Positive electrode for lithium secondary battery comprising iron oxide and lithium secondary battery comprising the same
阅读说明：本技术 包含铁氧化物的锂二次电池的正极和包含所述正极的锂二次电池 (Positive electrode for lithium secondary battery comprising iron oxide and lithium secondary battery comprising the same ) 是由 韩承勋 芮成知 于 2019-06-28 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种包含铁氧化物作为添加剂的锂二次电池的正极和包含所述正极的锂二次电池。在包含应用了铁氧化物的正极的锂二次电池的情况下,所述铁氧化物吸收在所述锂二次电池的充电和放电过程中产生的多硫化锂(LiPS),从而显示增加所述电池的充电/放电效率和改善寿命特性的效果。(The present invention relates to a positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery comprising iron oxide as an additive and a lithium secondary battery comprising the same. In the case of a lithium secondary battery comprising a positive electrode to which an iron oxide is applied, the iron oxide absorbs lithium polysulfide (LiPS) generated during charge and discharge of the lithium secondary battery, thereby exhibiting the effects of increasing charge/discharge efficiency of the battery and improving life characteristics.)
1. A positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery comprising an active material, a conductive material, and a binder, wherein the positive electrode comprises an iron oxide represented by the following formula 1:
[ formula 1]
FexO3(wherein x is more than or equal to 1.7 and less than 2).
2. The positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the content of the iron oxide is 0.1 to 15 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the base solid material contained in the positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery.
3. The positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the iron oxide forms secondary particles by aggregation of primary particles.
4. The positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 3, wherein the primary particles have a particle diameter of 10nm to 80 nm.
5. The positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 3, wherein the secondary particles have a particle diameter of 1 μm to 5 μm.
6. The positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the iron oxide is crystalline.
7. The positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the iron oxide has XRD peaks occurring at 24.2 ° ± 0.1 °, 33.8 ° ± 0.1 °, 36.0 ° ± 0.1 °, 40.8 ° ± 0.1 °, 49.4 ° ± 0.1 ° and 53.8 ° ± 0.1 °, respectively.
8. The positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the active material is a sulfur-carbon composite.
9. The positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 8, wherein the sulfur-carbon composite has a sulfur content of 60 to 90 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the sulfur-carbon composite.
10. The positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the positive electrode comprises a current collector and an electrode active material layer formed on at least one side of the current collector, the electrode active material layer comprises an active material, a conductive material and a binder, and the porosity of the electrode active material layer is 60% to 75%.
11. A lithium secondary battery comprising a cathode, an anode, a separator interposed between the cathode and the anode, and an electrolyte, wherein the cathode is the cathode for a lithium secondary battery according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
12. The lithium secondary battery according to claim 11, wherein the lithium secondary battery contains sulfur in the positive electrode.
Technical Field
This application claims benefit based on the priority of korean patent application No. 10-2018-0082513, filed on 16.7.7.2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery comprising iron oxide as a positive electrode additive and a lithium secondary battery having improved discharge characteristics comprising the same.
Background
Since the 90 s of the 20 th century, a secondary battery has become an important electronic component of a portable electronic device as a power storage device capable of being continuously charged and discharged, unlike a primary battery which can be discharged only once. In particular, since lithium ion secondary batteries were commercialized in japan by Sony corporation (Sony) in 1992, they have led to the information age as key components of portable electronic devices such as smart phones, digital cameras, and notebook computers.
In recent years, the demand for lithium ion secondary batteries is rapidly increasing, while further widening the application fields, from power sources for cleaners and electric tools, medium-sized batteries to be used in fields such as electric bicycles and electric scooters, to large-capacity batteries for applications such as Electric Vehicles (EVs), Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and various robots and Electrical Storage Systems (ESS).
However, the lithium secondary battery having the best characteristics among the secondary batteries known so far also has several problems in being actively used in transportation vehicles such as electric vehicles and PHEVs, and among them, the biggest problem is a limitation in capacity.
The lithium secondary battery is basically composed of materials such as a positive electrode, an electrolyte, and a negative electrode. Among them, since the capacity of the battery is determined by the materials of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, the lithium ion secondary battery is limited in capacity due to the material limitations of the positive electrode and the negative electrode. In particular, since a secondary battery used for applications such as electric vehicles and PHEVs should be able to last as long as possible after being charged once, the discharge capacity of the secondary battery is very important. One of the biggest limiting factors in the sale of electric vehicles is that the distance that can be traveled after one charge is much shorter than a normal gasoline engine vehicle.
In spite of many efforts, the capacity limit of such a lithium secondary battery is difficult to completely solve due to structural and material limitation factors of the lithium secondary battery. Therefore, in order to fundamentally solve the capacity problem of the lithium secondary battery, it is necessary to develop a new concept secondary battery beyond the concept of the existing secondary battery.
