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Highly Crystalline Lithium Transition Metal Oxides

Abstract: A powderous lithium transition metal oxide having a layered crystal structure Li1+aM1-aO2+b M'k Sm with -0.03 < a < 0.06, b ≡ 0, 0 ≤ m ≤ 0.6, m being expressed in mol%, M being a transition metal compound, consisting of at least 95% of either one or more elements of the group NL Mn, Co and Ti; M' being present on the surface of the powderous oxide, and consisting of either one or more elements of the group Ca, Sr, Y, La, Ce and Zr, wherein: either k = 0 and M = Ni1-c-dMn-COd, with 0

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Patent Information

Application #
Filing Date
17 January 2011
Publication Number
47/2011
Publication Type
INA
Invention Field
CHEMICAL
Status
Email
Parent Application

Applicants

UMICORE
RUE DU MARAIS 31, B-1000 BRUSSELS BELGIUM

Inventors

1. PAULSEN, JENS MARTIN
CHUNGNAM PROVINCE, CHEONAN CITY, DUJEONG DONG 2035, HANSEONG FEELHOUSE APT. 104-1002, 333798 REPUBLIC OF KOREA
2. LAU, THOMAS
3033 SPENCE WYND S. W., EDMONTON, ALBERTA, T6X 1M6 CANADA
3. HEONPYO, HONG
BLOOMING APT, 101-204, CHEONAN, BAEKSAOKDONG REPUBLIC OF KOREA
4. JIHYE, KIM
BUKSAN BLOOMING 105-1302, CHEONAN, BAEKSOGDONG, SOUTH KOREA REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Specification

Highly crystalline Lithium transition metal Oxides The invention relates to a powderous lithium transition metal oxide, used as active cathode material in rechargeable lithium batteries. More particularly, in Li(Mn-Ni-Co)O2 type compounds higher crystallinity is obtained through a optimal selection of sintering temperature. LiCo02 is still the most widely applied cathode material for rechargeable batteries. However, there exists a strong pressure to replace it by other materials for particular reasons. Currently, scarce resources of cobalt and fear of high prices accelerate this trend. Besides LiFePO4 and Li-Mn-spinel, which both suffer from much lower energy density, LiNiO2 based layered cathode materials and Li(Mn-Ni-Co)O2 based layered cathode materials are the most likely candidates to replace LiCo02 in commercial battery applications. Today it is basically known that any composition Li[LixM1.JO2 with M=Mn, Ni, Co within the quarternary system Li[Lit/3Mn2/3]O2 - LiCoO2 - LiNiO2 - LiNi0.5Mno.502 exists as a layered phase, and in most cases is electrochemically active. It can be summarized that at the mid 90ties prior art were compositions within the Ni rich corner of the solid state solution between LiCoO2 - LiMn1/2Ni1/2O2 - {Li,.xNix}NiO2, including further dopants (like Al). The other corners LiCoO2 and LiNi1/2Mn,/2O2 were also known. ^ During the 90ties there was put little focus on the Li stoichiometry. So the patents above just claim LiMC^, or a range of Li stoichiometries, but it has generally not been understood that the Li:M ratio is an important variable needing optimization. Li,M, was typically seen as a desired stoichiometry which only can be obtained if a small lithium excess is used. In the late 90ties slowly understanding of the role of excess Lithium evolved. The first document which conclusively shows that additional lithium can be doped into LiMO2 is JP2000-200607, claiming Li[COi.xMJO2 and Li[Ni,.xMx]O2 where M is at least 2 metals which have an average valence state of 3. Metals M include lithium, Mn, Co, Ni. Not surprisingly, within the next years several more publications regarding lithium rich (=Li[LixM1.JO2) cathode materials were published. To our knowledge, the first disclosure of the possibility of excess lithium, doped into the crystal structure of LiMO2 (M=Mn, Ni, Co) was JP11-307097, claiming Lid-ajNivb-c-dMnbCocMjA where -0.15 < a <0.1, 0.02 < b < 0.45, 0 < c < 0.5 and 0 £ d < 0.2. The formula of claim 1 LixMO2 (if x=1.05 Li,.o5MO2) at first glance contradicts today's consent that it be better written as Lii.o25Mo.97502, i.e. there is a slight discrepancy between the oxygen stoichiometry, the first formula having a slightly lower (Li+M):O ratio. Both formulas describe the same material, and furthermore, none of them, describes the material completely accurate, simply because any "real" material possibly has a certain number of other disorder parameters like oxygen or cationic vacancies or interstitials, different composition on the surface etc. Thus -1998 prior art can be defined as all solid solutions