Wide-distribution lithium-rich manganese-based positive electrode precursor and preparation method thereof
Technical Field
The invention relates to the technical field of lithium ion batteries, in particular to a wide-distribution lithium-rich manganese-based positive electrode precursor and a preparation method of the precursor.
Background
The lithium-rich manganese-based material has higher specific discharge capacity which is almost twice that of lithium iron phosphate, and if the lithium-rich manganese-based material is matched with a silicon-carbon composite material, the energy density of a battery monomer can reach 350 Wh.kg -1 . In the lithium-rich manganese-based material, the existence of manganese ore reduces the cost and improves the stability and safety of the material, but the factors of high initial irreversible capacity, poor cycle and rate performance, particularly continuous reduction of discharge medium voltage in the charge-discharge cycle process and the like hinder the practical application of the material. In addition, the current knowledge of the structure of lithium-rich manganese-based materials is controversial, such as whether it is a solid solution structure or a two-phase nanocomposite structure. Controversy also exists about the lithium intercalation and deintercalation mechanism of the material, such as whether the O element and the Mn element in the material can participate in electrochemical reaction reversibly.
The lithium-rich cathode material has certain inheritance to the spherical structure of the precursor, so that the spherical structure characteristics of the precursor directly influence the spherical structure characteristics of the lithium-rich cathode material, thereby indirectly influencing the electrochemical performance of the material. Therefore, the lithium-rich material needs to regulate and control the primary particle and secondary sphere structure of the material in the synthesis process of the precursor. As one of the future anode materials, the lithium-rich manganese base has many anode and precursor manufacturers strive to open the layout field, and has good market prospect.
Most of the precursors are nickel-manganese binary element composite hydroxides or carbonates, and the physical indexes of primary particles and secondary balls of the precursors are directly influenced by the process conditions such as pH value, temperature, slurry density and the like in the synthesis process. In the carbonic acid system, the solubility product of nickel carbonate is relatively large, so that nickel ions can not be completely precipitated in the process of synthesizing a precursor by coprecipitation, and the direct yield is low. Under certain specific conditions, the loss rate of nickel even exceeds 30%, the wastewater treatment pressure is greatly increased, the processing cost of the material is increased, and the tap density and the electrochemical performance of the precursor material are seriously influenced.
Disclosure of Invention
The invention aims to provide a wide-distribution lithium-rich manganese-based positive electrode precursor capable of maintaining physical indexes of primary particles and secondary spheres required by the precursor.
The invention also aims to provide the preparation method of the precursor, which solves the problem of nickel ion loss in the existing preparation process, reduces the material processing cost, increases the tap density of the material and improves the electrochemical performance of the anode material.
In order to realize the purpose, the invention adopts the following technical scheme:
a wide-distribution lithium-rich manganese-based positive electrode precursor with a chemical formula of Ni x Mn 1-x CO 3 + yNi 3 (PO 4 ) 2 Wherein x is more than or equal to 0.1 and less than or equal to 0.4, and y is more than or equal to 0.04 and less than or equal to 0.1 x; the average particle size D50 of the precursor is 6-14 mu m, the radial span of the precursor is 1.1-1.5, and the tap density TD of the precursor is 1.8-2.0 g/cm 3 。
The preparation method of the wide-distribution lithium-rich manganese-based positive electrode precursor comprises the following steps: linking the two reaction kettles and concentration equipment by adopting a coprecipitation method, firstly synthesizing nickel-manganese binary carbonate in a first reaction kettle, and overflowing slurry to a second reaction kettle; and in the second reaction kettle, adopting precipitator sodium phosphate to completely precipitate nickel ions to form crystal nuclei, concentrating, recycling the concentrated nickel ions into the first reaction kettle, and continuously reacting to reach the target particle size. The method specifically comprises the following steps:
step one, preparing a nickel-manganese-containing mixed salt solution, a sodium carbonate solution, a dilute hydrochloric acid solution, a sodium phosphate solution and a sodium hydroxide solution; the nickel-manganese mixed salt is chloride;
step two, pumping the nickel-manganese mixed salt solution, the sodium carbonate solution and the dilute hydrochloric acid solution into a first reaction kettle in a parallel flow manner under the condition of stirring, controlling the reaction temperature to be 45-55 ℃ and the pH value to be 6.5-7.5 to prepare No. 1 slurry, and overflowing the No. 1 slurry from the first reaction kettle to a second reaction kettle in the reaction process;
step three, under the condition of stirring, co-currently pumping a sodium phosphate solution and a sodium hydroxide solution into the second reaction kettle, controlling the reaction temperature to be 65-75 ℃ and the pH value to be 8-9, and preparing No. 2 slurry; overflowing the No. 2 slurry to a concentration device for concentration to prepare No. 3 slurry; and pumping the No. 3 slurry into a first reaction kettle, so that the first reaction kettle, a second reaction kettle and a concentration device form circulation, and stopping reaction when the granularity D50 of the No. 3 slurry reaches the target granularity of 6-14 mu m.
