JP2007153661A - Graphite material, carbon material for battery electrode, and battery - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inexpensively provide a graphite material having a small aspect ratio of particles and suitable for an electrode active material of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery which ensures much higher initial efficiency in the first charge-discharge than a conventional material and also ensures a higher service capacity. <P>SOLUTION: A carbon material having a loss on heating of 5-20 mass% when heated from 300 to 1,000°C in an inert atmosphere, such as raw coke, is pulverized and the pulverized carbon material is graphitized to obtain the objective graphite material having a peak intensity ratio I<SB>D</SB>/I<SB>G</SB>(R value) of 0.01-0.2 and a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) in the range of 30-100°C being 4.0×10<SP>-6</SP>to 5.0×10<SP>-6</SP>/°C, wherein I<SB>D</SB>is a peak intensity present near 1,360 cm<SP>-1</SP>measured in a Raman spectrum and I<SB>G</SB>is a peak intensity present near 1,580 cm<SP>-1</SP>. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a graphite material, a carbon material for battery electrodes, and a battery. More specifically, the present invention relates to a graphite material and a carbon material for a battery electrode suitable as an electrode material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, and a secondary battery excellent in charge / discharge cycle characteristics and large current load characteristics.

Lithium secondary batteries are mainly used as power sources for portable devices and the like. Mobile devices and the like have diversified functions and have increased power consumption. Therefore, the lithium secondary battery is required to increase its battery capacity and simultaneously improve the charge / discharge cycle characteristics.
In this lithium secondary battery, a lithium salt such as lithium cobaltate is generally used for the positive electrode active material, and a carbonaceous material such as graphite is used for the negative electrode active material.
Mesocarbon microspheres are widely used for graphite as the negative electrode active material. However, mesocarbon spherules are very difficult to manufacture at low cost because of complicated manufacturing processes.

Graphite includes natural graphite and artificial graphite. Of these, natural graphite is available at low cost. However, since natural graphite has a scaly shape, when it is made into a paste together with a binder and applied to a current collector, the natural graphite is oriented in one direction. When charging with such an electrode, the electrode expands in only one direction, and the performance as an electrode is reduced. Although natural graphite is granulated into a spherical shape, spheroidized natural graphite is crushed and oriented by pressing during electrode preparation. Moreover, since the surface of natural graphite was active, a large amount of gas was generated during the initial charge, the initial efficiency was low, and the cycle characteristics were not good.
Artificial graphite typified by graphitized products such as petroleum, coal pitch, and coke can also be obtained at a relatively low cost. In addition, it has high strength and is not easily crushed. However, acicular coke with good crystallinity is in the form of flakes and is easily oriented. Non-acicular coke tends to obtain particles that are nearly spherical, but has a slightly lower discharge capacity and poor initial efficiency.

Under such circumstances, various inexpensive graphite materials for battery electrodes have been developed in place of mesocarbon microspheres. Patent Document 1 discloses graphitized carbon powder prepared by heat-treating carbon powder using pitch as a raw material in the presence of a boron compound, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the carbon powder, and the carbon network in the X-ray diffraction method. spacing of the surface layer (d002) and the C-axis direction of the crystallite size (Lc), the intensity ratio 1580 cm ^-1 band of 1360 cm ^-1 band in the Raman spectroscopy using an argon laser _{(R = I 1360} / _{I 1580} ) is CTE ≦ 3.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ ° C. ⁻¹ , d002 ≦ 0.337 nm, Lc ≧ 40 nm, R ≧ 0.6, and a carbon material for a negative electrode of a lithium secondary battery is proposed. ing.

Patent Document 2 discloses graphitized carbon powder obtained by graphitizing after heating and oxidizing a raw coke powder produced from at least one coke raw material of petroleum-based or coal-based heavy oil in an oxidizing gas atmosphere. And the interplanar spacing (d002) of the carbon network layer in the X-ray wide angle diffraction method of the carbon powder, the size of the crystallite in the C-axis direction (Lc), the thermal expansion coefficient (CTE), and the argon laser. intensity ratio peak of 1580 cm ^-1 near the peak of 1360 cm ^-1 vicinity of Raman spectroscopy using _{(R = I 1360 / I 1580} ) , respectively d002 ≦ 0.337nm, Lc ≧ 30nm, CTE ≧ 3.0 × 10 ^A carbon material for a negative electrode of a lithium secondary battery, characterized in that ⁻⁶ ° C. ⁻¹ and R ≧ 0.3 has been proposed.

