JP2019186221A - Method for manufacturing positive electrode active material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, positive electrode active material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery and nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a simple and safe method for manufacturing a positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, which is superior in cycle characteristic and which achieves both thermal stability and charge/discharge capacity at a high level.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing a positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprises: a crystallization step of adding an alkaline aqueous liquid solution to a mixed aqueous solution containing at least nickel and cobalt to cause crystallization, thereby obtaining a nickel-containing hydroxide represented by the general formula, NiCoM(OH); a mixing step of mixing the resultant nickel-containing hydroxide with a lithium compound and a niobium compound to obtain a lithium mixture; and a firing step of firing the lithium mixture at 700-820°C under an oxidizing atmosphere to obtain a lithium transition metal composite oxide.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, and a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery using the same.

  In recent years, with the widespread use of portable electronic devices such as mobile phones and notebook computers, development of small and lightweight non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries having high energy density is strongly desired. As such a secondary battery, there is a lithium ion secondary battery. Lithium metal, lithium alloy, metal oxide, carbon, or the like is used as a negative electrode material for a lithium ion secondary battery. These materials are materials capable of removing and inserting lithium.

Research and development of such lithium ion secondary batteries is being actively conducted. Among these, a lithium ion secondary battery using a lithium transition metal composite oxide, in particular, a lithium cobalt composite oxide (LiCoO ₂ ), which is relatively easy to synthesize, as a positive electrode material is high because a high voltage of 4V is obtained. Expected as a battery having an energy density and put into practical use. In the lithium ion secondary battery using this lithium cobalt composite oxide (LiCoO ₂ ), many developments have been made so far to obtain excellent initial capacity characteristics and cycle characteristics, and various results have already been obtained. ing.

However, lithium cobalt composite oxide (LiCoO ₂ ) uses a rare and expensive cobalt compound as a raw material, which causes an increase in battery cost. For this reason, it is desired to use materials other than lithium cobalt composite oxide (LiCoO ₂ ) as the positive electrode active material.

In addition, recently, not only small secondary batteries for portable electronic devices but also expectations for applying lithium ion secondary batteries as large-sized secondary batteries for power storage and electric vehicles are increasing. . For this reason, reducing the cost of the active material and making it possible to manufacture a cheaper lithium ion secondary battery is expected to have a large ripple effect in a wide range of fields. The positive electrode active material for lithium ion secondary batteries As newly proposed materials, lithium manganese composite oxide (LiMn ₂ O ₄ ) using manganese, which is cheaper than cobalt, and lithium nickel composite oxide (LiNiO ₂ ) using nickel can be cited. it can.

Lithium-manganese composite oxide (LiMn ₂ O ₄ ) is a powerful alternative to lithium-cobalt composite oxide (LiCoO ₂ ) because it is inexpensive and has excellent thermal stability, in particular, safety with respect to ignition. Although it can be said that the theoretical capacity is only about half that of lithium cobalt composite oxide (LiCoO ₂ ), it has a drawback that it is difficult to meet the demand for higher capacity of lithium ion secondary batteries, which is increasing year by year. Further, at 45 ° C. or higher, there is a drawback that self-discharge is intense and the charge / discharge life is also reduced.

On the other hand, lithium nickel composite oxide (LiNiO ₂ ) has almost the same theoretical capacity as lithium cobalt composite oxide (LiCoO ₂ ), and shows a slightly lower battery voltage than lithium cobalt composite oxide. For this reason, decomposition | disassembly by oxidation of electrolyte solution does not become a problem, and development is performed actively from expecting higher capacity | capacitance. However, when a lithium-ion secondary battery is made using a lithium-nickel composite oxide composed solely of nickel as a positive electrode active material without replacing nickel with other elements, the cycle is higher than that of lithium-cobalt composite oxide. The characteristics are inferior. In addition, there is a disadvantage that battery performance is relatively easily lost when used or stored in a high temperature environment. Furthermore, when it is left in a high temperature environment in a fully charged state, it has a drawback that oxygen is released from a lower temperature than the cobalt-based composite oxide.

In order to solve such drawbacks, it has been studied to add niobium, which is an element more expensive than nickel, to the lithium nickel composite oxide. For example, in Patent Document 1, Li _a Ni _1-xyz Co _x M _y Nb _z O _b (where M is Mn, Fe for the purpose of improving the thermal stability at the time of an internal short circuit of a lithium ion secondary battery. And one or more elements made of Al, 1.0 ≦ a ≦ 1.1, 0.1 ≦ x ≦ 0.3, 0 ≦ y ≦ 0.1, 0.01 ≦ z ≦ 0.05, 2 ≦ b ≦ 2.2) comprising particles having a composition composed of at least two kinds of compounds consisting of lithium, nickel, cobalt, element M, niobium, and oxygen, and the particles are substantially spherical. It has a substantially spherical shell layer containing at least one compound having a niobium concentration higher than the above composition in the vicinity of or inside the surface, and α [mAh / g] discharge capacity, and its layered state in X-ray diffraction For non-aqueous secondary batteries in which α and β satisfy the conditions of 80 ≦ α ≦ 150 and 0.15 ≦ β ≦ 0.20, respectively, when the half-value width of the (003) plane of the crystal structure is β [deg] A positive electrode active material has been proposed.

In Patent Document 2, Li _{1 + z} Ni _1-xy Co _x Nb _y O ₂ (0.10 ≦ x ≦ 0... Is intended to improve thermal stability and increase charge / discharge capacity. 21, 0.01 ≦ y ≦ 0.08, −0.05 ≦ z ≦ 0.10), and in the measurement by the energy dispersion method, the peak intensity of the Nb L line is represented by I _Nb and the Ni L line. the positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is within 1/2 of the average value of the standard deviation of the intensity ratio I _Nb / I _Ni is the intensity ratio I _Nb / I _Ni have been proposed when the peak intensity was I _Ni ing.
Furthermore, in Patent Document 3, the composition formula Li _x Ni _a Mn _b Co _c M1 _d M2 _e O ₂ (where M1 At least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ti and Mg, and M2 is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Mo, W and Nb, and 0.2 ≦ x ≦ 1.2, 0.6 ≦ a ≦ 0.8, 0.05 ≦ b ≦ 0.3, 0.05 ≦ c ≦ 0.3, 0.02 ≦ d ≦ 0.04, 0.02 ≦ e ≦ 0.06, a + b + c + d + e = 1.0)) has been proposed.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 4, Li _x Ni _(1-yz-a) Co _y Mn _z M _a O ₂ (M is Fe ₎ in order to achieve both charge / discharge capacity and safety and suppress deterioration of cycle characteristics. , V, Cr, Ti, Mg, Al, Ca, Nb and Zr are at least one element selected from the group consisting of x, y, and z, where 1.0 ≦ x ≦ 1.10. .Sub.4 ≦ y + z ≦ 0.7, 0.2 ≦ z ≦ 0.5, 0 ≦ a ≦ 0.02) A substance (A is Ti, Sn, Mg) on the surface of the lithium composite oxide , A positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having a structure coated with a compound composed of at least one element selected from the group consisting of Zr, Al, Nb and Zn.

In Patent Document 5, excellent thermal stability, and in order to obtain a high charge-discharge _{capacity, Li 1 + z Ni 1-} x-y Co x M y O 2 ( wherein x, y, z is 0.10 ≦ x ≦ 0.21, 0.015 ≦ y ≦ 0.08, −0.05 ≦ z ≦ 0.10 is satisfied, M is from Al, Mn, Nb or Mo, which has an affinity for oxygen superior to nickel A positive electrode active material for a secondary battery for a non-aqueous electrolyte is proposed in which two kinds of M represented by at least two selected elements and having an average valence exceeding 3) are impregnated or adhered.