And step four, mixing the No. 1 slurry, the No. 2 slurry and the No. 3 slurry, washing with pure water, centrifuging, and then performing a drying, sieving and deironing process to obtain the wide-distribution lithium-rich manganese-based anode precursor.
Preferably, in the second step, the molar ratio of the total nickel and manganese ions in the mixed salt solution containing nickel and manganese to the total sodium carbonate is 1: 0.9-0.95.
Furthermore, in the mixed salt solution containing nickel and manganese, the molar ratio of nickel and manganese ions is 1: 3.
Further, the molar ratio of the total amount of nickel and manganese ions in the mixed salt solution containing nickel and manganese to the total amount of sodium phosphate in the third step is 1: 0.1-0.2.
Further, in the fourth step, the drying temperature is 80-120 ℃.
In the second step of the present invention, the first reaction kettle comprises a nucleation and growth process, and the slurry contains 10-30% of precipitated nickel ions under the reaction condition and still exists in the water solution of the slurry. When the liquid level of the first reaction kettle reaches the overflow port pipeline, the subsequent generated slurry overflows into the second reaction kettle under the action of gravity.
In the third step, the applicant finds that sodium phosphate as a precipitator can perform precipitation reaction on the nickel ions which are not precipitated in the No. 1 slurry to form nickel phosphate through multiple experiments; and under the conditions of relatively high temperature and pH value (65-75 ℃ and 8-9), the precipitation reaction rate is accelerated, and the formed nickel phosphate exists in a nano crystal nucleus form and cannot grow on secondary balls in No. 1 slurry. And (3) after the No. 2 slurry overflows to the concentration device, forming No. 3 slurry with higher solid content, and pumping the slurry back to the first reaction kettle to form circulation. In the circulation process, the density of the slurry of No. 1 slurry, No. 2 slurry and No. 3 slurry is continuously increased, which is beneficial to improving the tap density index of the precursor. In the circulation process, small particles are continuously generated in the No. 2 slurry, so that the particle size span value of the precursor is favorably improved. When the granularity D50 of the No. 3 slurry reaches the target granularity of 6-14 mu m, stopping the reaction.
In conclusion, the lithium-rich manganese-based positive electrode precursor prepared by the method has a large particle size span value which is as high as 1.1-1.5, and a high tap density which is as high as 1.8-2.0 g/cm 3 The problem of high loss rate of nickel ions in the synthesis process of the precursor is solved, and the electrochemical performance of the material is improved; in addition, the preparation method is a closed cycle process, no wastewater is generated, and the processing cost of the material is further reduced.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is an SEM image of a broad distribution lithium-rich manganese-based positive electrode precursor of example 1 of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an SEM image of a broad distribution lithium-rich manganese-based positive electrode precursor in example 2 of the present invention;
fig. 3 is an SEM image of a broad distribution lithium-rich manganese-based positive electrode precursor in example 3 of the present invention.
Detailed Description
The properties and preparation method of the wide-distribution lithium-rich manganese-based positive electrode precursor of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.
Example 1
Step one, preparing 2mol/L nickel-manganese mixed chloride solution (the molar ratio of nickel ions to manganese ions is 1: 2), 2mol/L sodium carbonate solution, 1mol/L hydrochloric acid solution, 0.5mol/L sodium phosphate solution and 2mol/L sodium hydroxide solution;
step two, under the condition of stirring, co-current flow pumping the nickel-manganese mixed salt solution, the sodium carbonate solution and the hydrochloric acid solution into a first reaction kettle, controlling the reaction temperature to be 48 ℃ and the pH value to be 6.8 to prepare No. 1 slurry, and overflowing the No. 1 slurry into a second reaction kettle in the reaction process; the molar ratio of the total amount of nickel and manganese ions to the total amount of sodium carbonate is 1: 0.9;
step three, under the condition of stirring, co-currently pumping a sodium phosphate solution and a sodium hydroxide solution into the second reaction kettle, controlling the reaction temperature to be 75 ℃ and the pH value to be 8.5, and preparing No. 2 slurry; the molar ratio of the total amount of nickel and manganese ions to the total amount of sodium phosphate in the mixed salt solution is 1: 0.2. Overflowing the No. 2 slurry to a concentration device for concentration to obtain No. 3 slurry; pumping the No. 3 slurry into a first reaction kettle, circulating the first reaction kettle, a second reaction kettle and a concentration device, and stopping reaction when the granularity D50 of the No. 3 slurry reaches the target granularity of 7 mu m;
step four, mixing the No. 1 slurry, the No. 2 slurry and the No. 3 slurry, washing with pure water, centrifuging, drying at 100 ℃, sieving to remove iron, and obtaining the wide-distribution lithium-rich manganese-based anode precursor with the chemical formula of Ni 0.28 Mn 0.72 CO 3 + 0.025Ni 3 (PO 4 ) 2 B, carrying out the following steps of; the average particle size D50 of the precursor was 7 μm, the span was 1.2, and the tap density TD was 1.8g/cm 3 And the tap density and the electrochemical performance are good.