The lithium-sulfur battery is a new type of high-capacity and low-cost battery system that exceeds the capacity limit determined by intercalation/deintercalation reaction of lithium ions into a metal oxide of a layered structure and graphite, which is a basic principle of the existing lithium-ion secondary battery, and can cause substitution of transition metals and cost saving.
The lithium-sulfur cell has a theoretical capacity of 1675mAh/g, which results from the conversion reaction (S) of lithium ions and sulfur in the positive electrode8+16Li++16e-→8Li2S), and the negative electrode enables the battery system to have a very high capacity (theoretical capacity: 3860 mAh/g). Further, since the discharge voltage was about 2.2V, the theoretical energy density was 2600Wh/kg based on the amounts of the positive and negative electrode active materials. These values are for commercial lithium secondary batteries (LiCoO) using layered metal oxides and graphite2Graphite) of 6 to 7 times the theoretical energy density of 400 Wh/kg.
After it was found in about 2010 that the lithium sulfur battery can significantly improve battery performance by forming a nanocomposite, the lithium sulfur secondary battery has attracted attention as a novel high-capacity, environmentally-friendly, low-cost lithium secondary battery, and is currently being intensively studied worldwide as a next-generation battery system.
One of the major problems of the lithium sulfur secondary batteries disclosed so far is that sulfur has about 5.0 × 10-14S/cm conductivity and thus close to nonconductors, electrochemical reactions at the electrodes do not easily proceed, and the actual discharge capacity and voltage are much lower than the theoretical values due to very large overvoltage. Early researchers attempted to improve performance by methods such as mechanical ball milling of sulfur and carbon or surface coating with carbon, but had no substantial effect.
To effectively solve the problem of the limitation of electrochemical reaction due to conductivity, LiFePO as one of other positive active materials is required4(conductivity: 10)-9S/cm to 10-10S/cm), particle size is reduced to a size of several tens of nanometers or less and surface treatment is performed with a conductive material, and for this reason, various chemical methods (melt infiltration into a nano-sized porous carbon nanostructure or metal oxide structure), physical methods (high energy ball milling), and the like have been reported.
Another major problem associated with lithium sulfur secondary batteries is the dissolution of lithium polysulfide, an intermediate product of sulfur generated during discharge, into the electrolyte. As the discharge proceeds, sulfur (S)8) Continuously reacts with lithium ions, and its phase is continuously changed into S8→Li2S8→(Li2S6)→Li2S4→Li2S2→Li2S, etc., wherein Li2S8And Li2S4(lithium polysulfide) is a long chain of sulfur and is easily dissolved in general electrolytes used in lithium ion batteries. When this reaction occurs, not only the reversible positive electrode capacity is greatly reduced, but also the dissolved lithium polysulfide diffuses into the negative electrode and causes various side reactions.
Lithium polysulfide causes a shuttle reaction particularly during charging, so the charge capacity continues to increase and the charge/discharge efficiency rapidly deteriorates. Recently, in order to solve such problems, various methods have been proposed, which can be roughly classified into a method of improving an electrolyte, a method of improving a surface of an anode, a method of improving a positive performance, and the like.
The method of improving the electrolyte is a method of controlling the dispersion rate to the negative electrode by using a novel electrolyte having a novel composition, such as a functional liquid electrolyte, a polymer electrolyte, and an ionic liquid, and thereby controlling the dissolution of polysulfide into the electrolyte or by adjusting the viscosity or the like to suppress the shuttle reaction as much as possible.
Research into controlling the shuttle reaction by improving the characteristics of an SEI formed on the surface of a negative electrode has been actively conducted. Typically, there are additions such as LiNO3To form an electrolyte additive such as Li on the surface of a lithium negative electrodexNOyOr LixSOyA method of forming a thick functional SEI layer on the surface of lithium metal, etc.
Finally, as a method of improving the positive performance, there are methods of forming a coating layer on the surface of the positive electrode particle to prevent dissolution of polysulfide, adding a porous material capable of capturing the dissolved polysulfide, and the like. Conventionally, there have been proposed methods of coating the surface of a positive electrode structure containing sulfur particles with a conductive polymer; a method of coating the surface of the positive electrode structure with a lithium ion transporting metal oxide; a method of adding a porous metal oxide having a large specific surface area and a large pore diameter and capable of absorbing a large amount of lithium polysulfide to a positive electrode; a method of attaching a functional group capable of adsorbing lithium polysulfide to the surface of a carbon structure; a method of coating sulfur particles with graphene or graphene oxide, and the like.