  Recently, the demand for higher capacity for small secondary batteries such as portable electronic devices has been increasing year by year, and sacrificing capacity to ensure safety has the advantage of high capacity of lithium nickel composite oxide. You will lose. In addition, the use of lithium ion secondary batteries for large-sized secondary batteries is also prominent. In particular, there is great expectation as a power source for hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, or stationary storage batteries for power storage. Furthermore, these batteries are also required to have a long life, and it is important to have excellent cycle characteristics. In such applications, it is a major challenge to solve the problem of lithium nickel composite oxides that are inferior in safety and to achieve both safety and higher capacity and longer life.

JP 2002-151071 A JP 2006-147500 A JP 2012-014887 A JP 2008-153017 A JP 2008-181839 A

  The proposals disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 5 are all aimed at achieving both thermal stability and charge / discharge capacity, but if the amount of niobium added is small, the charge / discharge capacity is large, but sufficient heat is provided. Although stability could not be obtained and a large amount of niobium was added, the thermal stability was good, but there was a problem that the charge / discharge capacity could not be secured. There is also a problem that it is difficult to ensure excellent cycle characteristics. In addition, niobium is often added to the active material by co-precipitation and coating of niobium on a composite hydroxide containing nickel hydroxide and other elements, followed by firing with a lithium compound. Is strongly alkaline and often hot. Further, when co-precipitation / coating is performed, it is necessary to control pH, and in some cases, it is difficult to obtain a composite hydroxide containing Nb in a desired form and amount.

If niobium is co-precipitated and coated in the wet process as described above, equipment for that amount is required, which increases the number of manufacturing processes. In the case of a wet process, the composite hydroxide containing nickel hydroxide coated with niobium and other elements must be dried, and the coprecipitation / coating process is not simply increased. Moreover, the amount of chemicals required for capital investment and coprecipitation / coating increases for the above reasons, and costs increase.
From the above, it can be said that Nb addition in the wet process has problems in terms of safety, work man-hours or cost.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a simple and safe method for producing a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery that has both thermal stability and charge / discharge capacity at a high level and is excellent in cycle characteristics, It is an object of the present invention to provide a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery using the method, and a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery using the positive electrode active material.

  The present inventors diligently studied about the addition of niobium to the lithium transition metal composite oxide in order to improve the thermal stability. It has been found that the positive electrode active material for aqueous secondary batteries can be uniformly added with niobium, has a good thermal stability, and has a high charge / discharge capacity. Furthermore, the inventors have found that the cycle characteristics are improved by the combination of nickel raw material and lithium raw material, and have completed the present invention.

That is, the manufacturing method of the positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention have the general formula _{Li d Ni 1-a-b} -c Co a M b Nb c O 2 ( where, M is Mn, V, At least one element selected from Mg, Ti, and Al, 0.03 ≦ a ≦ 0.35, 0 ≦ b ≦ 0.10, 0.001 ≦ c ≦ 0.05, 0.95 ≦ d ≦ 1.20) and a method for producing a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising a lithium transition metal composite oxide composed of particles having a polycrystalline structure, wherein at least nickel and cobalt are contained. An aqueous alkaline solution is added to the mixed aqueous solution to cause crystallization, and a general formula Ni _{1-a′-b ′} Co _{a ′} M _{b ′} (OH) ₂ (where M is selected from Mn, V, Mg, Ti, and Al) At least one element, 0.03 ≦ a ′ ≦ 0.35, 0 ≦ b ′ ≦ 0. A crystallization step for obtaining a nickel-containing hydroxide represented by formula (1), a mixing step for mixing the obtained nickel-containing hydroxide, a lithium compound and a niobium compound to obtain a lithium mixture, and the lithium mixture. It includes a firing step of obtaining a lithium transition metal composite oxide by firing at 700 to 820 ° C. in an oxidizing atmosphere.

  In the crystallization step, it is preferable to obtain the nickel-containing hydroxide by coating M after adding an alkaline aqueous solution to a mixed aqueous solution containing at least nickel and cobalt and then crystallization.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said lithium compound is lithium hydroxide, and it is more preferable that the said lithium hydroxide is anhydrous lithium hydroxide with a moisture content of 5 mass% or less. Moreover, it is preferable to include the drying process which dries the lithium mixture obtained by the said mixing process before the said baking process, and uses the lithium hydroxide in a lithium mixture as the anhydrous lithium hydroxide whose water content is 5 mass% or less. Furthermore, it is preferable to include a water washing step in which the lithium transition metal composite oxide is made into a slurry at a rate of 100 to 2000 g / L with respect to 1 L of water and washed with water after the firing step. In the above general formula, M is preferably at least one element selected from Mn, V, Ti and Al.

The positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention have the general formula _{Li d Ni 1-a-b} -c Co a M b Nb c O 2 ( where, M is Mn, V, Mg, Ti and Al At least one element selected from the group consisting of 0.03 ≦ a ≦ 0.35, 0 ≦ b ≦ 0.10, 0.001 ≦ c ≦ 0.05, and 0.95 ≦ d ≦ 1.20. .) And is a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery composed of a lithium transition metal composite oxide composed of particles having a polycrystalline structure, and is observed in the particles by EDX measurement using a transmission electron microscope. The niobium compound to be produced has a maximum diameter of 200 nm or less, a crystallite diameter of 10 to 180 nm, and a sulfate radical content of 0.2% by mass or less.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the ratio (crystal grain boundary / inside grain) of the grain boundary and the Nb concentration in the grain observed by EDX measurement with a transmission electron microscope is 4 times or less. In the above general formula, M is preferably at least one element selected from Mn, V, Ti and Al.

  Furthermore, the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention is characterized in that the positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is used as a positive electrode.

The method for producing a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to the present invention enables realization of a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having high thermal stability, charge / discharge capacity, and excellent cycle characteristics. By using the active material, a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having high safety, battery capacity, and excellent cycle characteristics can be obtained.
Furthermore, the method for producing a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention is simple and safe, suitable for production on an industrial scale, and is extremely useful industrially from the viewpoint of cost.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a coin battery used for battery evaluation.

The present invention is a method for producing a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising a lithium transition metal composite oxide having a specific composition and structure. (A) An alkaline aqueous solution is added to a mixed aqueous solution containing at least nickel and cobalt. In addition, a crystallization step of crystallization to obtain a nickel-containing hydroxide, (B) a mixing step of mixing the nickel-containing hydroxide, a lithium compound, and a niobium compound to obtain a lithium mixture, (C) the lithium mixture Is fired in an oxidizing atmosphere at 700 to 820 ° C. to obtain a lithium transition metal composite oxide.
Moreover, after the said (C) baking process, it is preferable to wash with water as the quantity (g) of lithium transition metal complex oxide with respect to 1L of water contained in a slurry is 100-2000 g / L.
Furthermore, the lithium compound used in the (B) mixing step is preferably lithium hydroxide having a moisture content of 5% by mass or less.
Hereafter, each manufacturing process of the positive electrode active material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries, the positive electrode active material obtained, a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, etc. are demonstrated in detail.

1. Nickel-containing hydroxide used in the production process (A) crystallization step the invention, the general formula _{Ni 1-a'-b 'Co} a' M b '(OH) 2 ( where, M is Mn, V, It is at least one additive element selected from Mg, Ti and Al, and 0.03 ≦ a ′ ≦ 0.35 and 0 ≦ b ′ ≦ 0.10.
Moreover, it is preferable that the said nickel containing hydroxide consists of a secondary particle comprised from the primary particle.
A indicating the cobalt content is 0.03 ≦ a ′ ≦ 0.35, preferably 0.05 ≦ a ′ ≦ 0.35, and 0.07 ≦ a ′ ≦ 0.20. It is more preferable. Further, b indicating the content of the additive element M is 0 ≦ b ′ ≦ 0.10, and preferably 0.01 ≦ b ′ ≦ 0.07.

