Electrode, nonaqueous electrolyte battery, battery pack and vehicle

1. An electrode comprising:

a current collector; and

an active material-containing layer which is provided on the current collector and comprises active material particles and insulator particles,

the active material-containing layer having a first face facing the current collector and a second face as a surface of the active material-containing layer, the second face comprising a surface of a part of the insulator particles,

wherein a volume ratio of the insulator particles decreases from the second face toward the first face in the active material-containing layer, and

wherein the insulator particles are present in a region of the active material-containing layer from the second face up to a level in the active material-containing layer, and a distance from the first face to the level is T 1 , and the distance T 1 is within the range of 0.01≤T 1 /T ≤0.9, wherein T is a distance from the first face to the second face of the active material-containing layer, and

wherein the average particle size of the insulator particles falls within a range from 10 nm to 70 nm.

2. The electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the average particle size of the insulator particles is smaller than an average particle size of the active material particles.

3. The electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the active material particles comprises active material particles having an operating potential of 0.4 V (vs. Li/Li + ) or more.

4. The electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the active material particles comprise at least one kind of particles selected from the group consisting of particles of a lithium titanate having a spinel-type crystal structure, particles of a lithium titanate having a ramsdellite-type crystal structure, particles of a titanium oxide having an anatase-type crystal structure, particles of a titanium oxide having a monoclinic crystal structure, particles of a niobium titanium composite oxide having a monoclinic crystal structure, and particles of a niobium-containing composite oxide having an orthorhombic crystal structure.

5. The electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the active material particles comprise at least one kind of particles selected from the group consisting of particles of a lithium manganese composite oxide, particles of a lithium nickel composite oxide, particles of a lithium cobalt composite oxide, particles of a lithium nickel cobalt composite oxide, particles of a lithium manganese cobalt composite oxide, particles of a lithium manganese nickel composite oxide having a spinel-type crystal structure, particles of a lithium iron phosphate, and particles of a lithium nickel cobalt manganese composite oxide.

6. The electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the insulator particles comprise at least one kind of particles selected from the group consisting of particles of a titanium hydroxide, particles of a barium titanate, particles of an alumina, particles of a zirconia, particles of an aluminum hydroxide, particles of a boehmite, particles of a cordierite, particles of a magnesium oxide, particles of an aramid, particles of a magnesium hydroxide, particles of a sialon, particles of a lithium tetraborate, particles of a lithium tantalate, particles of a forsterite, particles of a steatite, particles of a mica, particles of a silicon nitride, particles of an aluminum nitride, particles of a mullite, particles of a ferrite, particles of a cellulose, and particles of a zeolite.

7. The electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the insulator particles comprise particles of a solid electrolyte.

8. A nonaqueous electrolyte battery comprising:

a negative electrode;

a positive electrode; and

a nonaqueous electrolyte,

wherein at least one of the negative electrode and the positive electrode is the electrode according to claim 1 .

9. A battery pack comprising the nonaqueous electrolyte battery according to claim 8 .

10. The battery pack according to claim 9 , further comprising:

an external power distribution terminal; and

a protective circuit.

11. A battery pack comprising nonaqueous electrolyte batteries each according to claim 8 , wherein the nonaqueous electrolyte batteries are electrically connected in series, in parallel, or in combination of series and parallel.

12. A vehicle comprising the battery pack according to claim 9 .

13. The vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein the battery pack is configured to recover a regenerative energy of a power of the vehicle.

14. The electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the distance T 1 is within a range of 0.1≤T 1 /T≤0.9.

15. The electrode according to claim 7 , wherein the particles of the solid electrolyte are inorganic solid particles having Li-ion conductivity.

16. The electrode according to claim 15 , wherein the inorganic solid particles comprise at least one kind of particles selected from the group consisting of:

particles of Li 5+m A m La 3−m M4 2 O 12 , wherein A is at least one selected from the group consisting of Ca, Sr, and Ba; M4 is at least one of Nb and Ta; m is within the range of 0≤m ≤1.5;

particles of Li 3 M5 2−n L 2 O 12 ,wherein M5 is at least one of Ta and Nb; L is Zr; n is within the range of 0≤n≤0.5;

particles of Li 7−3p Al p La 3 Zr 3 O 12 , where 0≤p≤0.3; and

particles of Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 .

17. The electrode according to claim 2 , wherein a ratio D i /D a of the average particle size is from 0.0001 to 0.5, wherein D i is the average particle size of the insulator particles and D a is the average particle size of the active material particles.

18. The electrode according to claim 2 , wherein a ratio D i /D a of the average particle size is from 0.01 to 0.2, wherein D i is the average particle size of the insulator particles and D a is the average particle size of the active material particles.

19. The electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the active material-containing layer has a gradient of the volume ratio of the insulator particles.