within the ternary system LiNiOj - LiCoO2 - LiNi1/2Mn1/2O2 - Li[Li1/3Mn2,3]O2. Most of the hundreds of recent publications focus on compositions Li[LixM1.x]O2 with M=Mn-Ni-Co, almost exclusively the Ni:Mn ratio is 1, and in many cases the compositions is either M=Mn1/3Ni1/3Coi/3 or (Mn,/2Nii/2)i.xCox with 0.1 < x < 0.2. It can be argued that there is a common consent that an excess of lithium (Li:M>1) is desired to obtain high rate. Another issue is the shape of X-ray diffraction peaks. Sharp peaks with narrow FWHM (full width at half maximum) are related to high crystallinity. JP3653409 (Sanyo) claims a doped LiNiO2 with FWHM of the main peak at 003 of 0.15-0.22 deg of 2 theta, using Cu - K alpha radiations. JP3301931 (Sanyo) claims a doped (> 1%) LiNi-Mn-Co oxide where the main 003 peak (at 18.71 ± 0.25) has a FWHM < 0.22 degree. In EP1391950 A1 a composite oxide LiaMno.5-xNio.5-yMx.yO2 is disclosed, with M being an element which is in a solid solution where it can displace Mn and Ni. Examples of M are B, Be, V, C, Si, P, Sc, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Sr, Mo, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Te, Ba, Ta, W, Pb, Bi, Fe, Cr, Ti, Zr, Nb, Mg, Y, Al, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Co, Cs, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Tb. Preferably these oxides have a diffraction peak at a 26 of 18.6 +/-1' with a half width of from 0.05* to 0.20*, and also a peak at 44.1 +/-1' having a half width of from 0.10° to 0.20'. The description only gives 2 examples of highly crystalline undoped LiMnNi Oxides having a half width of the peak at 44.1° of below 0.1°. All of the other oxides, like LiNiMnCo and LiMnNiMg oxides, are less crystalline, having half width values over 0.1*. Despite of the impressive numbers of prior art - it is still not fully clear which compositions within the ternary triangle LiNiO2 - UC0O2 - LiNii/2Mni/202 - Li[Li1/3Mn2/3]O2 gives the best performance in terms of capacity and rate performance. The overall development of cathode materials involves improving parameters which matter in the batteries. Some of the parameters are relatively easy to measure, like capacity, voltage profile and rate performance, which can be measured by making and testing coin cells. Other parameters are less obvious. So it is not fully clear how safety or swelling properties (e.g. of charged polymer batteries during storage at elevated temperature) can be measured, without assembling real batteries. There exists a strong indication that these safety and storage parameters are not only determined by the chemical composition of the cathode but also by surface properties. However, reliable previous art in this area is rare. In this respect, the authors observed a problem that resides in the reaction of the surface of the active lithium transition metal oxide cathode material and the electrolyte in the battery, leading to poor storage properties and a decreased safety of the battery. The authors argue that lithium located near to the surface thermodynamically is less stable and goes into solution, but lithium in the bulk is thermodynamically stable and cannot go to dissolution. Thus a gradient of Li stability exists, between lower stability at the surface and higher stability in the bulk. By determining the "soluble base" content, based on the ion exchange reaction {UMO2 + 8 H* «•-» Li1^H5MO2 + 8 Li+), the Li gradient can be established. The extent of this reaction is a surface property. To improve safety, aluminum doping of LiNiO2 based cathodes, as well as Al, Mg-Ti or Ni-Ti doping of LiCoC^ has been frequently disclosed, for example in JP2002-151154 (Al+Co doped LiNiOz) or JP2000-200607 (doped LiCoO2). Typical for doping is that the doped element fits to the host crystal structure, which limits doping of LiAAO2 more or less to transition metals, Li, Mg, Ti, Al, and maybe B. Several disclosures show anionic doping, like fluorine doping, phosphor doping or sulphur doping. It is however very questionable if these anions can replace oxygen because they differ in significantly in size or valence. It is more likely that they instead are present at the surface and grain boundaries as lithium salts. The lithium salts LiF, Li3PO4 and Li2SO4 all have high thermal stability which promotes a thermodynamic co-existence with the LiMO2 phase. In general doping is the modification of the