Lithium-ion battery materials

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods, systems and apparatus for producing lithium-ion battery materials. Starting materials are combined to form a uniform precursor solution containing lithium, and a droplet maker is used to produce droplets of the precursor solution having a controllable size. These droplets are introduced into a microwave-generated plasma, where micron or submicron-scale lithium-containing particles are formed. These lithium-containing particles are collected and formed into a slurry to form lithium-ion battery materials.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 353,663, filed on June 23, 2016, entitled “Microwave Plasma Process Possibilities for Manufacturing Lithium Ion Battery Materials,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to techniques for preparing battery materials, and more particularly to techniques for producing lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery materials. Background Art

[0004] As portable electronic devices steadily decrease in size, the demand for smaller and lighter batteries that can power these devices increases. In the field of hybrid electric and all-electric vehicles, the demand for higher energy batteries is also increasing. These vehicles can improve air quality by reducing air pollution and vehicle emissions caused by traditional combustion engines. Rechargeable Li-ion batteries can be used in consumer electronics and electric vehicle applications. However, expensive and complex manufacturing methods continue to lead to high costs for lithium-containing materials and lithium-ion batteries that are commonly used in lithium-ion batteries.

[0005] Lithium-ion batteries typically contain a negative electrode called an anode, a positive electrode called a cathode, and an electrolyte between the anode and cathode. During charging, lithium ions (Li + ) migrates from the cathode through the electrolyte and is embedded in the anode structure. Graphite can be used as an intercalation compound for the anode because the Li ions can be embedded in the van der Waals gaps between the graphite layers, where they are stored until discharge. In some cases, an organic solution including a lithium salt or a lithium ion conducting polymer can be used as the electrolyte.

[0006] In lithium-ion batteries, for the cathode or positive electrode, a single-phase material containing an appropriate amount of lithium transition metal oxide is ideal. Examples of such single-phase materials include LiNi 0.8 Co 0.2 O2, LiCoO2, LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 or LiNi x Co y Al z O2. Especially for LiNi x Mn y Coz O2, changing the content ratio of manganese, nickel and cobalt can adjust the power and energy performance of the battery. However, the production of these single-phase transition metal oxides may require time-consuming and energy-consuming processing steps, such as ball milling, wet milling, sintering, washing, mixing, grinding, etc. In some cases, alkaline solutions are used for one or more of the initial processing steps, which may produce unwanted by-products. The complexity of these methods leads to the high cost of lithium-ion batteries. In addition, adjusting or optimizing the stoichiometry of lithium-ion battery materials may be difficult or impossible to achieve on a large or commercial scale.

[0007] Overview

[0008] Exemplary embodiments of the present technology relate to systems and methods for producing lithium-containing particles and adjusting lithium-ion battery materials. In one aspect, the present technology relates to a method for producing lithium-ion battery materials. The method includes combining raw materials to form a uniform precursor solution containing lithium, and using a droplet maker to produce droplets of the uniform precursor solution with a controllable size. The method also includes introducing droplets of the uniform precursor solution into a microwave-generated plasma, generating micron or submicron-scale lithium-containing particles from the microwave-generated plasma, collecting the lithium-containing particles, and forming a slurry with the lithium-containing particles to form a lithium-ion battery material.

[0009] Embodiments of this aspect of the present technology may include one or more of the following features. In some embodiments, collecting the lithium-containing particles includes quenching the lithium-containing particles, and the method further includes controlling the quenching rate of the lithium-containing particles by selecting a quenching fluid, controlling the quenching fluid flow rate, or controlling the quenching fluid temperature. In some embodiments, the method further includes controlling the size of the droplets of the uniform precursor solution using the droplet maker. In some embodiments, the method further includes controlling the residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma by controlling the plasma gas flow rate, the power density of the microwave-generated plasma, and / or the speed at which the droplets leave the droplet maker. In some embodiments, the uniform precursor solution includes an aqueous solution of a hydrated or non-hydrated form of lithium acetate, nickel acetate, manganese acetate, and cobalt acetate. In other embodiments, the uniform precursor solution includes an aqueous solution of lithium nitrate, nickel nitrate, manganese nitrate, and cobalt nitrate. In some embodiments, generating droplets of controllable size includes generating two or more streams of droplets with different diameters. In some embodiments, the microwave-generated plasma is generated in oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas.

[0010] In another aspect, the present technology relates to a method for adjusting lithium-ion battery materials. The method includes combining raw materials to form a uniform precursor solution containing lithium, and using a droplet maker to produce droplets of the uniform precursor solution with a controllable size. The method also includes introducing droplets of the uniform precursor solution into a microwave-generated plasma, generating micron or submicron-scale lithium-containing particles from the microwave-generated plasma, and quenching the lithium-containing particles. The method also includes adjusting the porosity, morphology, particle size, particle size distribution or chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles by controlling the precursor solution chemistry, droplet size, plasma gas flow rate, residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma, quenching rate or power density of the microwave-generated plasma.

[0011] Embodiments of this aspect of the present technology may include one or more of the following features. In some embodiments, adjusting the morphology of the lithium-containing particles includes controlling the residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma and in the afterglow region of the microwave-generated plasma. In some embodiments, controlling the porosity of the lithium-ion particles includes controlling the amount of nitrate material and acetate material in the uniform precursor solution, controlling the solution precursor chemical substances, or controlling the residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma. In some embodiments, controlling the chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles includes controlling the proportion of raw materials in the precursor solution. In some embodiments, controlling the particle size of the lithium-ion particles includes controlling the droplet size of the precursor solution droplets or controlling the concentration of raw materials in the precursor solution. In some embodiments, generating droplets of controllable size includes generating two or more streams of droplets with different diameters. In one such embodiment, two or more streams of droplets are generated using different nozzles or openings in the droplet maker. In some embodiments, adjusting the chemical composition of the lithium-ion particles includes determining the desired chemical composition of the lithium-ion particles before forming a uniform precursor solution, and calculating the stoichiometric ratio of the raw materials based on the desired chemical composition of the lithium-ion particles.

