Business Areas
03
Anode Material for Battery
- LCG
- LSN
LCG - Conglomeration graphite
Conglomeration graphite is anode material showing same properties with artificial graphite, and made by spheroidizing the flaky natural graphite of 2~3 ㎛, coating the pitch, by annealing of over 2,000℃
Cross-Section Image
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ItemsAdvantages
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Quick chargingProvides contact sites with many Li-ion
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Low electrode expansionExpansion properties similar to artificial graphite
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Long cyclabilityAnnealing(>2,000℃) of pitch coated on natural graphite
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Low costUses flaky natural graphite with low price as raw material
Physical Properties Conglomeration graphite
| Items | Conglomeration | Natural graphite(P) | Artificial graphite(Z) | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSD (㎛) | D10 | 6.8 | 8.3 | 9.5 | Similar to artificial graphite |
| D50 | 14.9 | 12.5 | 18.7 | ||
| D90 | 39.3 | 19.9 | 36.9 | ||
| BET (m2/g) | 1.21 | 2.39 | 0.94 | - | |
| Tap density (g/cm3) | 1.29 | 1.05 | 0.93 | Better than artificial graphite | |
| Crystallinity (XRD) | d002 (nm) | 0.3355 | 0.3356 | 0.3353 | Graphitization degree |
| La (nm) | 90.83 | 124.45 | 99.88 | ||
| Lc (nm) | 33.03 | 44.09 | 99.86 | ||
Electrical performance Conglomeration graphite
Charging/Discharging graph
| Items | Conglomeration | Natural graphite | Artificial graphite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity (mAh/g) | 348 | 360 | 337 |
| Efficiency (%) | 94.3 | 93.5 | 92.7 |
C-Rate properties
| Items | 0.1C | 1.0C/0.1C | 3.0C/0.1C | 5.0C/0.1C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conglomeration | 100.0% | 99.0% | 95.6% | 92.5% |
| Artificial graphite | 100.0% | 98.6% | 93.8% | 84.7% |
| Natural graphite | 100.0% | 99.1% | 80.8% | 37.0% |
* 0.2C charge applied
Process
Conglomeration graphite
Material
LSN SiNx-C Composite Anode Material
LPN Inc. developed new type of SiNx-C composite with high capacity and efficiency that meets the EV requirement. Compared to SiOx, SiNx-C composite provides cost competitiveness and high productivity.
| Items | Si-based Anode Materials | |
|---|---|---|
| SiNx-C composite | SiOx | |
| Capacity | 800~1,500mAh/g | 1,300~1,600mAh/g |
| Efficiency | 85~90% | 80~85% |
| Cyclability | Normal | Normal |
| Power | Good | Good |
| Price | Low | High |
| Images | ||
LSN ( LPN SiNx-C Composite Anode Materials )
Issue of Si anode
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1Si volume expansion
Si volume expansion during charge-discharge of LIB causes electrode destruction and cyclability decrease.
LSN is a composite in which the Si layer is stabilized with a carbon layer after uniform coating of new composition SiNx through the partial nitridation process of nano-sized Si on the graphite as core.
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2Si irreversible capacity increase
During charge-discharge, Si forms various compounds with Li, which leads to an increase in irreversible capacity and consumption of Li ions.
LSN forms an SEI layer in the form of a matrix in which Li ions and N are stable, and implements high cycle life through improved Si reversible capacity and conductivity.
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Reaction mechanism of Li-ion with SiSiNx + nLi+ne- →Conversion Matrix + Li3.75Si ⇄Cycling Matrix + Si + 3.75Li+ + 3.75e-
SiNx-C Composite - R&D focus
LPN Inc. realizes key solutions to overcome the technical hurdle of Si anode materials for LIB application.
Technical issues of Si-based anode material
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Si volume expansionPulverization of Si particles during charging/discharging
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Electrolyte side-reactionIrreversible SEI layer is created during initial and charging/discharging
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Electrode disintegrationConductive paths between Si particles and Si-graphite particles are broken due to charging/discharging
LPN Inc. Development direction
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Nano Si adoptionMechanical milling of 50~100nm
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Si partial nitration (SiNx)Li3N SEI layer with excellent ion conductivity and stability
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Si-C compositesCoated with Si and carbon on the surface of spherical graphite
SiNx-C Composites Process
LPN Inc. has key technology of SiNx-C composite, which uses milling, dry-mixing, and coating process using various facilities of pilot scale to meet the customer needs
Anode Basic Process
Manufacturing process
SiNx-C Composites Properties
SEM Images
LSN Specification
| Items | Particle Size Distribution(μm) | Tap Density (㎡/g) |
O2 Content (%) |
ICP Analysis Fe(ppm) |
Si XRD grain size |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D10 | D50 | D90 | |||||
| LSN-1400 | 6.5 | 14.2 | 24.2 | ≤ 5.0 | ≤ 4 | < 3 | 18nm |
SiNx-C Composite Electrical performance
The SiNx-C composite shows a capacity of 800~1,400mAh/g, efficiency of 88% to meet customer needs, and various evaluations of full cell conditions are in progress from major cell makers.
| Items | Discharge Capacity (mAh/g) |
Initial Efficiency (%) |
|---|---|---|
| SiNx-C composite | 1,430 | 87.6 |
| SiNx-C composite + AG mixed | 503 | 90.9 |
Coin Cell Test Condition
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FormulationSiNx-C composite +AG:Binder: conductive material = 94 : 3 : 3
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FormationCharge 0.1C CC/CV to 0.01V, Cut-off 0.01C
Discharge 0.1C CC to 1.5V
SiNx-C composite of LSN-1,400
SiNx-C composite
+ Artificial graphite mixed
+ Artificial graphite mixed