In addition, in the patent document 3, the present applicant obtained a specific surface area of 3 m ² / g or less, an aspect ratio of 6 or less, and a tapping bulk density of 0.8 g / cm, obtained by pulverizing and graphitizing calcined coke. ^A carbon material for a lithium battery comprising ^three or more graphite powders has been proposed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-31422 JP-A-10-326611 International Publication WO00 / 22687

However, the graphite materials proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 cannot obtain sufficient initial efficiency and discharge capacity. In addition, the graphite material proposed in Patent Document 3 can obtain high discharge capacity, cycle characteristics, and charge / discharge efficiency, but has not achieved sufficient performance to replace mesocarbon microspheres.
The present invention provides a graphite material having a small particle aspect ratio suitable for an electrode active material of a lithium ion secondary battery in which initial efficiency at the first charge / discharge is much higher than before and discharge capacity is also high. The purpose is to provide it at low cost.

Generally, the temperature of the coker at the time of producing petroleum coke is around 500 degrees, but the raw coke obtained here still contains moisture and volatile matter. Thereafter, in order to remove these volatile components, a method of coking at about 1200 ° C. to obtain coke is generally performed. However, when this calcined coke is pulverized, a granular calcined coke having a large aspect ratio with many irregularities on the surface can be obtained. Even if this granular calcined coke is graphitized, the surface unevenness is not sufficiently smooth, and the specific surface area does not become smaller than expected.
The present inventors pulverized raw coke that still has volatile components instead of general calcined coke, and then graphitized, resulting in a small aspect ratio, small irregularities on the particle surface, and graphitization. It has been found that the specific surface area can be reduced later.

  Furthermore, as a result of intensive studies, the inventors have selected a carbon raw material having a heating loss in the range of 5% by mass to 20% by mass when heated from 300 ° C. to 1000 ° C. in an inert atmosphere. The graphite material obtained by an inexpensive and simple method of pulverizing the powder without calcining and then heat-treating (graphitizing) under specific conditions has a nearly spherical particle shape and has a high capacity when used as an electrode material. It was found that the cycle characteristics were excellent and the irreversible capacity was very small. The present invention has been completed based on these findings.

Thus, according to the present invention,
(1) Crushing a carbon raw material having a weight loss of 5% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less when heated from 300 ° C. to 1200 ° C. in an inert atmosphere;
Next, a method for producing a graphite material, comprising graphitizing the pulverized carbon raw material.
(2) The method for producing a graphite material according to (1), wherein the carbon raw material is petroleum pitch coke or coal pitch pitch coke.
(3) The method for producing a graphite material according to (1), wherein the carbon raw material is raw coke.
(4) The method for producing a graphite material according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the graphitization temperature is 3000 ° C. or higher and 3300 ° C. or lower.
(5) The method for producing a graphite material according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the graphitization treatment is performed in an Atchison furnace.
Is provided.

According to the present invention,
(6) A graphite material obtained by the production method according to any one of (1) to (5).
(7) the peak intensity in the vicinity of 1360 cm ^-1 as measured by Raman spectroscopy _{(I D)} and the peak intensity in the vicinity of 1580 cm ^-1 _{(I G)} intensity ratio of _I D _{/ I} G (R value) Is not less than 0.01 and not more than 0.2, and
The graphite material according to (6), wherein the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) at 30 ° C. to 100 ° C. is 4.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C. or more and 5.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C. or less.
(8) The graphite material according to (6) or (7), wherein D50% is 10 to 25 μm in a volume-based particle size distribution measured by a laser diffraction method.
(9) The above (6) to (6), wherein the loose bulk density is 0.70 g / cm ³ or more and the powder density when tapping 400 times is 1.0 g / cm ³ or more and 1.35 g / cm ³ or less. The graphite material according to any one of 8).
(10) The graphite material according to any one of (6) to (9), wherein the specific surface area is 0.8 to 1.8 m ² / g.
(11) The graphite material according to any one of the average spacing _{d 002} of the X-ray diffraction (002) plane is 0.3362nm~0.3370nm (6) ~ (10) .
(12) The graphite material according to any one of (6) to (11), wherein the particle aspect ratio calculated from the optical microscope image is 1 or more and 5 or less.
Is provided.

Moreover, according to the present invention,
(13) A carbon material for battery electrodes, comprising the graphite material according to any one of (6) to (12).
(14) The carbon material for battery electrodes according to (13), further including carbon fibers having a fiber diameter of 2 to 1000 nm.
(15) The carbon material for battery electrodes according to (14), including 0.01 to 20 parts by mass of carbon fiber with respect to 100 parts by mass of graphite material.
(16) The carbon material for battery electrodes according to (14) or (15), wherein the carbon fiber has an aspect ratio of 10 to 15000.
(17) The carbon material for battery electrodes according to any one of (14) to (16), wherein the carbon fibers are vapor grown carbon fibers.
(18) The carbon material for battery electrodes according to any one of (14) to (17), wherein the carbon fiber is heat-treated at 2000 ° C. or higher.
(19) The carbon material for battery electrodes according to the above (14) to (18), wherein the carbon fiber has a hollow structure inside.
(20) The carbon material for a battery electrode according to any one of (14) to (19), wherein the carbon fiber includes a branched carbon fiber.
(21) carbon fiber battery electrode according to any one of (14) to (20) the average plane spacing _{d 002} of the X-ray diffraction (002) plane is equal to or less than 0.344nm Carbon material for use.
Is provided.