Despite these efforts, these methods are not only somewhat complicated, but also have the problem of limiting the amount of sulfur that can be added as an active material. Therefore, it is required to develop a new technology to comprehensively solve these problems and improve the performance of the lithium sulfur battery.
Disclosure of Invention
[ problem ] to provide a method for producing a semiconductor device
Therefore, in order to solve the problem of elution of lithium polysulfide occurring on the positive electrode side of a lithium sulfur battery as one embodiment of a lithium secondary battery and to suppress a side reaction with an electrolytic solution, the inventors of the present invention have introduced iron oxide having a specific oxidation number into the positive electrode of the battery, and thus have confirmed that, by solving the above problem, the battery performance of the lithium secondary battery can be improved, thereby completing the present invention.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a positive electrode additive for a lithium secondary battery capable of solving the problems caused by lithium polysulfide.
Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a lithium secondary battery comprising the positive electrode and thus having improved battery life characteristics.
[ technical solution ] A
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery comprising an active material, a conductive material and a binder, wherein the positive electrode comprises an iron oxide represented by the following formula 1:
[ formula 1]
FexO3(wherein x is more than or equal to 1.7 and less than 2).
In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of the iron oxide is 0.1 to 15 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the base solid material contained in the positive electrode of the lithium secondary battery.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the iron oxide forms secondary particles by aggregation of primary particles.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the primary particles have a particle size of 10nm to 80 nm.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the secondary particles have a particle size of 1 μm to 5 μm.
In one embodiment of the invention, the iron oxide is crystalline.
In one embodiment of the invention, the iron oxide has XRD peaks appearing at 24.2 ° ± 0.1 °, 33.8 ° ± 0.1 °, 36.0 ° ± 0.1 °, 40.8 ° ± 0.1 °, 49.4 ° ± 0.1 ° and 53.8 ° ± 0.1 °, respectively.
In one embodiment of the invention, the active material is a sulfur-carbon composite.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the sulfur-carbon composite has a sulfur content of 60 to 90 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the sulfur-carbon composite.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the positive electrode comprises a current collector and an electrode active material layer formed on at least one side of the current collector, the electrode active material layer comprises an active material, a conductive material and a binder, and the porosity of the electrode active material layer is 60% to 75%.
Further, the present invention provides a lithium secondary battery comprising the above positive electrode; a negative electrode; a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; and an electrolyte.
[ PROBLEMS ] the present invention
If the iron oxide according to the present invention is applied to the positive electrode of a lithium secondary battery, it is possible to increase the reactivity of the positive electrode of the lithium secondary battery and to suppress side reactions with an electrolyte solution by adsorbing lithium polysulfides generated during charge/discharge of the lithium secondary battery.
The lithium secondary battery comprising the positive electrode containing the iron oxide can realize a battery having a high capacity because the capacity of sulfur is not reduced and sulfur can be stably applied at a high loading amount, thereby also improving the stability of the battery because overvoltage of the battery is improved and there are no problems such as short circuit and heat generation of the battery. In addition, the lithium secondary battery has advantages in that the charging/discharging efficiency of the battery is high and the life characteristics are improved.
Drawings
FIG. 1 shows iron oxide (Fe) of preparation example 1 according to the present invention1.766O3) Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photograph of (a).
FIG. 2 shows iron oxide (Fe) of preparation example 2 according to the present invention1.766O3) Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photograph of (a).
FIG. 3 shows iron oxide (Fe) of preparation example 1 according to the present invention1.766O3) X-ray diffraction (XRD) result of (a).
FIG. 4 shows iron oxide (Fe) of preparation example 2 according to the present invention1.766O3) X-ray diffraction (XRD) result of (a).
Fig. 5 shows the change in chromaticity of the adsorption reaction of lithium polysulfide according to the example of the present invention and the comparative example as the measurement result of UV absorbance.
Fig. 6 shows the measurement results of the initial discharge capacity of the lithium secondary batteries including the positive electrodes according to the examples and comparative examples of the present invention.
Detailed Description
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited thereto.
The terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to general terms or dictionary terms, but should be construed as meanings and concepts consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term to describe his invention in the best possible manner.
The term "composite" as used herein refers to a material in which two or more materials are combined to exhibit a more effective function while forming phases that are physically and chemically different from each other.
The lithium secondary battery is manufactured by using a material capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium ions as an anode and a cathode and filling an organic electrolyte or a polymer electrolyte between the anode and the cathode, and refers to an electrochemical device that generates electric energy through oxidation/reduction reactions when lithium ions are intercalated and deintercalated at the cathode and the anode. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the lithium secondary battery may be a lithium sulfur battery including "sulfur" as an electrode active material of a positive electrode.
