Mitsui Minings & Melting Co., Ltd.

Yoshimi Hata

Shinya Kagei

Tetsuya Mitsumoto

Hitohiko Ide

Yasuhiro Ochi

Natsumi Shibamura

Keisuke Miyanohara

Yanko Marinov Todorov

Daisuke Washida

Hideaki Matsushima

Tsukasa Takahashi

Daisuke Inoue

Kyohei Yamaguchi

Toshikazu Matsuyama

Kenji Sasaki

Yuji Hoshi

Hirohisa Senzaki

Naoki Kumada

Shingo Kikugawa

Munetoshi Yamaguchi

Morimasa Sumida

Masamoto Sasaki

Masaharu Onoue

Tomohiro Sakata

Satoru Taniguchi

Natsumi Ito

Junichirou Tanaka

Provided is a lithium secondary battery using a positive electrode active material which operates at a charging voltage in a region exceeding 4.3 V, and a novel positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery which can further enhance the output characteristics. Proposed is a positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery including positive electrode active material particles obtained by equipping the entire surface or a part of the surface of lithium manganese-containing composite oxide particles (also referred to as the 'core particles') operating at a charging voltage in a region exceeding 4.3 V in a metal Li reference potential with a layer A containing at least Ti, Al, Zr, or two or more kinds of these, and C.

Positive electrode active material for lithium secondary battery

Provided is a new method for producing a positive electrode active material for lithium secondary batteries, by which even in the case of washing a spinel type lithium transition metal oxide with water or the like, the service life characteristics can be further enhanced, and the concentration of magnetic substances can be effectively reduced. Suggested is a method for producing a positive electrode active material for lithium secondary batteries, the method including a water washing step of bringing a powder of a spinel type lithium transition metal oxide into contact with a polar solvent and thereby washing the powder; and a drying step of subsequently drying the powder by heating the powder to 300&#xb0; C. to 700&#xb0; C. in an atmosphere containing oxygen.

Method of manufacturing a positive electrode active material for lithium secondary batteries

A positive electrode active material comprising a lithium metal composite oxide having a layered crystal structure provides a novel lithium metal composite oxide powder which can suppress the reaction with an electrolytic solution and raise the charge-discharge cycle ability of a battery, and can improve the output characteristics of a battery. A lithium metal composite oxide powder comprises a particle having a surface portion where one or a combination of two or more ('surface element A') of the group consisting of Al, Ti and Zr is present, on the surface of a particle comprising a lithium metal composite oxide having a layered crystal structure, wherein the amount of surface LiOH is smaller than 0.10% by weight, and the amount of surface LiCOis smaller than 0.25% by weight; in an X-ray diffraction pattern, the ratio of an integral intensity of the (003) plane of the lithium metal composite oxide to that of the (104) plane thereof is higher than 1.15; and the amount of S obtained by a measurement using ICP is smaller than 0.10% by weight of the lithium metal composite oxide powder (100% by weight).

Lithium metal composite oxide powder

Provided is a lithium metal composite oxide having a layered structure, which is particularly excellent as a positive electrode active material for batteries that are mounted on electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles. Proposed is a lithium metal composite oxide having a layered structure, which is represented by general formula Li(MnCoNi)O(0.00&#x2264;X&#x2264;0.07, 0.10&#x2264;&#x3b1;&#x2264;0.40, 0.10&#x2264;&#x3b2;&#x2264;0.40, and 0.30&#x2264;&#x3b3;&#x2264;0.75) and has a specific surface area of more than 2.0 m/g but 5.0 m/g or less and has an average particle size of the primary particles/crystallite size ratio of 5.7 to 18.5.

