Multi-Stage Process for Producing a Material of a Battery Cell

Abstract

A system and method thereof are provided for multi-stage processing of one or more precursor compounds into a battery material. The system includes a mist generator, a drying chamber, one or more gas-solid separators, and one or more in-line reaction modules comprised of one or more gas-solid feeders, one or more gas-solid separators, and one or more reactors. Various gas-solid mixtures are formed within the internal plenums of the drying chamber, the gas-solid feeders, and the reactors. In addition, heated air or gas is served as the energy source within the processing system and as the gas source for forming the gas-solid mixtures to facilitate reaction rate and uniformity of the reactions therein. Precursor compounds are continuously delivered into the processing system and processed in-line through the internal plenums of the drying chamber and the reaction modules into final reaction particles useful as a battery material.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A battery material for forming into a portion of a battery cell, comprising:
 final solid particles of the battery material at a particle size of between 10 nm and 100 um obtained from processing in a system, wherein the system comprises:   a drying chamber connected to a first gas line and adapted to flow a first gas inside the drying chamber; a first gas-solid separator connected to the drying chamber, wherein the first gas-solid separator receives a chamber-product from the drying chamber and separates the chamber-product into a first type of solid particles and a first side product;   one or more gas-solid feeders connected to the first gas-solid separator and one or more second gas lines, wherein the one or more gas-solid feeders receive the first type of solid particles from the first gas-solid separator, mix a second gas with the first type of solid particles, and form one or more gas-solid mixtures therein;   one or more second gas-solid separators connected to the one or more gas-solid feeders, wherein the one or more second gas-solid separators separate the one or more gas-solid mixtures into one or more second types of solid particles and one or more side products; and   a reactor connected to the one or more second gas-solid separators and a third gas line having a third gas flowed therein, wherein the reactor receives the one or more second types of solid particles from the one or more second gas-solid separators and mixes the one or more second types of solid particles with the third gas into a reaction mixture, wherein final solid particles of the battery material are obtained from a reaction of the reaction mixture within the reactor.   
     
     
         2 . The battery material of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a mist generator connected to the drying chamber and adapted to generate a mist from a liquid mixture of one or more precursors.   
     
     
         3 . The battery material of  claim 2 , wherein a flow of the first gas is flowed into the drying chamber such that the flow of the first gas and the flow of the mist are flowed as co-currents. 
     
     
         4 . The battery material of  claim 2 , wherein a flow of the first gas is flowed into the drying chamber such that the flow of the first gas and the flow of the mist are flowed as counter-currents. 
     
     
         5 . The battery material of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first gas-solid separator and the one or more second gas-solid separators is selected from the group consisting of cyclones, electrostatic separators, electrostatic precipitators, gravity separators, inertia separators, membrane separators, fluidized beds, classifiers, electric sieves, impactors, particles collectors, leaching separators, elutriators, air classifiers, leaching classifiers, and combination thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The battery material of  claim 1 , wherein the first gas comprises a gas selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, an oxidizing gas, a reducing gas, nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas, inert gas, noble gas, and combinations thereof, and the first gas is heated to a temperature of between 70° C. and 600° C. 
     
     
         7 . The battery material of  claim 1 , wherein each of the second gas and the third gas comprises a gas selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, an oxidizing gas, a reducing gas, nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas, inert gas, noble gas, and combinations thereof, and the second gas is heated to a first reaction temperature of between 400° C. and 1300° C. and the third gas is heated to a second reaction temperature of between 400° C. and 1300° C., wherein the third reaction temperature is higher than the second reaction temperature. 
     
     
         8 . The battery material of  claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more gas-solid feeders is selected from the group consisting of a venturi feeder, a rotary feeder, a screw feeder, a table feeder, a belt feeder, a vibrating feeder, a tube feeder, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The battery material of  claim 1 , wherein the reactor is selected from the group consisting of a fluidized bed reactor, a circulating fluidized bed reactor, a bubbling fluidized bed reactor, an annular fluidized bed reactor, a flash fluidized bed reactor, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The battery material of  claim 1 , wherein the reactor is selected from the group consisting of a furnace, a rotary furnace, a stirring furnace, a furnace with multiple temperature zones, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The battery material of  claim 1 , wherein the reaction within the reactor is selected from the group consisting of oxidization, reduction, decomposition, combination reaction, phase-transformation, re-crystallization, single displacement reaction, double displacement reaction, combustion, isomerization, annealing, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The battery material of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more cooling mechanisms adapted to cool the final solid particles of the battery material.   
     