The present invention provides a positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery, which is improved in the problems of continuous deterioration of electrode reactivity, decrease in discharge capacity, and the like due to the dissolution and shuttling phenomena of lithium polysulfide, by compensating for the disadvantages of a conventional positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery.
Specifically, the positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery according to the present invention is characterized by further comprising an iron oxide represented by the following formula 1 as a positive electrode additive, in addition to an active material, a conductive material and a binder:
[ formula 1]
FexO3(wherein x is more than or equal to 1.7 and less than 2).
In particular, the iron oxide is contained in the positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery of the present invention to adsorb lithium polysulfide, thereby being capable of reducing the problem of lithium polysulfide transfer to the negative electrode and thus shortening the life of the lithium secondary battery, and suppressing a reduction in reactivity due to lithium polysulfide, thereby increasing the discharge capacity of the lithium secondary battery including the positive electrode and improving the life of the battery.
Process for preparing iron oxide
The method for preparing iron oxide according to the present invention may comprise the steps of:
(1) mixing Fe (NO)3)3·9H2Dissolving O in distilled water to prepare Fe (NO)3)3·9H2An aqueous solution of O;
(2) drying said Fe (NO)3)3·9H2An aqueous solution of O; and
(3) for the dried Fe (NO)3)3·9H2O is heat-treated to obtain iron oxide represented by the following formula 1:
[ formula 1]
FexO3(wherein x is more than or equal to 1.7 and less than 2).
Can convert Fe (NO)3)3·9H2O is dissolved in an aqueous solvent to prepare an aqueous solution, and preferably, Fe (NO) may be dissolved3)3·9H2O is dissolved in deionized water (DIW) or the like. The concentration of the aqueous solution may be 0.5M to 5.0M, preferably 1.0M to 2.0M. If the concentration of the aqueous solution is less than 0.5M, the evaporation rate of the aqueous solution may be slow, and thus, crystals of the iron oxide to be produced may become large or the production yield of the iron oxide may be reduced. If the concentration of the aqueous solution is more than 5.0M, the preparationThe prepared iron oxide may aggregate and the physical properties of the iron oxide may not be suitable for use as a positive electrode additive for a lithium secondary battery.
Fe (NO) may also be treated before the heat treatment for the preparation of iron oxide3)3·9H2The aqueous O solution is subjected to a pretreatment step for drying. Drying may be carried out at from 70 ℃ to 90 ℃, preferably from 75 ℃ to 85 ℃. Further, the drying may be performed in the above temperature range for 4 hours to 12 hours, preferably 5 hours to 8 hours. If the temperature is lower than the above temperature or the drying time is short, the reactant Fe (NO) is used3)3·9H2Moisture of O may excessively remain and then the moisture may be unevenly evaporated in the heat treatment process, so that the iron oxide represented by the above formula 1 according to the present invention may not be synthesized. Further, if the temperature exceeds the above range or the drying time is long, Fe (NO) is present as a reactant3)3·9H2After the moisture of O is completely evaporated, an oxidation reaction due to the heat treatment may be partially performed. In this case, an uneven oxidation reaction may occur in the heat treatment process, and the material represented by formula 1 above may not be synthesized. Therefore, it is adjusted appropriately within the above range. The pre-treatment step for drying may be carried out using a convection oven in an environment where sufficient air is introduced.
Fe (NO) mentioned above3)3·9H2O may be heat-treated after being subjected to a pretreatment for drying to produce iron oxide represented by the above formula 1. The heat treatment may be carried out at 120 to 170 ℃, preferably at 150 to 160 ℃.
Further, the heat treatment may be performed within the above temperature range for 16 hours to 36 hours, preferably 18 hours to 24 hours. If the heat treatment temperature is less than 120 ℃ or the heat treatment time is shorter than the above heat treatment time, the reaction cannot be terminated and is not a structure of the above formula 1 such as Fe (OH)2NO3Etc. may remain. In addition, if the heat treatment temperature exceeds 170 ℃ or the heat treatment time is longer than the above heat treatment time, the produced particles may exhibit large sizes and aggregated formsAnd may generate Fe different from the iron oxide represented by formula 12O3The stabilizing substance of (1). Therefore, since it may be difficult to synthesize the iron oxide having desired physical properties according to the present invention, the treatment temperature and the treatment time are appropriately adjusted within the above-mentioned temperature and time ranges. The heat treatment step may be performed using a convection oven in an environment where sufficient air is introduced.
Fe (NO) mentioned above3)3·9H2O evolves HNO by a heat treatment step3(g) To produce a material represented by formula 1 above. The oxidation number of iron in formula 1 may have various oxidation numbers depending on the heat treatment time and temperature. In formula 1, it is preferable that x is 1.7 ≦ x < 1.9, more preferably 1.7 ≦ x < 1.8, and according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, x ═ 1.766.