[0012] In another aspect, the present technology relates to a method for preparing lithium-containing particles represented by the following formula: LiNi x Mn y Co z O2, wherein x≥0, y≥0, z≥0, and x+y+z=1. The method comprises dissolving a combination of a lithium salt, a nickel salt, a manganese salt, and a cobalt salt in a solvent to form a uniform precursor solution, using a droplet maker to generate droplets of the uniform precursor solution with a controllable size, introducing the droplets into a microwave-generated plasma, and producing micron or submicron-sized LiNi x Mn y Co zO2 particles, and collect the LiNi x Mn y Co z In one embodiment of this aspect of the technology, generating droplets of controllable size includes generating two or more streams of droplets having different diameters so that the droplets are x Mn y Co z A multi-peak particle size distribution is generated between O2 particles.

[0013] In another aspect, the present technology relates to a method for preparing lithium-containing particles represented by the following formula: LiNi x Co y Al z O2, wherein x=~0.8, y=~0.15, z=~0.05. The method comprises dissolving a combination of a lithium salt, a nickel salt, a cobalt salt, and an aluminum salt in a solvent to form a uniform precursor solution, using a droplet maker to generate uniform-sized droplets of the uniform precursor solution, introducing the uniform-sized droplets into a microwave-generated plasma, and generating micron or submicron-sized LiNi x Co y Al z O2 particles, and collect the LiNi x Co y Al z In one embodiment of this aspect of the technology, generating droplets of controllable size includes generating two or more streams of droplets having different diameters so that the droplets are x Co y Al z A multi-peak particle size distribution is generated between O2 particles.

[0014] The above aspects of the present technology provide one or more of the following advantages. Some embodiments allow the production of lithium-containing particles in seconds or minutes rather than hours or days. Some embodiments allow the production of lithium-containing particles without producing or limiting the production of harmful or toxic byproducts or without losing a large proportion of the starting material. Some embodiments also allow the production of lithium-containing particles with different chemical compositions and different properties (e.g., different densities or morphologies) using a single production system. Some embodiments also allow precise adjustment of specific lithium-containing particles by controlling or adjusting various processing parameters. Some embodiments also allow the production of lithium-containing particles with controllable size distribution. Some embodiments also allow the production of lithium-containing particles with controllable single particle size distribution, bimodal size distribution, or multimodal particle size distribution. Some embodiments allow the production of lithium-containing particles with surface coatings, which can be different materials, such as carbon, aluminum oxide, etc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The foregoing and other features and advantages provided by the present disclosure will be more fully understood from the following description of exemplary embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of producing lithium-containing particles according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2 A comparison between a conventional batch process technique 10 for producing lithium-containing particles and the continuous flow method 20 described in the present disclosure is shown.

[0018] Figure 3 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for conditioning lithium-ion battery materials according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 4 An exemplary system for producing lithium-containing particles using microwave-generated plasma according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0020] Figure 5 A block diagram illustrating a system for conditioning lithium-ion battery materials according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0021] Figure 6 is a graph of an X-ray diffraction pattern of lithium-containing particles prepared according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 7 Shows Figure 6 A magnified image of an exemplary lithium-containing particle.

[0023] Technical Details

[0024] The present invention provides methods, systems and apparatus for producing lithium-containing particles and lithium-ion battery materials. For example, the cathode material of a lithium-ion battery may include a lithium-containing transition metal oxide, such as LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 or LiNi x Co y Al z O2. These materials contain a layered crystal structure in which layers of lithium atoms are located between layers of transition metal oxide polyhedra. As lithium ions are deintercalated from the crystal structure, charge neutrality is maintained as the valence state of the transition metal increases. LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 or LiNi x Co y Al zO2 has desirable properties such as relatively high energy density (mAh / g), high cyclability (% degradation per charge / discharge cycle), and thermal stability (≤100°C).

[0025] According to conventional techniques, producing lithium-containing particles for lithium-ion batteries may require 8 to 10 processing steps lasting from hours to days. According to some techniques, the starting materials of the lithium-containing particles must all be stirred, precipitated, filtered, washed, dried, sieved, mixed, calcined, graded and coated before a slurry can be formed.

[0026] Solid-state methods for producing lithium-containing particles are typically multi-step processes that require pulverizing solid precursors in stoichiometric proportions, followed by high-temperature diffusion reactions to form the final structure. These methods often produce large and irregularly shaped particles that exhibit phase inhomogeneity, non-uniform size distribution, and low surface area, resulting in increased resistance to the lithium ion diffusion path. Post-treatment is usually required to reduce the particle size to increase the surface area and minimize the length of the Li ion diffusion path. When the cathode material is cast onto the collector in a strip, expensive and toxic solvents such as N-methylpyrrolidone are required to overcome the sliding friction and agglomeration between the irregularly shaped particles. These solvents increase the complexity and cost of the manufacturing method. In addition, multiple and long processing steps increase the risk of contaminants, which leads to reduced purity.

[0027] For example, LiNi was synthesized by coprecipitation 1 / 3 Mn 1 / 3 Co 1 / 3 O2 is usually a multi-step process involving the solution reaction of NiSO4, CoSO4 and MnSO4. 1 / 3 Mn 1 / 3 Co 1 / 3 )(OH)2 is dried at about 105°C, then reacted with LiOH*H2O at about 500°C, and then calcined at 900°C-1000°C for up to about 10 hours. The resulting powder has a wide size distribution, including spherical, hemispherical and irregular shaped particles. The chemical waste contains sulfites and strong alkalis, requiring special treatment and disposal, which increases costs.

[0028] Spray pyrolysis technology can also be used to synthesize lithium-ion cathode materials. An exemplary spray pyrolysis method can be used to synthesize LiNi starting with aqueous precursor solutions of LiNO3, Ni(NO3), Co(NO3)2, and Mn(NO3)2. 1 / 3 Mn 1 / 3 Co 1 / 3 O2. The precursor solution is atomized using an ultrasonic atomizer and exposed to ≥500°C using a furnace or flame, where the precursor solution evaporates and decomposes into the desired LiNi 1 / 3 Mn1 / 3 Co 1 / 3 O2 particles. However, these techniques may produce toxic or unwanted byproducts. For example, the use of nitrates during spray pyrolysis produces NO x Furthermore, high-pressure and ultrasonic atomizers can produce rather large size distributions, leading to size-dependent thermal histories of the resulting particles, which can result in phase and morphological inhomogeneities.

