oxide is a substance represented by SiO,.
For example, SiOz intercalates and deintercalates very few lithium ions used for lithium
secondary batteries. Accordingly, in the formula, x satisfies 0.1 < x < 1.5 and is more
-9-
9 preferably 0.5 < x < 1.3 in order to maintain the structure of silicon oxide and facilitate
intercalation and deintercalation of ions.
In the present invention, the structure of the composite coating layer may be
determined, depending on matrix and filler components.
In a first exemplary structure, a filler comprising silicon oxide capable of
intercalating and deintercalating ions is incorporated in a matrix comprising one or
more materials selected from the group consisting of low crystalline carbon and
amorphous carbon.
In a second exemplary structure, a filler comprising one or more materials
10 selected from the group consisting of low crystalline carbon and amorphous carbon is
incorporated in a matrix comprising silicon oxide capable of intercalating and
deintercalating ions.
In the composite coating layer, since the matrix has a structure, components of
which have a continuous phase and the filler has a structure, components of which have
15 independent phases, the content of the matrix component is not necessarily greater than
the content of the filler component.
In the composite coating layer, the content of one or more materials selected
from the group consisting of low crystalline carbon and amorphous carbon, and the
-10-
b content of the silicon oxide capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions are not
particularly limited so long as the intended effects of the present invention (described
above) can be exerted. In a preferred embodiment, the content of one or more
materials selected fiom the group consisting of low crystalline carbon and amorphous
5 carbon may be 10 to 95% by weight, based on the total amount of the composite coating
layer and the content of silicon oxide capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions
may be 5 to 90% by weight, based on the total amount of the composite coating layer.
The amount (coating amount) of the composite coating layer is preferably 0.1
to 20% by weight, based on the total amount of the anode active material. When the
10 amount of the composite coating layer is excessively low or the thickness thereof is
excessively small, effects caused by formation of the composite coating layer may not
be obtained and, on the other hand, when the amount of the composite coating layer is
excessively high or the thickness thereof is excessively great, disadvantageously, the
desired core-composite coating layer structure may not be formed and capacity may be
15 deteriorated.
The present invention also provides an anode mix comprising the anode active
material.
The anode mix according to the present invention comprises 1 to 20% by
weight of a binder, and optionally comprises 0 to 20% by weight of a conductive
material, based on the total weight of the anode mix.
Examples of the binder include polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene
5 fluoride (PVdF), cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), starch,
hydroxypropylcellulose, regenerated cellulose, polyvinyl pyrollidone,
tetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymers
(EPDM), sulfonated EPDM, styrene butadiene rubbers, fluoro-rubbers, various
,
copolymers, and polymer-saponified polyvinyl alcohol.
Any conductive material may be used without particular limitation so long as
it has suitable conductivity without causing chemical changes in the fabricated battery.
Examples of conductive materials include graphite; carbon blacks such as carbon black,
acetylene black, Ketjen black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal
black; conductive fibers such as carbon fibers and metallic fibers; metallic powders such
15 as carbon fluoride powder, aluminum powder and nickel powder; conductive whiskers
such as zinc oxide and potassium titanate; conductive metal oxides such as titanium
oxide; and polyphenylene derivatives. Specific examples of commercially available
conductive materials may include various acetylene black products (available from
Chevron Chemical Company, Denka Singapore Private Limited and Gulf Oil
Company), Ketjen Black EC series (available fiom Armak Company), Vulcan XC-72
(available fiom Cabot Company) and Super P (Timcal Co.).
If desired, a filler is optionally added to inhibit expansion of the anode. Any
filler may be used without particular limitation so long as it does not cause adverse
5 chemical changes in the manufactured battery and is a fibrous material. Examples of
the filler include olefin polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene; and fibrous
materials such as glass fibers and carbon fibers.
Other components such as viscosity controllers or adhesion promoters may be
added alone or in combination.
The viscosity controller is a component to control the viscosity of the electrode
mix and thereby facilitate mixing of the electrode mix and application of the same to a
current collector and is present in an amount of 30% by weight or less, based on the
total weight of the anode mix. Examples of the viscosity controller include, but are not
limited to, carboxymethyl cellulose and polyvinylidene fluoride. In some cases, the
15 afore-mentioned solvent may also act as the viscosity controller.
The adhesion promoter is an auxiliary ingredient to improve adhesion of an
active material to a current collector and is present in an amount of 10% by weight,
based on the binder and examples thereof include oxalic acid, adipic acid, formic acid,
acrylic acid derivatives and itaconic acid derivatives.
