Negative electrode active material for lithium-based secondary battery and method of preparing same

1. A negative active material for a lithium-based secondary battery comprising a crystalline artificial graphite having an intensity ratio I(110)/I(002) of an X-ray diffraction peak intensity I(002) at a (002) plane to an X-ray diffraction peak intensity I(110) at a (110) plane ranging from about 0.002 to about 0.04.

2. The negative active material for a lithium-based secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the crystalline artificial graphite has a crystal size in the direction of the c axis (Lc) ranging from 10 to 100 nm.

3. The negative active material for a lithium-based secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the crystalline artificial graphite has a crystal size in the direction of the a axis (La) ranging from 20 to 200 nm.

4. The negative active material for a lithium-based secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the crystalline artificial graphite has a specific surface ranging from 3 to 20 m 2 /g.

5. The negative active material for a lithium-based secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the intensity ratio is an integrated intensity.

6. A negative active material for a lithium-based secondary battery comprising a crystalline artificial graphite having an intensity ratio I(110)/I(002) of an X-ray diffraction peak intensity I(002) at a (002) plane to an X-ray diffraction peak intensity I(110) at a (110) plane ranging from about 0.002 to about 0.04, wherein the negative active material is made from a process comprising:

dissolving a coal tar pitch or a petroleum pitch in an organic solvent to remove insoluble components therefrom;

removing the solvent from the resulting pitch;

heat-treating the pitch at a temperature ranging from 400 to 450° C. for 30 minutes or more under an inert atmosphere to thereby produce mesophase particles;

stabilizing or coking the mesophase particles;

carbonizing the stabilized or coked mesophase particles at a temperature ranging from 1,000 to 1,300° C.; and

graphitizing the carbonized mesophase particles at a temperature ranging from 2,500 to 3,000° C. to thereby form a crystalline artificial graphite.

7. The negative active material for a lithium-based secondary battery according to claim 6 , wherein the step of dissolving a pitch selected from the group consisting of coal tar pitches and petroleum pitches in an organic solvent to remove insoluble components therefrom is performed prior to the step of heat-treating the pitch at a temperature ranging from 400 to 450° C. for 30 minutes or more under an inert atmosphere to thereby produce mesophase particles.

8. The negative active material for a lithium-based secondary battery according to claim 6 , wherein the intensity ratio is an integrated intensity.

9. The negative active material for a lithium-based secondary battery according to claim 6 , wherein the inert atmosphere is a gaseous nitrogen or argon atmosphere.

10. The negative active material for a lithium-based secondary battery according to claim 6 , wherein the mesophase particles are produced in a yield of 10 to 98 weight percent based on the weight of the pitch.

11. The negative active material for a lithium-based secondary battery according to claim 6 , wherein the stabilizing step is performed at a temperature that is 20 to 30° C. higher than the softening point of the mesophase particles.

12. The negative active material for a lithium-based secondary battery according to claim 6 , wherein the coking step is performed at a rising temperature up to 600° C. under an inert atmosphere.