# US 12,218,341 B2 · Electroactive materials for metal-ion batteries > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,218,341 B2 - Document ID: US12218341B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/292,262 - Filed: 2019-11-08 - Published: 2022-04-21 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2018-11-08 - Assignees: Nexeon Limited - Applicants: Nexeon Limited - Inventors: Charles A. Mason; Richard Gregory Taylor; James Farrell; William James Macklin; Christopher Michael Friend - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12218341B2 ## CPC - H01M 4/364: {as mixtures} - H01M 4/133: Electrodes based on carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx - H01M 4/134: Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys - H01M 4/386: {Silicon or alloys based on silicon} - H01M 4/587: for inserting or intercalating light metals - H01M 4/624: {Electric conductive fillers} - H01M 10/0525: Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries - H01M 2004/021: {Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area} - H01M 2004/027: {Negative 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 - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract This invention relates to particulate electroactive materials consisting of a plurality of composite particles, wherein the composite particles comprise: (a) a porous carbon framework including micropores and/or mesopores having a total volume of at least 0.6 cm 3/g, wherein at least half of the micropore/mesopore volume is in the form of pores having a diameter of no more than 2 nm; and (b) an electroactive material located within the micropores and/or mesopores of the porous carbon framework. The D 90 particle diameter of the composite particles is no more than 10 nm. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A particulate material comprising a plurality of composite particles, wherein the composite particles comprise: (a) a porous carbon framework comprising micropores and/or mesopores, wherein the micropores and mesopores have a total pore volume as measured by gas adsorption of P1 cm3/g, wherein P1 has a value of at least 0.6, and the PD50 pore diameter as measured by gas adsorption is no more than 2 nm; and (b) an electroactive material located within the micropores and/or mesopores of the porous carbon framework, wherein the electroactive material is silicon, wherein the composite particles have a D90 particle diameter of no more than 10 μm; and the particulate material has a Z value of no more than 10% as determined by TGA analysis in air, in which Z=1.875×[(Mf−M800)/Mf]×100%, in which Mf is the mass of the TGA sample at completion of oxidation and M800 is the mass of the TGA sample at 800° C., and wherein the Z value is the percentage of unoxidized silicon at 800° C. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein P1 has a value of at least 0.7. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein P1 has a value of no more than 2.4. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the PD50 pore diameter of the porous carbon framework is no more than 1.6 nm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the PD70 pore diameter of the porous carbon framework is no more than 3.5 nm and the PD80 pore diameter of the porous carbon framework is no more than 5 nm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the porous carbon framework has a monomodal pore size distribution. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the porous carbon framework has a bimodal or multimodal pore size distribution. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the porous carbon framework has a bimodal or multimodal pore size distribution including at least one peak at less than 2 nm and at least one peak in the range of from 2.5 to 20 nm. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the porous carbon framework further comprises macropores having a diameter in the range of from greater than 50 nm to 100 nm having a total volume P2 cm3/g as measured by mercury porosimetry, wherein P2 is no more than 0.2×P1. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the micropores and/or mesopores comprise void space that is fully enclosed by the electroactive material. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the composite particles have a D50 particle diameter in the range of 0.5 to 7 μm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the composite particles have a D10 particle diameter of at least 0.2 μm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the volume-based particle size distribution has a positive skew. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the composite particles are spheroidal particles having an average sphericity Sav of at least 0.70. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the fill factor of the electroactive material in the porous carbon framework is no more than 55%. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the electroactive material is silicon and the weight ratio of silicon to carbon is in the range of from [0.5×P1 to 1.7×P1]: 1. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the electroactive material is silicon and wherein at least 90 wt % of the silicon mass in the composite particles is located within the internal pore volume of the porous carbon framework. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein Z is no more than 5%. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the volume of micropores and mesopores of the composite particles, as measured by nitrogen gas adsorption, is no more than 0.15×P1. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, wherein the composite particles have a BET surface area of at least 0.1 m2/g and no more than 150 m2/g. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) A particulate material according to claim 1, having specific capacity on lithiation of 1200 to 2340 mAh/g. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) A composition comprising a particulate material according to claim 1, and at least one other component selected from: (i) a binder; (ii) a conductive additive; and (iii) an additional particulate electroactive material. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) An electrode comprising a particulate material according to claim 1 in electrical contact with a current collector. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) A rechargeable metal-ion battery comprising: (i) an anode, wherein the anode comprises an electrode according to claim 23; (ii) a cathode comprising a cathode active material capable of releasing and reabsorbing metal ions; and (iii) an electrolyte between the anode and the cathode. ### Claim 25 A particulate material comprising a plurality of composite particles, wherein the composite particles comprise: (a) a porous carbon framework comprising micropores and/or mesopores, wherein the micropores and mesopores have a total pore volume as measured by gas adsorption of P1 cm3/g, wherein P1 has a value of 0.69 to 1.21, and the micropore fraction of the porous carbon framework as measured by gas adsorption is from 0.54 to 0.78; and (b) silicon located within the micropores and/or mesopores of the porous carbon framework, wherein the composite particles have a D90 particle diameter of no more than 10 μm; the silicon content of the composite particles is from 45 wt % to 59 wt %; the particulate material has a Z value of no more than 10% as determined by TGA analysis in air, in which Z=1.875×[(Mf−M800)/Mf]×100%, in which Mf is the mass of the TGA sample at completion of oxidation and M800 is the mass of the TGA sample at 800° C., and wherein the Z value is the percentage of unoxidized silicon at 800° C.; and the composite particles have a BET surface area of no more than 30 m2/g. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) A particulate material according to claim 25, wherein Z is no more than 5%. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) A particulate material according to claim 25, wherein: the porous carbon framework comprises amorphous carbon; the total volume of macropores in the porous carbon framework is P2 cm3/g, wherein P2 is no more than 0.1×P1; the silicon is amorphous silicon; and the specific capacity of the particulate material on lithiation is 1200 to 2340 mAh/g.