bulk structure, whereas, for safety and storage properties, the surface chemistry is more important. Therefore, in many cases, the improvement of surface properties, is more than outweighed by the deterioration of bulk properties. Typical examples are the doping by aluminum, where better thermal stability often is accompanied by a dramatic decrease of power (rate performance). An alternative approach, widely disclosed in the literature is coating. An early disclosure of a coated cathode was KR20010002784, where a LiMO2 cathode (M=Ni,.xCOx) (or the sulphur or fluorine "doped" LiM02 cathode is coated with a metal oxide with metal selected from Al, Al, Mg, Sr, La, Ce, V and Ti and the stoichiometric amount of metal is at least 1%. An alternative approach is the creation of core-shell cathode materials, or gradient type cathode materials. Here a thick and dense shell of a more robust cathode material protects a core of a more sensitive cathode material. Depending on sintering temperature and chemical composition, the final cathode has either a core-shell morphology or a gradient morphology. Typically both the shell and the core are electrochemically active (have reversible capacity). Sulphate is an impurity of concern in layered lithium transition metal oxides. Sulphate typically originates from the mixed hydroxide precursors. This is because the mixed hydroxide preferably is precipitated from transition metal sulphate solution, which is the cheapest water soluble transition metal precursor. Complete removal of sulphur is difficult and increases the cost of the precursor. The sulphate impurity is suspected to cause (a) poor overcharge stability and (b) contribute to the highly undesired low Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) phenomena, where a certain fraction of batteries show a slow deterioration of OCV after initial charge. Sulphate impurities normally measured when using transition metal sulphate solutions in the manufacturing process can be up to 5wt%. It is an object of this invention to develop lithium transition metal oxide cathode materials having improved electrochemical properties, like capacity, voltage profile and rate performance; by improving the crystallinity of the cathode materials. The invention discloses a powderous lithium transition metal oxide having a layered crystal structure L^aM^C^ MkSm , with -0.03 < a < 0.06, b = 0, 0 < m < 0.6, m being expressed in mol%, M being a transition metal compound, consisting of at least 95% of either one or more elements of the group Ni, Mn, Co and Ti; M' being present on the surface of the powderous oxide, and consisting of either one or more elements of the group Ca, Sr, Y, La, Ce and It, wherein: either k = 0 and M = Ni^^jMncCo,), with 0 1500 ppm, then the electrochemical properties suffer, particularly the rate performance decreases and the irreversible capacity increases. The inventors of the actual patent application discovered that sulphur levels of 0.2 - 0.6 vrt% can be tolerated if at least 150 ppm of the elements like Ca, Sr, Y, La, Ce and Zr is present, and that 0.2-0.6 wt% of sulphate is harmful to the cathode performance if the Ca impurity is lower. The invention is further explained by the following Examples and Figures. The Figures are summarized as follows: Fig. 1: X-ray diffraction pattern at different sintering temperatures Fig. 2: FWHM as function of scattering angle Fig. 3: X-ray diffraction pattern with detailed peak separation Example 1: High crystallinitv a) for Ui+aMi-a02±b M'kSm with k, m = 0 and M = Nit-c-dMricCOd. A hydroxide MOOH with M=Nio.s3Mn0.263Coo.2 was used as precursor. Samples were prepared at 920°C, 940°C, 960°C and at 967°C. As expected, the BET surface area decreased with increasing temperature. The Li:M was basically identical (all samples had identical unit cell volume). The electrochemical performance improved with temperature, having the best performance at approx. 