A method of fabricating a positive active material for a rechargeable sodium battery is provided. The method includes forming a metal hydroxide precursor including nickel, cobalt, and manganese, and fabricating a positive active material by mixing and firing the metal hydroxide precursor and a sodium source. A kind of the sodium source is changed depending on a content of nickel or manganese included in the metal hydroxide precursor.

A process for preparing a stable Li.sub.xMn.sub.2-yMe.sub.yO.sub.4-zCl.sub.z material with a MO.sub.b or MMn.sub.aO.sub.b charge transfer catalyst coating is provided, where Me is Fe, Co, or Ni and M is Bi, As, or Sb. In addition, a Li.sub.xMn.sub.2-yMe.sub.yO.sub.4-zCl.sub.z material with a MO.sub.b or MMn.sub.aO.sub.b charge transfer catalyst coating is provided. Furthermore, a lithium or lithium ion rechargeable electrochemical cell is provided, which includes a cathode material (in a positive electrode) containing a Li.sub.xMn.sub.2-yMe.sub.yO.sub.4-zCl.sub.z material with a MO.sub.b or MMn.sub.aO.sub.b charge transfer catalyst coating.

Process for making a particulate (oxy)hydroxide of TM wherein TM comprises nickel wherein said process comprises the steps of: (a) Providing an aqueous solution (α) containing water-soluble salts of Ni and of at least one transition metal selected from Co and Mn, and, optionally, at least one further metal selected from Ti, Zr, Mo, W, Al, Mg, Nb, and Ta, and an aqueous solution (β) containing an alkali metal hydroxide and, optionally, an aqueous solution (γ) containing ammonia, (b) combining a solution (α) and a solution (β) and, if applicable, a solution (γ) at a pH value in the range of from 12.0 to 13.0, thereby creating solid particles of hydroxide containing nickel, (c) continuing combining solutions (α) and (β) and, if applicable, (γ) at a pH value in the range of from 9.0 to 12.0 and in any way below the pH value in step (b), (d) adding a solution (α) and a solution (β) and, if applicable, a solution (γ) at a pH value in the range of from 12.0 to 12.7 and in any way above the pH value in step (c), (e) continuing combining such solutions (α) and (β) and, if applicable, (γ) at a pH value in the range of from 9.0 to 12.0 and in any way below the pH value in step (d), wherein step (d) has a duration in the range of from rt-0.01 to rt-0.15 and wherein it is the average residence time of the reactor in which steps (b) to (e) are carried out.

A positive electrode active material of the present invention comprising a composite oxide containing Li and Ni, and optionally containing at least one element other than Li and Ni, is characterized in one of the following: primary particles constituting each of secondary particles of the composite oxide and having a variation coefficient of span of 17% or less, the span being a formula: (D.sub.190−D.sub.110)/D.sub.150 (D.sub.110, D.sub.150, D.sub.190: particle diameter corresponding to 10%, 50%, 90% of an integrated value in a number standard-particle diameter distribution of primary particle size); the primary particles having a variation coefficient of D.sub.150 of 19% or less; and the secondary particles having each of values of 1.00% or less, the values being formulae: |[ER1−ER21)/ER1]|×100, |[ER1−ER22)/ER1]|×100, |[ER1−ER23)/ER1]|×100 (ER1, ER21, ER22, ER23: element ratio (Li/(Ni+Other element(s))) of entire secondary particles, small particles, middle particles, large particles).

An object of the present invention is to provide nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide particles having a small particle diameter and a uniform particle size distribution, and a method for producing the same.

[Solution]

A method for producing a nickel cobalt manganese composite hydroxide by a crystallization reaction is provided. The method includes: a nucleation step of performing nucleation by controlling a pH of an aqueous solution for nucleation including metal compounds containing nickel, cobalt and manganese, and an ammonium ion donor to 12.0 to 14.0 in terms of the pH as measured at a liquid temperature of 25° C. as a standard; and a particle growth step of growing nuclei by controlling a pH of an aqueous solution for particle growth containing nuclei formed in the nucleation step to 10.5 to 12.0 in terms of the pH as measured at a liquid temperature of 25° C. as a standard.

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of lithium ion batteries. Disclosed are a multi-element positive electrode material, and a preparation method therefor and the application thereof.

A cathode active material precursor for a lithium secondary battery has a structure of a nickel composite hydroxide. An oxygen position in a Z-axis direction measured by a Rietveld method in a space group P-3m crystal structure based on an X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis is 0.200 or more. A cathode active material and a lithium secondary battery having a stabilized crystal structure are provided using the cathode active material precursor.

A cathode active material precursor for a lithium secondary battery has a structure of a nickel composite hydroxide. A first peak intensity ratio represented by Equation 1 is 0.5 or more, and a second peak intensity ratio represented by Equation 2 is 0.7 or more. A cathode active material and a lithium secondary battery having a stabilized crystal structure are provided using the cathode active material precursor.

A battery is composed of a positive electrode in which a positive electrode active material layer including a positive electrode active material is formed on a positive electrode collector, a negative electrode in which a negative electrode active material layer including a negative electrode active material is formed on a negative electrode collector, a separator provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and an electrolyte impregnated in the separator. The battery further includes at least one of a heteropoly acid and a heteropoly acid compound as an additive at least in one of the positive electrode, the negative electrode, the separator, and the electrolyte.

Cathode material from exhausted lithium ion batteries are dissolved in a solution for extracting the useful elements Co (cobalt), Ni (nickel), Al (Aluminum) and Mn (manganese) to produce active cathode materials for new batteries. The solution includes compounds of desirable materials such as cobalt, nickel, aluminum and manganese dissolved as compounds from the exhausted cathode material of spent cells. Depending on a desired proportion, or ratio, of the desired materials, raw materials are added to the solution to achieve the desired ratio of the commingled compounds for the recycled cathode material for new cells. The desired materials precipitate out of solution without extensive heating or separation of the desired materials into individual compounds or elements. The resulting active cathode material has the predetermined ratio for use in new cells, and avoids high heat typically required to separate the useful elements because the desired materials remain commingled in solution.