The present invention also provides an anode for secondary batteries in which
the anode mix is applied to a current collector.
For example, the anode is produced by adding an anode material containing an
anode active material, a binder or the like to a solvent such as NMP to prepare a slurry,
and applying the slurry to an anode current collector, followed by drying and pressing.
The anode current collector is generally fabricated to have a thickness of 3 to
500 pm. Any anode current collector may be used without particular limitation so long
10 as it has suitable conductivity without causing adverse chemical changes in the
fabricated battery. Examples of the anode current collector include copper, stainless
steel, aluminum, nickel, titanium, sintered carbon, and copper or stainless steel
surface-treated with carbon, nickel, titanium or silver, and aluminum-cadmium alloys.
The anode current collector includes fine irregularities on the surface thereof so as to
15 enhance adhesion of anode active materials. In addition, the current collectors may be
used in various forms including films, sheets, foils, nets, porous structures, foams and
non-woven fabrics.
* The present invention also provides a secondary battery comprising the anode
and the battery is preferably a lithium secondary battery.
The lithium secondary battery has a structure in which a lithium salt-containing
non-aqueous electrolyte is impregnated into an electrode assembly comprising a
5 separator interposed between the cathode and the anode.
For example, the cathode is prepared by applying a cathode active material to a
cathode current collector, followed by drying and pressing and further optionally
comprises other components such as binders or conductive materials as described above
associated with the configuration of the anode.
The cathode current collector is generally manufactured to have a thickness of
3 to 500 p. Any cathode current collector may be used without particular limitation
so long as it has suitable conductivity without causing adverse chemical changes in the
fabricated battery. Examples of the cathode current collector include stainless steel,
aluminum, nickel, titanium, sintered carbon, and aluminum or stainless steel surface-
15 treated with carbon, .nickel, titanium or silver. Similar to the anode current collector,
the cathode current collectors include fine irregularities on the surface thereof so as to
enhance adhesion to the cathode active material. In addition, the cathode current
3 collector may be used in various forms including films, sheets, foils, nets, porous
structures, foams and non-woven fabrics.
The cathode active material is a lithium transition metal oxide comprising two
or more transition metals as a substance that causes electrochemical reaction, and
5 examples thereof include, but are not limited to, layered compounds such as lithium
cobalt oxide (LiCo02) or lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO;?) substituted by one or more
transition metals; lithium manganese oxide substituted by one or more transition metals;
lithium nickel oxide represented by the formula of LiNil.,MYO2 (in which M = Co, Mn,
Al, Cu, Fe, Mg, By Cr, Zn or Ga, the lithium nickel oxide including one or more
10 elements among the elements, 0.011yL0.7); lithium nickel cobalt manganese composite
oxides represented by Lil+zNibM&Col-(b+,+d)Msdu0ch( 2a-s eL)ilA+eZ Nil/3Col,3Mnl,@2
or Lil+zNio,4Mno.4Coo.2(0i2n which -0.51~50.5, 0.11b50.8, O.l
An anode active material which had been coated with a carbon/silicon oxide
composite prepared in Example 1 and had been further coated with carbon was
produced and a coin-type half cell was fabricated in the same manner as in Example 1.
An anode active material was produced and a coin-type half cell was fabricated
in the same manner as in Example 1, except that silicon dioxide (SO2) having a mean
particle diameter of about 100 nm was used, instead of silicon oxide (SiO).
An anode active material was produced and a coin-type half cell was fabricated
10 in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the hydrophilic material (C) was not
used.
Electrolyte impregnation properties of the electrodes fabricated in accordance
with Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 were evaluated. The electrode was
15 roll-pressed to have a porosity of about 23% and a time taken for 1 microliter (pe) of a
1M LiPF6 electrolyte solution in a carbonate solvent dropped on the surface of the
J electrode to completely permeate into the surface was measured. Results are shown in
Table 1 below.
As can be seen from Table 1, the electrode using an anode active material
5 coated with a carbodmetal composite according to Example 1 of the present invention
exhibited considerably short electrolyte impregnation times, as compared to
Comparative Examples 1 to 3 of electrodes using an anode active material coated with
carbon alone. The reason for this is that the surface of the anode active material was
coated with a hydrophilic material, thus enabling a highly polar electrolyte to be rapidly
10 permeated into particles.
Impregnation
time (sec)
Chargeldischarge properties were evaluated using the coin-type half cells
fabricated in accordance with Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3.