The method for producing the nickel-containing hydroxide includes a step of crystallizing by adding an aqueous alkaline solution to a mixed aqueous solution containing at least nickel and cobalt, and the nickel-containing hydroxide represented by the above general formula can be obtained. For example, although not particularly limited, the following production method is preferred.
First, an alkaline aqueous solution is added to a mixed aqueous solution containing at least nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) in the reaction vessel to obtain a reaction aqueous solution. Next, by stirring the aqueous reaction solution at a constant speed and controlling the pH, the nickel-containing hydroxide is co-precipitated in the reaction tank and crystallized.
Here, the mixed aqueous solution may be a nickel and cobalt sulfate solution, a nitrate solution, or a chloride solution.
For example, sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide can be used as the alkaline aqueous solution.
The composition of the metal element contained in the mixed aqueous solution coincides with the composition of the metal element contained in the nickel-containing hydroxide obtained. Therefore, the composition of the metal element in the mixed aqueous solution can be prepared so as to be the same as the composition of the metal element of the target nickel-containing hydroxide.

In addition to the alkaline aqueous solution, a complexing agent can be added to the mixed aqueous solution.
The complexing agent is not particularly limited as long as it can form a complex by binding to nickel ions and cobalt ions in an aqueous solution, and examples thereof include an ammonium ion supplier. Although it does not specifically limit as an ammonium ion supplier, For example, ammonia, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, ammonium carbonate, ammonium fluoride etc. can be used.

In the crystallization step, when no complexing agent is used, the temperature of the reaction aqueous solution is preferably in the range of more than 60 ° C. and 80 ° C. or less, and the pH at the temperature of the reaction aqueous solution is 10 to 10 ° C. 11 (based on 25 ° C.) is preferable.
When the pH of the reaction tank exceeds crystallization, the nickel-containing hydroxide becomes fine particles, the filterability deteriorates, and spherical particles may not be obtained. On the other hand, when the pH is less than 10, the rate of formation of the nickel-containing hydroxide is remarkably slow, Ni remains in the filtrate, and the amount of precipitated Ni deviates from the target composition, resulting in a mixed hydroxide having a target ratio. It may not be obtained.
Further, when the temperature of the reaction aqueous solution is higher than 60 ° C., the solubility of Ni is increased, and the phenomenon that the precipitation amount of Ni deviates from the target composition and does not cause coprecipitation can be avoided. On the other hand, when the temperature of the reaction aqueous solution exceeds 80 ° C., the amount of water evaporation increases, so that the slurry concentration increases, the solubility of Ni decreases, and crystals such as sodium sulfate are generated in the filtrate. There is a possibility that the charge / discharge capacity of the positive electrode material may be reduced, for example, the increase of

On the other hand, when an ammonium ion supplier such as ammonia is used as a complexing agent, the solubility of Ni increases, so the pH of the aqueous reaction solution is preferably 10 to 12.5, and the temperature is 50 to 80 ° C. Preferably there is.
In the reaction vessel, the ammonia concentration in the aqueous reaction solution is preferably kept constant within a range of 3 to 25 g / L. If the ammonia concentration is less than 3 g / L, the solubility of metal ions cannot be kept constant, so that plate-shaped hydroxide primary particles having a uniform shape and particle size are not formed, and gel-like nuclei are formed. The particle size distribution is easy to spread because it is easy to generate. On the other hand, when the ammonia concentration exceeds 25 g / L, the solubility of metal ions becomes too high, the amount of metal ions remaining in the reaction aqueous solution increases, and compositional deviations are likely to occur.

Further, when the ammonia concentration varies, the solubility of metal ions varies, and uniform hydroxide particles are not formed. Therefore, it is preferable to maintain a constant value. For example, the ammonia concentration is preferably maintained at a desired concentration by setting the upper and lower limits to about 5 g / L.
After reaching a steady state, the precipitate is collected, filtered and washed with water to obtain a nickel-containing hydroxide. Alternatively, a mixed aqueous solution and an aqueous alkali solution, and in some cases, an aqueous solution containing an ammonium ion supplier are continuously supplied to overflow from the reaction vessel, and a precipitate is collected, filtered and washed to obtain a nickel-containing hydroxide. You can also.

(A) ′ Additive Element Mixing Method To the nickel-containing hydroxide, at least one additive element selected from M = Mn, V, Mg, Ti and Al (hereinafter also referred to as “additive element M”). As a method of blending, from the viewpoint of increasing the productivity of the crystallization process, an aqueous solution containing an additive element M is added to the above mixed aqueous solution containing nickel and cobalt, and a nickel-containing hydroxide (including the additive element M) is used together. A method of sinking is preferred.

Examples of the aqueous solution containing the additive element M include an aqueous solution containing aluminum sulfate, sodium aluminate, titanium sulfate, ammonium peroxotitanate, potassium potassium oxalate, manganese sulfate, magnesium sulfate, magnesium chloride, vanadium sulfate, ammonium vanadate, and the like. Can be used.
The metal element M is at least one element selected from Mn, V, Mg, Ti, and Al, and may be optionally added to improve thermal stability, storage characteristics, battery characteristics, and the like. it can.

Further, in order to optimize the crystallization conditions and facilitate the control of the composition ratio, a coating step for coating M may be provided after crystallization by adding an alkaline aqueous solution to a mixed aqueous solution containing at least nickel and cobalt. Good.
The coating method is not particularly limited, and a known method can be used. For example, 1) Alkaline aqueous solution is added to a mixed aqueous solution (excluding additive element M) containing nickel and cobalt for crystallization. Method for coating nickel-containing hydroxide with additive element M, or 2) A mixed aqueous solution containing nickel, cobalt, and a part of additive element M is prepared, and nickel-containing hydroxide (including additive element M) is prepared. A method of adjusting the content of M by coprecipitation and further coating the coprecipitate with the additive element M can be mentioned.

Hereinafter, a coating process for coating the nickel-containing hydroxide with the additive element M will be described.
A nickel-containing hydroxide is dispersed in pure water to form a slurry. The slurry is mixed with a solution containing M corresponding to the target coating amount, and acid is added dropwise to adjust to a predetermined pH. In this case, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid or the like may be used as the acid. After mixing for a predetermined time,
Filtration and drying are performed to obtain a nickel-containing hydroxide coated with M. As another method of coating M, a method of spray drying or impregnating a solution containing the compound of M may be employed.
Here, since the Nb compound is added in a solid phase in the mixing step, Nb coating is not performed.

(B) Mixing step The mixing step is a step of obtaining a lithium mixture by mixing the nickel-containing hydroxide, niobium compound and lithium compound obtained in the crystallization step.

Conventionally, when Nb is blended into an active material, generally, niobium is added to the nickel-containing hydroxide by a coating method such as wet coprecipitation / coating or spray drying, and then calcined with a lithium compound. Has been used. However, the coating methods such as wet coprecipitation / coating and spray drying not only have the above-mentioned problems such as man-hours, cost increase and safety, but also solutions that dissolve Nb (for example, KOH solution, oxalic acid). There is a problem that impurities derived from a solution etc. and impurities derived from a solution whose pH is adjusted at the time of coating (for example, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, etc.) remain with the coated Nb.
In addition, a method of adding niobium by adding and coprecipitating a niobium-containing solution when crystallization of a nickel-containing hydroxide is also used. Since niobium hydroxide is formed, the nickel-containing hydroxide is in the form of secondary particles in which fine primary particles are aggregated, and impurities derived from metal salts such as nickel salts increase in the secondary particles, resulting in crystallization. It becomes difficult to reduce impurities also by subsequent cleaning. In particular, when a sulfate is used as the metal salt contained in the mixed aqueous solution of nickel and cobalt, it is difficult to reduce the sulfate group contained in the obtained lithium transition metal composite oxide. In addition, since the nickel-containing hydroxide has fine primary particles and low crystallinity, the crystallite diameter of the lithium transition metal composite oxide also becomes fine.