     
         13 . The battery material of  claim 1 , wherein the final solid particles of the battery material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a metal oxide material, lithium transitional metal oxide, a metal oxide with two or more metals, lithium titanium oxide, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium manganese oxide, lithium nickel oxide, sodium iron oxide, sodium iron phosphate, a metal oxide with three intercalated metals, a metal oxide with four intercalated metals, lithium nickel cobalt oxide, lithium nickel manganese oxide, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, Li a Ni b Mn c Co d O e  in layered structures, Li a Ni b Mn c Co d O e  in layered-layered structures, LiNi x Mn y Co z O 2  (where x+y+z=1), LiNi 0.33 Mn 0.33 Co 0.33 O 2 , LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O 2 , LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O 2 , LiNi 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 O 2 , LiNi 0.7 Mn 0.15 Co 0.15 O 2 , LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 , lithium cobalt aluminum oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, sodium iron manganese oxide, a mixed metal oxide with one or more doped metals, Li a (Ni x Mn y Co z )MeO b  (where Me=doped metal of Al, Mg, Fe, Ti, Cr, Zr, or C), Li a (Ni x Mn y Co z )MeO b F c  (where Me=doped metal of Al, Mg, Fe, Ti, Cr, Zr, or C), titanium oxide, chromium oxide, tin oxide, copper oxide, aluminum oxide, manganese oxide, iron oxide, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The battery material of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more third gas-solid separators connected to the reactor and adapted to separate the reaction mixture into the final solid particles of the battery material and a reaction-side product.   
     
     
         15 . The battery material of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more gas-solid feeders adapted to mix one or more cooling fluid with the final solid particles of the battery material and cool the final solid particles of the battery material.   
     
     
         16 . A battery material for forming into a portion of a battery cell, comprising:
 final solid particles of the battery material selected from the group consisting of a metal oxide material, lithium transitional metal oxide, a metal oxide with two or more metals, a metal oxide with three intercalated metals, a metal oxide with four intercalated metals, sodium iron phosphate, and combinations thereof, and at a particle size of between 10 nm and 100 um, the solid particles of the battery material being obtained from processing in a system, wherein the system comprises:   a drying chamber connected to a first gas line and adapted to flow a first gas inside the drying chamber;   a first gas-solid separator connected to the drying chamber, wherein the first gas-solid separator receives a chamber-product from the drying chamber and separates the one or more drying chamber products into a first type of solid particles and a first side product;   one or more gas-solid feeders connected to the first gas-solid separator and one or more second gas lines, wherein the one or more gas-solid feeders receive the first type of solid particles from the first gas-solid separator, mix a second gas with the first type of solid particles, and form one or more gas-solid mixtures therein; one or more second gas-solid separators connected to the one or more gas-solid feeders, wherein the one or more second gas-solid separators separate the one or more gas-solid mixtures into one or more second types of solid particles and one or more second side products; and   a fluidized bed reactor connected to the one or more second gas-solid separators and a third gas line having a third gas flowed therein, wherein the fluidized bed reactor receives the one or more second types of solid particles from the one or more second gas-solid separators and mixes the one or more second types of solid particles with the third gas into a reaction mixture, wherein final solid particles of the battery material are obtained from a reaction of the reaction mixture within the fluidized bed reactor.   
     
     
         17 . The battery material of  claim 16 , further comprising: a third gas-solid separator connected to the fluidized bed reactor and adapted to separate a portion of the reaction mixture delivered from the fluidized bed reactor into a third type of solid particles, wherein a portion of the third type of solid particles are delivered back into the fluidized bed reactor for further reaction; and one or more fourth gas-solid separators connected to the third gas-solid separator and adapted to separate the reaction mixture into the final solid particles of the battery material and a reaction-side product. 
     