960-970°C sintering temperature. Figure 1 shows the X-ray diffraction pattern of the 4 samples: the sintering temperatures of the samples A-D can be found in Table 1 below. The FWHM (full width at half maximum) vs. scattering angle (deg.) is shown for the (single) peaks 101, 006, 102,104, 105,110,108,113, the FWHM values being determined as explained below. The 003 peak was excluded because it typically shows asymmetry which is not fitted very well. Peaks at >70 degree were not fitted because of smaller resolution. Figure 2 shows the evolution of FWHM (left and right) as function of scattering angle (deg.) for the samples prepared at different temperatures from Table 1. Clearly, the FWHM decreases with increasing sintering temperature. The experimental results are summarized in Table 1. Figure 3 gives an additional example of two X-ray diffraction patterns of a Li-M-oxide with M=Nio.53Mrto.263Coo.2: sample E is according to the invention, while sample F is not. Note that the figure shows an X-ray diffraction pattern before filtering, i.e. with both the Cu Ka1 and the Ka2 responses as explained below with respect to the proper determination of the FWHD. Table 1: Results for Li-M-oxide with M=Ni0.53Mn0.263Coo.2 - optimum crystallimty In Table 1, "Vol" stands for the unit cell volume per formula unit obtained by a Rietveld refinement of high resolution X-ray diffraction pattern (15-135 degree of 2 theta, 6 h measurement time). The unit cell volume is a very sensitive measure of the Li:M ratio. The refinement furthermore delivered the parameter for the "Size", together with the "Strain, which are a measure of the crystallinity of the sample. The larger the size and the smaller the strain, the better the crystallinity. The parameter "Q" corresponds to the specific capacity of the material using coin cells, measured between 4.3 and 3.0 V at a rate of 0.1 C. "QjrT is the irreversible capacity, defined as Qcharge minus QDischarge, divided by Qcharge. The FWHM (full width at half maximum) values were determined as follows. The Xray powder diffraction pattern was collected using a Rigaku D/Max 2000 diffractometer with theta - two theta geometry and Cu radiation. A relatively narrow receiving slit (0.15 mm) was selected to limit the peak broadening contribution caused by the instrument. The divergence slit was 1 degree. It should be noted that the intrinsic FWHM of the powder, i.e. the peak width caused by the crystallinity of the sample itself, is slightly less than that measured width, which always also includes some contribution from the instrument. The here reported and claimed FWHM values correspond to the values as measured with state of the art apparatus. The Xray diffraction pattern contains two contributions, the main one being caused by the Ka1 radiation, and a secondary one, which has a lower intensity, by the Ka2 radiation. Obtaining a reliable FWHM requires to remove the Ka2 part from the diffraction pattern. This was achieved using the software "Jade", resulting in a pure Ka1 Xray powder diffraction pattern. To assess the crystallinity, two single peaks with good intensity, not overlapping with other peaks, were chosen. These peaks are the 104 peak at about 44.5° and the 113 peak at about 68°. We hereby use the hexagonal notation of the rhombohedral space group R-3m in the naming convention. The peaks are fitted by the Origin 8 software, using a Lorentz function. The Lorentz FWHM is listed in the tables. The results show that, with increasing crystallinity (larger size and smaller strain, less FWHM) the electrochemical performance improves until it saturates at a size of 330 nm. Samples with a sufficient degree of crystallinity have a FWHM of the 104 peak (which, besides the 003, is the peak with the highest intensity) below 0.1 degree. The 003 peak has a FWHM of less than 0.08 degree. b) for LiVaMt-aO^b M'kSn, with 0.015 < k < 0.15, 0.15 < m < 0.6. Two batches of undoped MOOH hydroxide precursors were prepared, both with a composition according to M=Ni0.5MnojCoo.2. These precursors had a tap density of respectively 1.63 g/cm3 and 2.03 g/cm3, and a D50 of the particle size distribution of about 10 fim. Impurities were sutfate, respectively 0.15 wt% and 0.5 wt%, all other impurities (Na, Ca) being below 150 ppm. The samples derived from these two batches are denominated as series A and series B in Tables 1' and 1". Both batches were then doped with Sr, according to the following process. Strontium nitrate was dissolved in water so as to obtain a 0.2 molar solution. About 1.5 kg of precursor was immersed into a stirred reactor, and an appropriate amount of ethanol was added, resulting in a relatively viscous slurry. During continued stirring, 68.5 ml of the strontium solution was slowly added. The reactor was closed, and the slurry heated to 60 °C. Evaporating ethanol was removed from the