  On the other hand, the present invention is characterized in that in the mixing step of mixing the nickel-containing hydroxide and the lithium compound, the niobium compound is added to the solid phase and mixed. The solid phase addition of Nb is a process with excellent productivity and low load that does not require a chemical solution or the like as compared with a method of coprecipitation and coating of Nb in a wet process. Also, when Nb is co-precipitated and coated in the wet process, it is necessary to control the pH, and in some cases, the target form and amount of Nb may not be added, which is advantageous from the viewpoint of stable quality. is there. Moreover, if it is a solid phase addition of Nb, although it depends on the Nb compound to be added, the amount of impurities such as sulfate entrained in the lithium transition metal composite oxide can be reduced.

  The niobium compound is not particularly limited, such as niobic acid, niobium oxide, niobium nitrate, niobium pentachloride, niobium nitrate, etc. Niobic acid and niobium oxide are preferred from the viewpoint of avoiding the introduction of impurities that cause a decrease in cycle characteristics.

Since the niobium content does not change before and after the firing step, a niobium compound corresponding to the amount of niobium added to the positive electrode active material is added. In the solid phase addition, since the reactivity changes depending on the particle size, the particle size of the niobium compound to be added is one of the important factors, but the average particle size is preferably 0.1 μm to 10 μm, more preferably 0. 0.1-3.0 μm, more preferably 0.1-1.0 μm. If it is smaller than 0.1 μm, there is a possibility that the handling of the powder becomes very difficult, and the niobium compound is scattered during the mixing / firing process, and the target composition cannot be added to the active material. is there. On the other hand, if it is larger than 10 μm, there is a problem that Nb is not uniformly distributed in the fired lithium transition metal composite oxide and thermal stability cannot be ensured.
Moreover, as a particle size of the nickel containing hydroxide used for a mixing process, about 5-20 micrometers is preferable and 10-15 micrometers is more preferable.
The average particle diameter is a value measured by a laser scattering diffraction method as a volume reference average diameter (MV).

  As a method of obtaining the niobium compound having the above average particle size, there is a method of pulverizing to a predetermined particle size using various pulverizers such as a ball mill, a planetary ball mill, a jet mill / nano jet mill, a bead mill, and a pin mill. is there. Moreover, you may classify with a dry classifier or sieving as needed. Preferably, sieving is performed to obtain particles close to 0.1 μm.

The lithium compound used in the mixing step is not particularly limited as long as it does not contain a sulfate group as a composition. For example, lithium hydroxide, carbonate, oxide, and the like can be used. It is preferable to use anhydrous lithium hydroxide having a moisture content of 5% by mass or less. When the moisture content is in the above range, the reactivity between the lithium compound and the nickel-containing hydroxide or niobium compound is increased in the firing step described later, and the resulting positive electrode active material is more stable and good charge / discharge. Shows capacity and thermal stability. On the other hand, if the moisture content is higher than 5% by mass, the moisture content generated during firing increases, the reactivity of the solid-phase reaction decreases, or the positive electrode active material produced is not lithium (Li) or lithium. There is a tendency that the quality variation of the ratio of the number of atoms to the metal (Me) (hereinafter referred to as “Li / Me”) becomes large.
The water content of anhydrous lithium hydroxide is a ratio (weight) when the water content of lithium hydroxide monohydrate is 100%.

  The method for producing anhydrous lithium hydroxide is not particularly limited. For example, there is a method in which lithium hydroxide monohydrate is obtained by vacuum drying or atmospheric firing. In particular, it is more preferable to obtain by vacuum drying from the viewpoint of man-hours and quality.

Anhydrous lithium hydroxide can also be obtained in a drying step in which nickel-containing hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, and niobium compound are mixed and then dehydrated by vacuum drying or atmospheric firing. In the drying step, drying is preferably performed at 150 to 250 ° C., preferably for 10 to 20 hours.
Furthermore, after mixing the nickel-containing hydroxide, the lithium compound, and the niobium compound, the temperature and time corresponding to the drying step can be provided in the baking step as it is to be dehydrated.
In addition, the moisture content of anhydrous lithium hydroxide when a drying step is added after mixing can be determined by measuring the moisture content after drying lithium hydroxide before mixing under the same conditions as the drying step. .

In addition, a general mixer can be used for mixing the nickel-containing hydroxide, the lithium compound, and the niobium compound. For example, a shaker mixer, a Roedige mixer, a Julia mixer, a V blender, or the like can be used. The nickel-containing hydroxide, the lithium compound, and the niobium compound may be sufficiently mixed to such an extent that the debris such as nickel-containing hydroxide particles is not destroyed.
The lithium mixture is preferably mixed well before firing. If the mixing is not sufficient, Li / Me varies among individual particles, which may cause problems such as insufficient battery characteristics.

  The nickel-containing hydroxide, the anhydrous lithium hydroxide, and the niobium compound are mixed so that Li / Me in the lithium mixture is 0.95 to 1.20. That is, it mixes so that Li / Me in a lithium mixture may become the same as Li / Me in the positive electrode active material of this invention. This is because Li / Me does not change before and after the firing step, and Li / Me mixed in this mixing step becomes Li / Me in the positive electrode active material.

On the other hand, when the water washing step is performed after the firing step as described later, the Li / Me is decreased by the water washing. Therefore, when washing with water, it is preferable to mix a nickel-containing hydroxide, a lithium compound, and a niobium compound in anticipation of a decrease in Li / Me. The decrease in Li / Me varies depending on the firing conditions and washing conditions, but is about 0.05 to 0.1. The decrease can be confirmed by producing a small amount of positive electrode active material as a preliminary test. .

(C) Firing step The firing step is a step in which the lithium mixture obtained in the mixing step is fired in an oxidizing atmosphere at 700 to 820 ° C, preferably 700 to 800 ° C, to obtain a lithium transition metal composite oxide.

  When the lithium mixture is fired in the firing step, niobium in the niobium compound diffuses together with lithium in the lithium compound into the nickel-containing hydroxide, so that a lithium transition metal composite oxide composed of polycrystalline particles is formed. Here, it is important that Ni, Co and additive element M in the lithium mixture are in the form of a composite hydroxide. In a lithium compound mixed with a composite hydroxide, the reaction between lithium and these elements proceeds almost simultaneously with the reaction in which the niobium compound is decomposed and diffuses into the composite hydroxide. The distribution of niobium becomes uniform. On the other hand, when it is in the form of a composite oxide, the reaction between lithium and these elements proceeds first, so that the diffusion of niobium into the composite hydroxide portion becomes insufficient, and in the form of niobium oxide, etc. Niobium segregates in the lithium transition metal composite oxide.

  The firing temperature of the lithium mixture is 700 to 820 ° C in an oxidizing atmosphere, preferably 700 to 800 ° C. If the firing temperature is less than 700 ° C., lithium and niobium are not sufficiently diffused into the nickel-containing hydroxide, and excess lithium and unreacted particles remain, or the crystal structure becomes insufficient. This causes a problem that sufficient battery characteristics cannot be obtained. Moreover, when a calcination temperature exceeds 820 degreeC, while vigorous sintering arises between the formed lithium transition metal complex oxide particles, abnormal grain growth may be caused. If abnormal grain growth occurs, the particles after firing become coarse and may not retain the particle form, and when the positive electrode active material is formed, the specific surface area decreases and the positive electrode resistance increases. There arises a problem that the battery capacity decreases.