[0029] According to the technology described in the present disclosure, lithium-containing particles can be produced using a single process method that can be completed in hundreds of milliseconds rather than hours or days. Not only is the method of producing lithium-containing particles significantly simplified and accelerated, the size of the final product is significantly more uniform, and the porosity, morphology, and chemical composition can be precisely adjusted. The technology described herein can be used to produce cathodes, anodes, or solid electrolyte materials for lithium-based batteries. Exemplary materials for one or more of the cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes include, but are not limited to: LiNi x Mn y Co z O2、LiNi x Co y Al z O2, LiFePO4, Li8ZrO6, Li2FeMn3O8, Li4Ti5O 12 , SnO2, Co9S8, LiVP2O7, NaLaTi2O6, Li x PO y N z , Li garnet and Li 10 GeP2O 12 .

[0030] The combination of chemically uniform and uniform size-controllable droplet feedstock solution and uniform heat treatment provides a clear advantage over conventional solid-state, coprecipitation and spray pyrolysis processing technologies. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the uniform precursor solution is mixed at the molecular level to ensure uniform distribution of the starting material in the solution. The precursor solution is formed into droplets using a droplet maker, which can produce one or more streams of droplets with precisely controllable sizes. In some embodiments, the droplet maker can be a piezoelectric droplet maker, such as the droplet maker described in U.S. Patent No. 9,321,071 and U.S. Patent No. 2016 / 0228903, both of which are incorporated by reference as a whole. In a specific embodiment, the droplet maker can control the size of the droplets to a precise diameter with a size distribution of about ± 2%. In some embodiments, the droplet maker can include nozzles or openings of different sizes to produce droplet streams with different diameters, which can produce a multi-peak particle size distribution in the final particles. The droplets of the precursor solution can then be injected axially into the plasma as a single stream or several linear streams of droplets. The plasma may include, for example, an axisymmetric microwave-generated plasma having a laminar gas flow and a substantially uniform temperature profile. Examples of such microwave-generated plasmas may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,748,785, U.S. Pat. No. 8,951,496, U.S. Pat. No. 9,023,259, and U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2013 / 0270261, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Each droplet follows the same thermal path through the laminar plasma, ensuring that each particle produced has the same thermal history and produces a substantially consistent final composition.

[0031] In another exemplary embodiment, the techniques described herein can be used to produce lithium-containing materials, such as LiNi in a single processing step without post-processing. x Mn y Co2O2 (where x≥0, y≥0, z≥0, and x+y+z=1) and LiNi x Co y Al zO2 (where x = ~ 0.8, y = ~ 0.15, z = ~ 0.05) positive cathode powder. By fine-tuning various processing parameters, various properties of the final lithium-containing particles, such as porosity, particle size, particle size distribution, phase composition and purity, microstructure, etc., can be adjusted and precisely controlled. In some embodiments, these processing parameters may include precursor solution chemicals, droplet size, plasma gas flow rate, plasma treatment atmosphere, droplet residence time in plasma, quenching rate, plasma power density, etc. In some embodiments, these processing parameters can be adjusted to produce micron and / or submicron scale particles with high surface area, specific porosity levels, low resistance Li ion diffusion paths, narrow size distribution of about ± 2% and containing nanocrystalline microstructures. In some embodiments, the residence time of the droplets in the plasma can be controlled by controlling the plasma gas flow rate and / or controlling the power density of the microwave-generated plasma. In some embodiments, the quenching rate can be adjusted by selecting different quenching fluids (e.g., nitrogen, oxygen, or helium). For example, helium can provide a higher quenching rate than other fluids, but may add significant cost to the production process. In some cases, different characteristics of the plasma can be adjusted by controlling the plasma processing atmosphere, which can include O2 or various mixtures of oxygen, argon, helium, etc.

[0032] In some embodiments, the use of nitrates in the precursor solution can produce more porous lithium-containing particles because the nitrates can react with the heat of the microwave-generated plasma to cause an exothermic reaction and rapid release of gases, which results in porosity. In other embodiments, the use of acetates in the precursor solution can produce denser lithium-containing particles than when nitrates are used because acetates do not react with the heat of the microwave-generated plasma in the same manner as nitrates. In addition, the use of acetates in the precursor solution chemistry does not produce NO x It is understood that various mixtures and ratios of nitrates and acetates may be used in the precursor solution in order to tailor the lithium-containing particles to have a desired porosity.

[0033] In an exemplary embodiment, a precursor solution including 1 mol of lithium acetate [Li(COOCH3)], 0.33 mol of nickel acetate tetrahydrate [Ni(COOCH3)2*4H2O], 0.33 mol of manganese acetate tetrahydrate [Mn(COOCH3)2*4H2O], and 0.33 mol of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate [Co(COOCH3)2*4H2O)] in water can be used to produce LiNi 1 / 3 Mn 1 / 3 Co 1 / 3O2 (NMC-333). As described above, the precursor solution is mixed into a homogeneous solution and formed into droplets of controllable size using a droplet maker. Droplets of the precursor solution can then be axially introduced into a microwave generated plasma, where the liquid is evaporated, the acetate decomposes, and the remaining transition metal cations react with the oxygen-containing plasma to obtain spherical ceramic particles of the desired stoichiometry.

[0034] In an alternative embodiment, LiNi x Mn y Co z Different chemical compositions of O2 can be produced by adjusting the ratio of the starting materials in the homogeneous precursor solution. For example, LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O2(NMC-532), LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O2(NMC-622) or LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O2(NMC-811) can be produced by providing lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt salts in different proportions to the precursor solution.

