Invented by KIM; Young-Ki, CHOI; Aram, KIM; Sangmi, DOO; Sungwook, KANG; Gwiwoon, LEE; Soonrewl

Lithium batteries power our phones, laptops, and electric cars. But what goes inside them is changing fast. Today, we’ll explore a new patent for a positive electrode active material—the part of the battery that helps store and release energy. We’ll break down the background, look at the science, and explain the invention in simple words. If you’re curious about how batteries are getting better, or if you want to understand the latest technology shaping our future, this article is for you.

Background and Market Context

Rechargeable lithium batteries are everywhere. They help run small gadgets like watches and cameras. They are also the heart of big machines like electric cars and renewable energy storage systems. As the world wants more power for longer times, batteries must keep up. We want batteries that last longer, charge faster, and work well in hot and cold weather.

The push for better batteries is not just about convenience. It’s about the environment, too. Electric cars can help us use less oil. Solar and wind power need good batteries to store energy for cloudy or calm days. But to make all this work, batteries must be safe, reliable, and affordable.

Right now, battery makers face some big problems. Today’s batteries can store only so much energy. They may not work as well after lots of charging and discharging. Some lose power quickly in cold weather. Others are expensive because they use rare metals. If we want better batteries, we need new materials inside them—especially in the positive electrode, which is a key part for energy storage.

Many companies are racing to find that “magic recipe.” They want to use materials that pack more energy, last longer, cost less, and are safe. But making these new materials is tricky. It’s not just about mixing chemicals. It’s about controlling how tiny particles come together, how they react to high voltages, and how stable they stay over time. When a new recipe works, it can help make batteries that change the world.

This patent is about a new way to make the positive electrode active material. It uses two kinds of particles, each with its own strengths. This mix promises to give batteries more energy, better performance at low temperatures, and longer life. It’s a step forward for everything from smartphones to electric cars, and even large-scale energy storage.

Scientific Rationale and Prior Art

To understand this new invention, let’s first talk about what’s inside a lithium battery. The battery has two main parts: the positive electrode (cathode) and the negative electrode (anode). When you charge and use your battery, lithium ions move back and forth between these two parts. The positive electrode is very important. It needs to store lots of lithium ions, give them up easily, and stay stable through many cycles.

In the past, many positive electrode materials have been tried. Some of the most common are:

Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO): This was used in early batteries. It stores a good amount of energy but uses cobalt, which is expensive and not always easy to get.

Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP): This material is safe and lasts a long time. But it can’t store as much energy as some others. It also works at a lower voltage, so batteries made from LFP are good for safety but not always for high power.

Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC): This is very popular in new batteries. It uses a mix of nickel, manganese, and cobalt. By changing the mix, companies can make batteries with more energy or longer life. But cobalt is still a problem because it’s costly and can be hard to find.

Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (NCA): This is used in some electric vehicles. Like NMC, it stores a lot of energy but still uses cobalt.

Olivine-based Materials: These are a type of LFP, but with tweaks. They have a special crystal structure that makes them stable and safe.

For years, researchers have tried to make the perfect positive electrode. The ideal material would be safe, store lots of energy, last through many cycles, and work well even in the cold. But every type has its trade-offs. Some are safe but don’t store enough energy. Others hold lots of energy but can break down or are too costly.

To fix these problems, scientists have tried mixing different metals together or adding small amounts of extra elements (called doping). For example, adding manganese (Mn) can help make the electrode more stable. Adding nickel (Ni) can help store more energy. Sometimes, a very small amount of titanium (Ti) or aluminum (Al) is added to improve how the particles behave.

But making a good mix is not easy. The metals must be mixed just right. The particles should be the right size and shape. If they are too big, the battery may not work well. If too small, they may clump together or react in ways that cause problems. The surface of each particle also matters, because it touches the liquid inside the battery. If the surface breaks down, the battery can lose power or wear out fast.

Some past inventions have tried to mix two types of materials in the positive electrode. For example, they may use one material for stability and another for high energy. But often, the mix is not balanced well. Sometimes, the particles are not coated or shaped in the best way, so the battery does not get all the benefits.