The prepared iron oxide may form secondary particles by aggregation of the primary particles. At this time, the primary particles may have a particle diameter of 10nm to 80nm, and preferably 20nm to 50 nm. The secondary particles formed by aggregation of the primary particles may have a particle diameter of 1 μm to 5 μm, preferably 2 μm to 3 μm. As the particle diameter of the secondary particle decreases within the above range, it is suitable as a positive electrode material for a lithium secondary battery. If the particle diameter of the secondary particles is larger than the above range, the particle size may be too large to be suitable as a positive electrode additive for a lithium secondary battery.
If the iron oxide prepared by the above-described method for preparing iron oxide is applied to a lithium secondary battery, it is possible to adsorb lithium polysulfide, which is dissolved out when the lithium secondary battery is charged/discharged, thereby improving the performance of the lithium secondary battery.
The iron oxide produced by the above reaction may be crystalline.
Fig. 1 and 2 show Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photographs of iron oxides according to preparation examples 1 and 2 prepared by the above-described preparation method. In fig. 1, iron oxide prepared according to the method of the present invention can be confirmed.
Fig. 3 and 4 show the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data of the iron oxide prepared by the above-described preparation method. As a result of the X-ray diffraction analysis using CuK α rays shown in fig. 3 and 4, XRD peaks appear at 24.2 ° ± 0.1 °, 33.8 ° ± 0.1 °, 36.0 ° ± 0.1 °, 40.8 ° ± 0.1 °, 49.4 ° ± 0.1 ° and 53.8 ° ± 0.1 °, respectively. By detecting the valid peaks in fig. 3 and 4, it can be confirmed that iron oxide according to the present invention was synthesized.
A significant or effective peak in X-ray diffraction (XRD) refers to a peak which is repeatedly detected in substantially the same pattern in XRD data without being significantly affected by analysis conditions or analysts, and in other words, refers to a peak whose height, intensity, etc. are at least 1.5 times, preferably at least 2 times, and more preferably at least 2.5 times the background level.
Positive electrode for lithium secondary battery
One embodiment of the lithium secondary battery according to the present invention may be a lithium-sulfur battery including a positive electrode containing sulfur as an electrode active material.
The present invention provides a positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery comprising an active material, a conductive material and a binder, wherein the positive electrode comprises an iron oxide represented by the following formula 1:
[ formula 1]
FexO3(wherein x is more than or equal to 1.7 and less than 2).
At this time, the positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery may include a current collector and an electrode active material layer formed on at least one side of the current collector, and the electrode active material layer may include a base solid material including an active material, a conductive material, and a binder.
As the current collector, aluminum, nickel, or the like having excellent conductivity is preferably used.
In one embodiment, the iron oxide represented by the above formula 1 may be contained in an amount of 0.1 to 15 parts by weight, specifically, 1 to 10 parts by weight, preferably 5 to 10 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the base solid material containing the active material, the conductive material and the binder. If the content is less than the lower limit of the above numerical range, the effect of adsorption on polysulfides may not be significant. If the content exceeds the upper limit value, the energy density of the battery may decrease and therefore, the capacity of the electrode may decrease, which is not preferable. As the iron oxide, iron oxide produced by the production method described in the present invention can be used.
The active material in the base solid material constituting the positive electrode of the present invention may contain elemental sulfur (S)8) A sulfur-containing compound, or a mixture thereof, and the sulfur-containing compound may be specifically Li2Sn(n.gtoreq.1), organic sulfur compound or carbon-sulfur polymer ((C)2Sx)n: x is 2.5 to 50, n is 2).
The positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery according to the present invention may preferably contain an active material of a sulfur-carbon composite, and sulfur alone is non-conductive and thus may be used in combination with a conductive material. The addition of iron oxide according to the present invention does not affect the maintenance of the sulfur-carbon composite structure.
In one embodiment, the sulfur-carbon composite may contain 60 to 90 parts by weight of sulfur, specifically 65 to 85 parts by weight of sulfur, and preferably 70 to 80 parts by weight of sulfur, based on 100 parts by weight of the sulfur-carbon composite. If the sulfur content is less than 60 parts by weight, the content of the carbon material of the sulfur-carbon composite relatively increases, and the specific surface area increases with the increase in the carbon content, and therefore, the addition amount of the binder must be increased when preparing the slurry. An increase in the amount of addition of the binder may eventually increase the sheet resistance of the electrode, and thus may act as an insulator preventing electrons from passing through, thereby deteriorating the performance of the battery. If the sulfur content exceeds 90 parts by weight, sulfur or sulfur compounds that are not bound to the carbon material may aggregate with each other or re-elute to the surface of the carbon material, and thus, it may be difficult to receive electrons, thereby making it difficult to directly participate in the electrode reaction. Therefore, the sulfur content is appropriately adjusted within the above range.