The firing time is preferably at least 3 hours or more, more preferably 6 to 24 hours. This is because if it is less than 3 hours, the lithium transition metal composite oxide may not be sufficiently produced.
Moreover, the atmosphere at the time of baking shall be oxidizing atmosphere, and it is especially more preferable to set it as the atmosphere whose oxygen concentration is 18-100 volume%. That is, firing is preferably performed in the air or in an oxygen stream. This is because, if the oxygen concentration is less than 18% by volume, it cannot be oxidized sufficiently and the crystallinity of the lithium transition metal composite oxide may be insufficient. Considering battery characteristics in particular, it is preferable to carry out in an oxygen stream.

In the firing step, before firing at a temperature of 700 to 830 ° C., it is preferable to calcine at a temperature lower than the firing temperature at which the lithium compound and nickel-containing hydroxide can react. By maintaining the lithium mixture at such a temperature, lithium is sufficiently diffused into the nickel-containing hydroxide, and a uniform lithium transition metal composite oxide can be obtained. For example, in the case of using lithium hydroxide, it is preferable to carry out calcination by holding at a temperature of 400 to 550 ° C. which is higher than the melting point of lithium hydroxide for about 1 to 10 hours.
The furnace used for firing is not particularly limited as long as the lithium mixture can be fired in the atmosphere or an oxygen stream, but an electric furnace without gas generation is preferable, and a batch type or continuous type furnace is used. Either can be used.

  In the lithium transition metal composite oxide obtained by firing, sintering between particles is suppressed, but coarse particles may be formed by weak sintering or aggregation. In such a case, it is preferable to adjust the particle size distribution by crushing to eliminate the sintering and aggregation.

(D) Water-washing process A water-washing process is a process of making the said lithium transition metal complex oxide into a slurry in the ratio of 100-2000 g / L with respect to 1L of water, and washing with water.
The lithium transition metal composite oxide obtained by the firing step can be used as a positive electrode active material as it is, but by removing excess lithium on the particle surface, the surface area that can be contacted with the electrolyte is increased and charged. Since the discharge capacity can be improved, it is preferable to perform a water washing step after firing. Moreover, since the weak part formed in the particle | grain surface is fully removed, a contact with electrolyte solution can increase and charge / discharge capacity can be improved.
Furthermore, since excess lithium causes a side reaction in the non-aqueous secondary battery and causes expansion of the battery due to gas generation, the water washing step is preferably performed from the viewpoint of improving safety.

  As a slurry concentration at the time of washing with water, it is preferable that the amount (g) of the lithium transition metal composite oxide with respect to 1 L of water contained in the slurry is 100 to 2000 g / L. That is, as the slurry concentration increases, the amount of powder increases. When the slurry concentration exceeds 2000 g / L, the viscosity is very high and stirring becomes difficult. However, it becomes difficult to separate the powder from the powder even when peeling occurs. On the other hand, when the slurry concentration is less than 100 g / L, the amount of lithium elution is large and the amount of lithium on the surface is small due to being too dilute. However, lithium desorption from the crystal lattice of the positive electrode active material occurs, Not only tends to collapse, but the aqueous solution having a high pH absorbs carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and reprecipitates lithium carbonate.

The water used is not particularly limited, and pure water is preferable. By using pure water, it is possible to prevent a decrease in battery performance due to adhesion of impurities to the positive electrode active material.
It is preferable that the amount of adhering water remaining on the particle surface during the solid-liquid separation of the slurry is small. When the amount of adhering water is large, lithium dissolved in the liquid is reprecipitated, and the amount of lithium existing on the surface of the lithium transition metal composite oxide particles after drying increases.

Moreover, it is preferable that a water washing process includes the process of filtering and drying after water washing.
As a filtration method, a commonly used method may be used. For example, a suction filter, a filter press, a centrifuge, or the like can be used.

The drying temperature after filtration is not particularly limited and is preferably 80 to 350 ° C. If the temperature is less than 80 ° C., the drying of the positive electrode active material after washing with water becomes slow, so that a gradient of lithium concentration occurs between the particle surface and the inside of the particle, and the battery characteristics may be deteriorated. On the other hand, near the surface of the positive electrode active material, it is expected that it is very close to the stoichiometric ratio, or slightly desorbed lithium and close to the charged state. As a result, the crystal structure close to 1 may be destroyed, and the battery characteristics may be deteriorated.
Although it does not specifically limit as drying time, Preferably it is 2 to 24 hours.

2. Positive active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to a non-aqueous electrolyte positive electrode active material present invention for a secondary battery, the general formula _{Li d Ni 1-a-b} -c Co a M b Nb c O 2 ( where, M Is at least one element selected from Mn, V, Mg, Ti and Al, 0.03 ≦ a ≦ 0.35, 0 ≦ b ≦ 0.10, 0.001 ≦ c ≦ 0.05, 0.95 ≦ d ≦ 1.20), and a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising a lithium transition metal composite oxide composed of particles having a polycrystalline structure, The maximum diameter of the niobium compound observed in the particles by EDX measurement with an electron microscope is 200 nm or less, the crystallite diameter is 10 to 180 nm, and the sulfate group content is 0.2 mass% or less. And

  A indicating the cobalt content is 0.03 ≦ a ≦ 0.35, preferably 0.05 ≦ a ≦ 0.35, more preferably 0.07 ≦ a ≦ 0.20, and even more preferably. Is 0.10 ≦ a ≦ 0.20. Cobalt is an additive element that contributes to the improvement of cycle characteristics. However, if the value of a is less than 0.03, sufficient cycle characteristics cannot be obtained, and the capacity retention rate also decreases. On the other hand, when the value of a exceeds 0.35, the initial discharge capacity is greatly reduced.

C indicating the amount of niobium added is 0.001 ≦ c ≦ 0.05, preferably 0.002 ≦ c ≦ 0.05, and more preferably 0.003 ≦ c ≦ 0.02. If the value of c is less than 0.001, the amount added will be too small to improve safety. On the other hand, although safety | security improves according to addition amount, since there exists a tendency for crystallinity to fall, when the value of c exceeds 0.05, charge / discharge capacity will fall. In addition, the cycle characteristics are also reduced. Niobium is an additive element that is thought to contribute to the suppression of the thermal decomposition reaction by deoxygenation of the lithium transition metal composite oxide and is effective in improving safety.
Furthermore, in the particles of the lithium transition metal composite oxide, no heterogeneous phase observed by EDX measurement with a transmission electron microscope is observed, that is, the maximum diameter (maximum length) of the niobium compound is 200 nm or less. High battery capacity can be obtained by suppressing the formation of coarse niobium compounds.
Furthermore, the ratio of the grain boundary to the Nb concentration in the grain (grain boundary / inside grain) is preferably 4 times or less, and more preferably 3 times or less. The ratio between the grain boundary and the Nb concentration in the grain can be obtained from the EDX measurement result of a transmission electron microscope. By reducing the ratio of the Nb concentration, the effect of suppressing the thermal decomposition reaction can be enhanced even when a small amount is added.

  The additive element M is at least one element selected from Mn, V, Mg, Ti and Al. B representing the content of M is 0 ≦ b ≦ 0.10, preferably 0 <b ≦ 0.10, and more preferably 0.01 ≦ b ≦ 0.07. M can be added to improve battery characteristics such as cycle characteristics and safety. If b indicating the amount of M added exceeds 0.10, the battery characteristics are further improved, but the initial discharge capacity is greatly lowered, which is not preferable. Furthermore, since 0 <b ≦ 0.10 that always includes M can exhibit excellent cycle characteristics, b is preferably in this range.