reactor using a diaphragm pump. The stirring continued until the slurry became too dry for stirring. The dry cake was then sieved using a 53 jim mesh. The so obtained Sr modified precursor contained 800 ppm of Sr. After this treatment, and compared with an untreated sample, no obvious changes of morphology could be demonstrated by either SEM or particle size analysis. In particular, no agglomerates containing larger Sr-salt crystals could be detected. The final products were then prepared by blending with Li2CO3 and sintering. To this end, 1 kg blends of Li2CO3 and Sr containing MOOH were prepared using a Turbula mixer. The ratio of Li:M was approximately 1.03. Test samples were sintered at 950 °C and checked by Xray analysis. They showed lattice constants corresponding to a unit cell volume of 33.95 A3, i.e. within a preferred region. Each actual samples wase prepared from ca. 200 g of blended powders. The firings were performed from 880 *C to 960 "C, in a flow of air, for about 24 h, heating and cooling times included. After sintering, the samples were sieved using a 53 jim mesh. The final Sr containing LJ-M-O2 products were subjected to Xray analysis, Rietveld refinement, pH titration, coin cell testing, chemical analysis, and SEM. Tables 11 and 1" summarize the results obtained with the strontium containing samples from series A and B, as a function of the sintering temperature. The "Q" and "Rate- parameters were measured using coin cells. "Q" is the specific capacity measured at a discharge rate of 0.1 C, while "Rate" is a measure of the high rate discharge behavior, reported as the ratio of the 2 C capacity to the 0.1 C capacity. The FWHM values were measured according to the procedure of Example 1 a. The base content and BET surface area decrease with increasing sintering temperature. Since low base content and low BET are desired, a narrow FWHM is preferred. It is indeed assumed that a high BET increases the area where unwanted reactions between electrolyte and charged cathode can take place, thus causing poor safety performance, whereas a high base content is known to lower the high temperature storage properties. Performances thus appear to be excellent for the samples showing a 104 peak with a FWHM of 0.1 ° or less. Also, a FWHM of 0.08 or more seems desirable for this peak. This is valid for both the undoped (Example 1 a) and the Sr-doped (Example 1 b) samples. Example 2: Improved safety and lower base of Ca containing cathode 2 cathode materials MP1 and MP2 with composition LiVaM^O^ CakSm were produced at large scale (several tons) from mixed transition metal hydroxide, which contained different amounts of Ca and sulfur. In both cases the stoichiometry was very similar (a=0.05, M=Mn,/3Ni1/3Coi/3, m=0.4 mol% ) but the level of Ca was different: MP1 had 393 ppm Ca, whereas MP2 had a normal impurity level of 120 ppm Ca (normally more than 50 but less than 150 ppm are found). Other properties (lithium stoichiometry, particle size, BET surface area, X-ray diffraction pattern were basically similar. The content of soluble base was measured as follows: 100 ml of de-ionized water is added to 7.5g of cathode, followed by stirring for 8 minutes. Settling-down is allowed for typically 3 minutes, then the solution is removed and passed through a 1 nm syringe filter, thereby achieving > 90g of a clear solution which contains the soluble base. The content of soluble base is titrated by logging the pH profile during addition of 0.1 M HCl at a rate of 0.5 ml/min until the pH reaches 3 under stirring. A reference pH profile is obtained by titrating suitable mixtures of LiOH and Li2CO3 dissolved in low concentration in Dl water. In almost all cases two distinct plateaus are observed. The upper plateau is 0H7H20 followed by CO327HCO3", the lower plateau is HCO3' /H2CO3. The inflection point between the first and second plateau as well as the inflection point after the second plateau is obtained from the corresponding minima of the derivative d pH I d Vol of the pH profile. The second inflection point generally is near to pH 4.7. Results are listed as micromole of base per g of cathode. The amount of base which goes into solution is very reproducible, and is directly related to surface properties of the cathode. Since these have a significant influence on the stability (i.e. safety and overcharge/high T storage properties of the final battery) there