Furthermore, according to the present invention,
(22) An electrode paste comprising the battery electrode carbon material according to any one of (13) to (21) and a binder.
(23) An electrode comprising a molded body of the electrode paste according to (22).
(24) A battery comprising the electrode according to (23) as a constituent element.
(25) A secondary battery including the electrode according to (24) as a constituent element.
Is provided.

When the graphite material of the present invention is used as a carbon material for battery electrodes, a battery having a large discharge capacity and excellent coulomb efficiency and cycle characteristics can be obtained.
In addition, the production method of the present invention is a method that is excellent in economy and mass productivity and improved in safety.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
(Manufacturing method of graphite material)
The method for producing the graphite material of the present invention is to pulverize a carbon raw material having a heating loss of 5% by mass to 20% by mass when heated from 300 ° C. to 1200 ° C. in an inert atmosphere, and then heat-treat at 2000 ° C. or higher. To include.

  The carbon raw material used in the production method of the present invention has a weight loss of 5% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less when heated from 300 ° C. to 1200 ° C. in an inert atmosphere. When the heating loss is less than 5% by mass, the particle shape tends to be plate-like. Further, the pulverized surface (edge portion) is exposed, the specific surface area is increased, and side reactions are increased. On the other hand, when the amount exceeds 20% by mass, the binding between the graphitized particles increases, which affects the yield. The reason why the specific surface area of the graphite material is reduced and the side reaction is reduced due to the heating loss being in the above range is not known in detail, but the component volatilized by heating at 300 to 1200 ° C. is converted to carbonized graphite. It is presumed that the crystal of the exposed edge portion is reconstructed and stabilized, and the particle surface becomes smooth and the specific surface area is reduced.

  The heating loss can be measured by using a commercially available apparatus capable of measuring TG and DTA at a temperature rising rate of 10 ° C./min. In this example, TGDTAw6300 manufactured by Seiko Instruments Inc. was used, and approximately 15 mg of a measurement sample was accurately measured, placed on a platinum pan, set in the apparatus, and argon gas was allowed to flow at 200 ml / min. The temperature was raised to 1400 ° C. in min and measured. As a reference, α-alumina manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd. was used at 1500 ° C. for 3 hours in advance to remove volatile components.

  The carbon raw material having such a heat loss is selected from petroleum pitch coke or coal pitch coke. In particular, the carbon raw material used in the present invention is preferably selected from raw coke which is a kind of petroleum coke. Since raw coke is undeveloped, it becomes spherical when pulverized and its specific surface area tends to be small. Further, the carbon raw material used in the present invention is preferably non-needle-like, and particularly preferably non-needle-like coke not subjected to heat treatment.

  Petroleum coke is a black, porous solid residue obtained by cracking or cracking distillation of petroleum or bituminous oil. Petroleum coke includes fluid coke and delayed coke depending on the coking method. However, fluid coke is in the form of powder and is not used for much as it is used for refinery's own fuel. In general, petroleum coke is called delayed coke. There are two types of delayed coke: raw coke and calcined coke. Raw coke is the raw coke collected from the coking equipment, and calcined coke is baked once more to remove volatiles. Since raw coke is highly likely to cause a dust explosion, in order to obtain fine-grained petroleum coke, raw coke was calcined to remove volatiles and then pulverized. Conventionally, calcined coke has generally been used for electrodes and the like. Because raw coke has less ash than coal coke, it was only used for carbide industry carbon materials, casting coke, and alloy iron coke.

The carbon raw material used in the present invention preferably has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 30 to 100 ° C. of 4.8 × 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C. or more and 6.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C. or less. The CTE of the carbon raw material can be measured by the following method, for example. First, 500 g of the carbon raw material is pulverized to 28 mesh or less with a vibration mill. This sample is sieved and mixed at a ratio of 28 to 60 mesh 60 g, 60 to 200 mesh 32 g, 200 mesh or less 8 g to make the total amount 100 g. 100 g of this blended sample was put in a stainless steel container, 25 g of binder pitch was added, and the mixture was heated and uniformly mixed in an oil bath at 125 ° C. for 20 minutes. The mixture is cooled and pulverized with a vibration mill to reduce the total amount to 28 mesh or less. 30 g of the sample is put into a pressure molding machine at 125 ° C., and pressed at a gauge pressure of 450 kg / cm ² for 5 minutes to be molded. The molded product is put into a magnetic crucible, heated from room temperature to 1000 ° C. in a baking furnace in 5 hours, and held at 1000 ° C. for 1 hour to cool. This fired product is cut into 4.3 × 4.3 × 20.0 mm with a precision cutting machine to obtain a test piece. This test piece was measured for thermal expansion at 30 to 100 ° C. using a TMA (thermal opportunity analyzer) such as TMA / SS 350 manufactured by Seiko Denshi, and CTE was calculated.

