Umicore

1. A positive electrode active material powder suitable for lithium-ion batteries, comprising lithium transition metal-based oxide particles, said particles comprising a core and a surface layer, said surface layer being on top of said core, said particles comprising the elements: Li, M′ and oxygen, wherein M′ has a formula: M′=Ni z Mn y Co x A k , wherein A is a dopant, 0.60≤z≤0.89, 0.05≤y≤0.20, 0.05≤x≤0.20, x+y+z+k=1, and k≤0.01, said positive electrode active material powder having a median particle size D50 ranging from 5 μm to 15 μm, a span ranging from 0.25 to 0.90, and a surface layer thickness ranging from 10 nm to 200 nm, said surface layer comprising: sulfur in a content superior or equal to 0.150 wt % and inferior or equal to 0.375 wt % with respect to the total weight of the positive electrode active material powder, and aluminum in a content superior or equal to 0.05 wt % and inferior or equal to 0.15 wt % with respect to the total weight of the positive electrode active material powder,

A positive electrode active material powder suitable for lithium-ion batteries, comprising lithium transition metal-based oxide particles, said particles comprising a core and a surface layer, said surface layer being on top of said core, said particles comprising the elements: Li, a metal M′ and oxygen, wherein the metal M′ has a formula: M′=(Ni z (Ni 0.5 Mn 0.5 ) y Co x ) 1-k A k , wherein A is a dopant, 0.60≤z≤0.86, 0.05≤y≤0.20, 0.05≤x≤0.20, x+y+z+k=1, and k≤0.01, said positive electrode active material powder having a median particle size D50 ranging from 5 μm to 15 μm and a surface layer thickness ranging from 10 nm to 200 nm, said surface layer comprising: sulfur in a content superior or equal to 0.150 wt % and inferior or equal to 0.375 wt % with respect to the total weight of the positive electrode active material powder, and aluminum in a content superior or equal to 0.05 wt % and inferior or equal to 0.15 wt % with respect to the total weight of the positive electrode active material powder, said surface layer of lithium transition metal-based oxide particles comprising a LiAlO 2 phase and an LiM″ 1-a Al a O 2 phase with M″ comprising: Ni, Mn, and Co, said LiAlO 2 phase being present in the surface layer in a content superior or equal to 0.10 at % and inferior or equal to 0.30 at % with respect to the total atomic content of M′ in the positive electrode active material powder, said LiM″ 1-a Al a O 2 phase being present in the surface layer in a content inferior to 0.14 at % with respect to the total atomic content of M′ in the positive electrode active material powder.

A positive electrode active material powder suitable for lithium-ion batteries, comprising lithium transition metal-based oxide particles comprising a core and a surface layer, said surface layer being on top of said core, said particles comprising the elements: Li, a metal M′ and oxygen, wherein the metal M′ has a formula: M′(Ni z Mn y Co x ) 1−k A k , wherein A is a dopant, 0.55≤z≤0.89, 0.05≤y≤0.25, 0.05≤x≤0.25, x+y+z+k=1, and k≤0.01, said positive electrode active material powder having a mean particle size D50 ranging from 3 μm to 15 μm and a surface layer thickness ranging from 5 nm to 200 nm. The surface layer comprises aluminum in a content superior or equal to 0.04 wt % and inferior or equal to 0.15 wt % relative to the total weight of the positive electrode active material.

A powderous positive electrode material for a lithium secondary battery has the general formula Li 1+x [Ni 1−a−b−c M a M′ b M″ c ] 1−x O 2−z . M is one or more elements of the group Mn, Zr and Ti. M′ is one or more elements of the group Al, B and Co. M″ is a dopant different from M and M′, and x, a, b and c are expressed in mol with −0.02≤x≤0.02, 0≤c≤0.05, 0.10≤(a+b)≤0.65 and 0≤z≤0.05. The material has an unconstrained cumulative volume particle size distribution value (Γ 0 (D10 P=0 )), a cumulative volume particle size distribution value after having been pressed at a pressure of 200 MPa (Γ P (D10 P=200 )) and a cumulative volume particle size distribution value after having been pressed at a pressure of 300 MPa (Γ P (D10 P=300 )). When Γ P (D10 P=200 ) is compared to Γ 0 (D10 P=0 ), the relative increase in value is less than 100%. When Γ P (D10 P=300 ) is compared to Γ 0 (D10 P=0 ), the relative increase in value is less than 120%.