is a correlation between base content and stability. The samples are very similar, with one exception: the soluble base content of sample MP1 (with high Ca) was significantly lower than for MP2. Other properties are very similar, and although MP2 (with low Ca) shows slightly higher capacity, slightly lower irreversible capacity and slightly higher rate performance, the results for MP1 are still acceptable. More important, the samples MP1 and MP2 were sent to battery producer for safety testing. Whereas MP1 passed the safety test, MP2 did not pass. The "Safety overcharge test" used here is a safety test where a battery is charged at a very high rate (for example with 1C charge rate) until a much higher voltage than the normal operating voltage (for example 20V) is reached. In many cases during such a test more lithium is extracted from the cathode than can be inserted to the anode, so the dangerous effect of lithium plating occurs. At the same time the highly delithiated cathode is in a highly reactive state, and ohmic (resistive) heat is generated. The heat can initiate the dramatic thermal run-away reaction, ultimately leading to the explosion of the battery. Whether a battery passes such a test (i.e. does not explode) or not is strongly dependent on the choice of cathode material, its morphology, impurity levels and its surface chemistry. Very little fundamental scientific understanding exists, but the presence of fine particles definitively contributes to poor safety. Conclusion: the higher content of Ca caused lower soluble base content and higher safety. Example 2 showed that a Ca content of approx. 250-400 ppm effectively lowered the base content and improved the safety of the cathode. If we now estimate the number of atomic layers on top of the surface of the cathode, assuming that a) all of the calcium is located at the surface of the cathode particles, b) the surface area of the cathode is reliably obtained by 5 point BET measurement using nitrogen, c) Calcium is evenly distributed on the surface, d) the average distance between Ca atoms is the same as in CaO; then it can be concluded that the effect of Ca is rather a catalytic effect (less than a few one atomic layer) and not caused by a conventional coating effect (many layers of atoms). Example 3: Optimization of Ca and Sulfur additions. This Example serves to demonstrate 2 aspects of the invention: (1) it confirms the observation of Example 2 that Ca "neutralizes" the negative effect of a high soluble base content of sulfur containing cathodes, and (2) it demonstrates that only samples which contain both sulfur and calcium according to the invention show good overall performance. The Example uses a mixed transition metal hydroxide precursor with metal composition M=Mn1/3Ni1/3Coi/3. The precursors naturally are low in Ca but contain some sulfur. The sulfur is removed after preparation of a pretiminary Li-M-Oxide sample (Li:M = 1.1) by washing. Then the preliminary sample is used as precursor, and the following matrix is prepared: (6a): no addition of sulfur nor calcium (6b): addition of 400 ppm Ca (6c): addition of 0.5 wt% SO< (6d): addition of both 400 ppm Ca and 0.5 wt% SO4, followed by a re-sintering. Final samples with the same morphology but different Ca, S composition are obtained. The addition of Ca and/or S is performed by slurry doping of the Li-M-oxide preliminary sample. Slurry doping is the drop-wise addition of a Li2SO4 solution or of a Ca(NO3)2 solution during stirring of a preliminary sample powder-in- water slurry of high viscosity, followed by drying in air. A total of 400 ppm Ca or 5000 ppm (SO4) sulfur was added. Note that 1000 ppm of sulfate generally corresponds to approx. 0.1 mol% of sulfur, more accurate - for LJi.mMo.