D indicating the ratio of the number of moles of metal other than lithium (Me) to lithium (Li / Me) is 0.95 ≦ d ≦ 1.20, and preferably 0.98 ≦ d ≦ 1.10. . When the value of d is less than 0.95, the charge / discharge capacity decreases. On the other hand, the charge / discharge capacity increases as the value of d increases, but when d exceeds 1.20, the safety is lowered.
In addition, content of each component of the said lithium transition metal complex oxide can be measured by the quantitative analysis by an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method.

Further, the lithium transition composite metal oxide has a sulfate radical (SO ₄ ) content of 0.2% by mass or less, preferably 0.01 to 0.2% by mass, more preferably 0.02%. It is -0.1 mass%. When the sulfate group is 0.2 mass% or less and c indicating the amount of niobium added is 0.001 ≦ c ≦ 0.05, excellent cycle characteristics can be obtained. Good cycle characteristics cannot be obtained even if either the amount of sulfate radical or niobium added exceeds the above range.
Here, the sulfate group contained in the lithium transition metal composite oxide is derived from the metal salt at the time of crystallization. For example, when sulfate is used as the metal salt, the sulfate group content is reduced when the pH is lowered. Since the pH tends to increase, the amount of sulfate radicals can be adjusted to the above range by adjusting the pH appropriately and thoroughly washing with water. The use of sulfate is effective for increasing the metal concentration in the aqueous solution to increase productivity and reducing the environmental burden.
In the production method of the present invention, by adding the Nb compound to the solid phase, mixing of sulfuric acid when coating Nb can be prevented, and the sulfate radical content can be reduced. Moreover, the amount of sulfate radicals can also be reduced by eliminating sulfur compounds mixed in from the niobium compound used in the mixing step.

The crystallite diameter of the lithium transition metal oxide is 10 to 180 nm, preferably 10 to 150 nm, and more preferably 50 to 150 nm. When the crystallite diameter is less than 10 nm, the crystal grain boundary increases so much that the resistance of the active material increases, so that sufficient charge / discharge capacity may not be obtained. On the other hand, when the crystallite diameter exceeds 120 nm, crystal growth proceeds excessively, and cation mixing in which nickel is mixed into the lithium layer of the lithium transition metal composite oxide, which is a layered compound, occurs, and charge / discharge capacity decreases.
The crystallite diameter can be adjusted to the above range by adjusting crystallization conditions, firing temperature, firing time and the like. That is, if the crystallinity of the nickel-containing hydroxide is increased depending on the crystallization conditions, and the firing temperature is increased, the crystallite diameter can be increased.
The crystallite diameter is a value calculated from a peak on the (003) plane in X-ray diffraction (XRD).

  The average particle diameter of the positive electrode active material is preferably 5 to 20 μm, more preferably 10 to 15 μm, as D50, which is a 50% volume integrated diameter by laser scattering measurement. When the thickness is less than 5 μm, when used for the positive electrode of the battery, the packing density may decrease, and the charge / discharge capacity per volume may not be sufficiently obtained. On the other hand, when it exceeds 20 μm, a sufficient contact area with the electrolytic solution cannot be obtained, and the charge / discharge capacity may be reduced.

3. Non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery Embodiments of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention will be described in detail for each component. The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention is composed of the same constituent elements as those of a general lithium ion secondary battery, such as a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a nonaqueous electrolytic solution. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention is implemented in various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the following embodiment. can do. Moreover, the use of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention is not particularly limited.

(1) Positive Electrode A positive electrode mixture forming the positive electrode and each material constituting the positive electrode mixture will be described. The powdered positive electrode active material of the present invention, a conductive material, and a binder are mixed, and if necessary, a target solvent such as activated carbon and viscosity adjustment is added, and this is kneaded to obtain a positive electrode mixture paste. Make it. The respective mixing ratios in the positive electrode mixture are also important factors that determine the performance of the lithium secondary battery.
When the total mass of the solid content of the positive electrode mixture excluding the solvent is 100% by mass, the content of the positive electrode active material is 60 to 95% by mass, respectively, as in the case of the positive electrode of a general lithium secondary battery. It is desirable that the content is 1 to 20% by mass and the content of the binder is 1 to 20% by mass.

  The obtained positive electrode mixture paste is applied to the surface of a current collector made of, for example, aluminum foil, and dried to scatter the solvent. If necessary, pressurization may be performed by a roll press or the like to increase the electrode density. In this way, a sheet-like positive electrode can be produced. The sheet-like positive electrode can be cut into an appropriate size according to the intended battery and used for battery production. However, the manufacturing method of the positive electrode is not limited to the above-described examples, and may depend on other methods.

In producing the positive electrode, as the conductive agent, for example, graphite (natural graphite, artificial graphite, expanded graphite, etc.), carbon black materials such as acetylene black, ketjen black, and the like can be used.
Examples of the binder (binder) include fluorine-containing resins such as polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene, ethylene propylene diene rubber, and fluorine rubber, styrene butadiene, cellulosic resin, polyacrylic acid, polypropylene, and polyethylene. Can be used. If necessary, a positive electrode active material, a conductive material, and activated carbon are dispersed, and a solvent that dissolves the binder is added to the positive electrode mixture.
Specifically, an organic solvent such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone can be used as the solvent. Moreover, activated carbon can be added to the positive electrode mixture in order to increase the electric double layer capacity.

(2) Negative electrode For the negative electrode, metallic lithium, lithium alloy, or the like, and a negative electrode mixture made by mixing a binder with a negative electrode active material capable of occluding and desorbing lithium ions and adding an appropriate solvent to form a paste. In addition, it is applied to the surface of a metal foil current collector such as copper, dried, and compressed to increase the electrode density as necessary.
As the negative electrode active material, for example, natural graphite, artificial graphite, a fired organic compound such as phenol resin, or a powdery carbon material such as coke can be used. In this case, as the negative electrode binder, a fluorine-containing resin such as polyvinylidene fluoride can be used as in the case of the positive electrode, and the active material and the solvent for dispersing the binder include N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. Organic solvents can be used.

(3) Separator A separator is interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The separator separates the positive electrode and the negative electrode and retains the electrolyte, and a thin film such as polyethylene or polypropylene and a film having many fine holes can be used.
(4) Non-aqueous electrolyte The non-aqueous electrolyte is obtained by dissolving a lithium salt as a supporting salt in an organic solvent. Examples of the organic solvent include cyclic carbonates such as ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, butylene carbonate, and trifluoropropylene carbonate; chain carbonates such as diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, ethyl methyl carbonate, and dipropyl carbonate; and tetrahydrofuran, 2- One kind selected from ether compounds such as methyltetrahydrofuran and dimethoxyethane, sulfur compounds such as ethylmethylsulfone and butanesultone, phosphorus compounds such as triethyl phosphate and trioctyl phosphate, etc. are used alone or in admixture of two or more. be able to.
As the supporting salt, LiPF ₆ , LiBF ₄ , LiClO ₄ , LiAsF ₆ , LiN (CF ₃ SO ₂ ) ₂ , or a composite salt thereof can be used.
Furthermore, the non-aqueous electrolyte solution may contain a radical scavenger, a surfactant, a flame retardant, and the like.

(5) Shape and configuration of battery The shape of the lithium secondary battery according to the present invention composed of the positive electrode, the negative electrode, the separator, and the non-aqueous electrolyte described above is various, such as a cylindrical type and a laminated type. be able to.
In any case, the positive electrode and the negative electrode are laminated via a separator to form an electrode body, and the electrode body is impregnated with the non-aqueous electrolyte. The positive electrode current collector and the positive electrode terminal communicating with the outside, and the negative electrode current collector and the negative electrode terminal communicating with the outside are connected using a current collecting lead or the like. The battery having the above structure can be sealed in a battery case to complete the battery.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these Examples.

