A lithium ion battery includes a cathode, which has a composite cathode active material, and an anode, which has an anode active material. The composite cathode active material includes at least a first and a second cathode active material, wherein the second cathode active material is a compound having an olivine structure, and wherein at least a lithiation degree of the first cathode active material differs from a lithiation degree of the second cathode active material. Prior to electrolyte filling or the first discharging and/or charging process of the lithium ion battery, the lithiation degree of the first cathode active material is higher than the lithiation degree of the second cathode active material. Prior to electrolyte filling or the first discharging and/or charging process of the lithium ion battery, the anode active material is pre-lithiated. A method for producing a lithium ion battery of this kind is also described.

Particulate electrode active material with an average particle diameter in the range of from 2 to 20 μm (D50) having a general formula Li.sub.1+xTM.sub.1−xO.sub.2 wherein TM is a combination of Ni, Co and Al, and, optionally, at least one more metal selected from Mg, Ti, Zr, Nb, Ta, Mo, Mn, and W, with at least 80 mole-% of TM being Ni, and wherein x is in the range of from zero to 0.2, wherein the Co content at the outer surface of the secondary particles is higher than at the center of the secondary particles by a factor of at most 5 or by at most 30 mol-%, referring to TM.

The present invention is directed towards a process for making an electrode wherein the process comprises the following steps (a) providing a particulate lithiated transition metal oxide according to the formula Li.sub.1+xTM.sub.1-xO.sub.2 wherein x is in the range of from zero to 0.1 and TM contains nickel and at least one of Co, Mn and Al, (b) mixing the lithiated transition metal oxide from step (a) with carbon in electrically conductive form, (c) exposing the mixture obtained in step (b) to a pressure in the range of from 100 to 500 MPa over a period of time of from one second to one minute, thereby causing cracks in at least some of the particles of the electrode active material, (d) mixing the mixture from step (c) with a binder polymer and, optionally, with further carbon in electrically conductive form and with a solvent, (e) applying the mixture from step (d) to a metal foil.

This application provides a secondary battery and a preparation method thereof, and a battery module, battery pack, and apparatus containing a secondary battery. The secondary battery includes a positive electrode plate, the positive electrode plate includes a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode film layer that is disposed on the positive electrode current collector and that includes a positive electrode active material, where the positive electrode active material includes a first material and a second material, the first material contains lithium transition metal oxide, the second material contains lithium transition metal phosphate, the lithium transition metal phosphate includes secondary particles formed by agglomeration of primary particles, and the second material has a lower discharge platform voltage than the first material with respect to a same type of counter electrode.

A method of forming an active material for a positive electrode of a lithium-ion battery includes quenching a powder of the active material in water. The active material may include layered lithium rich nickel manganese oxide.

Batteries, coating materials and methods for cathode active materials, composition of cathode electrode sheets are disclosed. The battery includes a cathode selected from the group consisting of a nickel-rich material and an iron phosphate material and an ionic-electronic conducting polymeric coating on the cathode.

A composition includes a first portion including Ni-rich LiNi.sub.xCo.sub.γMn.sub.zO.sub.2, where 0.5<x<1, 0<y<1, 0<z<1; a second portion including Li.sub.αZr.sub.βO.sub.γ, where 0<α<9, 0<β<3, and 1<γ<10 such that the second portion is coated on the first portion, and the first portion is doped with an elemental metal selected from at least one of Zr, Si, Sn, Nb, Ta, Al, and Fe. A method of forming a composition includes mixing a metal precursor with nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) precursor to form a first mixture; adding a lithium-based compound to the first mixture to form a second mixture; and calcining the second mixture at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time to form the composition.

The present invention relates to an electrode active material, a preparation method thereof, an electrode, a battery, and an apparatus. The electrode active material includes: a core and a coating layer, where the core includes a ternary material, the coating layer coats the core, the coating layer includes a reaction product of a sulfur-containing compound and a lithium-containing compound, and the reaction product includes element Li, element S, and element O.

A cathode for a lithium secondary battery according to embodiments of the present invention includes a cathode current collector, and a cathode active material layer formed on the cathode current collector. The cathode active material layer includes first lithium metal oxide particles each having a secondary particle shape in which primary particles are aggregated and second lithium metal oxide particles each having a single particle shape. A cross-section of the cathode active material layer from an SEM satisfies Equations 1 and 2.

A cathode slurry for a lithium secondary battery according to exemplary embodiments may include a cathode active material including lithium metal oxide particles, a binder, a dispersion medium, and at least one of a multivalent carboxylic acid compound and a salt of the multivalent carboxylic acid compound. A total amount of the multivalent carboxylic acid compound and the salt of the multivalent carboxylic acid compound in the cathode slurry may be 0.01 to 0.05 wt. parts based on 100 wt. parts of the lithium metal oxide particles.