     
         18 . The battery material of  claim 16 , wherein the final solid particles of the battery material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of lithium titanium oxide, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium manganese oxide, lithium nickel oxide, sodium iron oxide, lithium nickel cobalt oxide, lithium nickel manganese oxide, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, Li a Ni b Mn c Co d O e  in layered structures, Li a Ni b Mn c Co d O e  in layered-layered structures, LiNi x Mn y Co z O 2  (where x+y+z=1), LiNi 0.33 Mn 0.33 Co 0.33 O 2 , LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O 2 , LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O 2 , LiNi 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 O 2 , LiNi 0.7 Mn 0.15 Co 0.15 O 2 , LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 , lithium cobalt aluminum oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, sodium iron manganese oxide, a mixed metal oxide with one or more doped metals, Li a (Ni x Mn y Co z )MeO b  (where Me=doped metal of Al, Mg, Fe, Ti, Cr, Zr, or C), Li a (Ni x Mn y Co z )MeO b F c  (where Me=doped metal of Al, Mg, Fe, Ti, Cr, Zr, or C) titanium oxide, chromium oxide, tin oxide, copper oxide, aluminum oxide, manganese oxide, iron oxide, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         19 . A battery material for forming into a portion of a battery cell, comprising:
 final solid particles of the battery material at a particle size of between 10 nm and 100 um, the solid particles of the battery material being obtained from processing in a system, wherein the system comprises:   a drying chamber, comprising: a chamber inlet; and a gas inlet connected to first gas line and adapted to flow a first gas inside the drying chamber; a first gas-solid separator connected to the drying chamber, wherein the first gas-solid separator receives a chamber product from the drying chamber and separates the one or more drying chamber products into a first type of solid particles and a first side product; a first gas-solid feeder, comprising: a feeder inlet connected to the first gas-solid separator and adapted to receive the first type of solid particles from the first gas-solid separator; and a feeder gas inlet connected to a second gas line and adapted to flow a second gas to be mixed with the first type of solid particles and form a second gas-solid mixture therein; a second gas-solid separator connected to the first gas-solid feeder, wherein the second gas-solid separator separates the one or more gas-solid mixtures into a second type of solid particles and a second side product; and a reactor, comprising: a reactor inlet connected to the second gas-solid separator and adapted to receive the second type of solid particles from the second gas-solid separator; a reactor gas inlet connected to a third gas line and adapted to flow a third as to be mixed with the second type of solid particles into a reaction mixture, wherein final solid particles of the battery material are obtained from a reaction of the reaction mixture within the reactor.   
     
     
         20 . The battery material of  claim 19 , further comprising: a third gas-solid separator connected to the reactor and adapted to separate a portion of the reaction mixture delivered from the reactor into a third type of solid particles and deliver a portion of the third type of solid particles back into the reactor for further reaction. 
     
     
         21 . The battery material of  claim 19 , further comprising: one or more fourth gas-solid separators adapted to separate the reaction mixture into the final solid particles of the battery material and a reaction-side product. 
     
     
         22 . The battery material of  claim 19 , wherein the final solid particles of the battery material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a metal oxide material, lithium transitional metal oxide, a metal oxide with two or more metals, lithium titanium oxide, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium manganese oxide, lithium nickel oxide, sodium iron oxide, sodium iron phosphate, a metal oxide with three intercalated metals, a metal oxide with four intercalated metals, lithium nickel cobalt oxide, lithium nickel manganese oxide, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, Li a Ni b Mn c Co d O e  in layered structures, Li a Ni b Mn c Co d O e  in layered-layered structures, LiNi x Mn y Co z O 2  (where x+y+z=1), LiNi 0.33 Mn 0.33 Co 0.33 O 2 , LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O 2 , LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O 2 , LiNi 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 O 2 , LiNi 0.7 Mn 0.15 Co 0.15 O 2 , LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 , lithium cobalt aluminum oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, sodium iron manganese oxide, a mixed metal oxide with one or more doped metals, Li a (Ni x Mn y Co z )MeO b  (where Me=doped metal of Al, Mg, Fe, Ti, Cr, Zr, or C), Li a (Ni x Mn y Co z )MeO b F c  (where Me=doped metal of Al, Mg, Fe, Ti, Cr, Zr, or C), titanium oxide, chromium oxide, tin oxide, copper oxide, aluminum oxide, manganese oxide, iron oxide, and combinations thereof.