Composite cathode materials having improved cycle life

• Main Authors: Mays William, Wong Diana, Reichman Benjamin
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 14.03.2017
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE

Lithiated composite materials and methods of manufacture are provided that are capable of imparting excellent capacity and greatly improved cycle life in lithium-ion secondary cells. By supplementing a high nickel content lithium storage material with a transition metal oxide lithium storage material or a dopant at relatively low levels, the capacity of the high nickel content lithium storage materials is maintained while cycle life is dramatically improved. These characteristics are promoted by methods of producing the materials that intermix unlithiated precursor materials with a lithium source and sintering the materials together in a single sintering reaction. The resulting lithiated composite materials provide for the first time both high capacity and excellent cycle life to predominantly high nickel content electrodes.