# US 12,002,953 B2 · Positive electrode active material for a rechargeable lithium-ion battery

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- Number: US 12,002,953 B2
- Document ID: US12002953B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/236,058
- Filed: 2021-04-21
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2018-10-24
- Assignees: Umicore AG & Co. KG; Umicore Korea Ltd.
- Applicants: Umicore; Umicore Korea Ltd.
- Inventors: Maxime Blangero; Liang Zhu; YuRi Lee; Kris Driesen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12002953B2

## CPC

- C01G 53/82: Compounds containing nickel, with or without oxygen or hydrogen, and containing two or more other elements
- 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
- C01G 53/504: with the molar ratio of nickel with respect to all the metals other than alkali metals higher than or equal to 0.5, e.g. Li(MzNixCoyMn1-x-y-z)O2 with x ≥ 0.5
- H01M 4/505: of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing manganese for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiMn2O4 or LiMn2OxFy
- C01P 2002/52: containing elements as dopants
- C01P 2004/61: Micrometer sized, i.e. from 1-100 micrometer
- C01P 2004/84: one phase coated with the other
- C01P 2006/40: Electric properties
- H01M 10/0525: Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
- 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 positive electrode active materials in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries having a difference in cobalt concentration between the center and the edge of particle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A positive electrode active material suitable for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, said positive electrode active material comprising Li, M′, and oxygen, wherein M′ comprises:
Ni in a content x, wherein 70.0 mol %≤x≤75.0 mol %, relative to M′;
Co in a content y, wherein 0.1 mol %≤y≤40.0 mol %, relative to M′;
Mn in a content z, wherein 0.1 mol %≤z≤70.0 mol %, relative to M′,
D in a content a, wherein 0.0 mol %≤a≤2.0 mol %, relative to M′, wherein D comprises at least one element of the group consisting of: Al, B, Ba, Ca, Cr, Fe, Mg, Mo, Nb, S, Si, Sr, Ti, Y, V, W, Zn, and Zr, and
wherein x, y, z, and a contents are measured by ICP, and x+y+z+a is 100.0 mol %,
wherein said positive electrode active material comprises secondary particles comprising a plurality of primary particles, and
wherein the positive electrode active material has a Ni content Niedge and Co content Coedge as measured by cross-sectional EDS (CS-EDS) at an edge of the secondary particle of the positive electrode active material, wherein Niedge and Coedge contents are expressed as molar fractions compared to the sum of Ni, Mn, and Co content as measured by CS-EDS at the edge of the secondary particle of the positive electrode active material,
wherein the positive electrode active material has a Ni content Nicenter and Co content Cocenter measured by CS-EDS at the center of the secondary particle of the positive electrode active material, wherein Nicenter and Cocenter contents are expressed as molar fractions compared to the sum of Ni, Mn, and Co content as measured by CS-EDS at the center of the secondary particle of the positive electrode active material,
wherein the ratio Niedge/Nicenter<1.0
wherein the ratio Coedge/Cocenter>1.0
wherein said secondary particles have an average crystallite size of at most 65 nm, as determined by XRD.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The positive electrode active material according to claim 1, wherein Niedge/Nicenter<0.95 and Coedge/Cocenter>1.05.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The positive electrode active material according to claim 1, wherein the difference between Niedge and Nicenter is at least 5 mol % and the difference between Coedge and Cocenter is at least 5 mol %, as determined by CS EDS analysis.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The positive electrode active material according to claim 1, wherein Mn molar fraction at the edge of positive electrode active material compared to the sum of Ni, Mn, and Co content as measured by CS-EDS at the edge of positive electrode active material is higher than 0 mol %.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The positive electrode active material according to claim 1 wherein the secondary particles have an average crystallite size is at least 15 nm and at most 65 nm, as determined by XRD.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A battery comprising the positive electrode active material according claim 1.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

Use of a battery according to claim 6 in a portable computer, a tablet, a mobile phone, an electrically powered vehicle, or an energy storage system.