JP2005112710A - Method of manufacturing lithium-manganese-based compound oxide - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lithium-manganese-based compound oxide having excellent battery characteristics compared to a conventional one and a lithium secondary battery having the oxide as a positive electrode material. <P>SOLUTION: In the manufacture of the lithium-manganese-based compound oxide containing lithium, manganese, aluminum and/or magnesium, boron and oxygen, lithium borate is used as a boron source. The compound oxide manufactured in this way is used as a material of the positive electrode 2 of the lithium secondary battery. The lithium secondary battery is maintained as the battery performance is kept high without causing structural defect because even if lithium in the lithium-manganese skeleton is eluted, it is replaced by lithium borate by using lithium borate as the boron source. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a lithium-manganese composite oxide that can be used for a lithium secondary battery or the like, and more specifically, eliminates structural defects of lithium in the composite oxide, such as high-temperature storage stability and high-temperature cycle characteristics. The present invention relates to a composite oxide having improved high-temperature characteristics of the battery, a method for producing the same, and a lithium secondary battery using the composite oxide.

Due to the rapid progress of portable and cordless computers and telephones in recent years, the demand for secondary batteries (storage batteries) as driving power for them has increased. Among them, lithium secondary batteries are particularly expected because they are the smallest and have a high energy density. As a positive electrode material of a lithium secondary battery as the driving power source, lithium cobaltate (LiCoO ₂ ), lithium nickelate (LiNiO ₂ ), lithium manganate (LiMn ₂ O ₄ ), or the like is used. Since these composite oxides have a potential of 4 V or more with respect to lithium, a battery having a high energy density can be obtained.

Among the above complex oxides, lithium cobaltate and lithium nickelate have a theoretical capacity of about 280 mAh / g, whereas lithium manganate has a low theoretical capacity of about 148 mAh / g. It has the advantage that it is abundant and inexpensive and does not lose its thermal stability during charging as in the case of lithium nickelate.
However, this lithium manganate has a drawback that manganese is easily eluted at a high temperature and battery performance at a high temperature such as high temperature storage stability and high temperature cycle characteristics is inferior.
In order to eliminate such drawbacks, positive electrode materials using boron (Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), aluminum, chromium, iron, nickel, cobalt, calcium, magnesium, etc. (Patent Document 3) as additive substances Attempts have been made to improve the high-temperature characteristics of the positive electrode material by producing the above by a wet method. In the latter method, a positive electrode material is produced using a metal carbonate, nitrate or organometallic complex. However, the high temperature characteristics of the positive electrode material obtained in this way are not fully satisfactory.
JP-A-4-237970 JP-A-8-195200 JP-A-11-240721

Furthermore, such a positive electrode material has a low capacity retention rate and capacity recovery rate after being used as a secondary battery multiple times, and it is difficult to say that it has satisfactory performance as a secondary battery, and further improvement is desired. It is rare.
The present inventors have reached the present invention as a result of various studies on the types of additive elements, the characteristics of raw material compounds, the heat treatment temperature, and the like.

The present _{invention, Li x Mn (2-y} ) lithium represented by _{M y O 4 · nLi 2 B} 4 O 7 - manganese-based composite oxide (M is aluminum and / or magnesium, 1 <x ≦ 1.1, 0 <y ≦ 0.2, 0.002 ≦ n ≦ 0.05), and a lithium secondary battery containing the composite oxide as a positive electrode active material, and lithium, manganese, aluminum and / or magnesium, boron, and In a method for producing a lithium-manganese composite oxide containing oxygen, lithium borate is used as a boron source, and Li _x Mn _(2-y) lithium represented by _{M y O 4 · nLi 2 B} 4 O 7 - the method of manufacturing a manganese-based composite oxide, using a lithium borate as the boron source, and performing firing at 700-850 ° C. production It is the law.

The present invention will be described in detail below.
The present invention is characterized in that lithium borate is used as a boron source for producing boron-containing lithium-manganese composite oxides, particularly composite oxides used as positive electrode materials for lithium secondary batteries.
In general, lithium borate is a mixture of lithium oxide and boron oxide, lithium metaborate (LiBO ₂ ), lithium tetraborate (Li ₂ B ₄ O ₇ ), lithium pentaborate (LiB ₅ O ₈ ) and lithium perborate (Li ₂ B). It exists in various forms such as ₂ O ₅ ). In the present invention, any of these lithium borates can be used as an additive substance, and among these, the use of lithium tetraborate is desirable.

As a result of various studies, the inventors of the present invention have prepared boron as a boron source by using boric acid (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-240721), boron oxide, or boron oxide when producing a conventional lithium-manganese composite oxide containing boron. It has been added in the form of ammonium borate (JP-A-8-195200) and the like, and it has been found that borate ions react with lithium in the lithium-manganese structure to elute lithium and cause structural defects.
On the other hand, when lithium borate is used as a boron source as in the present invention, even if lithium borate is dissociated and borate ions react with lithium in the lithium-manganese structure, lithium as a counter ion reacts with lithium. Since the original structure is restored, no structural defect occurs.