Example 1
Nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate mixed aqueous solution, sodium aluminate aqueous solution, 25 mass% sodium hydroxide solution and 25 mass% so that the molar ratio of nickel: cobalt: aluminum is 81.5: 15.0: 3.5 Ammonia water is simultaneously added to the reaction tank, the pH is maintained at 11.8 on the basis of the liquid temperature of 25 ° C., the reaction temperature is maintained at 50 ° C., the ammonia concentration is maintained at 10 g / L, and spherical secondary particles are formed by the coprecipitation method. Nickel cobalt aluminum composite hydroxide was formed. After the inside of the reaction vessel is stabilized, a hydroxide slurry is recovered from the overflow port, filtered, washed with water, dried and then nickel cobalt aluminum composite hydroxide (nickel-containing hydroxide: Ni _0.815 Co _0.15 Al _{0 0.035} (OH) ₂ ) was obtained. (Crystallization process)
Next, lithium hydroxide which is a lithium compound was vacuum-dried at 150 ° C. for 12 hours to prepare anhydrous lithium hydroxide (water content 0.4 mass%). The moisture content was determined by stoichiometrically drying the anhydrous lithium hydroxide after the vacuum drying at 200 ° C. for 8 hours and setting the moisture content after the vacuum drying at 200 ° C. to 0 mass% based on the mass change before and after drying. The water content of lithium hydroxide monohydrate was determined as a relative numerical value based on 100% by mass.
The nickel-containing hydroxide, anhydrous lithium hydroxide, and niobic acid powder (Nb ₂ O ₅ × H ₂ O) having an average particle size of 0.6 μm pulverized by a nano grinding jet mill, 1.10, after weighing each so that the niobium addition amount c becomes 0.01, using a shaker mixer apparatus (TURBULA Type T2C manufactured by Willy et Bacofen (WAB)), a nickel-containing hydroxide shape is formed. The lithium mixture was obtained by mixing well enough to maintain the strength. (Mixing process)
The lithium mixture was inserted into a magnesia firing vessel, and heated up to 500 ° C. at a heating rate of 2.77 ° C./min in an oxygen stream at a flow rate of 6 L / min. Hold for 3 hours. Then, after heating up to 780 degreeC with the same temperature increase rate and hold | maintaining for 12 hours, it furnace-cooled to room temperature, and obtained lithium transition metal complex oxide. (Baking process)
The obtained lithium transition metal composite oxide was mixed with pure water so that the slurry concentration was 1500 g / L to prepare a slurry, washed with water for 30 minutes using a stirrer, and then filtered. After filtration, it was held at 210 ° C. for 14 hours using a vacuum dryer and cooled to room temperature to obtain a positive electrode active material. (Washing process)
When the cross section of the obtained positive electrode active material was observed with a transmission electron microscope, no heterogeneous phase was observed, and by EDX analysis, niobium was uniformly distributed in the positive electrode active material particles, It was confirmed that the Nb concentration ratio (Nb concentration in grain boundaries / Nb concentration in grains) was 3 or less. Moreover, the crystallite diameter of the positive electrode active material was 81 nm, and the average particle diameter was 12.5 μm.
The composition of the obtained positive electrode active material was analyzed by the ICP method, and the results are shown in Table 1.

[Evaluation of initial discharge capacity]
The initial capacity evaluation of the obtained positive electrode active material was performed as follows. 70% by mass of the active material powder was mixed with 20% by mass of acetylene black and 10% by mass of PTFE, and 150 mg was taken out from this to produce a pellet to obtain a positive electrode. Lithium metal was used as the negative electrode, and an equivalent mixed solution of ethylene carbonate (EC) and diethyl carbonate (DEC) (made by Toyama Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) using 1M LiClO ₄ as a supporting salt was used as the electrolyte. A 2032 type coin battery as shown in FIG. 2 was fabricated in an Ar atmosphere glove box whose dew point was controlled at −80 ° C.
The prepared battery is left for about 24 hours, and after the open circuit voltage OCV (open circuit voltage) is stabilized, the current density with respect to the positive electrode is set to 0.5 mA / cm ² and charged to a cutoff voltage of 4.3 V to obtain an initial charge capacity. The capacity when the battery was discharged to a cutoff voltage of 3.0 V after a one hour rest was defined as the initial discharge capacity.

[Evaluation of cycle characteristics]
The cycle characteristics were evaluated as follows. For each battery, CC charging at a temperature of 25 ° C. up to 4.4 V at a rate of 1 C (charge voltage required), pause for 10 minutes, then CC discharge to 3.0 V at the same rate, pause for 10 minutes The charging / discharging cycle of “Yes” was repeated 200 cycles. The discharge capacities at the first cycle and the 200th cycle were measured, and the percentage of the 2C discharge capacity at the 200th cycle with respect to the 2C discharge capacity at the first cycle was determined as the capacity retention rate (%).

[Evaluation of safety of positive electrode]
The safety evaluation of the positive electrode is performed by CCCV charging (constant current-constant voltage charging. First, charging is operated at a constant current) to a cutoff voltage of 4.5V using a 2032 type coin battery manufactured by the same method as described above. Then, the battery was disassembled with care so as not to short-circuit, and the positive electrode was taken out. 3.0 mg of this electrode was measured, 1.3 mg of the electrolyte was added, sealed in an aluminum measurement container, and a temperature increase rate of 10 ° C./degree using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) PTC-10A (manufactured by Rigaku). The exothermic behavior was measured from room temperature to 300 ° C. in min, and the obtained maximum exothermic peak height was regarded as safety evaluation. The evaluation results of the positive electrode active material are summarized in Table 1.

(Example 2)
A positive electrode active material was obtained and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the moisture content of anhydrous lithium hydroxide was set to 3.0% by mass. Similar to Example 1, no heterogeneous phase was observed in the observation with a transmission electron microscope. The evaluation results of the obtained positive electrode active material are shown in Table 1, respectively.

(Example 3)
A positive electrode active material was obtained and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the lithium compound was changed to lithium hydroxide (water content 99.7% by mass). Similar to Example 1, no heterogeneous phase was observed in the observation with a transmission electron microscope. The evaluation results of the obtained positive electrode active material are shown in Table 1, respectively.

Example 4
A positive electrode active material was obtained and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the niobium addition amount c was 0.005. Similar to Example 1, no heterogeneous phase was observed in the observation with a transmission electron microscope. The evaluation results of the obtained positive electrode active material are shown in Table 1, respectively.

(Example 5)
A positive electrode active material was obtained and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the niobium addition amount c was 0.001. Similar to Example 1, no heterogeneous phase was observed in the observation with a transmission electron microscope. The evaluation results of the obtained positive electrode active material are shown in Table 1, respectively.

(Comparative Example 1)
A positive electrode active material was obtained and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that nickel cobalt aluminum composite oxide obtained by oxidizing and baking nickel cobalt aluminum composite hydroxide at 600 ° C. for 12 hours was used in the mixing step. The evaluation results of the obtained positive electrode active material are shown in Table 1, respectively.
When the cross section of the obtained positive electrode active material was observed with a transmission electron microscope, a heterogeneous phase exceeding a maximum length of 200 nm was observed at the crystal grain boundary, and EDX analysis confirmed that the heterogeneous phase was a niobium compound.

(Comparative Example 2)
Nickel cobalt aluminum composite oxide obtained by oxidizing and roasting nickel cobalt aluminum composite hydroxide at 600 ° C. for 12 hours was used in the mixing step, and lithium hydroxide (water content 99.7 mass%) was used as the lithium compound. Except for the above, a positive electrode active material was obtained and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. The evaluation results of the obtained positive electrode active material are shown in Table 1, respectively. When the cross section of the obtained positive electrode active material was observed with a transmission electron microscope, the same heterogeneous phase as in Comparative Example 1 was confirmed.