Lithium metal composite oxide having layered structure

Provided is a novel positive electrode active material which can effectively suppress the quantity of gas generated by the reaction with an electrolytic solution. Proposed is a positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery including positive electrode active material particles obtained by equipping the entire surface or a part of a surface of lithium manganese-containing composite oxide particles (also referred to as the 'core particles') operating at a charging voltage in a region exceeding 4.3 V in a metal Li reference potential with a layer A containing at least titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), zirconium (Zr), or two or more kinds of these.

The present invention relates to a positive electrode active material including a lithium metal composite oxide having a layer crystal structure, and provides a novel positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary cell, which can suppress the reaction with an electrolyte solution and can raise the charge-discharge cycle ability of the cell, and can make good the output characteristics of the cell. There is proposed a positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary cell, including an active particle having a surface portion where one or a combination of two or more (these are referred to as 'surface element A') of the group consisting of Al, Ti and Zr is present, on a surface of a particle including a lithium metal composite oxide having a layer crystal structure and represented by the general formula: Li1+xM1&#x2212;xO2 (wherein M is one or a combination of two or more (these are referred to as 'constituent element M') of the group consisting of Mn, Co, Ni, transition elements of from the third group elements to the 11th group elements of the periodic table, and typical elements up to the third period of the periodic table), wherein the ratio (CA/CM) of a concentration CA of the surface element A to a concentration CM of the constituent element M is higher than 0 and lower than 0.8, as measured by XPS; the amount of surface lithium impurity is smaller than 0.40% by weight; and in an X-ray diffraction pattern measured by XRD, the ratio (003)/(104) of an integral intensity of the peak originated from the (003) plane to an integral intensity of the peak originated from the (104) plane is higher than 1.15.

Positive electrode active material for lithium secondary cell

Provided is a spinel-type lithium metal composite oxide that makes it possible to achieve excellent high-temperature storage characteristics when used as a positive electrode active material of a lithium battery. The spinel-type (Fd-3m) lithium metal composite oxide is characterized by the oxygen occupancy (OCC) thereof as determined by the Rietveld method being 0.965-1.000, the lattice strain thereof as determined by the Williamson-Hall method being 0.015-0.090, and the ratio (Na/Mn) of the molar content of Na to the molar content of Mn satisfying 0.00&#x3c;Na/Mn&#x3c;1.00&#xd7;10.

Spinel-type lithium metal composite oxide

Provided is a new spinel type lithium manganese transition metal oxide for use in lithium batteries, which can increase the capacity retention ratio during cycling, and can increase the power output retention ratio during cycling. Disclosed is a spinel type lithium manganese transition metal oxide having an angle of repose of 50&#xb0; to 75&#xb0;, and having an amount of moisture (25&#xb0; C. to 300&#xb0; C.) measured by the Karl Fischer method of more than 0 ppm and less than 400 ppm.

Spinel-type lithium manganese transition metal oxide

There is provided a Co-based 5-V spinel-type lithium manganese-containing complex oxide not only having an operating potential of 4.5 V or higher but also being capable of extending its capacity region of a 5.5 to 5.5 V region and being capable of enhancing its energy density as well. There is proposed a spinel-type lithium cobalt manganese-containing complex oxide having a crystal structure classified as a space group Fd-3m and being represented by the general formula [Li(CoMn)O(wherein 0.90&#x2266;x&#x2266;1.15 and 0.75&#x2266;y&#x2266;1.25), wherein the oxide has a crystallite size measured by a Rietveld method using the fundamental method of 100 nm to 200 nm, an interatomic distance of Li&#x2014;O of 1.80 &#x212b; to 2.00 &#x212b;, and a strain of 0.20 to 0.50.

Spinel-type lithium cobalt manganese-containing complex oxide

A hydrogen storing alloy containing only a few impurities leading to a short circuit where the yield can be maintained even when the alloy is subjected to magnetic separation treatment. A hydrogen storing alloy includes a matrix phase having an AB5 type crystal structure, the alloy having a misch metal (referred to as 'Mm') in an A-site in an ABx composition and having any one or at least one of Ni, Al, Mn, and Co in a B-site in the ABx composition, wherein the ratio (referred to as 'ABx') of the total number of moles of elements comprising the B site to the total number of moles of elements comprising the A site is 5.00&#x3c;ABx&#x2266;5.40; the content of Co is more than 0.0 mol % and less than 0.7 mol %; and residual magnetization is more than 0 emu/g and 0.020 emu/g or less.