Lithium present invention - manganese-based composite oxide comprises lithium, manganese, aluminum and / or magnesium, boron and oxygen, for example, _{Li x Mn (2-y)} M y O 4 · nLi 2 B 4 O 7 (M is aluminum and / or magnesium, 1 <x ≦ 1.1, 0 <y ≦ 0.2, 0.002 ≦ n ≦ 0.05), and nLi ₂ B ₄ O ₇ is nLiBO ₂ , nLiB ₅ O ₈ or nLi ₂ B ₂ O ₅ ), and in any case, a part of lithium is present as lithium borate. Therefore, the lithium ions in the lithium borate added as described above are the same lithium even if the lithium ions in the lithium-manganese are replaced. Therefore, no structural defects occur in the lithium-manganese system, and thus the battery characteristics are maintained high. Is done.
The reason why x of Lix is 1 <x ≦ 1.1 is that when it is 1 or less, boron is substituted by lithium, the capacity retention rate at low temperature (20 ° C.) is low, and at high temperature (60 ° C.). On the other hand, if it exceeds 1.1, excess lithium produces a secondary phase with an aluminum or magnesium compound, and both the discharge capacity at 20 ° C. and the battery property at 60 ° C. decrease. It is.

The reason why y of My is 0 <y ≦ 0.2 is that if it is 0, the valence of manganese decreases, and if it exceeds 0.2, the solid solution of aluminum or manganese becomes insufficient, particularly at 20 ° C. This is because the battery capacity at low and high temperatures deteriorates in both cases. M, that is, aluminum and / or magnesium is preferably added as an oxide.
In the present invention, it is desirable to use manganese dioxide (γ-MnO ₂ , β-MnO ₂ ) as a manganese source, and in addition, dimanganese trioxide (Mn ₂ O ₃ ) can also be used. The use of manganese dioxide is preferred because manganese dioxide is used as a positive electrode material for lithium primary batteries, and lithium is easily incorporated into the structure, and electrolytic manganese dioxide tends to increase the tap density. If manganese dioxide is used as the manganese raw material and lithium hydroxide is used as the lithium raw material, firing with a rotary kiln will result in excessive adhesion to the furnace core tube, resulting in reduced operability, and thus obtained. Lithium manganate is generally not preferred because of its low battery performance.

The most desirable manganese and lithium combination is manganese dioxide and lithium carbonate.
The specific surface area of the manganese compound used is 50 to 100 m ² / g is desirable, there is a tendency that the battery properties deteriorate high temperature (60 ° C.) instead of 50 m ² / g is less than a uniform solid solution of aluminum or magnesium, On the other hand, if it exceeds 100 m ² / g, the solid solution of aluminum or magnesium is not sufficient, the discharge capacity at low temperature (20 ° C.) is low, and the battery characteristics at high temperature (60 ° C.) tend to deteriorate.

The above-described lithium borate may be added after mixing these materials, that is, a manganese compound, a lithium compound, and, if necessary, an aluminum compound and a magnesium compound, or may be added at the time of mixing the compounds and mixed at the same time. The amount of lithium borate added is preferably 0.2 to 1.0% by weight based on the total amount of the compounds.
Each of these compounds is desirably pulverized before or after mixing in order to obtain a larger contact area.

Each raw material weighed and mixed is used as it is or after granulation. Granulation may be wet or dry, such as extrusion granulation, tumbling granulation, fluidized granulation, mixed granulation, spray drying granulation, pressure molding granulation, or flake granulation using rolls. It can be carried out.
The mixture is then fired in a firing furnace. The firing temperature is desirably 700 to 850 ° C. This is because if the temperature is lower than 700 ° C., the reaction between the manganese compound and the lithium compound may not be sufficient, and the battery characteristics may be deteriorated. If the temperature exceeds 850 ° C., the once generated composite oxide is decomposed. This is because the battery characteristics may deteriorate in the same manner.

Desirable furnaces used for the firing include a rotary kiln and a stationary furnace, and the predetermined lithium-manganese based composite oxide is obtained by firing in such a furnace for 1 hour or more, preferably 5 to 20 hours. can get.
The lithium-manganese composite oxide produced in this manner can be mixed and molded with a conductive agent and a binder to form a positive electrode material such as a lithium battery. Further, as the material on the negative electrode side, materials that can occlude and desorb lithium such as lithium itself and carbon can be preferably used.
A secondary battery such as a lithium battery constructed using the lithium-manganese composite oxide does not cause metal substitution due to elution of lithium in the lithium-manganese structure. There is little deterioration and it has the outstanding characteristic as a secondary battery.