Example 2
Step one, preparing 2mol/L nickel-manganese mixed chloride solution (the molar ratio of nickel-manganese ions is 1: 3), 2mol/L sodium carbonate solution, 1mol/L hydrochloric acid solution, 0.5mol/L sodium phosphate solution and 2mol/L sodium hydroxide solution;
step two, pumping the nickel-manganese mixed salt solution, the sodium carbonate solution and the hydrochloric acid solution into a first reaction kettle in a parallel flow manner under the condition of stirring, controlling the reaction temperature to be 48 ℃ and the pH value to be 6.8 to prepare No. 1 slurry, and overflowing the No. 1 slurry into a second reaction kettle in the reaction process; the molar ratio of the total amount of nickel and manganese ions to the total amount of sodium carbonate is 1: 0.9;
step three, under the condition of stirring, co-currently pumping a sodium phosphate solution and a sodium hydroxide solution into the second reaction kettle, controlling the reaction temperature to be 75 ℃ and the pH value to be 8.5, and preparing No. 2 slurry; the molar ratio of the total amount of nickel and manganese ions to the total amount of sodium phosphate in the mixed salt solution is 1: 0.2. Overflowing the No. 2 slurry to a concentration device for concentration to prepare No. 3 slurry; and pumping the No. 3 slurry into a first reaction kettle, circulating the first reaction kettle, a second reaction kettle and a concentration device until the granularity D50 of the No. 3 slurry reaches the target granularity of 14 mu m, and stopping reaction.
Step four, mixing the No. 1 slurry, the No. 2 slurry and the No. 3 slurry, washing with pure water, centrifuging, drying at 100 ℃, sieving to remove iron, and preparing the wide-distribution lithium-rich manganese-based anode precursor with the chemical formula of Ni 0.2 Mn 0.8 CO 3 + 0.017Ni 3 (PO 4 ) 2 B, carrying out the following steps of; the average particle size D50 of the precursor was 14 μm, the span was 1.3, and the tap density TD was 1.88g/cm 3 And the tap density and the electrochemical performance are good.
Example 3
Step one, preparing 2mol/L nickel-manganese mixed chloride solution (the molar ratio of nickel-manganese ions is 1: 3), 2mol/L sodium carbonate solution, 1mol/L hydrochloric acid solution, 0.5mol/L sodium phosphate solution and 2mol/L sodium hydroxide solution;
step two, under the condition of stirring, co-current flow pumping the nickel-manganese mixed salt solution, the sodium carbonate solution and the hydrochloric acid solution into a first reaction kettle, controlling the reaction temperature to be 55 ℃ and the pH value to be 7.5 to prepare No. 1 slurry, and overflowing the No. 1 slurry into a second reaction kettle in the reaction process; the molar ratio of the total amount of nickel and manganese ions to the total amount of sodium carbonate is 1: 0.95;
step three, under the condition of stirring, co-currently pumping a sodium phosphate solution and a sodium hydroxide solution into the second reaction kettle, controlling the reaction temperature to be 65 ℃ and the pH value to be 9, and preparing No. 2 slurry; the molar ratio of the total amount of nickel and manganese ions to the total amount of sodium phosphate in the mixed salt solution is 1: 0.1. Overflowing the No. 2 slurry to a concentration device for concentration to prepare No. 3 slurry; and pumping the No. 3 slurry into a first reaction kettle, circulating the first reaction kettle, a second reaction kettle and a concentration device until the granularity D50 of the No. 3 slurry reaches the target granularity of 14 mu m, and stopping reaction.
Step four, mixing the No. 1 slurry, the No. 2 slurry and the No. 3 slurry, washing with pure water, centrifuging, drying at 120 ℃, sieving to remove iron, and preparing the wide-distribution lithium-rich manganese-based anode precursor with the chemical formula of Ni 0.22 Mn 0.78 CO 3 + 0.01Ni 3 (PO 4 ) 2 (ii) a The average particle size D50 of the precursor was 14 μm, the span was 1.32, and the tap density TD was 1.93g/cm 3 And the tap density and the electrochemical performance are good.