The carbon of the sulfur-carbon composite according to the present invention may have a porous structure or a high specific surface area, and may be any of those conventionally used in the art. For example, the porous carbon material may be, but is not limited to, selected from the group consisting of graphite; graphene; carbon black such as DENKA carbon black (Denkablack), acetylene black, ketjen black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal black; carbon Nanotubes (CNTs), such as single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs); carbon fibers such as Graphite Nanofibers (GNF), Carbon Nanofibers (CNF), and Activated Carbon Fibers (ACF); and activated carbon, and its shape may be used in the form of a sphere, rod, needle, plate, tube, or block without limitation, as long as it is generally used in a lithium secondary battery.
The active material may be preferably used in an amount of 50 parts by weight to 95 parts by weight, more preferably about 70 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the base solid material. If the active material is contained in an amount less than the above range, it is difficult to sufficiently perform the reaction of the electrode. Even if the active material is included in an amount greater than the above range, the contents of the other conductive material and the binder are relatively insufficient and it is difficult to exhibit sufficient electrode reaction. Therefore, it is preferable to determine an appropriate content within the above range.
In the base solid material constituting the positive electrode of the present invention, the conductive material is a material that electrically connects the electrolyte with the positive electrode active material and serves as a path for electrons to move from the current collector to sulfur, and is not particularly limited as long as it has porosity and conductivity without causing chemical changes in the battery. For example, graphite-based materials such as KS 6; carbon blacks such as Super P, carbon black, DENKA carbon black, acetylene black, Ketjen black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal black; carbon derivatives such as fullerenes; conductive fibers such as carbon fibers and metal fibers; carbon fluoride; metal powders such as aluminum powder and nickel powder; or conductive polymers such as polyaniline, polythiophene, polyacetylene, and polypyrrole.
The conductive material may be preferably used in an amount of 1 to 10 parts by weight, preferably about 5 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the base solid material. If the content of the conductive material contained in the electrode is less than the above range, the unreacted portion of sulfur in the electrode may increase and, finally, the capacity may decrease. If the content exceeds the above range, the high-efficiency discharge characteristics and the charge/discharge cycle life are adversely affected. Therefore, it is desirable to determine an appropriate content within the above range.
The binder as the base solid material is a material contained for the purpose of causing the slurry composition of the base solid material forming the positive electrode to adhere well to the current collector, and is a substance that is well dissolved in a solvent and can constitute a conductive network between the positive electrode active material and the conductive material. Unless otherwise stated, all binders known in the art may be used, and preferably, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, alkylated polyethylene oxide, cross-linked polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl ether, polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF), polyhexafluoropropylene, copolymers of polyvinylidene fluoride (product name: Kynar), polyethylacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinylpyridine, polystyrene, carboxymethyl cellulose, siloxane-based binders such as polydimethylsiloxane; a rubber-based binder comprising styrene-butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, and styrene-isoprene rubber; glycol-based binders such as polyethylene glycol diacrylate and derivatives thereof, blends thereof, and copolymers thereof, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
The binder may be used in an amount of 1 to 10 parts by weight, preferably about 5 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the base composition contained in the electrode. If the content of the binder resin is less than the above range, physical properties of the positive electrode may be deteriorated, and thus the positive electrode active material and the conductive material may be exfoliated. If the content of the binder resin exceeds the above range, the ratio of the active material and the conductive material in the positive electrode may relatively decrease, thereby decreasing the battery capacity. Therefore, the content of the binder resin is preferably determined by an appropriate content within the above range.
As described above, the positive electrode comprising the iron oxide and the base solid material may be prepared by a conventional method. For example, a solvent and, if necessary, a binder, a conductive material, and a dispersant are mixed into a positive electrode active material and stirred to prepare a slurry. Then, the prepared slurry may be applied (coated) on a current collector of a metal material, compressed, and then dried to manufacture a positive electrode.
For example, in preparing a positive electrode slurry, first, after dispersing iron oxide in a solvent, the obtained solution is mixed with an active material, a conductive material, and a binder to obtain a slurry composition for forming a positive electrode. Thereafter, the slurry composition is coated on a current collector and dried to complete the positive electrode. At this time, if necessary, the electrode may be manufactured by improving the density of the electrode by performing compression molding on the collector. The method of applying the slurry is not limited. For example, coating methods such as blade coating, dip coating, gravure coating, slot die coating, spin coating, comma coating, bar coating, reverse roll coating, screen printing coating, cap coating, and the like can be used.
