Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.

A metal battery comprising an anode, an anode current collector, a cathode, a cathode current collector and a compound of formula (I) disposed between the anode and cathode wherein X is Al or B; R 1 in each occurrence is independently a substituent; and two R 1 groups may be linked to form a ring; and M + is a metal cation, and wherein the anode current collector comprises zinc.

A metal battery, such as a lithium battery, includes an anode, an anode current collector in electrical contact with the anode, a cathode, a cathode current collector in electrical contact with the cathode, a separator disposed between the anode and cathode, a liquid electrolyte, and an anode protection structure. The anode protection structure includes an anode protection layer disposed between the anode and the separator. The anode protection layer includes a matrix and domains within the matrix. One of the matrix and domains contains a first material and the other of the matrix and domains contains a second material. The first material is less permeable by the electrolyte than the second material.

There is provided a production method of a lithium-containing composite oxide capable of improving performances of cycle characteristics, rate characteristics, and the like of a lithium ion secondary battery. A production method of a lithium-containing composite oxide is characterized in that when producing a lithium-containing composite oxide by mixing a transition metal hydroxide containing Ni and Mn essentially and a lithium source and heating the mixture, a transition metal hydroxide having a crystallite diameter of the (100) plane being 35 nm or less in a crystal structure model in the space group P-3m1 of an X-ray diffraction pattern is used.

A cathode active material for a positive electrode for a lithium ion secondary battery, comprising a lithium-containing composite oxide represented by aLi(Li 1/3 Mn 2/3 )O 2 ·(1- a )LiMO 2 (M: at least one transition metal element selected from Ni, Co and Mn, and 0<a<1), wherein in an X-ray diffraction pattern of the lithium-containing composite oxide, the ratio of the height (H 020 ) of a peak of (020) plane assigned to a crystal structure with space group C2/m to the height (H 003 ) of a peak of (003) plane assigned to a crystal structure with space group R-3 m (i.e. H 020 /H 003 ) is at most 0.038, and the ratio of the height (H 110 ) of a peak of (110) plane assigned to a crystal structure with space group C2/m to the height (H 003 ) of a peak of (003) plane assigned to a crystal structure with space group R-3 m (i.e. H 110 /H 003 ) is at most 0.013.

To provide a lithium-containing composite oxide capable of obtaining a lithium ion secondary battery having a large discharge capacity wherein the deterioration of the discharge voltage due to repetition of a charge and discharge cycle is suppressed, a cathode active material, a positive electrode for a lithium ion secondary battery and a lithium ion secondary battery. A lithium-containing composite oxide, which is represented by the formula I: Li a i Ni b CO c Mn d M e O 2 Formula I, wherein M is at least one member selected from the group consisting of Na, Mg, Ti, Zr, Al, W and Mo, a+b+c+d+e=2, 1.1≤a/(b+c+d+e)≤1.4, 0.2≤b/(b+c+d+e)≤0.5, 0≤c/(b+c+d+e)≤0.25, 0.3≤d/(b+c+d+e)≤0.6, and 0≤e/(b+c+d+e)≤0.1, and wherein the valence of Ni is from 2.15 to 2.45.

To provide a cathode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery excellent in the cycle characteristics and rate characteristics even when charging is conducted at a high voltage. A cathode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery, which comprises particles (III) having a covering layer comprising a metal oxide (I) containing at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of elements in Groups 3 and 13 of the periodic table and lanthanoid elements, and a compound (II) containing Li and P, on the surface of a lithium-containing composite oxide comprising lithium and a transition metal element, wherein the atomic ratio of said P to said metal element (P/metal element) contained within 5 nm of the surface layer of the particles (III) is from 0.03 to 0.45.