Next, this carbon raw material is pulverized. A known jet mill, hammer mill, roller mill, pin mill, vibration mill or the like is used for pulverizing the carbon raw material. The pulverization of the carbon raw material is preferably performed with a thermal history as low as possible. When heat is applied by pulverization, the components that volatilize at 300 to 1200 ° C. may decrease, and the above effects may not be obtained.
The pulverized carbon raw material is preferably classified so as to have an average particle size of 10 to 25 microns. If the average particle size is large, the electrode density tends to be difficult to increase. Conversely, if the average particle size is small, side reactions are likely to occur during charge and discharge. The particle size was measured by a laser diffraction type CILUS.

  The pulverized carbon raw material may be fired at a low temperature of about 500 ° C. to 1200 ° C. before the graphitization treatment described later. This low-temperature firing can reduce gas generation in the next graphitization treatment. In addition, this low-temperature baking must be performed in a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

Next, the pulverized carbon raw material is graphitized. The graphitization treatment is preferably performed in an atmosphere in which the carbon raw material is not easily oxidized. For example, a method of heat treatment in an atmosphere of argon gas or the like; a method of heat treatment in an Atchison furnace (non-oxidation graphitization process) or the like can be mentioned, and among these, the non-oxidation graphitization process is preferable from the viewpoint of cost.
The lower limit of the graphitization temperature is usually 2000 ° C., preferably 2500 ° C., more preferably 2900 ° C., and most preferably 3000 ° C. The upper limit of the graphitization temperature is not particularly limited, but is preferably 3300 ° C. from the viewpoint that a high discharge capacity is easily obtained.
In the production method of the present invention, it is preferable not to crush or pulverize the graphite material after the graphitization treatment. This is because, if the pulverization or pulverization is performed after the graphite treatment, the smooth surface may be damaged and the performance may be deteriorated.
The production method of the present invention is suitable for obtaining the following graphite material.

(Graphite material)
Graphite material of the present invention, the intensity ratio _I D / _{I G} of the peak intensity in the vicinity of the peak intensity _{(I D)} and 1580 cm ^-1 in the vicinity of 1360 cm ^-1 as measured by Raman spectroscopy spectra _{(I G)} (R value) is preferably 0.01 or more and 0.2 or less. If the R value is greater than 0.2, many highly active edge portions are exposed on the surface, and many side reactions occur during charge and discharge. On the other hand, if it is less than 0.01, the barrier to the entry and exit of lithium is increased, and the current load characteristics are degraded.
The laser Raman R value was measured using NRS3100 manufactured by JASCO Corporation under the conditions of an excitation wavelength of 532 nm, an incident slit width of 200 μm, an exposure time of 15 seconds, a total of 2 times, and a diffraction grating of 600 lines / mm.

The graphite material of the present invention preferably has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 30 ° C. to 100 ° C. of 4.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C. or more and 5.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C. or less. The coefficient of thermal expansion is used as one of the indexes indicating the acicularity of coke. When the coefficient of thermal expansion is less than 4.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C., the crystallinity of graphite is high and the discharge capacity increases, but the particle shape tends to be plate-like. On the other hand, when it is larger than 5.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C., the aspect ratio is small, but the graphite crystal is not developed and the discharge capacity is low. The CTE of the graphite material was measured in the same manner as the CTE of the carbon raw material.

Graphite material of the present invention preferably has an average spacing _{d 002} of the X-ray diffraction (002) plane is 0.3362Nm～0.3370Nm. d ₀₀₂ can be measured by a known method using a powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) method (Inada Inokichi, Michio Inagaki, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 117th Committee Sample, 117-71-A-1 ( 1963), Michio Inagaki et al., Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 117th Committee Sample, 117-121-C-5 (1972), Michio Inagaki, “Carbon”, 1963, No. 36, pages 25-34).

The graphite material of the present invention preferably has an aspect ratio (major axis length / minor axis length) of 6 or less, particularly 1 or more and 5 or less. The aspect ratio can be obtained from an optical microscope image. For simplicity, the measurement may be performed by image analysis using an FPIA 3000 manufactured by Sysmex.
It graphite material of the present invention the specific surface area (BET method) is less than ^2m 2 / g, it is preferable in particular 0.8~1.8m ² / g. When the specific surface area exceeds 2 m ² / g, the surface activity of the particles increases, and the Coulomb efficiency may decrease due to decomposition of the electrolytic solution.
The graphite material of the present invention preferably has a loose bulk density of 0.70 g / cm ³ or more and a powder density of 1.0 g / cm ³ or more and 1.35 g / cm ³ or less when tapped 400 times. .
The graphite material of the present invention preferably has a D50% of 10 to 25 μm in a volume-based particle size distribution measured by a laser diffraction method.

(Carbon material for battery electrodes)
The carbon material for battery electrodes of the present invention contains the graphite material of the present invention. The carbon material for battery electrodes is used, for example, as a negative electrode active material and a negative electrode conductivity-imparting material for lithium secondary batteries.