The new patent builds on all this past work. It combines the strengths of different materials but pays special attention to how the particles are made, how big they are, what is on their surface, and the exact mix of metals inside. It even controls the amount of manganese in the two types of particles, making sure the ratio is just right. This careful control helps the battery perform better in real-world conditions.

Invention Description and Key Innovations

Now, let’s explain what makes this new positive electrode active material special. The invention uses a mix of two different particles:

First Particle (Polycrystal):
This is a group of tiny particles stuck together, forming a bigger “polycrystal” ball or oval. The inside is made up of many small pieces, each around 50–150 nanometers wide (that’s about 1,000 times smaller than a human hair). The whole ball is 3–10 micrometers across.

These first particles use an olivine-based lithium compound (like lithium iron phosphate, but with some manganese and a little titanium as a dopant). The manganese helps make the material stable at high voltage. The titanium helps the particles stay the right size, improves charging and discharging, and makes the battery last longer. The surface of each particle is coated with carbon, which helps electricity flow better. Sometimes, there are also coatings of titanium, magnesium, or vanadium compounds, making the particle even more stable.

Because these particles are bigger and tightly packed, less binder is needed to stick them to the battery’s current collector. This means more of the battery’s space is used for storing energy, not just for holding the material together.

Second Particle (Single Particle):
This is a smaller, single crystal or a small clump of crystals, each about 200–500 nanometers wide, with the whole particle about 3–5 micrometers across. These particles contain a nickel-rich lithium compound, but also have a lot of manganese (up to 50% of the transition metals), plus some cobalt and a little aluminum, titanium, magnesium, zirconium, molybdenum, or niobium as dopants.

The surface of these particles is coated with boron and aluminum compounds. This coating helps keep the structure stable during charging and discharging, so the battery lasts longer and holds up under tough conditions.

The Magic is in the Mix:
The key invention is how these two types of particles are mixed together. The ratio is carefully controlled—usually between 90:10 and 60:40 by weight. Even more important, the amount of manganese in the second particle is set to be 1 to 5 times the amount in the first particle. This ratio is not random. It’s based on lots of testing, which showed that this balance gives the best mix of energy storage, long life, and stable performance even at low temperatures.

Because the first particle is big and tightly packed, it helps the electrode stay dense and stick well. The second particle brings high energy and good stability. The coatings on both types keep them from breaking down. The result is a positive electrode active material that:

– Gives higher energy per volume (more power in the same space)
– Works better in cold and hot weather
– Lasts longer through many charging cycles
– Needs less binder, so more of the space is used for energy
– Stays stable at high voltages, making it safer

How Are These Particles Made?
The process starts by mixing the right chemicals for each type of particle. For the first particle, a manganese iron phosphate precursor, a lithium source, a carbon source, and a dopant source (like titanium) are mixed in a solvent and spray-dried. This forms little balls of particles. These are then baked at high temperature in a nitrogen atmosphere, which makes them strong and gives them the right crystal structure. The carbon coating forms as part of this baking.

For the second particle, a nickel-based precursor is made using a method called co-precipitation. This is mixed with lithium and sometimes a melting agent, then baked in oxygen. The particles are ground to the right size, washed, coated with boron and aluminum oxides, dried, and heat-treated again to set the surface coating.

After both types of particles are ready, they are mixed in the right ratio. The mix is tested to make sure the manganese content is balanced between the two types.

How Well Does It Work?
Test results in the patent show that batteries made with this material have higher density, better capacity per volume, and work well even after many charge cycles. They perform better at low temperatures than older materials. The particles also stick well to the current collector with less binder, which means more space for active material.

In simple terms, this invention makes batteries that can store more energy, last longer, and work better in tough conditions—all while using less expensive or rare metals. This can lower costs and help make electric cars, phones, and other devices more powerful and reliable.

Conclusion

This new patent brings a smart mix of science and engineering to solve real problems in battery technology. By carefully designing and mixing two types of particles—each with its own special features—and controlling their size, surface, and chemistry, the inventors have created a positive electrode active material that delivers more energy, better safety, and longer life. This is good news for anyone who uses electronic devices, drives an electric car, or cares about clean energy. As battery technology keeps moving forward, inventions like this will help us build a more connected and sustainable future.

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