A positive electrode active material powder suitable for lithium-ion batteries, comprising lithium transition metal-based oxide particles, said particles comprising a core and a surface layer, said surface layer being on top of said core, said particles comprising the elements: Li, M′ and oxygen, wherein M′ has a formula: M′=Ni z Mn y Co x A k , wherein A is a dopant, 0.60≤z≤0.86, 0.05≤x≤0.20, x+y+z+k=1, and k≤ 0.01, said positive electrode active material powder having a median particle size D50 ranging from 5 μm to 15 μm and a surface layer thickness ranging from 10 nm to 200 nm, said surface layer comprising: sulfur in a content superior or equal to 0.150 wt % and inferior or equal to 0.375 wt % with respect to the total weight of the positive electrode active material powder, and sulfate ion (SO 4 2− ) in a content superior or equal to 4500 ppm and inferior or equal to 11250 ppm.

This invention relates to an industrial process of manufacturing hydroxide precursor for lithium transition metal oxide used in secondary lithium ion batteries. More particularly, this process utilizes highly concentrated nitrate salts and is designed to mitigate waste production.

The invention concerns a process for the recovery of metals such as Ni and Co from a Li-containing starting material. In particular, this process concerns the recovery of metals M from a Li-containing starting material, wherein M comprises Ni and Co, comprising the steps of: Step 1: Providing said starting material, comprising Li-ion batteries or their derived products; Step 2: Removing Li in an amount of more than the maximum of (1) 30% of the Li present in said starting material, and (2) a percentage of the Li present in said starting material determined to obtain a Li:M ratio of less than 0.70 in a subsequent acidic leaching step; Step 3: Subsequent leaching using relative amounts of Li-depleted product and a mineral acid, thereby obtaining a Ni- and Co-bearing solution; and, Step 4: Crystallization of Ni, Co, and optionally Mn. Due to the lower reagent consumption and higher Ni and/or Co concentration during hydrometallurgical processing, the invention is an efficient and economic process for the production of crystals suitable for battery material production.

The present disclosure concerns the production of precursor compounds for lithium battery cathodes. Batteries or their scrap are smelted in reducing conditions, thereby forming an alloy suitable for further hydrometallurgical refining, and a slag. The alloy is leached in acidic conditions, producing a Ni- and Co-bearing solution, which is refined. The refining steps are greatly simplified as most elements susceptible to interfere with the refining steps concentrate in the slag. Metals such as Co, Ni and Mn are then precipitated from the solution, forming a suitable starting product for the synthesis of new battery precursor compounds.

A method for producing a M-carbonate precursor of a Li-M oxide cathode material in a continuous reactor, wherein M=NixMnyCozAn, A being a dopant, with x>0, y>0, 0≤z≤0.35, 0≤n≤0.02 and x+y+z+n=1, the method comprising the steps of: —providing a feed solution comprising Ni-, Mn-, Co- and A-ions, and having a molar metal content M″ feed, —providing an ionic solution comprising either one or both of a carbonate and a bicarbonate solution, the ionic solution further comprising either one or both of Na- and K-ions, —providing a slurry comprising seeds comprising M′-ions and having a molar metal content M′ seeds, wherein M′=Nix′Mny′Coz′A′n′, A′ being a dopant, with 0≤x′≤1, 0≤y′≤1, 0≤z′≤1, 0≤n′≤1 and x′+y′+z′+n′=1, and wherein the molar ratio M′ seeds/M″ feed is between 0.001 and 0.1, —mixing the feed solution, the ionic solution and the slurry in the reactor, thereby obtaining a reactive liquid mixture, —precipitating a carbonate onto the seeds in the reactive liquid mixture, thereby obtaining a reacted liquid mixture and the M-carbonate precursor, and —separating the M-carbonate precursor from the reacted liquid mixture.

Powder comprising particles comprising a matrix material and silicon-based domains dispersed in this matrix material, whereby the matrix material is carbon or a material that can be thermally decomposed to carbon, whereby either part of the silicon-based domains are present in the form of agglomerates of silicon-based domains whereby at least 98% of these agglomerates have a maximum size of 3 μm or less, or the silicon-based domains are not at all agglomerated into agglomerates.