Hydrogen storing alloy

Provided is a lithium metal compound oxide having a layered structure, which is very excellent as a positive electrode active material of a battery that is mounted on, particularly, an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. Suggested is a lithium metal compound oxide having a layered structure which is expressed by general formula of LiMO(M represents metal elements including three elements of Mn, Co, and Ni). In the lithium metal compound oxide having a layered structure, D50 is more than 4 &#x3bc;m and less than 20 &#x3bc;m, a ratio of a primary particle area to a secondary particle area of secondary particles having a size corresponding to the D50 ('primary particle area/secondary particle area') is 0.004 to 0.035, and the minimum value of powder crushing strength that is obtained by crushing a powder using a microcompression tester is more than 70 MPa.

Lithium transition metal oxide having layered structure

Provided is a new 5 V class spinel exhibiting an operating potential of 4.5 V or more (5 V class), which can suppress the amount of gas generation during high temperature cycles. Suggested is a manganese spinel-type lithium transition metal oxide represented by formula: Li[NiMnLiTiM]O(wherein 0&#x2266;z&#x2266;0.3, 0.3&#x2266;y&#x3c;0.6, and M=at least one or more metal elements selected from the group consisting of Al, Mg, Fe and Co), in which in the above formula, the following relationships are satisfied: a&#x3e;0, b&#x3e;0, and 3&#x2266;b/a&#x2266;8.

Manganese spinel-type lithium transition metal oxide

A positive electrode material for a lithium-ion cell, comprising an over-lithiated layered lithium metal composite oxide that provides the positive electrode material for a lithium-ion cell. Also, a method for manufacturing an over-lithiated layered lithium metal composite oxide represented by the general formula LiMO, where x is 0.10 or more and 0.33 or less, and M includes Mn and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Al, Mg, Ti, Fe and Nb, wherein the method includes a step of mixing a lithium metal composite oxide represented by the general formula LiMO, where x is &#x2212;0.15 to 0.15, and M includes Mn and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Al, Mg, Ti, Fe and Nb, with a lithium compound to obtain a mixture and calcining the mixture to obtain the over-lithiated layered lithium metal composite oxide.

Method for manufacturing over-lithiated layered lithium metal composite oxide

Regarding spinel-type lithium manganese-based composite oxide (LMO) to be used as a positive electrode active substance material for lithium battery, a novel LMO is provided, which is capable of maintaining discharge capacity even if charging and discharging are repeated under high temperatures. An LMO in which the crystallite size is 250 nm to 350 nm, the strain is 0.085 or less and the specific surface area increase rate when placed in water at 25&#xb0; and pH 7 and ultrasonically dispersed at 40 W ultrasonic intensity for 600 seconds is 10.0% or less, can prevent a decrease in the output that accompanies the repetition of charging and discharging while at a high temperature.

Spinel-type lithium manganese-based composite oxide

Provided is a lithium metal composite oxide (powder) having a layered structure, which is capable of exhibiting excellent characteristics in both charge-discharge cycle ability and initial charging and discharging efficiency, and is capable of effectively reducing initial resistance, when being used in a positive electrode of a lithium battery. The lithium metal composite oxide (powder) comprises an amount of S which is less than 0.10% by mass of the lithium metal composite oxide powder, a ratio of a crystallite size of a (003) plane to a crystallite size of a (110) plane which is equal to or greater than 1.0 and less than 2.5, and a ratio of a primary particle area to a secondary particle area of 0.004 to 0.035.

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Takehara, Japan

Yoshimi Hata