(Comparative Example 3)
A positive electrode active material was obtained and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that no niobium compound was added. The evaluation results of the obtained positive electrode active material are shown in Table 1, respectively.

(Comparative Example 4)
Niobium salt solution (30 g / L) prepared by dissolving niobic acid (Nb ₂ O ₅ xH ₂ O) in caustic potash in a slurry obtained by mixing nickel cobalt aluminum composite hydroxide obtained in the crystallization process with pure water. ) Is added dropwise together with sulfuric acid while adjusting the pH to 8.0 to prepare an Nb-coated nickel cobalt aluminum composite hydroxide (hereinafter also referred to as “Nb-coated nickel hydroxide”), and a mixing step In Example 1, except that the niobium compound was not mixed and the Nb-coated nickel hydroxide (Nb amount c was 0.01) was used, and the lithium compound was lithium hydroxide (water content 99.7% by mass). In the same manner as in Example 1, a positive electrode active material was obtained and evaluated. The evaluation results of the obtained positive electrode active material are shown in Table 1, respectively.

(Comparative Example 5)
In the crystallization process, a niobium salt solution (72 g / L) prepared by dissolving niobic acid (Nb ₂ O ₅ × H ₂ O) in caustic potash is added to prepare a nickel cobalt aluminum niobium composite hydroxide and mixed. A positive electrode active material was obtained and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the niobium compound was not mixed in the step and the above nickel cobalt aluminum niobium composite hydroxide (Nb amount c was 0.01) was used. The evaluation results of the obtained positive electrode active material are shown in Table 1, respectively.

(Evaluation)
As shown in Table 1, in Examples 1 to 5 of the present invention, the initial discharge capacity of the obtained positive electrode active material generally exceeds 193 mAh / g, indicating that the material can be used as the positive electrode active material. The capacity retention rate is also about 90 to 94%, which indicates that it has excellent cycle characteristics. Moreover, the maximum exothermic peak height by DSC measurement was 4 cal / sec / g or less. It can be seen that the calorific value is significantly suppressed as compared with the conventional positive electrode active material to which niobium of Comparative Example 3 is not added.
Further, in Examples 1, 2, and 4 using anhydrous lithium hydroxide having a low moisture content, the initial discharge capacity, cycle characteristics, and maximum exothermic peak height were further improved. This is considered to be because the firing was easier to proceed and the reactivity with the composite hydroxide and niobium was higher than in Example 3 using lithium hydroxide. In Example 5, since the amount of niobium added is small, the initial discharge capacity is high, but the maximum exothermic peak height is slightly high.
In Comparative Examples 1 and 2, since the nickel-containing oxide was used in the mixing step, the initial discharge capacity was as low as about 183 to 187 mAh / g. By using a nickel-containing oxide, the reactivity with the niobium compound decreased, and it is assumed that the segregated niobium compound inhibited the electrochemical reaction (segregation was confirmed by FE-SEM). .
In Comparative Example 4, niobium was coated with nickel cobalt aluminum composite hydroxide, the initial discharge capacity was as high as 197 mAh / g, and the maximum exothermic peak height was low, but the sulfate group content was increased, and the cycle characteristics were It was inferior to the product of the present invention.
In Comparative Example 5, since niobium was added during crystallization, the structure of the hydroxide particles became finer, the sulfate group content increased, the crystallite diameter also decreased, and the initial discharge capacity and cycle characteristics became the product of the present invention. The maximum exothermic peak height was also high.

  In order to take advantage of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention that has high initial capacity and excellent cycle characteristics while being excellent in safety, small portable electronic devices that always require high capacity and long life It is suitable for use as a power source for equipment. In addition, in power sources and stationary storage batteries for electric vehicles, it is indispensable to secure safety by increasing the size of the battery and to install an expensive protection circuit to ensure higher safety. Since the lithium ion secondary battery of the present invention has excellent safety, not only is it easy to ensure safety, but also it is possible to simplify expensive protection circuits and reduce costs. It is suitable as a power source for electric vehicles and a stationary storage battery. The power source for electric vehicles can be used not only for electric vehicles driven purely by electric energy, but also for power sources for so-called hybrid vehicles used in combination with combustion engines such as gasoline engines and diesel engines.

1 Lithium metal negative electrode 2 Separator (electrolyte impregnation)
3 Positive electrode (Evaluation electrode)
4 Gasket 5 Negative electrode can 6 Positive electrode can 7 Current collector

Claims (11)

Formula _{Li d Ni 1-a-b} -c Co a M b Nb c O 2 ( where, M is at least one element selected Mn, V, Mg, Ti and Al, 0.03 ≦ a ≦ 0.35, 0 ≦ b ≦ 0.10, 0.001 ≦ c ≦ 0.05, and 0.95 ≦ d ≦ 1.20). A method for producing a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising a lithium transition metal composite oxide,
An aqueous alkaline solution is added to a mixed aqueous solution containing at least nickel and cobalt for crystallization, and the general formula Ni _{1-a′-b ′} Co _{a ′} M _{b ′} (OH) ₂ (where M is Mn, V, Mg, Crystallization for obtaining a nickel-containing hydroxide represented by at least one element selected from Ti and Al, and 0.03 ≦ a ′ ≦ 0.35 and 0 ≦ b ′ ≦ 0.10. Process,
Mixing step of mixing the obtained nickel-containing hydroxide, lithium compound and niobium compound to obtain a lithium mixture, and firing the lithium mixture at 700 to 820 ° C. in an oxidizing atmosphere to obtain a lithium transition metal composite oxide The manufacturing method of the positive electrode active material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries characterized by including a process.   2. The nickel-containing hydroxide is obtained by coating M in an aqueous solution containing at least nickel and cobalt in the crystallization step after adding an alkaline aqueous solution for crystallization. The manufacturing method of the positive electrode active material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries of description.   The method for producing a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the lithium compound is lithium hydroxide.   The method for producing a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 3, wherein the lithium hydroxide is anhydrous lithium hydroxide having a moisture content of 5% by mass or less.   Before the calcination step, the method includes a drying step of drying the lithium mixture obtained in the mixing step to make lithium hydroxide in the lithium mixture anhydrous lithium hydroxide having a moisture content of 5% by mass or less. Item 4. A method for producing a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to Item 3.   The lithium transition metal composite oxide is made into a slurry at a rate of 100 to 2000 g / L with respect to 1 L of water after the firing step, and includes a water washing step of washing with water. The manufacturing method of the positive electrode active material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries.   7. The positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein M is at least one element selected from Mn, V, Ti, and Al in the general formula. Manufacturing method. Formula _{Li d Ni 1-a-b} -c Co a M b Nb c O 2 ( where, M is at least one element selected Mn, V, Mg, Ti and Al, 0.03 ≦ a ≦ 0.35, 0 ≦ b ≦ 0.10, 0.001 ≦ c ≦ 0.05, and 0.95 ≦ d ≦ 1.20). A positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising a lithium transition metal composite oxide, wherein the maximum diameter of the niobium compound observed in the particles by EDX measurement with a transmission electron microscope is 200 nm or less, and a crystallite A positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, having a diameter of 10 to 180 nm and a sulfate radical content of 0.2% by mass or less.   9. The non-aqueous electrolyte according to claim 8, wherein the ratio of the crystal grain boundary to the Nb concentration in the grain (grain boundary / inside grain) observed by EDX measurement with a transmission electron microscope is 4 times or less. Positive electrode active material for secondary battery.   10. The positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 8, wherein M is at least one element selected from Mn, V, Ti, and Al in the general formula.   A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising the positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to any one of claims 8 to 11 as a positive electrode.