The carbon material for battery electrodes of the present invention further contains carbon fibers. The carbon fiber is preferably contained in an amount of 0.01 to 20 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the graphite material.
Examples of the carbon fibers include organic carbon fibers such as PAN-based carbon fibers, pitch-based carbon fibers, and rayon-based carbon fibers; vapor-grown carbon fibers. Among these, vapor grown carbon fiber having high crystallinity and high thermal conductivity is particularly preferable. Vapor-grown carbon fiber is produced, for example, by using an organic compound as a raw material, introducing an organic transition metal compound as a catalyst into a high-temperature reactor together with a carrier gas, and subsequently heat-treating it (JP-A-60- 54998, Japanese Patent No. 2778434, etc.). The fiber diameter is preferably 2 to 1000 nm, more preferably 0.01 to 0.5 μm, and the aspect ratio is preferably 10 to 15000.
Examples of the organic compound used as a raw material for carbon fiber include gases such as toluene, benzene, naphthalene, ethylene, acetylene, ethane, natural gas, carbon monoxide, and mixtures thereof. Of these, aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene and benzene are preferred.
The organic transition metal compound contains a transition metal serving as a catalyst. Examples of the transition metal include metals of groups IVa, Va, VIa, VIIa, and VIII of the periodic table. As the organic transition metal compound, compounds such as ferrocene and nickelocene are preferable.

The carbon fibers used in the present invention may be those obtained by pulverizing or pulverizing long fibers obtained by a gas phase method or the like. The carbon fiber may be aggregated on the floc.
The carbon fiber used in the present invention is preferably one having no thermal decomposition product derived from an organic compound or the like on its surface, or one having a high carbon structure crystallinity.
Carbon fibers to which pyrolyzate does not adhere or carbon fibers with high crystallinity of the carbon structure are obtained by, for example, firing (heat treatment) carbon fibers, preferably vapor grown carbon fibers, under an inert gas atmosphere. It is done. Specifically, the carbon fiber to which the pyrolyzate is not attached is obtained by heat treatment in an inert gas such as argon at about 800 to 1500 ° C. The carbon fiber having high carbon structure crystallinity is preferably obtained by heat treatment in an inert gas such as argon at 2000 ° C. or higher, more preferably 2000 to 3000 ° C.

The carbon fiber used in the present invention preferably contains a branched fiber. Further, there may be a portion where the entire fiber has a hollow structure communicating with each other. Therefore, the carbon layer which comprises the cylindrical part of a fiber is continuing. A hollow structure is a structure in which a carbon layer is wound in a cylindrical shape, and includes a structure that is not a complete cylinder, a structure that has a partial cut portion, and a structure in which two stacked carbon layers are bonded to one layer. . Further, the cross section of the cylinder is not limited to a perfect circle, but includes an ellipse or a polygon.
The preferred carbon fiber used in the present invention, the average spacing _{d 002} of the X-ray diffraction (002) plane is preferably 0.344nm or less, more preferably 0.339nm or less, particularly preferably 0.338nm or less It is. Moreover, it is preferable that the thickness Lc in the C-axis direction of the crystal is 40 nm or less.

(Electrode paste)
The electrode paste of the present invention contains the carbon material for battery electrodes and a binder. This electrode paste is obtained by kneading the carbon material for battery electrodes and a binder. For kneading, known apparatuses such as a ribbon mixer, a screw kneader, a Spartan rewinder, a ladyge mixer, a planetary mixer, and a universal mixer can be used. The electrode paste can be formed into a sheet shape, a pellet shape, or the like.

Examples of the binder used in the electrode paste include fluorine-based polymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride and polytetrafluoroethylene; rubbers such as SBR (styrene butadiene rubber).
The amount of the binder used is suitably 1 to 30 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the carbon material for battery electrodes, but about 3 to 20 parts by mass is particularly preferable.
A solvent can be used when kneading. Examples of the solvent include known solvents suitable for each binder, such as toluene and N-methylpyrrolidone for fluorine polymers; water for SBR; and dimethylformamide and isopropanol. In the case of a binder using water as a solvent, it is preferable to use a thickener together. The amount of the solvent is adjusted so that the viscosity is easy to apply to the current collector.

(electrode)
The electrode of the present invention comprises a molded body of the electrode paste. The electrode of the present invention can be obtained, for example, by applying the electrode paste on a current collector, drying, and press-molding.
Examples of the current collector include foils such as aluminum, nickel, copper, and stainless steel, and meshes. The coating thickness of the paste is usually 50 to 200 μm. If the coating thickness becomes too large, the negative electrode may not be accommodated in a standardized battery container. The method for applying the paste is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method in which the paste is applied with a doctor blade or a bar coater and then molded with a roll press or the like.

