A method for manufacturing metal phosphate hydrate nanoparticles wherein metal reactants are selected from metal precursors of transition metals,phosphate precursors are selected from: Trisodium phosphate Na.sub.3PO.sub.4, disodium phosphate Na.sub.2HPO.sub.4, phosphoric acid H.sub.3PO.sub.4 and hypophosphoric acid H.sub.4P.sub.2O.sub.6, wherein said method comprises the following step of a reaction medium comprising at least a metal reactant, a phosphate precursor and a solvent, is submitted to a solvothermal treatment at a pressure superior to 50 MPa, and at a temperature of from 100 to 350 C.

An electrode material including a carbonaceous-coated electrode active material having primary particles of an electrode active material and secondary particles that are aggregates of the primary particles, and a carbonaceous film that coats the primary particles of the electrode active material and the secondary particles that are the aggregates of the primary particles, in which a proportion of a volume of micropores having a micropore diameter of 50 nm or less in a volume of micropores having a micropore diameter of 300 nm or less, which is obtained using a nitrogen adsorption method, is 40% or more.

A process for the preparation of carbon-coated lithium transition metal phosphate having the formula Li.sub.0.9+xM.sub.yMn.sub.1yPO.sub.4 and its use as cathode material in secondary lithium-ion batteries wherein the process includes few synthesis steps which can be conducted easily, therefore providing a low cost process and results in a complete reaction of the starting material compounds or the mixtures thereof. At least one starting material compound is dispersed or dissolved in an essentially aqueous medium and heated to a temperature between 50 C. and 100 C. prior to addition of the remaining starting material compounds.

A preparation method of battery composite material includes steps of providing a manganese-contained compound, phosphoric acid, a lithium-contained compound, a carbon source, and deionized water; processing a reaction of the manganese-contained compound, the phosphoric acid, and a portion of the deionized water to produce a first product; placing the first product at a first temperature for at least a first time period to produce a first precursor, wherein the chemical formula of the first precursor is written by Mn.sub.5(HPO.sub.4).sub.2(PO.sub.4).sub.2(H.sub.2O).sub.4; and processing a reaction of at least the first precursor, the lithium-contained compound, and another portion of the deionized water, adding the carbon source, and then calcining to produce battery composite material. Therefore, the preparation time is shortened, the energy consuming is reduced, the phase forming of the precursor is more stable, and the advantages of reducing the cost of preparation and enhancing the quality of products are achieved.

The present invention provides a cost-effective method of synthesizing phosphate salt of a metal such as Fe and Mn that can be used for electrode active material of a lithium secondary battery. A precipitation reaction is first carried out to produce a solid salt of the metal having a lower valence value, e.g. Fe(II) and Mn(II). The solid salt is then purified before it is oxidized to form the target phosphate salt of the metal having a higher valence value, e.g. Fe(III) and Mn(III). The invention exhibits numerous technical merits such as easier operation, higher purity, and less consumption of washing water, among others.

Methods of producing cathode material precursors from metal carbonyl complexes are described.

The invention relates to a novel process for the preparation of metal-containing compounds comprising the steps of a) forming a mixture comprising i) elemental phosphorus and ii) one or more metal-containing precursor compounds, and b) heating the mixture to a temperature of at least 150 C. Materials made by such a process are useful, for example, as electrode materials in alkali metal-ion battery applications.

An electrode material for a lithium-ion secondary battery of the present invention includes particles which are made of LiFe.sub.xMn.sub.1-w-x-y-zMg.sub.yCa.sub.zA.sub.wPO.sub.4, have an orthorhombic crystal structure, and have a space group of Pmna, in which a mis-fit value [(1(b2c2)/(b1c1))100] of a bc plane which is computed from lattice constants b1 and c1 of the LiFe.sub.xMn.sub.1-w-x-y-zMg.sub.yCa.sub.zA.sub.wPO.sub.4 and lattice constants b2 and c2 of Fe.sub.xMn.sub.1-w-x-y-zMg.sub.yCa.sub.zA.sub.wPO.sub.4 obtained by deintercalating Li from LiFe.sub.xMn.sub.1-w-x-y-zMg.sub.yCa.sub.zA.sub.wPO.sub.4 by means of an oxidation treatment using nitrosonium tetrafluoroborate in acetonitrile is 1.32% or more and 1.85% or less.

A process for producing a phosphate by: introducing oxidic metal(II)-, metal(III)- metal(IV) or compounds with mixed oxide stages selected from hydroxides, oxides, oxide-hydroxides, oxide-hydrates, carbonates and hydroxide carbonates, of at least one of the metals Mn, Fe, Co and Ni with the elemental forms or alloys of at least one of the metals Mn, Fe, Co and/or Ni into an aqueous medium containing phosphoric acid, and reacting the oxidic metal compounds with elemental forms or alloys of the metals to obtain divalent metal ions, removing solid substances, producing an alkali metal phosphate receiver solution with a pH-value of 5 to 8 and metering the aqueous solution into the receiver solution and at the same time metering a basic aqueous alkali hydroxide solution that the pH-value of the resulting reaction mixture is kept in the region of 5 to 8 to precipitate the desired phosphate.

A process for the preparation of carbon-coated lithium transition metal phosphate having the formula Li.sub.0.9+xM.sub.yMn.sub.1yPO.sub.4 and its use as cathode material in secondary lithium-ion batteries wherein the process includes few synthesis steps which can be conducted easily, therefore providing a low cost process and results in a complete reaction of the starting material compounds or the mixtures thereof. At least one starting material compound is dispersed or dissolved in an essentially aqueous medium and heated to a temperature between 50 C. and 100 C. prior to addition of the remaining starting material compounds.