[0035] Other lithium-containing materials, such as LiPON or Li 10 GeP2O 12 , can be produced using the techniques described herein. For example, a target stoichiometric Li3PO4 can be produced by using a precursor solution comprising a homogeneous mixture of lithium nitrate and ammonium phosphate. 4- x N x Other materials that can be produced using the techniques described in this disclosure include LMO (which can be produced as LiMnO2, Li2Mn2O4 or Li 1.12 Mn 1.88 O2 exists), LTO (which is expressed as Li4Ti5O 12 ), LiVP2O7, LiFePO4, Li8ZrO6, Li2FeMn3O8, etc.

[0036] According to some embodiments, the techniques and systems described in the present disclosure can be used to produce core-shell structures, such as carbon-coated particles (e.g., lithium-containing particles coated with carbon). Other coatings or shells (e.g., aluminum oxide coatings) can also be produced using the techniques described herein. In other embodiments, different types of battery materials can be coated or laminated onto a substrate, such as a current collector for a battery. These materials can be deposited in discrete layers with a desired thickness, or as a continuous gradient coating, in which the material composition of the coating gradually changes throughout the coating thickness. In some embodiments, these different materials can be deposited by controlling the composition of the initial precursor solution.

[0037] Figure 1 100 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for producing lithium-containing particles according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 101, a plurality of starting materials are combined to form a uniform precursor solution containing lithium. In some embodiments, the uniform precursor solution is mixed at a molecular level so that there is a uniform distribution of starting materials in the precursor solution. For example, the uniform precursor solution may include an aqueous solution made by dissolving metal salts such as lithium acetate, nickel acetate tetrahydrate, manganese acetate tetrahydrate, and cobalt acetate tetrahydrate in a solvent (e.g., water). In another example, the uniform precursor solution may include an aqueous solution made by dissolving metal salts such as lithium nitrate, nickel nitrate, manganese nitrate, and cobalt nitrate in a solvent (e.g., water). As discussed above, different stoichiometric ratios of starting materials can result in different chemical compositions in the final lithium-containing particles.

[0038] In step 103, droplets of the uniform precursor solution are produced in a controllable size using a droplet maker. For example, the droplet maker can be a piezoelectric droplet maker configured to produce one or more streams of droplets of precise size and diameter. In some embodiments, the size of the droplets is determined based on the size and / or geometry of the capillary nozzle or hole in the capillary plate of the droplet maker. The droplet maker can be configured to produce one or more streams of droplets of the same size, or various streams of droplets of different sizes and diameters. In a specific embodiment, the droplet maker can control the size of the droplets to a precise diameter with a size distribution of about ±2%.

[0039] In step 105, droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution are introduced into a microwave generated plasma. In some embodiments, the droplets can be injected axially into a microwave plasma torch so that each droplet within the droplet stream generated by the droplet maker is exposed to the same temperature profile. As discussed above, the plasma can include an axisymmetric microwave generated plasma with laminar gas flow so that the droplets are exposed to a consistent thermal path within the plasma.

[0040] In step 107, micron and submicron-sized lithium-containing particles are produced by the microwave-generated plasma. In an exemplary embodiment, as the droplets pass through the microwave-generated plasma, the liquid evaporates, the acetate and / or nitrate in the precursor solution decomposes, and the remaining transition metal reacts with the plasma and produces spherical ceramic particles of the desired chemical composition. As discussed above, various properties of the lithium-containing particles can be adjusted by controlling different processing parameters, such as the residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma and other parameters. In some embodiments, the residence time can be controlled by adjusting the plasma gas flow rate, the power density of the microwave-generated plasma, and / or the speed at which the droplets leave the droplet maker.

[0041] In step 109, the lithium-containing particles are collected. In some embodiments, collecting the lithium-containing particles includes quenching the particles using, for example, a quenching chamber. In some embodiments, the quenching rate of the lithium-containing particles can be controlled by selecting a quenching fluid, controlling the flow rate of the quenching fluid, or controlling the quenching fluid temperature. Examples of quenching fluids include oxygen, nitrogen, liquid nitrogen, or helium. In another embodiment, the lithium-containing particles are naturally quenched into the chamber without adding any gas. In an alternative embodiment, the lithium-containing particles described herein can be directly coated onto a substrate material from a plasma.

[0042] Once the lithium-containing particles are collected, a slurry is formed with the lithium-containing particles in step 111 to form a lithium-ion battery material.

[0043] Figure 2 A comparison between a conventional batch processing technique 10 for producing lithium-containing particles and a continuous flow method 20 described in the present disclosure is shown. According to the conventional batch processing technique 10, a certain amount of starting material must undergo many discrete processing steps requiring different mechanical and chemical reactions. All of these steps may include, for example, stirring, settling, filtering, washing, drying, screening, mixing, calcining, grading, and coating before a slurry can be formed. These techniques may take several days to complete for each batch of starting materials. In contrast, the continuous flow method 20 described in the present disclosure can form lithium-containing particles from a group of starting materials in a single continuous step, which can be completed in a range of milliseconds to minutes. Specifically, once the starting materials are dissolved in a precursor aqueous solution, droplets of the precursor solution are introduced into a plasma torch, which produces lithium-containing particles in a single step. Reference Figure 1 , 4 and 5 describe in more detail the reactions occurring within the plasma torch, the various components of the system, and examples of how precursor solutions may be prepared.

[0044] In addition to offering the advantage of faster processing times (minutes versus days), embodiments of the present technology allow for the customization or adjustment of various material properties. Figure 3 Flowchart 200 of an exemplary method for adjusting lithium-ion battery materials according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Step 201 involves determining the desired chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles before forming the uniform precursor solution. In some embodiments, the technology disclosed herein can be used to produce a variety of lithium-containing particles with different chemical compositions, such as NMC-333, NMC-532, NMC-622, NMC-811. As discussed above, each of these lithium-containing particles can be produced using acetates and / or nitrates or other chemicals in the precursor solution, depending on the desired properties of the final particles. In other embodiments, LiNi can also be produced. x Co y Al z O2 or Li3PO 4-x N x various chemical compositions.