Examples of the pressure molding method include molding methods such as roll pressing and press pressing. The pressure during pressure molding is preferably about 1 to 3 t / cm ² . As the electrode density of the electrode increases, the battery capacity per volume usually increases. However, if the electrode density is too high, the cycle characteristics usually deteriorate. When the electrode paste of the present invention is used, a decrease in cycle characteristics is small even when the electrode density is increased, so that an electrode having a high electrode density can be obtained. The maximum value of the electrode density of the electrode obtained using the electrode paste of the present invention is usually 1.7 to 1.9 g / cm ³ . The electrode thus obtained is suitable for a negative electrode of a battery, particularly a negative electrode of a secondary battery.

(Battery, secondary battery)
The battery or secondary battery of the present invention includes the electrode as a constituent element (preferably a negative electrode).
Next, a lithium secondary battery will be described as a specific example to explain the battery or secondary battery of the present invention. The lithium secondary battery has a structure in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are immersed in an electrolytic solution or an electrolyte. The electrode of the present invention is used for the negative electrode.
For the positive electrode of the lithium secondary battery, a lithium-containing transition metal oxide is usually used as the positive electrode active material, and preferably at least one selected from Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Mo and W. An oxide mainly containing a transition metal element of a seed and lithium, wherein a compound having a molar ratio of lithium to the transition metal element of 0.3 to 2.2 is used, more preferably V, Cr, Mn, Fe An oxide mainly containing at least one transition metal element selected from Co and Ni and lithium and having a molar ratio of lithium to transition metal of 0.3 to 2.2 is used. In addition, Al, Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, Sb, Bi, Si, P, B, or the like may be contained in a range of less than 30 mole percent with respect to the transition metal present mainly. Among the above positive electrode active materials, the general formula Li _x MO ₂ (M is at least one of Co, Ni, Fe, and Mn, x = 0 to 1.2), or Li _y N ₂ O ₄ (N is It is preferable to use at least one material having a spinel structure represented by at least Mn and y = 0-2.

Further, the positive electrode active material is Li _y M _a D _1-a O ₂ (M is at least one of Co, Ni, Fe, Mn, D is Co, Ni, Fe, Mn, Al, Zn, Cu, Mo, Ag, Ag) , W, Ga, In, Sn, Pb, Sb, Sr, B, P, at least one type other than M, y = 0 to 1.2, a = 0.5 to 1.), or _{li z (N b E 1-} b) 2 O 4 (N is Mn, E is Co, Ni, Fe, Mn, Al, Zn, Cu, Mo, Ag, W, Ga, in, Sn, Pb, Sb, It is particularly preferable to use at least one material having a spinel structure represented by at least one of Sr, B, and P, and b = 1 to 0.2z = 0 to 2.

_{Specifically, Li x CoO 2, Li x} NiO 2, Li x MnO 2, Li x Co a Ni 1-a O 2, Li x Co b V 1-b O z, Li x Co b Fe 1-b _{O 2, Li x Mn 2 O} 4, Li x Mn c Co 2-c O 4, Li x Mn c Ni 2-c O 4, Li x Mn c V 2-c O 4, Li x Mn c Fe 2- _c O ₄ (wherein x = 0.02~1.2, a = 0.1~0.9, b = 0.8~0.98, c = 1.6~1.96, z = 2. 01-2.3.). The most preferred lithium-containing transition metal oxides include Li _x CoO ₂ , Li _x NiO ₂ , Li _x MnO ₂ , Li _x Co _a Ni _1-a O ₂ , Li _x Mn ₂ O ₄ , Li _x Co _b V _{1. -b O z (x = 0.02~1.2,} a = 0.1~0.9, b = 0.9~0.98, z = 2.01~2.3.) and the like. In addition, the value of x is a value before the start of charging / discharging, and increases / decreases by charging / discharging.

Although the average particle size of a positive electrode active material is not specifically limited, 0.1-50 micrometers is preferable. The volume of particles of 0.5 to 30 μm is preferably 95% or more. More preferably, the volume occupied by a particle group having a particle size of 3 μm or less is 18% or less of the total volume, and the volume occupied by a particle group of 15 μm or more and 25 μm or less is 18% or less of the total volume. Although the specific surface area is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.01 to 50 m ² / g by the BET method, particularly preferably 0.2m ² / g~1m ² / g. The pH of the supernatant when 5 g of the positive electrode active material is dissolved in 100 ml of distilled water is preferably 7 or more and 12 or less.

  In a lithium secondary battery, a separator may be provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. Examples of the separator include non-woven fabrics, cloths, microporous films, or a combination thereof, mainly composed of polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene.

  As the electrolyte and electrolyte constituting the lithium secondary battery of the present invention, known organic electrolytes, inorganic solid electrolytes, and polymer solid electrolytes can be used. Preferably, an organic electrolyte is preferable from the viewpoint of electrical conductivity.

