Scalable Advanced Li(Ni_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1)O₂ Cathode Materials from a Slug Flow Continuous Process

Abstract

Li[Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1]O2 (LNCMO811) is the most studied cathode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries with high energy density. However, available synthesis methods are time-consuming and complex, restricting their mass production. A scalable manufacturing process for producing NCM811 hydroxide precursors is vital for commercialization of the material. In this work, a three-phase slug flow reactor, which has been demonstrated for its ease of scale-up, better synthetic control, and excellent uniform mixing, was developed to control the initial stage of the coprecipitation of NCM811 hydroxide. Furthermore, an equilibrium model was established to predict the yield and composition of the final product. The homogeneous slurry from the slug flow system was obtained and then transferred into a ripening vessel for the necessary ripening process. Finally, the lithium–nickel–cobalt–manganese oxide was obtained through the calcination of the slug flow-derived precursor with lithium hydroxide, having a tap density of 1.3 g cm–3 with a well-layered structure. As-synthesized LNCMO811 shows a high specific capacity of 169.5 mAh g–1 at a current rate of 0.1C and a long cycling stability of 1000 cycling with good capacity retention. This demonstration provides a pathway toward scaling up the cathode synthesis process for large-scale battery applications.

l-Glutamic acid crystals of pure α form and uniform size distribution from continuous non-seeded reaction crystallization in slug flow

“…As the slug flow process is designed not based on a specific reaction nor concentration, but on general physical chemical principles (liquid volume segmentation for enhanced heat and mass transfer), it is potentially useful: (1) for improving the spatial uniformity of LGA reaction crystallization at other concentration combinations, allowing evaluating interactions between these concentrations with reduced variability and/or morphology tuning; and (2) for forming uniformly-sized crystals from other reactions besides LGA, allowing synthesizing and manufacturing other useful materials. 28,30,39,52…”

Low-cobalt active cathode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries: synthesis and performance enhancement methods

“…7a). 23 Liquid and gas are introduced into one end of the tube at selected flow rates to spontaneously generate alternating slugs of liquid and gas that remain stable while crystallization occurs in each liquid slug. Mixing within each stable self-circulating slug (Fig.…”

Direct Precipitation Pathway to Pure α-MnC2O4·2H2O Using Slug Flow toward the Scalable Nonfouling Fast Synthesis of Uniform Microcrystals

“…A wide variety of products contain active materials in crystalline forms, such as pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, agricultural fertilizers, and energy storage devices. − The product quality and manufacturing process efficiency can be largely affected by the quality of these crystals, such as their solid/form purity, shape, and size distribution. − Generating solids of high purity can be challenging from fast precipitation (reactive crystallization) , as multiple possible solid forms and associated pathways at similar energy levels can exist. So far, it is still not fully understood how to achieve 100% purity for each solid form (switching among different crystallization pathways) of many molecules, except for some well-studied ones such as l -glutamic acid. − It is even more challenging to scalably precipitate into uniform microcrystals of a selected solid form, which requires synchronizing all molecules or crystals along the same precipitation pathway.…”