Specifically, during charge, the cells were charged in a CC mode at a current density of
15 0.1C to 5 mV and then maintained in a CV mode at 5 mV, charging was completed
Ex. 1
9 1
when current density reached 0.01C. During discharge, the cells were discharged in a
Comp. Ex. 3
142
Comp. Ex. 1
13 8
Comp. Ex. 2
93
(D CC mode at a current density of 0.1 C to 1.5V. As a result, chargeldischarge capacity
and efficiency of a first cycle were obtained. Then, chargeldischarge was repeated 50
times wider the same conditions as above, except that the current density was changed
to 0.5C. Results are shown in Table 2 below.
As can be seen from Table 2 above, the anode active materials coated with a
composite containing silicon oxide (SiO) as a hydrophilic material according to
Example 1 of the present invention exhibited high capacity maintenance after 50
chargeldischarge cycles and high efficiency, as compared to Comparative Example 2
10 using silicon dioxide (Si02) as a hydrophilic material. The reason for this is that when
silicon dioxide is used, a content of oxygen that irreversibly reacts with lithium is high,
Comp. Ex. 3
385.1
356.6
92.6
7 8
Comp. Ex. 2
387.7
357.1
92.1
82
Charge capacity
(mAWg)
Discharge
capacity
Efficiency (%)
Capacity
maintenance
(%) after 50
chargeldischarge
cycles
Ex. 1
398.3
368.1
92.4
89
Comp. Ex. 1
392.1
360.7
92.0
84
* efficiency is decreased and lithium oxide produced during this reaction increases
surface resistance of the anode active material.
Also, it could be seen that the anode active material according to Example 1
exhibited considerably high capacity maintenance after 50 chargeldischarge cycles, as
5 compared to the anode active materials surface-coated with only carbon of Comparative
Examples 1 and 3. The reason for this is that the hydrophilic material performing the
same function as SEI forms a strong bond with a core material via carbon and thereby
inhibits removal of the SEI layer in the repeated chargeldischarge process. Also, a
material having high chargeldischarge voltage is coated, thereby preventing
10 precipitation of lithium and improving ion conductivity.
As apparent from the fore-going, the anode active material according to the
present invention is effective in greatly improving a battery fabrication process,
minimizing deterioration in electrical conductivity and considerably inhibiting
15 deterioration in battery lifespan through a specific core/composite coating layer
structure and can minimize performance and safety problems associated with lithium
precipitation through presence of a material having a high oxidation-reduction potential
on the surface of the active material.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been
disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various
modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the
scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
(claim 1] An anode active material for secondary 'batteries, capable of
intercalating and deintercalating ions, the7anode active material comprising:
a core comprising a crystalline carbon-based material; and
5 a composite coating layer comprising one or more materials selected from the
group consisting of low crystalline carbon and amorphous carbon, and silicon oxide
capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions,
wherein the composite coating layer comprises:
a matrix comprising one component selected from (a) the one or more
10 materials selected from the group consisting of low crystalline carbon and amorphous
carbon and (b) the silicon oxide capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions; and
a filler comprising the other component, incorporated in the matrix.
(claim 2] The anode active material according to claim 1, wherein the
crystalline carbon-based material comprises one or more of graphite and soft carbon.
(IC
[claim 3] The anode active material according to claim 1, wherein the silicon
oxide capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions is a compound represented by the
following formula:
SiO,
5 wherein x satisfies 0.1 < x < 1.5.
[claim 4] The anode active material according to claim 3, wherein x satisfies 0.5
< x < 1.3.
[claim 5] The anode active material according to claim 1, wherein the
composite coating layer has a structure in which the filler comprising the silicon oxide
10 capable of intercalating and deintercalating ions is incorporated in the matrix
comprising the one or more materials selected from the group consisting of low
crystalline carbon and amorphous carbon.
[claim 6] The anode active material according to claim 1, wherein the
composite coating layer has a structure in which the filler comprising the one or more
15 materials selected fiom the group consisting of low crystalline carbon and amorphous
carbon is incorporated in the matrix comprising the silicon oxide capable of
intercalating and deintercalating ions.
[claim7] The anode active material according to claim 1, wherein an amount of
the composite coating layer is 0.1 to 20% by weight, based on the total amount of the
anode active material.
[claim 8] An anode mix comprising the anode active material according to any
- one of claims 1 to 7.
[claim 9] An anode for secondary batteries in which the anode mix according to
-
claim 8 is applied to a current collector.
[claim 10] A secondary battery comprising the anode for secondary batteries
according to claim 9.
[claim 11] The secondary battery according to claim 10, wherein the battery is a
lithium secondary battery.
[claim 12] A middle- or lake-sized battery pack cbmprising the secondary
battery-according to claim - 1 1 as a unit cell.