  Examples of organic electrolytes include diethyl ether, dibutyl ether, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, and ethylene glycol phenyl ether. Ether; formamide, N-methylformamide, N, N-dimethylformamide, N-ethylformamide, N, N-diethylformamide, N-methylacetamide, N, N-dimethylacetamide, N-ethylacetamide, N, N-diethyl Acetamide, N, N-dimethylpropionamide, hexamethylphosphorylamide Amides such as dimethyl sulfoxide, sulfolane, etc .; dialkyl ketones such as methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone; ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, tetrahydrofuran, 2-methoxytetrahydrofuran, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, 1,3-dioxolane, etc. Cyclic ethers; carbonates such as ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate; γ-butyrolactone; N-methylpyrrolidone; solutions of organic solvents such as acetonitrile and nitromethane are preferred. Furthermore, preferably ethylene carbonate, butylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, propylene carbonate, vinylene carbonate, esters such as γ-butyrolactone, ethers such as dioxolane, diethyl ether, diethoxyethane, dimethyl sulfoxide, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, etc. Particularly preferred are carbonate-based non-aqueous solvents such as ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate. These solvents can be used alone or in admixture of two or more.

Lithium salts are used as solutes (electrolytes) for these solvents. Commonly known lithium salts include LiClO ₄ , LiBF ₄ , LiPF ₆ , LiAlCl ₄ , LiSbF ₆ , LiSCN, LiCl, LiCF ₃ SO ₃ , LiCF ₃ CO ₂ , LiN (CF ₃ SO ₂ ) _{2 and the} like. is there.

Examples of the polymer solid electrolyte include a polyethylene oxide derivative and a polymer containing the derivative, a polypropylene oxide derivative and a polymer containing the derivative, a phosphate ester polymer, a polycarbonate derivative and a polymer containing the derivative.
There are no restrictions on the selection of members other than those described above necessary for the battery configuration.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with typical examples. Note that these are merely illustrative examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto.
The physical properties used in the following examples were measured by the following methods.

(Specific surface area)
Using a specific surface area measuring device NOVA-1200 (manufactured by Yuasa Ionics Co., Ltd.), the measurement was performed by the BET method, which is a general method for measuring the specific surface area.

(Battery evaluation method)
(1) Paste creation:
0.1 parts by mass of KF polymer L1320 (N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) solution product containing 12% by mass of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)) made by Kureha Chemical Co., Ltd. was added to 1 part by mass of the graphite material, and a planetary mixer was used. The mixture was kneaded to obtain a main agent stock solution.

(2) Electrode production:
NMP was added to the main agent stock solution to adjust the viscosity, and then applied onto a high purity copper foil to a thickness of 250 μm using a doctor blade. This was vacuum-dried at 120 ° C. for 1 hour and punched out to 18 mmφ. The punched electrode is sandwiched between super steel press plates, and the press pressure is about 1 × 10 ^{2 to} 3 × 10 ² N / mm ² (1 × 10 ^{3 to} 3 × 10 ³ kg / cm ² ) with respect to the electrode. Was pressed as follows. Then, it dried at 120 degreeC and 12 hours with the vacuum dryer, and was set as the electrode for evaluation.

(3) Battery creation:
A triode cell was produced as follows. The following operation was carried out in a dry argon atmosphere with a dew point of -80 ° C or lower.
In a cell (with an inner diameter of about 18 mm) with a screw-in lid made of polypropylene, the carbon electrode with copper foil and metal lithium foil prepared in (2) above were separated with a separator (polypropylene microporous film (CellGard 2400)). It was sandwiched and laminated. Further, metallic lithium for reference was laminated in the same manner. An electrolytic solution was added thereto to obtain a test cell.

(4) Electrolyte:
LiPF ₆ was dissolved in an amount of 1 mol / liter as an electrolyte in a mixed solution of 8 parts by mass of EC (ethylene carbonate) and 12 parts by mass of DEC (diethyl carbonate).

(5) Charge / discharge cycle test:
A constant current low voltage charge / discharge test was conducted at a current density of 0.2 mA / cm ² (equivalent to 0.1 C).
Charging (insertion of lithium into carbon) was performed by CC (constant current: constant current) at 0.2 mA / cm ² from the rest potential to 0.002V. Next, it switched to CV (constant voltage: constant voltage) charge at 0.002 V, and stopped when the current value decreased to 25.4 μA.
As for discharge (release from carbon), CC discharge was performed at 0.2 mA / cm ² (equivalent to 0.1 C) and cut off at a voltage of 1.5 V.