%02 1000 ppm correspond to 0.105 mol %. The experiment was repeated for a precursor with M=Nio.53MnD.27Coo.2 composition, where the preliminary sample - the precursor during slurry doping - was prepared using a Li:M=1.02 blend ratio. Electrochemical properties are tested, and settling down kinetics are measured. The sample without added Ca showed the highly undesired fine particles which do not settle down. All samples with Ca settled down very fast. Of all samples - only the sample which contains Ca and sulfur show overall good performances, as can be seen in Tables 2A and 2B. Samples situated outside the claimed concentrations (either too high or too low) show the following disadvantages: Low Ca & low SO4 -> unacceptable level of fine particles Low Ca and high SO4 -> high soluble base content, fine particles High Ca and low SO4 -> relatively poor electrochemical performances. As a result of Examples 2 and 3 the following Table 2C gives an overview of the addition of Ca and S. Example 4: Comparison of identical morphology with high/ low Ca content A sample EX10A (1 kg size) is prepared from a mass scale production precursor mixed hydroxide with metal composition Mn^Nii/jCot/j by mixing the precursor with Li2CO3 (blend ratio 1.1) followed by heating to 960°C. EX10B is prepared in the same way, with the exception that the precursor was modified by the previously described slurry doping: A total of 400 ppm Ca was slowly (drop wise) added in the form of Ca(NO3)2 to a water based slurry of the precursor, followed by drying (no filtering). Table 3A and 3B summarize the results As Tables 3A and 3B show, besides of the Ca impurity level, all 3 samples are, as expected for samples prepared under similar conditions from the same precursor, very similar. The PSD, obtained by laser diffraction are identical. Similar as observed in previous examples - the sample with Ca addition shows the smallest content of soluble base. Example 5: Alternative elements besides Ca. This example uses a mixed transition metal hydroxide precursor with metal composition M1=Mn0.33Nio.38 C00.29 as precursor. The precursor is low in Ca but contain some sulfur. A similar experiment is done with a mixed hydroxide precursor with M2=Ni0.53Ni0j7Coo.z composition. The precursors are doped by slurry doping: 1000 ppm of nitrate solutions of Ca, Y, Sr, La, Ba, Fe are added, respectively. A reference was slurry doped but no metal was added. After slurry doping the precursors were mixed with Li2CO3 and cooked. Besides of the doping, final composition (Li, Mn, Ni, Co) was very similar. To compare the efficiency to lower the base content the following parameters are considered: (a) Soluble base content (- soluble base / mass of cathode) (b) Specific surface base (= soluble base content / surface area of cathode) (c) Molar efficiency of dopant (umol) versus gravimetric efficiency of dopant (ppm) The results are summarized in Tables 4A (M1) and 4B (M2) below. The conclusions are as follows: (a) Base content: Sr and Ca, and to a lesser degree Y and Ba are most efficient to lower the soluble base content. (b) The final samples have different BET area, hence the "Specific Surface Base Content" is observed: Ca, Sr and Y, and to a lesser degree La lower the specific surface base content of the cathode. (c) Gravimetric efficiency: Sr and Ca are the most efficient. Molar efficiency: Considering the high molecular weight of Y (more than twice that of Ca) we conclude that both Ca and Y are most efficient to neutralize high base caused by sulfur. Sr is somewhat less effective and La shows noticeable, but small efficiency. Ba is not effective, as can be seen in the "Specific Surface Base Content". Fe is inert (not reported). The authors speculate that the effective elements have an ionic radius of 0.7 -1.2 Angstrom. Especially Ca and Y - which have almost similar and quite small ionic radius (in 6 coordination Ca: 0.99, Y: 0.893 A) - have a size that fits very well to the surface of Li-M-oxide. The more preferred range for ionic radii is 0.85-1.15 Angstrom. Example 6: Strontium versus Calcium Example 5 compared the efficiency of Ca, Sr, La, Ba, Y to lower the content of soluble base. However, Example 5 did not take into account that the sintering kinetics change with different additives - yielding very different BET values. Example 6 compares the effect of Ca and Sr more carefully. A reference without addition of additive (Ca or Sr) was prepared from a mixture of mixed transition metal hydroxide (M=Nio.3aMrto.33Coo.28) and Li2CO3 at 980°C. Further samples with addition of 400 and 1000 ppm Sr and 400 ppm Ca were prepared. Each sample used 1 kg of MOOH + Li2CO3. The additive (Ca, Sr) was added by the previously described "slurry doping" process. Appropriate amounts of solution of Sr(NO3)2 and Ca(NO3)2 were added to a high viscous slurry of the precursor hydroxide during rigid stirring. The sintering temperature was adjusted to achieve a similar sintering. Base content was measured, unit cell volume and crystallite size was obtained from X-ray diffraction and electrochemical properties were tested by coin cells. Tables 5A and 5B summarizes the preparation conditions results The morphology (BET, particle size) of all samples was basically identical. Ca addition is most effective to lower the base content. 