At this time, a solvent capable of not only uniformly dispersing the cathode active material, the binder and the conductive material but also easily dissolving the iron oxide may be used as the solvent. As such a solvent, water is most preferable as an aqueous solvent and the water may be double Distilled Water (DW) or triple distilled deionized water (DIW), but is not necessarily limited thereto, and if necessary, a lower alcohol that can be easily mixed with water may be used. Examples of the lower alcohol include methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol and butanol, and they may be preferably used in admixture with water.
In one embodiment, the cathode includes a current collector and an electrode active material layer formed on at least one side of the current collector, the electrode active material layer includes an active material, a conductive material and a binder, and the porosity of the electrode active material layer may be 60% to 75%, specifically 60% to 70%, and preferably 65% to 70%.
In the present invention, the term "porosity" refers to the ratio of the volume occupied by pores to the total volume in the structure, and its unit is%.
In the present invention, the measurement of the porosity is not particularly limited. For example, according to one embodiment of the present invention, micropore and mesopore volumes can be measured by, for example, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurement method or an Hg porosimeter.
If the porosity of the electrode active material layer is less than 60%, the filling degree of the base solid material comprising the active material, the conductive material and the binder may become excessively high, and thus a sufficient electrolyte capable of exhibiting ion conductivity and/or conductivity may not be maintained between the active materials, and therefore, the output characteristics and the cycle characteristics of the battery may be deteriorated, and furthermore, the overvoltage of the battery is severe and the discharge capacity is greatly reduced, and thus there is a problem in that the effect produced by including the iron oxide according to the present invention may not be appropriately exhibited. If the porosity exceeds 75% and is thus too high, there are problems in that physical and electrical connection with the current collector is reduced and adhesion is reduced and reaction may become difficult, and the energy density of the battery may be reduced because pores due to the increase in porosity are filled with the electrolyte. Therefore, the porosity is appropriately controlled within the above range. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the porosity may be achieved by a method selected from the group consisting of a hot press method, a roll press method, a plate press method, and a roll lamination method.
Lithium secondary battery
Meanwhile, the present invention provides a lithium secondary battery comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and an electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode is the positive electrode as described above.
At this time, the anode, the separator, and the electrolyte may be made of conventional materials that may be used in a lithium secondary battery.
Specifically, the negative electrode may contain lithium ions (Li) capable of reversibly intercalating or deintercalating+) A material capable of reacting with lithium ions to reversibly form a lithium-containing compound, lithium metal or a lithium alloy as an active material.
Capable of reversibly intercalating or deintercalating lithium ions (Li)+) The material of (a) may be, for example, crystalline carbon, amorphous carbon or a mixture thereof. Furthermore, it is capable of reacting with lithium ions (Li)+) The material that reacts reversibly to form a lithium-containing compound can be, for example, a tin oxideTitanium nitrate or silicon. Further, the lithium alloy may Be, for example, an alloy of lithium and a metal selected from the group consisting of Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra, Al, and Sn.
In addition, the anode may optionally include a binder in addition to the anode active material. The binder serves to make the anode active material into a paste and to generate mutual adhesion between the active materials, adhesion between the active material and the collector and a buffering action on expansion and contraction of the active material, and the like. Specifically, the binder is the same as the above-described binder.
In addition, the anode may further include a current collector for supporting an anode active layer including an anode active material and a binder. The current collector may be selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, silver, palladium, nickel, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof. The stainless steel may be surface-treated with carbon, nickel, titanium or silver, and an aluminum-cadmium alloy may be used as an alloy. Further, sintered carbon, a non-conductive polymer surface-treated with a conductive material, or a conductive polymer may be used.
In addition, the negative electrode may be a thin film of lithium metal.
As the separator, a material capable of separating or insulating the positive electrode and the negative electrode from each other while allowing lithium ions to be transported therebetween is used. The separator may be used as a separator without any particular limitation so long as it is used as a separator in a lithium secondary battery. In particular, it is desirable to use a separator having excellent wettability to an electrolyte and at the same time having low resistance to ion migration of the electrolyte.
More preferably, as a material for the separator, a porous, electrically non-conductive, or insulating material may be used, and for example, the separator may be a separate member such as a film, or may contain a coating layer added to the positive electrode and/or the negative electrode.
Specifically, a porous polymer film, for example, a porous polymer film made of a polyolefin-based polymer such as an ethylene homopolymer, a propylene homopolymer, an ethylene/butene copolymer, an ethylene/hexene copolymer, an ethylene/methacrylate copolymer, and the like, may be used alone or in the form of a laminate thereof, or a conventional porous nonwoven fabric, for example, a nonwoven fabric made of glass fibers having a high melting point, polyethylene terephthalate fibers, and the like, may be used, but is not limited thereto.