[0045] Once the desired chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles is determined, the stoichiometric ratios of the starting materials are calculated in step 203. These ratios are based on the desired chemical composition of the final particles and can be precisely adjusted to produce the desired particles. In an exemplary embodiment, to produce NMC-333, the starting materials may include 1 mol of lithium acetate [Li(COOCH3)], 0.33 mol of nickel acetate tetrahydrate [Ni(COOCH3)2*4H2O], 0.33 mol of manganese acetate tetrahydrate [Mn(COOCH3)2*4H2O], and 0.33 mol of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate [Co(COOCH3)2*4H2O]. In another embodiment, the starting materials for producing NMC-333 may include 1 mol of lithium nitrate [LiNO3], 0.33 mol of nickel nitrate [Ni(NO3)2], 0.33 mol of manganese nitrate [Mn(NO3)2], and 0.33 mol of cobalt nitrate [Co(NO3)2]. To produce NMC-532, NMC-622, NMC-811, etc., different stoichiometric ratios of the starting materials can be calculated.

[0046] Step 205 determines whether the morphology of the lithium-containing particles should be adjusted. If the morphology is to be adjusted, the method continues to step 207, where the residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma is controlled to adjust the morphology of the lithium-containing particles. For example, in some embodiments, by increasing the residence time at a particular temperature, the amorphous phase can be minimized or eliminated. In some embodiments, the residence time can be adjusted by controlling the flow rate of the plasma gas, the power density of the microwave-generated plasma, and / or the speed at which the precursor droplets leave the droplet maker.

[0047] The method then continues to step 209 to determine whether the porosity of the lithium-containing particles should be adjusted. If the porosity is to be adjusted, the method continues in step 211 by controlling the amount of nitrate material and acetate material in the uniform precursor solution, controlling the solution precursor chemistry, or controlling the residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma. As discussed above, the use of nitrates in the precursor solution can produce more porous lithium-containing particles, while the use of acetates in the precursor solution can produce denser lithium-containing particles. It should be understood that various mixtures and ratios of nitrates and acetates can be used in the precursor solution in order to provide the lithium-containing particles with a desired porosity.

[0048] The method then continues to step 213 to determine whether the particle size of the lithium-containing particles should be adjusted. If the particle size is to be adjusted, the method continues in step 215 to control the droplet size of the uniform precursor solution droplets or control the concentration of the starting material in the uniform precursor solution. For example, if the droplets include an increased concentration of starting material, the resulting lithium-containing particles will be larger because once the liquid in the solution evaporates, there will be a greater concentration of solid material available to form the particles. In some embodiments, lithium-containing particles of various particle sizes can be produced in the same process flow by generating different droplet streams with droplets of different sizes.

[0049] The method then continues to step 217 where the droplets are introduced into a microwave generated plasma with desired parameters to produce tailored lithium-containing particles. Figure 1 As discussed, once the conditioned lithium-containing particles are produced, they may be quenched and / or collected.

[0050] Figure 4 A system 300 for producing lithium-containing particles 311 using a microwave-generated plasma is shown according to an exemplary embodiment. In this exemplary embodiment, a piezoelectric droplet maker 301 produces a stream of droplets 303 of a lithium-containing precursor solution having a controllable droplet size. As discussed above, each droplet 303 has a precisely controllable size and concentration of starting materials to produce the desired final particles. A microwave radiation source 307 provides microwave radiation via a waveguide 309 to generate a plasma within a plasma chamber 305. The stream of droplets 303 is axially directed into the plasma chamber 305, and each droplet is exposed to a substantially uniform temperature distribution within the plasma chamber 305. As discussed above, the microwave-generated plasma produces lithium-containing particles 311, which leave the plasma chamber 305 and are collected using a particle collector 313.

[0051] Figure 5A block diagram 400 of a system for adjusting lithium-ion battery materials is provided according to an exemplary embodiment. In this particular embodiment, a user input device 401 may receive input from a user indicating the desired parameters of the lithium-containing particles to be produced. For example, the user input device 401 may receive instructions to produce NMC-532 particles having a desired porosity, morphology, and particle size. The controller 403 may receive the desired particle parameters from the user input device and control (e.g., by accessing a database or lookup table, or executing a control process associated with different inputs) various components and precursors of the system. For example, the controller 403 may receive a set of desired characteristics and may select a set of suitable starting materials for the precursor solution to produce the desired particles. In some cases, the controller 403 may determine the type of starting material based on price, the type of plasma gas to be used, the desired porosity of the final particles, and the like. For example, the controller may select which type of starting material will be used in the precursor solution in order to limit the total production cost, increase the particle density, or limit toxic byproducts. In some embodiments, the controller 403 can also calculate the desired ratio and concentration of the precursor solution and control the solution precursor generator 405 to produce the desired solution. The controller 403 can also calculate the desired droplet size and control the droplet maker 407 to produce droplets of the desired size. In some cases, the controller 403 can control the droplet maker 407 to adjust the speed at which the droplets leave the droplet maker 407. In some embodiments, the controller 403 can control the plasma gas flow generator 411 to adjust the plasma gas flow rate. In other embodiments, the controller 403 can control the microwave radiation source 409 to adjust the power density or temperature of the microwave-generated plasma. For example, the microwave radiation source 409 can be controlled to produce a substantially uniform temperature distribution of about 6,000K. In some embodiments, the amount and ratio of the starting material can be selected according to the ratio shown in Table 1 below.