The present _{invention, Li x Mn (2-y} ) lithium represented by _{M y O 4 · nLi 2 B} 4 O 7 - manganese-based composite oxide (M is aluminum and / or magnesium, 1 <x ≦ 1.1, 0 <y ≦ 0.2, 0.002 ≦ n ≦ 0.05), and a lithium secondary battery using the lithium-manganese composite oxide as a positive electrode material.
In these inventions, boron is fixed as lithium borate (Li ₂ B ₄ O) in the composition, that is, borate ions as a boron source are combined with lithium to form lithium borate, which is generated by dissociation of the lithium borate. Even if the lithium ion to be replaced with lithium in the lithium-manganese skeleton is the same ion, no structural defects occur, and therefore the high battery performance possessed by the lithium-manganese composite oxide itself is maintained.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a lithium-manganese composite oxide comprising lithium, manganese, aluminum and / or magnesium, boron and oxygen, wherein lithium borate is used as a boron source. It is a manufacturing method of a system complex oxide.
When a lithium-manganese composite oxide is produced by a conventional method, the lithium in the lithium-manganese skeleton is eluted by a boron source such as boric acid existing during firing and is replaced with other ions, resulting in structural defects. In the method of the present invention, lithium borate is used as the boron source, and even if lithium is eluted as described above, it is replaced by lithium, so that substantially no structural defects occur, and a high-performance lithium-manganese composite oxide is produced. Can be provided.

When firing is performed at 700 to 850 ° C. in this production method, various battery performances are similarly improved.
When the composite compound is produced using a boron borate and a manganese compound as a boron source and a manganese source, respectively, and calcined at 700 to 850 ° C., a lithium-manganese composite oxide having the best battery performance can be obtained.

An embodiment of a lithium secondary battery using the lithium-manganese composite oxide of the present invention as a positive electrode material will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a coin-type lithium secondary battery using the lithium-manganese composite oxide of the present invention as a positive electrode material.

  A positive electrode material, which is a lithium-manganese composite oxide using lithium borate as a boron source, is mixed with a conductive agent and a binder on the inner surface of a stainless steel case 1 having a dish-like shape and resistant to organic electrolyte. A molded positive electrode 2 is installed via a current collector (not shown), and a partition plate 3 is formed on the upper surface of the positive electrode 2 so that the peripheral edge is bent downward and the bent tip contacts the inner surface of the case 1. It is in contact. The upper part of the peripheral edge of the case 1 is further bent inward to form a space in the peripheral part of the case 1, and the fixing resin 4 is filled in the space, and the inner surface thereof is the outer surface of the downward bent part of the partition plate 3. Touching. In the fixing resin 4, a peripheral portion of a lid body 5 having a plurality of step portions formed on the peripheral edge portion is inserted and fixed. Powdered carbon or the like is interposed between the lower surface of the lid body 5 and the partition plate 3. A negative electrode 6 hardened with a conductive agent or a binder is installed via a current collector (not shown).

When the case 1 and the lid 5 of the lithium secondary battery having such a structure are used as a positive terminal and a negative terminal, respectively, the battery is charged when energized, and when a resistor is connected between both terminals after charging, the battery functions as a battery.
At this time, since a material having substantially no structural defect is used as the positive electrode material, a lithium secondary battery excellent in discharge capacity, capacity retention rate, and capacity recovery rate can be provided.

  Next, although the Example of the manufacturing method of the lithium manganese composite oxide of this invention is described, this Example does not limit this invention.

Example 1
Manganese dioxide (surface area: 80 m ² / g), lithium carbonate, and aluminum hydroxide were weighed and mixed at a molar ratio of Li: Mn: Al = 1.05: 1.90: 0.10, and then lithium borate was added to this mixture. 0.5 wt% was added and mixed with a ball mill, fired at 750 ° C. in an electric furnace, and crushed to produce a lithium-manganese composite oxide.
A coin-type battery was prepared using this lithium-manganese composite oxide as a positive electrode active material, and a discharge test was performed. The discharge test was performed at a charge voltage of 4.3 V, a discharge voltage of 3.0 V, an initial discharge capacity (mAh / g) at 20 ° C., a capacity retention rate (%) at 15 cycles, and at 15 cycles at 60 ° C. The capacity retention rate (%) and the capacity recovery rate (%) when charged and stored at 60 ° C. for 10 days were measured, and as shown in Table 1, 118 mAh / g, 99.1%, 90.2% and 91. 7%.

