# US 12,218,351 B2 · Positive electrode active material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,218,351 B2 - Document ID: US12218351B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/474,436 - Filed: 2023-09-26 - Published: 2024-01-18 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-31 - Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.; Nichia Corporation - Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.; Nichia Corporation - Inventors: Atsushi Ogawa; Soshi Kawamura; Toru Sukigara; Hiroto Maeyama; Kenichi Kobayashi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12218351B2 ## 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 53/42: containing alkali metals, e.g. LiNiO2 - C01G 53/50: of the type (MnO2)n-, e.g. Li(NixMn1-x)O2 or Li(MyNixMn1-x-y)O2 - C01G 53/502: containing lithium and cobalt - 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 53/506: with the molar ratio of nickel with respect to all the metals other than alkali metals higher than or equal to 0.8, e.g. Li(MzNixCoyMn1-x-y-z)O2 with x ≥ 0.8 - H01M 4/131: Electrodes based on mixed oxides or hydroxides, or on mixtures of oxides or hydroxides, e.g. LiCoOx - H01M 4/364: {as mixtures} - H01M 4/366: {as layered products} - H01M 4/505: of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing manganese for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiMn2O4 or LiMn2OxFy - C01P 2002/20: Two-dimensional structures - C01P 2002/50: Solid solutions - C01P 2002/52: containing elements as dopants - C01P 2004/03: obtained by SEM - C01P 2004/51: Particles with a specific particle size distribution - C01P 2004/61: Micrometer sized, i.e. from 1-100 micrometer - C01P 2006/40: Electric properties - H01M 2004/021: {Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area} - H01M 2004/028: {Positive electrodes} - H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane - 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 positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes particles of a lithium-transition metal composite oxide that contains nickel in the composition thereof and has a layered structure. The particles have an average particle size DSEM based on electron microscopic observation in a range of 1 μm to 7 μm in which a ratio D50/DSEM of a 50% particle size D50 in volume-based cumulative particle size distribution to the average particle size based on electron microscopic observation is in a range of 1 to 4, and a ratio D90/D10 of a 90% particle size D90 to a 10% particle size D10 in volume-based cumulative particle size distribution is 4 or less. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, comprising particles of a lithium-transition metal composite oxide that contains nickel in the composition thereof and has a layered structure, wherein a ratio D50/DSEM of a 50% particle size D50 in volume-based cumulative particle size distribution to an average particle size DSEM based on electron microscopic observation is in a range of 1 to 4, wherein the DSEM is to be determined as follows: observing an image at a magnification of 1,000 to 10,000 using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), selecting 100 particles having recognizable outlines, calculating the equivalent spherical diameters of the selected particles using an image processing software, and determining the arithmetic average of the obtained equivalent spherical diameters as DSEM; and a ratio D90/D10 of a 90% particle size D90 to a 10% particle size D10 in volume-based cumulative particle size distribution is 4 or less. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The positive electrode active material according to claim 1, wherein the DSEM is 7 or less. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The positive electrode active material according to claim 1, wherein the DSEM is 3 or less. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The positive electrode active material according to claim 1, wherein the ratio D50/DSEM of the D50 to the DSEM is 1 to 3. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The positive electrode active material according to claim 1, wherein the lithium-transition metal composite oxide has a composition represented by the following formula (1): LipNixCoyM1zO2+α (1), wherein p, x, y, z, and α satisfy 1.0≤p≤1.3, 0.3≤x≤0.95, 0≤y≤0.4, 0≤z≤0.5, x+y+z=1, and −0.1≤α≤0.1, and M1 represents at least one of Mn and Al. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The positive electrode active material according to claim 5, wherein 0.3≤x<0.8, and the ratio D50/DSEM of the D50 to the DSEM is in a range of 1 to 2. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The positive electrode active material according to claim 5, wherein 0.3≤x<0.6, and a disorder of nickel element in the lithium-transition metal composite oxide particles determined by X-ray diffractometry is 1.5% or less. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The positive electrode active material according to claim 5, wherein 0.3≤x<0.6, and the ratio D90/D10 of the D90 to the D10 is 3 or less. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The positive electrode active material according to claim 5, wherein 0.3≤x<0.6, and the ratio D90/D10 of the D90 to the D10 is 2.5 or less. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The positive electrode active material according to claim 5, wherein 0.3≤x<0.6, and the D50 is in a range of 1 μm to 5.5 μm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) The positive electrode active material according to claim 5, wherein 0.3≤x<0.6, and the D50 is in a range of 1 μm to 3 μm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 5) The positive electrode active material according to claim 5, wherein, when 0.3≤x<0.6, 1.1