# US 12,119,491 B2 · Positive electrode active material precursor and preparation method of positive electrode active material precursor

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- Number: US 12,119,491 B2
- Document ID: US12119491B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/799,024
- Filed: 2021-05-26
- Published: 2023-03-16
- Granted: 2024-10-15
- Earliest claimed: 2020-05-29
- Assignees: LG Chem, Ltd.
- Applicants: LG Chem, Ltd.
- Inventors: Ju Han Yoon; Kyoung Wan Park; Hyeon Jin Kim; Song Yi Yang; Young Su Park
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12119491B2

## CPC

- 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
- C01G 53/82: Compounds containing nickel, with or without oxygen or hydrogen, and containing two or more other elements
- H01M 4/505: of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing manganese for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiMn2O4 or LiMn2OxFy
- 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 2004/03: obtained by SEM
- C01P 2004/51: Particles with a specific particle size distribution
- C01P 2004/53: bimodal size distribution
- C01P 2004/61: Micrometer sized, i.e. from 1-100 micrometer
- C01P 2004/84: one phase coated with the other
- C01P 2006/10: Solid density
- C01P 2006/11: Powder tap density
- C01P 2006/40: Electric properties
- H01M 10/052: Li-accumulators
- H01M 2004/028: {Positive electrodes}
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- 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)
- 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

A method of preparing a bimodal positive electrode active material precursor and a positive electrode active material prepared from the same are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the method includes inputting a first reaction source material including a first aqueous transition metal solution into a reactor, precipitating at pH 12 or more to induce nucleation of a first positive electrode active material precursor particle, and at less than pH 12 to induce growth of the same, inputting a second reaction source material including a second aqueous transition metal solution into the reactor containing the first positive electrode active material precursor particle, precipitating at pH 12 or more to induce the nucleation of a second positive electrode active material precursor particle, and at less than pH 12 to induce simultaneous growth of the first and second positive electrode active material precursor particles, thereby preparing a bimodal positive electrode active material precursor.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A bimodal positive electrode active material precursor comprising:
a first positive electrode active material precursor particle having a core-shell structure; and
a second positive electrode active material precursor particle having a smaller average particle diameter (D50) than the first positive electrode active material precursor particle,
wherein a core part of the first positive electrode active material precursor particle has a composition represented by the following Chemical Formula 1,
wherein a shell part of the first positive electrode active material precursor particle and the second positive electrode active material precursor particle have a composition represented by the following Chemical Formula 2, and
wherein the composition represented by Chemical Formula 1 is different from the composition represented by Chemical Formula 2:
[Nix1Coy1Mnz1M1a](OH)2 [Chemical Formula 1]
[Nix2Coy2Mnz2M2b](OH)2 [Chemical Formula 2]
in Chemical Formula 1 and Chemical Formula 2,
M1 and M2 are each independently one or more selected from among Zr, B, W, Mo, Cr, Al, Ti, Mg, Ta, and Nb,
0.6≤x1≤1.0, 0≤y1≤0.4, 0≤z1≤0.4, 0≤a<0.1, and x1+y1+z1+a=1,
0.6≤x2≤1.0, 0≤y2≤0.4, 0≤z2≤0.4, 0≤b<0.1, and x2+y2+z2+b=1, and
at least one of a or b exceeds 0.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The bimodal positive electrode active material precursor of claim 1, wherein M1 and M2 are independently one or more selected from among Zr, Al, B, and W.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The bimodal positive electrode active material precursor of claim 1, wherein a=0, and b satisfies 0.0001≤b≤0.05.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The bimodal positive electrode active material precursor of claim 1, wherein the first positive electrode active material precursor particle has an average particle diameter (D50) of 8 μm to 15 μm, and the second positive electrode active material precursor particle has an average particle diameter (D50) of 1 μm or more and less than 8 μm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The bimodal positive electrode active material precursor of claim 1, wherein the bimodal positive electrode active material precursor has a tap density of 2.0 g/cc to 2.5 g/cc.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The bimodal positive electrode active material precursor of claim 1, wherein the bimodal positive electrode active material precursor has a pellet density of 2.0 g/cc to 3.0 g/cc, wherein the pellet density is measured after the positive electrode active material precursor is compressed at a roll density of 1.0 kgf/cm2 to 5.0 kgf/cm2to prepare a pellet form.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A positive electrode active material obtained by firing the bimodal positive electrode active material precursor of claim 1 and a lithium source material.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

A positive electrode comprising the positive electrode active material of claim 7.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

An electrochemical device comprising the positive electrode of claim 8.