IP Library Granted Patent US 12686621
Granted Patent B2
US 12686621 · App. 18/021,071 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Method for producing lithium metal composite oxide

Inventor: Yuki Matsumoto (Niihama, JP)
Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
C01G53/42C01P2006/12C01P2006/40
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12686621
App. No.
18/021,071
Granted
Jul 21, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for producing a lithium metal composite oxide including a step of calcining, at 600° C. or higher, one of a mixture of a lithium compound and a metal composite compound containing at least Ni and a reactant obtained by preliminarily calcining the mixture to obtain a calcined product, a step of cooling the calcined product from a calcining temperature in the step of obtaining the calcined product to 150° C. or lower to obtain a cooled product, and a step of pulverizing the cooled product such that a BET specific surface area becomes 0.90 to 1.55 m 2 /g, in which, in the step of obtaining the cooled product, an average cooling rate in a temperature range from 600° C. to 150° C. is 150 to 3500° C./h.

Claims (34)

1 . A method for producing a lithium metal composite oxide comprising:

a step of calcining, at 600° C. or higher, (a) a mixture of a lithium compound and a metal composite compound containing at least Ni, or (b) a reactant obtained by preliminarily calcining the mixture, to obtain a calcined product;

a step of cooling the calcined product from a calcining temperature in the step of obtaining the calcined product to 150° C. or lower to obtain a cooled product; and

a step of pulverizing the cooled product such that a BET specific surface area becomes 0.90 to 1.55 m 2 /g,

wherein, in the step of obtaining the cooled product, an average cooling rate in a temperature range from 600° C. to 150° C. is 150 to 3500° C./h,

an average cooling rate in a temperature range from 600° C. to 400° C. in the step of obtaining the cooled product is 243 to 7357° C./h,

an average cooling rate in a temperature range from 400° C. to 150° C. in the step of obtaining the cooled product is 10 to 3500° C./h, and

the average cooling rate in the temperature range from 600° C. to 400° C. and the average cooling rate in the temperature range from 400° C. to 150° C. are different, and

the average cooling rate in the temperature range from 400° C. to 150° C. is smaller than the average cooling rate in the temperature range from 600° C. to 400° C., and a temperature difference between the average cooling rate from 600-400° C. and the average cooling rate from 400-150° C. is 233° C./h to 3857° C./h.

2 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 1 ,

wherein the lithium metal composite oxide is represented by a composition formula (I),

Li[Li x (Ni (1-y-z) CO y X z ) 1-x ]O 2   (I)

in the formula (I), X represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Mn, Cu, Ti, Mg, Al, W, B, Mo, Nb, Zn, Sn, Zr, Ga, and V, and −0.1≤x≤0.2, 0≤y≤0.5, 0≤z≤0.8, and y+z<1 are satisfied.

3 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 1 ,

wherein the step of obtaining the calcined product and the step of obtaining the cooled product are performed in an oxygen-containing atmosphere.

4 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 3 ,

wherein an oxygen concentration in the oxygen-containing atmosphere in the step of obtaining the cooled product is higher than an oxygen concentration in the oxygen-containing atmosphere in the step of obtaining the calcined product.

5 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 1 ,

wherein the step of obtaining the calcined product is performed using a rotary kiln, and the step of obtaining the cooled product is performed using one of a rotary cooler and a fluidized-bed cooler.

6 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 5 ,

wherein the step of obtaining the cooled product is performed using the rotary cooler, and a ratio of a volume of a rotary cylinder of the rotary cooler to a volume of a rotary cylinder of the rotary kiln is 0.05 to 2.

7 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 6 ,

wherein a rotation speed of the rotary cooler in the step of obtaining the cooled product is 0.4 to 130 m/min.

8 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 1 ,

wherein the step of pulverizing the cooled product is performed using a disc mill or a pin mill.

9 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 8 ,

wherein, in the step of pulverizing the cooled product, the disc mill is operated such that a rotation speed becomes 120 to 12000 rpm, and the cooled product is pulverized.

10 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 8 ,

wherein, in the step of pulverizing the cooled product, the pin mill is operated such that a rotation speed becomes 300 rpm or more and less than 20000 rpm, and the cooled product is pulverized.

11 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 2 ,

wherein the step of obtaining the calcined product and the step of obtaining the cooled product are performed in an oxygen-containing atmosphere.

12 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 2 , wherein X represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ti, Mg, Al, W, B, Mo, Nb, Zn, Sn, Zr, Ga, and V.

13 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 2 , wherein z=0.

14 . The method for producing the lithium metal composite oxide according to claim 1 , wherein the average cooling rate in the temperature range from 600° C. to 400° C. is 6000 to 7357° C./h.