# US 12,191,485 B2 · Ultrathin film coating and element doping for lithium-ion battery electrodes

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- Number: US 12,191,485 B2
- Document ID: US12191485B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/337,641
- Filed: 2021-06-03
- Published: 2021-12-09
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2020-06-03
- Assignees: The Curators of the University of Missouri
- Applicants: The Curators of the University of Missouri
- Inventors: Xinhua Liang; Yan Gao
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191485B2

## 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
- H01M 4/0428: {Chemical vapour deposition}
- 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
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

The present invention relates to various lithium ion battery cathodes as well as lithium ion batteries incorporating one or more of these cathodes. The present invention further relates to processes of preparing the lithium ion battery cathode.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A lithium battery cathode comprising:
a doped lithium metal oxide comprising a dopant comprising zirconium;
a coating comprising the dopant at least partially coating the doped lithium metal oxide; and
a coating comprising alumina at least partially coating the doped lithium metal oxide or the coating comprising the dopant;
wherein the coating comprising the dopant and the coating comprising the alumina are deposited by atomic layer deposition, respectively;
wherein the doped lithium metal oxide is in the form of one or more particles; and
wherein the doped lithium metal oxide comprises a lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The lithium ion battery cathode of claim 1 wherein the lithium metal oxide is represented by the formula LiNixMnyCo1-x-yO2 (NMC).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The lithium ion battery cathode of claim 1 wherein the doped lithium metal oxide comprises NMC811.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The lithium ion battery cathode of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the coating comprising alumina is from about 0.1 nm to 30 nm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The lithium ion battery cathode of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the coating comprising alumina is from about 0.1 nm to 10 nm.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The lithium ion battery cathode of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the coating comprising alumina is from about 0.1 nm to about 3 nm.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A lithium ion battery comprising:
a positive electrode comprising the lithium ion battery cathode of claim 1,
a negative electrode,
a separator between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and
an electrolyte comprising lithium ions.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A process of preparing the lithium ion battery cathode of claim 1, the process comprising:
depositing a coating comprising a dopant comprising zirconium on at least a portion of a doped lithium metal oxide; and
depositing a coating comprising alumina on at least a portion of the doped lithium metal oxide or the coating comprising the dopant;
wherein the doped lithium metal oxide comprises a dopant comprising zirconium.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The process of claim 8 wherein the coating comprising alumina is deposited by atomic layer deposition.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The process of claim 8, further comprising annealing the lithium ion battery cathode.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The process of claim 9, further comprising annealing the lithium ion battery cathode.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The process of claim 10 wherein the annealing is conducted in an oxygen-containing atmosphere and at a temperature of 600° C. or greater.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The process of claim 10 wherein the annealing is conducted in an oxygen-containing atmosphere and at a temperature of about 750° C. or greater.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The process of claim 8, further comprising modifying a lithium metal oxide with a dopant comprising zirconium to form the doped lithium metal oxide.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The process of claim 9, further comprising modifying a lithium metal oxide with a dopant comprising zirconium to form the doped lithium metal oxide.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The process of claim 10, further comprising modifying a lithium metal oxide with a dopant comprising zirconium to form the doped lithium metal oxide.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The process of claim 14 wherein the lithium metal oxide is modified with the dopant comprising zirconium by atomic layer deposition.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The process of claim 14, further comprising annealing the doped lithium metal oxide prior to depositing the coating comprising alumina on a doped lithium metal oxide.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The process of claim 17, further comprising annealing the doped lithium metal oxide prior to depositing the coating comprising alumina on a doped lithium metal oxide.