[0052]

[0053]

[0054] Table 1

[0055] As can be seen in Table 1, the precursor solution for producing NMC-33 can include an aqueous solution of 16.34 mL lithium nitrate, 29.15 mL nickel nitrate, 26.06 mL manganese nitrate and 18.29 mL cobalt nitrate. Table 2 also provides a list of exemplary precursor solution ratios for the above-mentioned lithium nitrate, nickel nitrate, manganese nitrate and cobalt nitrate produced by NMC-532, NMC-622 and NMC-811. An exemplary precursor solution for producing NMC-532 includes an aqueous solution of 16.34 mL lithium nitrate, 48.59 mL nickel nitrate, 28.93 mL manganese nitrate and 12.20 mL cobalt nitrate. An exemplary precursor solution for producing NMC-622 includes an aqueous solution of 16.34 mL lithium nitrate, 58.31 mL nickel nitrate, 17.37 mL manganese nitrate and 12.20 mL cobalt nitrate. An exemplary precursor solution for producing NMC-811 includes an aqueous solution of about 16.34 mL of lithium nitrate, about 38.87 mL of nickel nitrate, about 2.89 mL of manganese nitrate, and about 1.22 mL of cobalt nitrate.

[0056] One of the many advantages of the present technology is the ability to tailor the stoichiometry of lithium-containing battery materials. By changing one or more of the relative proportions, additives, or precursors, the composition, purity, and / or phase of the material can be adjusted. In addition, more than one composition (e.g., NMC-532 relative to NMC-622, LiMn2O4, LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O2、LiMn 1.5 Ni 0.5 O4, LiCoO2, LiNiO2, etc.). Further, with fluctuations or control of precursor materials and / or additives, gradients or layers of compositional variation can be achieved. The continuous nature of the methods described in the present disclosure allows for layer-by-layer construction of cathode materials so that the chemical composition of each layer can vary throughout its thickness to exploit the benefits of any desired material. Being a continuous process also eliminates batch-to-batch variations that occur in conventional battery production techniques. In addition, the simplicity of the method allows for rapid material development and exploration of the benefits of new material formulations (e.g., a wide range of NMC formulations and / or addition of dopants), which may not be possible or cost-effective for conventional production techniques.

[0057] According to some embodiments, Figure 5The system described in or similar systems can also be used to produce core-shell structures, such as carbon coated particles. Other coatings or shells, such as aluminum oxide coatings, can also be produced using the techniques described herein. In other embodiments, different types of battery materials can be coated or layered onto a substrate, such as a current collector for a battery. These materials can be deposited in discrete layers with a desired thickness, or as a continuous gradient coating, in which the material composition of the coating gradually changes throughout the coating thickness. In some embodiments, these different materials can be deposited by controlling the composition of the initial precursor solution.

[0058] Figure 6 : is a graph of an X-ray diffraction pattern of lithium-containing particles prepared according to a non-optimized embodiment of the present disclosure. This graph corresponds to the production of LiNi using a precursor solution of lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt salts in an O2 plasma atmosphere. 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 Non-optimized method for O2 (NMC-532). In this particular example, the precursor solution includes a mixture of lithium nitrate, nickel nitrate, manganese nitrate, and cobalt nitrate. Figure 6 The graph of FIG. 5 includes four calculated X-ray diffraction spectrum (XRD) peaks 501, 503, 505, and 507 corresponding to the crystalline phase of NMC 532. Even in the non-optimized method, the observed graph includes four peaks 502, 504, 506, and 508, which substantially correspond to the reference peaks 501, 503, 505, and 507.

[0059] The desired amounts of nickel and cobalt are substantially achieved, while a certain percentage of lithium is lost in the process and a small amount of excess manganese is produced. A possible solution to the lost lithium and excess manganese may be to enrich the precursor solution with about 66% additional lithium nitrate and a slightly lesser amount of manganese nitrate in order to adjust the process to obtain the desired NMC-532. As discussed above, the power density of the plasma, the quench rate, the quench temperature, the residence time, etc. may all be controlled to fine tune the particles produced.

[0060] Figure 7 Shows Figure 6 600. The final lithium-containing particles and the morphology of the final particles can be adjusted by controlling the residence time of the droplets in the plasma and / or optimizing the precursor solution chemistry. For example, by increasing the residence time at a specific temperature, the amorphous phase can be reduced or eliminated.

[0061] In another embodiment, Table 2 shows the use of nitrate loading solutions to prepare NMC-333. In this particular example, the rightmost column of Table 2 shows the amount of lithium nitrate, nickel nitrate, manganese nitrate, and cobalt nitrate solutions in mL. The sum of these salt solutions for NMC-333 is 97.94 mL / mol or 984 g / L.

[0062]

[0063] Table 2

[0064] According to exemplary embodiments, the technology described herein can be used to form a core-shell structure. After the battery material leaves the plasma and is quenched to the target particle size, the shell material can be coated on them. In some embodiments, the shell material can be prepared from a liquid phase or a gas phase route. An example of a carbon coating by a gas phase route can be started by depositing carbon on the surface of the battery material using acetylene gas (C2H2) mixed with oxygen. In order to prepare carbon, a mixture of acetylene gas and oxygen can be oxygen-deficient, such as using a ratio of acetylene to oxygen of 2:1. After the gas mixture leaves the plasma and is quenched, the gas mixture can be introduced into a reactor chamber containing flowing airborne battery material particles. A mixture of battery material particles, acetylene and oxygen can be guided by a nozzle, and at the outlet of the nozzle, a stream of battery material and gas can flow through a flame or a heat source. Heat and oxygen can decompose acetylene to form carbon, some of which will form a shell on the surface of the battery material particles. By controlling various parameters, such as the concentration of acetylene and oxygen, battery material particles per unit volume, nozzle size and / or nozzle exit velocity, the shell thickness can be adjusted according to application needs without changing the properties or morphology of the core battery material particles.

[0065] In some embodiments, the carbon shell can also be formed by an acetylene / oxygen gas mixture by directing a stream of quenched battery material through or in front of an acetylene / oxygen flame. When the cold particles pass through or in front of the flame, the carbon produced in the flame can be deposited on the particle surface. The thickness of the shell can be adjusted to the target specification by controlling the amount of battery material per unit volume, the speed of the battery material, the acetylene / oxygen ratio, the acetylene / oxygen volume flow rate, and the morphology of the acetylene / oxygen flame.

