07-07-08

Primet’s Process Technology for Battery Materials

Process Technology Offers Improved Cathode Performance

Primet has developed process technology for creating precise, highly engineered particles of nanometric and micrometric sizes in a variety of solid materials. We have applied the technology to a variety of cathode precursors such as iron phosphate, manganese oxide, manganese phosphate, lithium carbonate and others.

Results presented at the 4th International Symposium on Large Lithium Ion Battery Technology and Applications (LLIBTA) in Tampa, Florida, May 12 – 16 showed dramatic improvement in particle size distribution.

Benefits:

• Problematic bimodal particle size distributions are transformed into unimodal distributions and optimized for solid state reaction.
  • Enhances performance stability by eliminating unreacted material and improves safety.
  • Enhances electrochemical performance and can help achieve near theoretical limits.
• The technology accomplishes this while maintaining composition and phase at the crystallographic level.
  

Process Features:

• Simple and uses "off-the-shelf" equipment well known to the battery industry
• Easily scalable for high-volume production environments.
• Flexible:  Can be integrated into existing commercial processes for manufacturing battery materials
• Versatile:  Will work on a range of precursors, including industrial grades with broader PSD than previously acceptable for cathode material synthesis
• Energy efficient:  For most precursors energy costs are ~ 10% of existing processes
• Reduced development time for new materials

Examples of Process Capabilities and Benefits
Figure 1:  Effect of processing off-the-shelf iron phosphate precursor material with Primet’s technology
Figure 2:  LMNO (LiMn_0.5Ni_0.50₂) nanocrystals made with Primet-processed manganese dioxide precursor.
Figure 3:  Carbon-coated nano LMP (LiMnPO₄) created with Primet processed manganese phosphate precursor. 

Figure 1: Effect of processing off-the-shelf iron phosphate precursor material with Primet’s technology

Figure 2: LMNO (LiMn_0.5Ni_0.50₂) nanocrystals made with Primet-processed manganese dioxide precursor.

Figure 3: Carbon-coated nano LMP (LiMnPO₄) created with Primet processed manganese phosphate precursor.

Conclusion:

Primet’s advanced particle process technology provides battery materials manufacturers with a new capability: processing their precursors to a unimodal PSD at the nano-scale.

For additional information on how to integrate Primet’s technology, contact Jeffrey Karker at 607-277-0700 ext. 351or e-mail