Example 2
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the specific surface area of manganese dioxide was 50 m ² / g, and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 3
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the specific surface area of manganese dioxide was 100 m ² / g, and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 4
The same four performances as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the firing temperature in the electric furnace was 700 ° C., and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 5
The same four performances as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the firing temperature in the electric furnace was 850 ° C., and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 6
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured except that aluminum oxide was used instead of aluminum hydroxide so that the same molar ratio was obtained, and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 7
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the molar ratio between metals was Li: Mn: Al = 1.02: 1.90: 0.10. The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 8
Except that the molar ratio between the metals was Li: Mn: Al = 1.10: 1.90: 0.10, the same four performances as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1, and the results are shown in Table 1. It was shown in 1.

Example 9
Except that the molar ratio between metals was Li: Mn: Al = 1.05: 1.95: 0.05, the same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1, and the results are shown in the table. It was shown in 1.

Example 10
Except that the molar ratio between metals was Li: Mn: Al = 1.05: 1.80: 0.20, the same four performances as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1, and the results are shown in the table. It was shown in 1.

Example 11
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the specific surface area of manganese dioxide was 40 m ² / g, and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 12
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the specific surface area of manganese dioxide was 110 m ² / g. The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 13
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the firing temperature in the electric furnace was 600 ° C. Table 1 shows the results.

Example 14
The same four performances as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the firing temperature in the electric furnace was 900 ° C., and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 15
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the molar ratio between metals was Li: Mn: Al = 1.00: 1.90: 0.10. The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 16
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the molar ratio between metals was such that Li: Mn: Al = 1.15: 1.90: 0.10. The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 17
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as Example 1 except that the molar ratio between metals was Li: Mn: Al = 1.05: 1.75: 0.25. The results are shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 1
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that no lithium borate was added. The results are shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 2
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that equimolar boric acid was added instead of lithium borate. The results are shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 3
The same four types of performance as in Example 1 were measured under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the molar ratio between metals was Li: Mn: Al = 1.05: 2.00: 0. The results are shown in Table 1.

  The following can be understood from the experimental results of Examples 1 to 17 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3. In Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, all other conditions were the same except that the boron source was lithium borate (Example 1) and boric acid (Comparative Example 1). Comparing the two, the initial discharge capacity (mAh / g) at 20 ° C. was 118 and 100, respectively, and the capacity retention rate (%) at 15 cycles at 20 ° C. was 99.1 and 91.0, and 15 cycles at 60 ° C. The capacity retention rate (%) at the time was 90.2 and 80.0, and the capacity recovery rate (%) when charged and stored at 60 ° C. for 10 days was 91.7 and 77.0. The characteristics of the coin-type battery were superior.

Further, when the specific surface area of manganese dioxide is 50 to 100 m ² / g (for example, Examples 1 to 10) and when the specific surface area is out of the range (Examples 11 and 12), the specific surface area is measured in all four types of measured performance. Is 50 to 100 m ² / g, and the specific surface area of the manganese dioxide used is 50 to 100 m ² / g.
Furthermore, when the firing temperature is 700 to 850 ° C. (for example, Examples 1 to 10) and when the temperature is out of the range (Example 13 temperature 14), the firing temperature is 700 to 850 ° C. for all four types of measured performance. It was found that the battery characteristics were significantly improved when the firing temperature was 700 to 850 ° C.
Further, it was also found that various performances were lowered when aluminum and / or magnesium were not contained (Comparative Example 3).

The longitudinal cross-sectional view which illustrates the lithium secondary battery which has the lithium- manganese type complex oxide of this invention as a positive electrode substance.

Explanation of symbols

1 Case 2 Positive electrode 3 Partition plate 4 Fixing resin 5 Lid 6 Negative electrode

Claims (4)

Li _x Mn _(2-y) lithium represented by _{M y O 4 · nLi 2 B} 4 O 7 - manganese-based composite oxide (M is aluminum and / or magnesium, 1 <x ≦ 1.1, 0 <y ≦ 0.2, 0.002 ≦ n ≦ 0.05),
Manganese source, a lithium source, and M element source, and a lithium borate as the boron source, the _{Li x Mn (2-y)} M y O 4 · nLi 2 B 4 O 7 by firing mixed in dry method for producing _{Li x Mn (2-y)} M y O 4 · nLi 2 B 4 O 7 , characterized in that to obtain. The Li _x Mn _(2-y ) according to claim 1, wherein the addition amount of lithium borate is 0.2 to 1.0% by weight based on the total amount of the manganese source, the lithium source and the M element source. ₎ the method of producing _{M y O 4 · nLi 2 B} 4 O 7. Li _x Mn _(2-y) production method of _{M y O 4 · nLi 2 B} 4 O 7 according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that calcining at 700 to 850 ° C.. _{Li x Mn (2-y)} M y O 4 · nLi 2 B 4 O 7 is according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that as a positive electrode active material for lithium secondary battery method for producing _{li x Mn (2-y)} M y O 4 · nLi 2 B 4 O 7.

Images