[0066] After the particles leave the plasma and have been quenched to the target particle size, the shell material can also be coated onto the battery material particles using a liquid precursor. For example, a monosaccharide such as glucose or a disaccharide such as sucrose is dissolved in an inorganic solvent (e.g., water) or an organic solvent (e.g., methanol). As described above, after the particles leave the plasma and are quenched, the solution can be sprayed onto the particles using an atomizer to coat the particles with a carbonaceous liquid. These coated particles can then enter an oxygen-containing hot zone of about 300°C to 800°C. In the hot zone, the organic or inorganic solvent can evaporate, leaving a sugar film on the surface of the battery material. As the temperature of the sugar rises above its pyrolysis temperature, the carbon remains and forms a carbon shell. In some embodiments, the porosity and thickness of the carbon shell can be adjusted or adjusted by controlling the type of sugar and its concentration in the solvent, the type of solvent, the pressure of the driving solution through the atomizer, the orientation of the atomizer in the reaction chamber, the oxygen concentration, and the temperature in the hot zone.

[0067] Non-carbon coatings, such as aluminum oxide (Al2O3), can also be prepared using liquid precursors in a manner similar to the carbon coatings described above. In an exemplary embodiment, the liquid precursor is an inorganic solvent (e.g., water) or an organic solvent (e.g., methanol) containing a dissolved aluminum precursor (e.g., aluminum nitrate at a well-defined concentration). The solution can be sprayed onto the quenched particles using an atomizer in a reactor after the plasma to coat the particles with a liquid containing aluminum nitrate. These coated particles can then enter an oxygen-containing hot zone at about 200°C to 1000°C. In the hot zone, the solvent evaporates, leaving a film of aluminum nitrate on the surface of the particles. As the temperature of the aluminum nitrate rises above its pyrolysis temperature, amorphous aluminum oxide is formed on the surface of the battery material particles. If desired, crystalline aluminum oxide can be formed at about 400°C to 1000°C when its crystallization temperature is reached. In some embodiments, the porosity and thickness of the alumina shell can be adjusted or tuned by controlling various parameters: the type of aluminum salt, the concentration of aluminum salt in the solvent, the type of solvent, the pressure of the driving solution through the atomizer, the orientation of the atomizer within the reaction chamber, the oxygen concentration within the hot zone, and / or the temperature within the hot zone.

[0068] In some embodiments, the performance of a lithium-ion battery can be determined by the formulation of the cathode material. For example, spinel lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O2) cathode materials allow for high discharge rates but exhibit relatively low energy density, which is beneficial for power tools where the battery can be quickly changed as the available energy is depleted. Lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA:LiNi 0.8 Co 0.015 Al 0.05Lithium cobalt oxide (LCO:LiCoO2) cathode materials may be well suited for high energy applications and moderate discharge rates, such as electric vehicles. Lithium cobalt oxide (LCO:LiCoO2) cathode materials have high energy density allowing for smaller / lighter batteries but low discharge rates, and therefore may be well suited for applications such as cell phones and portable computers. Combining various cathode material compositions within a graded cathode battery may allow for hybrid properties with a wider range of applications. In some embodiments, a layered cathode may be produced in which one material is deposited onto another material at a discrete interface. In other embodiments, a continuously variable cathode may be produced in which the composition of the cathode continuously transitions from one material to the next without a discrete interface between the materials.

[0069] In another exemplary embodiment, a variety of precursor aqueous solutions can be made of metal salts. Each precursor solution can show different stoichiometry / compositions of desired cathode materials and can be loaded into its own droplet maker associated with its own plasma. For example, the first precursor solution can contain lithium acetate and manganese acetate to prepare spinel LMO. The second precursor solution can contain lithium acetate, nickel acetate, cobalt acetate and aluminum nitrate to prepare NCA. The third precursor solution can contain lithium acetate and cobalt acetate to prepare LCO. In an exemplary embodiment, a continuous coating method can be implemented to feed the spinel LMO precursor solution into the first droplet maker, which is injected and deposited on the collector by the first plasma, and the collector can be made of aluminum, for example. In some cases, the collector can move forward and slide back and forth under the plasma to cover the entire collector. Controlling the movement rate and mode of the collector and / or the precursor feed rate can determine the film thickness. Once the spinel LMO of the desired thickness is deposited, the coated collector can enter the NCA deposition area, where the NCA precursor solution is injected into the second plasma using the second droplet maker. The current collector can then enter the LCO deposition zone, where the LCO precursor solution is injected into the third plasma using a third droplet maker. After leaving the LCO coating area, the battery cathode can be ready to be installed in the battery. In some embodiments, the thickness of each layer can be independently controlled by adjusting the precursor feed rate and / or controlling the movement rate and pattern of the current collector. In an exemplary embodiment, the desired thickness of each layer will be about 34 μm to 100 μm, and the combined thickness is about 100 μm to 300 μm.

[0070] In another embodiment, a single droplet maker and plasma can be used to generate and deposit different coatings. For example, the current collector can first be coated with a spinel LMO layer, and then the droplet maker can be filled with an NCA precursor solution to deposit an NCA layer on top of the spinel LMO layer. Subsequently, when the NCA layer is built to the desired thickness, the droplet maker can be filled with an LCO precursor solution, and the method continued until the current collector is coated with an LCO layer. In this exemplary embodiment, the thickness of each layer can be independently controlled by the precursor feed rate and the current collector feed rate.

[0071] In another exemplary embodiment, the techniques described herein can be used to produce a continuously gradient cathode structure. For example, the composition of the precursor solution entering the droplet maker can be continuously changed throughout the coating process to gradually change the composition of the cathode coating. In some embodiments, this can be achieved by continuously changing the solution precursor chemistry using a set of component liquid precursors. In one such example, the cathode composition of the current collector can be changed from LiMn to LiMn at the interface between the cathode and the electrolyte. 1.5 Ni 0.5 O4 to LiMn2O4 continuously. Three separate containers can each be filled with a single component metal salt including lithium acetate, manganese acetate, or nickel acetate. A fourth mixing container can be fed from the three single component containers, and the fourth mixing container can be steadily stirred to prepare a uniform solution of the three metal salt solutions. The mixing container can first be filled with a LiMn 1.5 Ni 0.5 O4 is filled with a metal salt solution of the stoichiometric ratio required. This solution can be used to prepare a first cathode layer, which can range from about 1 μm to 50 μm on the collector, with a well-defined length and width. After the first layer is deposited, the volume of the solution in the fourth mixing container can be kept constant by continuously replenishing the mixing container with equimolar amounts of lithium acetate precursor and manganese acetate precursor at a rate equal to the molar flow rate leaving the droplet maker. By not replenishing nickel salt, the concentration of nickel in the final coating can be continuously reduced throughout the coating method. In some embodiments, the volume of precursor in the mixing container can be determined based on the volume of material required to manufacture a cathode (or other battery component) with a defined length, width, and thickness.

