# US 11,078,089 B2 · Lithium composite oxide, positive electrode active material and lithium secondary battery comprising the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,078,089 B2 - Document ID: US11078089B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/537,469 - Filed: 2019-08-09 - Published: 2020-02-27 - Granted: 2021-08-03 - Earliest claimed: 2018-08-22 - Assignees: Ecopro Bm Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Ecopro Bm Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Moon Ho Choi; Gyeong Jae Heo; Hyun Jong Yu; Seung Hyun Choi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11078089B2 ## CPC - C01G 53/42: containing alkali metals, e.g. LiNiO2 - C01G 41/00: Compounds of tungsten - H01M 4/131: Electrodes based on mixed oxides or hydroxides, or on mixtures of oxides or hydroxides, e.g. LiCoOx - H01M 4/134: Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys - H01M 4/366: {as layered products} - H01M 4/405: {Alloys based on lithium} - H01M 4/525: of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing iron, cobalt or nickel for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiNiO2, LiCoO2 or LiCoOxFy - H01M 10/0525: Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries - C01P 2002/52: containing elements as dopants - C01P 2002/54: one element only - C01P 2002/72: by d-values or two theta-values, e.g. as X-ray diagram - C01P 2004/03: obtained by SEM - C01P 2004/50: Agglomerated particles - C01P 2004/84: one phase coated with the other - H01M 2004/028: {Positive electrodes} - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - C01G: COMPOUNDS CONTAINING METALS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C01D OR C01F (metal hydrides {monoborane, diborane or addition complexes thereof} C01B6/00; salts of oxyacids of halogens C01B11/00; peroxides, salts or peroxyacids C01B15/00; thiosulfates, dithionites, polythionates C01B17/64; compounds containing selenium, or tellurium C01B19/00; binary compounds of nitrogen with metals C01B21/06; azides C01B21/08; {compounds containing nitrogen, other non-metals and metal C01B21/082}; metal amides C01B21/092; nitrites C01B21/50; {compounds of noble gases C01B23/0005}; phosphides C01B25/08; salts of oxyacids of phosphorus C01B25/16; carbides C01B32/90; compounds containing silicon C01B33/00; compounds containing boron C01B35/00; compounds having molecular sieve properties but not having base-exchange properties C01B37/00; compounds having molecular sieve and base-exchange properties, e.g. crystalline zeolites, C01B39/00; cyanides C01C3/08; salts of cyanamide C01C3/16; thiocyanates C01C3/20) - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - C01P: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO STRUCTURAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF SOLID INORGANIC COMPOUNDS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract The present invention relates to a lithium composite oxide, a positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery including the lithium composite oxide, and a lithium secondary battery using a positive electrode including the positive electrode active material. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery, comprising: a lithium composite oxide including primary particles represented by Formula 1 below and secondary particles formed by agglomerating the primary particles; LiaNi1-(b+c+d)CobM1cM2dO2 [Formula 1] wherein, M1 is at least one selected from Mn and Al, M2 is at least one selected from Ti, Zr, Mg, V, B, Mo, Zn, Nb, Ba, Ta, Fe, Cr, Sn, Hf, Ce, W, Nd and Gd, 0.5≤a≤1.5, 0.01≤b≤0.50, 0.01≤c≤0.20, and 0.001≤d≤0.20, and a lithium alloy oxide at least a part of a) the interface between primary particles and b) the surface of secondary particles, wherein the M2 element included in the primary particle present at the surface of the secondary particle exhibits a concentration gradient which decreases toward the center of the secondary particle, and wherein the M2 content (at %) at the surface of the positive electrode active material be larger than the Ni content (at %) at the same position. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The positive electrode active material of claim 1, wherein Ni in the primary particles present at the surface of the secondary particle exhibits a concentration gradient which increases toward the center of the secondary particle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The positive electrode active material of claim 1, wherein the diffusion path of lithium ions arranged toward the center of the secondary particle in the primary particles is formed. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The positive electrode active material of claim 1, wherein the secondary particles comprise a first region and a second region, which have different M2 element concentrations, and the M2 element included in the primary particles present in the first region exhibits a concentration gradient which decreases toward the center of the secondary particle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The positive electrode active material of claim 4, wherein the concentration variation of the M2 element included in the primary particles present in the first region is 50% or more. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The positive electrode active material of claim 4, wherein the concentration variation of the M2 element included in the primary particles present in the second region is 49% or less. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The positive electrode active material of claim 1, wherein a concentration gradient of the M2 element included in the primary particles at the surface side of the secondary particle is greater than that of the center side of the secondary particle, on the basis of the center of the primary particle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The positive electrode active material of claim 1, wherein the lithium alloy oxide exhibits a concentration gradient which decreases from the surface to the center of the secondary particle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The positive electrode active material of claim 1, wherein the lithium alloy oxide is represented by Formula 2 below: LieM3fOg [Formula 2] wherein, M3 is at least one selected from Ti, Zr, Mg, V, B, Mo, Zn, Nb, Ba, Ca, Ta, Fe, Cr, Sn, Hf, Ce, W, Nd and Gd, 0≤e≤6, 0