The electrolyte is a lithium salt-containing nonaqueous electrolyte and is composed of a lithium salt and an electrolytic solution, and as the electrolytic solution, a nonaqueous organic solvent, an organic solid electrolyte, and an inorganic solid electrolyte are used.
The lithium salt is a substance that can be easily dissolved in a non-aqueous organic solvent, and may be, for example, one selected from the group consisting of LiCl, LiBr, LiI, LiClO4、LiBF4、LiB10Cl10、LiB(Ph)4、LiPF6、LiCF3SO3、LiCF3CO2、LiAsF6、LiSbF6、LiAlCl4、LiSO3CH3、LiSO3CF3、LiSCN、LiC(CF3SO2)3、LiN(CF3SO2)2Lithium chloroborane, lithium lower aliphatic carboxylate, lithium tetraphenylborate, and lithium iminate.
The concentration of the lithium salt may be from 0.2M to 2M, preferably from 0.6M to 2M, more preferably from 0.7M to 1.7M, depending on various factors such as the exact composition of the electrolyte mixture, the solubility of the salt, the conductivity of the dissolved salt, the charging and discharging conditions of the battery, the operating temperature, and other factors known in the art of lithium batteries. If the concentration of the lithium salt is less than the above range, the conductivity of the electrolyte may be reduced, and thus the performance of the electrolyte may be deteriorated. If the concentration of the lithium salt exceeds the above range, the viscosity of the electrolyte may increase, and thus lithium ions (Li)+) May be reduced. Therefore, it is preferable to select an appropriate concentration of the lithium salt within the above range.
The nonaqueous organic solvent is a substance capable of dissolving the lithium salt well, and preferably, an aprotic organic solvent such as 1, 2-dimethoxyethane, 1, 2-diethoxyethane, 1, 2-dibutoxyethane, Dioxolane (DOL), 1, 4-dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, dimethyl carbonate (DMC), and the like,Diethyl carbonate (DEC), Ethyl Methyl Carbonate (EMC), propyl methyl carbonate (MPC), propyl ethyl carbonate, dipropyl carbonate, butyl ethyl carbonate, Ethyl Propionate (EP), toluene, xylene, dimethyl ether (DME), diethyl ether, triethylene glycol monomethyl ether (TEGME), diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether, hexamethylphosphoric triamide, gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), acetonitrile, propionitrile, Ethylene Carbonate (EC), Propylene Carbonate (PC), N-methylpyrrolidone, 3-methyl-2-Oxazolidinones, acetates, butyrates and propionates, dimethylformamide, Sulfolane (SL), methylsulfolane, dimethylacetamide, dimethylsulfoxide, dimethyl sulfate, ethylene glycol diacetate, dimethyl sulfite or ethylene glycol sulfite may be used alone or as a mixed solvent of two or more thereof.
As the organic solid electrolyte, preferably, a polyethylene derivative, a polyethylene oxide derivative, a polypropylene oxide derivative, a phosphate ester polymer, a polyalginate lysine, a polyester sulfide, a polyvinyl alcohol, a polyvinylidene fluoride, a polymer containing an ionic dissociation group, or the like can be used.
As the inorganic solid electrolyte of the present invention, preferably, a nitride, halide, sulfate, etc. of Li such as Li can be preferably used3N、LiI、Li5NI2、Li3N-LiI-LiOH、LiSiO4、LiSiO4-LiI-LiOH、Li2SiS3、Li4SiO4、Li4SiO4-LiI-LiOH、Li3PO4-Li2S-SiS2。
The shape of the lithium secondary battery as described above is not particularly limited and may be, for example, a jelly roll type, a stacked folded type (including a stacked Z-folded type), or a laminate stacked type, and is preferably a stacked folded type.
An electrode assembly in which the cathode, the separator, and the anode as described above were sequentially laminated was manufactured, and then it was placed in a battery case. Thereafter, a lithium secondary battery is manufactured by injecting an electrolyte into the upper part of the battery case and sealing it with a cap plate and a gasket.
The lithium secondary battery may be classified into a cylindrical shape, a prismatic shape, a coin shape, a pouch shape, etc., according to the shape, and may be classified into a block type and a film type according to the size. The structure and manufacturing method of these batteries are well known in the art, and thus, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
The lithium secondary battery according to the present invention, constructed as described above, includes iron oxide to adsorb lithium polysulfide generated during charge and discharge of the lithium secondary battery, thereby increasing reactivity of a positive electrode of the lithium secondary battery, and increasing discharge capacity and lifespan of the lithium secondary battery.
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples and the like. However, the scope and content of the present invention should not be construed as being narrowed or limited by the embodiments and the like. Further, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, based on the disclosure of the present invention including the following embodiments, that modifications and variations can be made in the embodiments of the present invention to practice the present invention, and that such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.