Example 1
Petroleum-based raw coke (non-acicular coke) having a heat loss of 11.8% by mass according to TG measurement at 300 ° C. to 1200 ° C. was pulverized with a Hosokawa Micron bantam mill. Air classification was performed with a Nisshin Engineering turbo classifier to obtain a carbon raw material with a D50 of 14.2 μm. This pulverized carbon raw material is filled into a graphite crucible with a screw lid, and graphitized in an Atchison furnace at 3000 ° C., and the laser Raman R value is 0.03 and the CTE is 4.2 × 10 ⁻⁶ ° C. ^−1. A graphite material was obtained. The obtained graphite material had a small specific surface area, and a battery having good discharge capacity, initial efficiency, and cycle characteristics could be obtained. The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 2
The same test as in Example 1 was performed except that heat treatment (low-temperature firing) at 1200 ° C. was performed after pulverization and before graphitization. The results are shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 1
The same test as in Example 1 was performed except that heat treatment (calcination) at 1200 ° C. was performed before pulverizing the raw coke. The results are shown in Table 1. The specific surface area was large and the tap density was low.

Comparative Example 2
The raw coke was graphitized as it was at 3000 ° C. without being pulverized, and then pulverized in the same manner as in Example 1 to perform airflow classification. The same analysis and battery evaluation as in Example 1 were performed. The results are shown in Table 1. The specific surface area became very large and the initial efficiency was also reduced.

From the results in Table 1, it can be seen that the graphite material pulverized after the loss on heating is less than 5 mass% by heating by calcining or graphitization has a low discharge capacity and poor initial efficiency. On the other hand, by pulverizing a carbon raw material having a heating loss of 5% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less when heated from 300 ° C. to 1000 ° C. in an inert atmosphere, and then graphitizing the pulverized carbon raw material, intensity ratio _I D _{/ I} G (R value) is 0 and the peak intensity in the vicinity of the peak intensity _{(I D)} and 1580 cm ^-1 in the vicinity of 1360 cm ^-1 as measured by Raman spectroscopy spectra _{(I G).} A graphite material having a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of from 01 to 0.2 and from 30 ° C. to 100 ° C. of 4.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C. to 5.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C. can be obtained. Recognize. And when this graphite material is used as an electrode active material of a battery, it turns out that discharge capacity becomes high and initial efficiency becomes favorable.

Claims (25)

Pulverizing a carbon raw material having a heating loss of 5% by mass to 20% by mass when heated from 300 ° C. to 1200 ° C. in an inert atmosphere;
Next, a method for producing a graphite material, comprising graphitizing the pulverized carbon raw material.   The method for producing a graphite material according to claim 1, wherein the carbon raw material is petroleum pitch coke or coal pitch pitch coke.   The method for producing a graphite material according to claim 1, wherein the carbon raw material is raw coke.   The method for producing a graphite material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the graphitization temperature is from 3000C to 3300C.   The method for producing a graphite material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the graphitization treatment is performed in an Atchison furnace.   The graphite material obtained by the manufacturing method in any one of Claims 1-5. Intensity ratio _I D _{/ I} G (R value) is 0 and the peak intensity in the vicinity of the peak intensity _{(I D)} and 1580 cm ^-1 in the vicinity of 1360 cm ^-1 as measured by Raman spectroscopy spectra _{(I G).} The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) from 30 ° C to 100 ° C is from 4.0 x 10 ^-6 / ° C to 5.0 x 10 ^-6 / ° C. Graphite material.   The graphite material according to claim 6 or 7, wherein D50% is 10 to 25 µm in a volume-based particle size distribution measured by a laser diffraction method. The loose bulk density is 0.70 g / cm ³ or more and the powder density when tapping 400 times is 1.0 g / cm ³ or more and 1.35 g / cm ³ or less. The graphite material described. The graphite material according to any one of claims 6 to 9, having a specific surface area of 0.8 to 1.8 m ² / g. Graphite material according to any one of claims 6-10 average spacing _{d 002} of the X-ray diffraction (002) plane is 0.3362Nm～0.3370Nm.   The graphite material according to any one of claims 6 to 11, wherein an aspect ratio of the particles calculated from an optical microscope image is 1 or more and 5 or less.   The carbon material for battery electrodes containing the graphite material in any one of Claims 6-12.   The carbon material for battery electrodes according to claim 13, further comprising carbon fibers having a fiber diameter of 2 to 1000 nm.   The carbon material for battery electrodes according to claim 14, comprising 0.01 to 20 parts by mass of carbon fiber with respect to 100 parts by mass of graphite material.   The carbon material for battery electrodes according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the carbon fiber has an aspect ratio of 10 to 15000.   The carbon material for battery electrodes according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the carbon fibers are vapor grown carbon fibers.   The carbon material for battery electrodes according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the carbon fiber is heat-treated at 2000 ° C or higher.   The carbon material for a battery electrode according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the carbon fiber has a hollow structure therein.   The carbon material for battery electrodes according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein the carbon fibers include branched carbon fibers. Carbon fiber battery electrode carbon material according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein an average spacing _{d 002} of the X-ray diffraction (002) plane is not more than 0.344 nm.   The paste for electrodes containing the carbon material for battery electrodes in any one of Claims 13-21, and a binder. An electrode comprising a molded body of the electrode paste according to claim 22. A battery comprising the electrode according to claim 23 as a constituent element. A secondary battery comprising the electrode according to claim 24 as a constituent element.