Process for synthesizing noncrystalline lithium based mixed oxides by high energy milling
AssigneeNanox Corporation
InventorAndre Van Neste
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Abstract
A process method for producing a lithium based mixed oxide of the formula LiM′x . . . Oy through the steps of combining a lithium oxide with a second oxide having the base metal element (M′) at room temperature; and applying to the combination, a high energy milling process, wherein the high energy milling process obtains, without the addition of substantial external heat being added to the synthesis, a chemical synthesis of a composite oxide of the above formula, having crystallites of nanometer dimension.
Claims16
A process for producing a lithium based mixed oxide comprising the steps of:
- combining a lithium oxide with a second oxide having the base metal element (M′), wherein the combining is performed at room temperature;
- and
- applying to the combination, a high energy milling process, wherein the high energy milling process is performed in a substantially anaerobic atmosphere and is performed at substantially room temperature, wherein the high energy milling process obtains, without the addition of substantial external heat being added to the synthesis, a chemical synthesis of a lithium based composite oxide, having crystallites of less than one hundred nanometers in dimension.
A method of manufacturing a lithium based mixed oxide comprising the steps of:
- milling a lithium based powder and a second base metal oxide powder in a high energy mill to combine the powders, wherein the milling comprises the steps of:
- providing the lithium and metal oxide powders in a substantially anaerobic atmosphere without the addition of substantial external heat,
- high energy milling the powders to form a lithium based oxide,
- high energy milling the lithium based oxide until the lithium based mixed oxide has crystallites of less than one hundred nanometers in dimension, and
- wherein the above steps are performed at substantially room temperature.
The method of 14 wherein the crucible is comprised of steel.
The method of 9 wherein the second base metal oxide has the element cobalt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.