US 12,288,876 B2
Nickel composite hydroxide and manufacturing method thereof, cathode active material for nonaqueos-electrolyte secondary battery and manufacturing method thereof, and nonaqueous-electrolyte secondary battery
Atsushi Fukui, Ehime (JP); Katsuya Inoue, Ehime (JP); Shuhei Oda, Ehime (JP); and Hiroyuki Toya, Ehime (JP)
Assigned to SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Nov. 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/524,333.
Application 18/524,333 is a division of application No. 17/898,027, filed on Aug. 29, 2022, granted, now 11,876,222.
Application 17/898,027 is a division of application No. 17/318,692, filed on May 12, 2021, granted, now 11,545,663, issued on Jan. 3, 2023.
Application 17/318,692 is a division of application No. 15/892,681, filed on Feb. 9, 2018, granted, now 11,038,168, issued on Jun. 15, 2021.
Application 15/892,681 is a division of application No. 14/124,418, granted, now 10,128,501, issued on Nov. 13, 2018, previously published as PCT/JP2012/059101, filed on Apr. 3, 2012.
Claims priority of application No. 2011-127343 (JP), filed on Jun. 7, 2011.
Prior Publication US 2024/0105935 A1, Mar. 28, 2024
Int. Cl. H01M 4/525 (2010.01); C01G 53/50 (2025.01); C01G 53/82 (2025.01); H01M 4/02 (2006.01); H01M 4/505 (2010.01); H01M 10/0525 (2010.01)
CPC H01M 4/525 (2013.01) [C01G 53/50 (2013.01); C01G 53/82 (2025.01); H01M 4/505 (2013.01); H01M 10/0525 (2013.01); C01P 2002/52 (2013.01); C01P 2004/03 (2013.01); C01P 2004/32 (2013.01); C01P 2004/34 (2013.01); C01P 2004/51 (2013.01); C01P 2004/61 (2013.01); C01P 2004/62 (2013.01); C01P 2006/11 (2013.01); C01P 2006/12 (2013.01); C01P 2006/40 (2013.01); H01M 2004/028 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A manufacturing method for a cathode active material for a nonaqueous-electrolyte secondary battery that is essentially composed of a lithium nickel composite oxide that is expressed by the general expression:
Li1+uNixMnyCozMtO2, where
−0.05≤u≤0.50, x+y+z+t=1, 0.3≤x, 0≤y≤0.55, 0≤z≤0.4, 0≤t≤0.1, and M is one or more kind of additional element that is selected from among Al, Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta and W,
and has a hexagonal crystal structure having a layered structure;
comprising:
a mixing process wherein a nickel composite hydroxide and/or heat-treated particles thereof is mixed with a lithium compound to form a mixture of the nickel composite hydroxide and/or heat-treated particles thereof and the lithium compound; and
a calcination process that calcines the mixture that was formed in the mixing process in an oxidizing atmosphere at 650° C. to 1000° C.
wherein
the nickel composite hydroxide that is expressed by the general expression:
NixMnyCozMt(OH)2+a, where
x+y+z+t=1, 0.3≤x, 0≤y≤0.55, 0≤z≤0.4, 0≤t≤0.1, 0≤a≤0.5, and M is one or more kind of additional element that is selected from among Al, Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta and W,
wherein the nickel composite hydroxide comprises nearly spherical secondary particles that are formed by plural primary particles clumping together; the secondary particles having an average particle size that is greater than 7 μm and less than or equal to 15 μm, and a value [(d90−d10)/average particle size], which is an index that indicates the extent of the particle size distribution, is 0.55 or less, and the average particle size of the primary particles that constitute the secondary particles is in the range 0.3 μm to 3 μm,
wherein the nickel composite hydroxide comprises secondary particles that can either (a) have a dense structure that is dense from the particle's outside to its inside; or (b) have a center section composed of minute primary particles having an average particle size of 0.01 μm to 3 μm and an outer-shell section surrounding the center section, the outer-shell section composed of primary particles that are larger than the minute primary particles, and the nickel content and the manganese content of the nickel composite hydroxide in the general expression being 0.3≤x≤0.7, and 0.1≤y≤0.55.