Lithium secondary battery comprising spherical graphite as anode active material

• US 9,853,289 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ahn, Byoung Hoon, Koo, Chang-Wan, Bae, Joon Sung, Chung, Jae Bin
• Primary Examiner(s): Essex, Stephan
• Application Number:
  US14/230,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20140212750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/21 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2004/021 Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/133 Electrodes based on carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/1393 of electrodes based on carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/364 as mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/587 for inserting or intercalating light metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/622 being polymers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Disclosed is an anode active material for lithium secondary batteries that includes natural graphite particles consisting of spherical particles of agglomerated graphite sheets, outer surfaces of which are not coated with a carbon-based material, wherein the surfaces of the particles have a degree of amorphization of at least 0.3 within a range within which an R value [R=I₁₃₅₀/I₁₅₈₀] (I₁₃₅₀ is the intensity of Raman around 1350 cm⁻¹ and I₁₅₈₀ is the intensity of Raman around 1580 cm⁻¹) of a Raman spectrum is in the range of 0.30 to 1.0.

Claims

1. An anode mixture for secondary batteries, comprising:

an anode active material for lithium secondary batteries;

an aqueous binder; and

an aqueous thickening agent,

wherein the aqueous thickening agent is carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC), and the aqueous binder is styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR),

wherein the anode active material comprises natural graphite particles comprising spherical particles of agglomerated graphite sheets, outer surfaces of which are not coated with a carbon-based material, and

wherein the surfaces of the particles have a degree of amorphization ranging from 0.3 to 0.5 to control viscosity and stability of the mixture and have an R value of a Raman spectrum ranging from 0.3 to 1.0, wherein the R value is represented by the following formula;

R=I₁₃₅₀/I₁₅₈₀

wherein I₁₃₅₀ is a Raman intensity of about 1350 cm<sup>−

1</sup> and I₁₅₈₀ is a Raman intensity of about 1580 cm<sup>−

1</sup>.

2. The anode mixture according to claim 1, wherein the R value is 0.30 to 0.50.

3. The anode mixture according to claim 1, wherein the natural graphite particles have a hydrophilic substituent combined to at least some of the carbon atoms at surfaces thereof.

4. The anode mixture according to claim 1, wherein the natural graphite particles have an average particle diameter of 21 μ

m to 25 μ

m.

5. The anode mixture according to claim 1, wherein the natural graphite particles have a specific surface area of 4.5 m²/g to 5.5 m²/g.

6. The anode mixture according to claim 1, wherein an amount of the natural graphite particles is 90 wt % based on a total weight of the anode active material.

7. The anode mixture according to claim 1, wherein an amount of the CMC is 1.0 wt % to 2.0 wt % based on a total weight of the anode mixture.

8. The anode mixture according to claim 1, wherein an amount of the SBR is 1.0 wt % to 2.0 wt % based on a total weight of the anode mixture.

9. An anode manufactured by coating an anode current collector with the anode mixture according to claim 8 and drying the coated anode current collector.

10. A lithium secondary battery comprising the anode according to claim 9, a separator, and a cathode.

11. A battery module comprising the lithium secondary battery according to claim 10 as a unit battery.

12. The anode mixture according to claim 1, wherein the R value is great than 0.50 to 1.0.