1000 ppm Sr reduce the base content about the same, but less than 400 ppm Ca. However, Sr is interesting because it reduces the base and at the same time the electrochemical properties deteriorate less than for 400 ppm Ca addition. The Examples illustrating the high crystallinity (Ex. 1 and ) show that the skilled man learns in this invention that, for a given composition, expressed in terms of Li:M ratio, it is the sintering temperature that determines the crystallinity of the obtained oxide. A small number of tests enables him to select the correct temperature in order to obtain a material having an X-ray diffraction peak at 44.5°, and preferably also at 18.6°, with a FWHM value less than or equal to 0.1 °. The skilled man has to: - select the composition of the final product and prepare the corresponding quantities of M- and Li- precursors, - perform a number of sintering steps at different temperatures above 900°C, for example at intervals of 20°C between 920° and 1000°C, to prepare samples of the final lithium transition metal oxides, - plot the FWHM values of the peaks of an X-ray diffraction pattern against the degrees for each of the samples, - determine the sintering temperature yielding FWHM values less than or equal to 0.1 ° for the diffraction peak at 44.5°, and preferably also at 18.6°. Claims 1. A powderous lithium transition metal oxide having a layered crystal structure Li1+aM,.aO2lb M'kSm with -0.03 < a < 0.06, b = 0, 0 < m < 0.6, m being expressed in mol%, M being a transition metal compound, consisting of at least 95% of either one or more elements of the group Ni, Mn, Co and Ti; M" being present on the surface of the powderous oxide, and consisting of either one or more elements of the group Ca, Sr, Y, La, Ce and Zr, wherein: either k = 0 and M = Ni^^MncCOd, with 0

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Application Documents

# Name Date
1 249-KOLNP-2011-ABANDONED LETTER.pdf 2018-09-05
1 abstract-249-kolnp-2011.jpg 2011-10-06
2 249-KOLNP-2011-OFFICE LETTER.pdf 2018-09-05
2 249-kolnp-2011-specification.pdf 2011-10-06
3 249-KOLNP-2011_EXAMREPORT.pdf 2016-06-30
3 249-KOLNP-2011-PRIORITY DOCUMENT.pdf 2011-10-06
4 249-kolnp-2011-pct request form.pdf 2011-10-06
4 249-KOLNP-2011-(01-09-2015)-DAE-PERMISSION.pdf 2015-09-01
5 249-kolnp-2011-pct priority document notification.pdf 2011-10-06
5 249-kolnp-2011-abstract.pdf 2011-10-06
6 249-kolnp-2011-international publication.pdf 2011-10-06
6 249-KOLNP-2011-ASSIGNMENT.pdf 2011-10-06
7 249-kolnp-2011-gpa.pdf 2011-10-06
7 249-kolnp-2011-claims.pdf 2011-10-06
8 249-kolnp-2011-form-5.pdf 2011-10-06
8 249-KOLNP-2011-CORRESPONDENCE-1.1.pdf 2011-10-06
9 249-kolnp-2011-correspondence.pdf 2011-10-06
9 249-kolnp-2011-form-3.pdf 2011-10-06
10 249-kolnp-2011-description (complete).pdf 2011-10-06
10 249-kolnp-2011-form-2.pdf 2011-10-06
11 249-kolnp-2011-drawings.pdf 2011-10-06
11 249-KOLNP-2011-FORM-18.pdf 2011-10-06
12 249-KOLNP-2011-FORM 3-1.1.pdf 2011-10-06
12 249-kolnp-2011-form-1.pdf 2011-10-06
13 249-KOLNP-2011-FORM 3-1.1.pdf 2011-10-06
13 249-kolnp-2011-form-1.pdf 2011-10-06
14 249-kolnp-2011-drawings.pdf 2011-10-06
14 249-KOLNP-2011-FORM-18.pdf 2011-10-06
15 249-kolnp-2011-description (complete).pdf 2011-10-06
15 249-kolnp-2011-form-2.pdf 2011-10-06
16 249-kolnp-2011-correspondence.pdf 2011-10-06
16 249-kolnp-2011-form-3.pdf 2011-10-06
17 249-kolnp-2011-form-5.pdf 2011-10-06
17 249-KOLNP-2011-CORRESPONDENCE-1.1.pdf 2011-10-06
18 249-kolnp-2011-gpa.pdf 2011-10-06
18 249-kolnp-2011-claims.pdf 2011-10-06
19 249-kolnp-2011-international publication.pdf 2011-10-06
19 249-KOLNP-2011-ASSIGNMENT.pdf 2011-10-06
20 249-kolnp-2011-pct priority document notification.pdf 2011-10-06
20 249-kolnp-2011-abstract.pdf 2011-10-06
21 249-kolnp-2011-pct request form.pdf 2011-10-06
21 249-KOLNP-2011-(01-09-2015)-DAE-PERMISSION.pdf 2015-09-01
22 249-KOLNP-2011_EXAMREPORT.pdf 2016-06-30
22 249-KOLNP-2011-PRIORITY DOCUMENT.pdf 2011-10-06
23 249-kolnp-2011-specification.pdf 2011-10-06
23 249-KOLNP-2011-OFFICE LETTER.pdf 2018-09-05
24 abstract-249-kolnp-2011.jpg 2011-10-06
24 249-KOLNP-2011-ABANDONED LETTER.pdf 2018-09-05