[0072] In other embodiments, instead of two or more different cathode materials being deposited on a single substrate, a continuous method can be used to deposit or construct cathode, anode and solid electrolyte material. For example, as described above, after one or more layers of cathode material are deposited on a substrate, cathode can be positioned below plasma, and the plasma is configured to deposit solid electrolyte material directly on the cathode layer. Once the solid electrolyte material of the desired thickness is constructed, then cathode / electrolyte layer can be positioned below the plasma configured to deposit anode material. Once the anode material is deposited, the current collector can be attached to the anode with an adhesive (such as styrene butadiene copolymer or polyvinylidene fluoride).

[0073] In addition, this application also includes the following implementation schemes:

[0074] Embodiment 1. A method for producing lithium-ion battery materials, comprising:

[0075] combining starting materials to form a homogeneous precursor solution comprising lithium;

[0076] generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a droplet maker;

[0077] introducing said droplets of said homogeneous precursor solution into a microwave generated plasma;

[0078] producing micron or submicron-sized lithium-containing particles from said microwave-generated plasma;

[0079] collecting the lithium-containing particles; and

[0080] A slurry having the lithium-containing particles is formed to form a lithium-ion battery material.

[0081] Embodiment 2. The method of embodiment 1, wherein collecting the lithium-containing particles comprises quenching the lithium-containing particles, the method further comprising:

[0082] The quenching rate of the lithium-containing particles is controlled by selecting a quenching fluid, controlling a quenching fluid flow rate, or controlling a quenching fluid temperature.

[0083] Embodiment 3. The method according to embodiment 1 further comprises:

[0084] The size of the droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution is controlled using the droplet maker.

[0085] Embodiment 4. The method according to embodiment 1 further comprises:

[0086] The residence time of the droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave generated plasma is controlled by controlling at least one of a plasma gas flow rate, a power density of the microwave generated plasma, or a speed at which the droplets exit the droplet maker.

[0087] Embodiment 5. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the homogeneous precursor solution comprises an aqueous solution of lithium acetate, nickel acetate, manganese acetate, and cobalt acetate in hydrated or non-hydrated form.

[0088] Embodiment 6. The method of Embodiment 1, wherein the homogeneous precursor solution comprises an aqueous solution of lithium nitrate, nickel nitrate, manganese nitrate, and cobalt nitrate.

[0089] Embodiment 7. A method as described in Embodiment 1, wherein generating droplets of controllable size includes generating two or more streams of droplets with different diameters.

[0090] Embodiment 8. A method as described in Embodiment 1, wherein the microwave-generated plasma is generated in oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas.

[0091] Embodiment 9. A method for adjusting lithium-ion battery materials, comprising:

[0092] combining starting materials to form a homogeneous precursor solution comprising lithium;

[0093] generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a droplet maker;

[0094] introducing said droplets of said homogeneous precursor solution into a microwave generated plasma;

[0095] producing micron or submicron-sized lithium-containing particles from said microwave-generated plasma;

[0096] quenching the lithium-containing particles; and

[0097] At least one of the porosity, morphology, particle size, particle size distribution, or chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles is adjusted by controlling at least one of the precursor solution chemistry, droplet size, plasma gas flow rate, residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma, quench rate, or power density of the microwave-generated plasma.

[0098] Embodiment 10. The method of Embodiment 9, wherein adjusting the morphology of the lithium-containing particles comprises controlling the residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma and in the afterglow region of the microwave-generated plasma.

[0099] Embodiment 11. A method as described in Embodiment 9, wherein controlling the porosity of the lithium ion particles includes controlling at least one of the amount of nitrate material and acetate material in the uniform precursor solution, the solution precursor chemistry, or the residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma.

[0100] Embodiment 12. The method of Embodiment 9, wherein controlling the chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles comprises controlling a ratio of starting materials in the precursor solution.

[0101] Embodiment 13. The method of Embodiment 9, wherein controlling the particle size of the lithium ion particles comprises at least one of controlling the droplet size of droplets of the precursor solution, or controlling the concentration of a starting material in the precursor solution.

[0102] Embodiment 14. A method as described in Embodiment 9, wherein generating droplets of controllable size includes generating two or more streams of droplets with different diameters.

[0103] Embodiment 15. A method as described in Embodiment 14, wherein the two or more streams of droplets are generated using different nozzles or openings in the droplet maker.

[0104] Embodiment 16. The method of embodiment 9, wherein adjusting the chemical composition of the lithium ion particles comprises:

[0105] determining a desired chemical composition of the lithium ion particles prior to forming the homogenous precursor solution; and

[0106] The stoichiometric ratios of the starting materials are calculated based on the desired chemical composition of the lithium ion particles.

[0107] Embodiment 17. A method for preparing lithium-containing particles represented by the following formula:

[0108] LiNi x Mn y Co z O2

[0109] Wherein x≥0, y≥0, z≥0, and x+y+z=1; the method comprises:

[0110] dissolving a combination of a lithium salt, a nickel salt, a manganese salt, and a cobalt salt in a solvent to form a uniform precursor solution;

[0111] generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a droplet maker;

[0112] introducing the droplets into a microwave-generated plasma;

[0113] Production of micron or submicron-sized LiNi from the microwave-generated plasma x Mn y Co z O2 particles; and

[0114] Collect the LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 particles.

[0115] Embodiment 18. The method of embodiment 17, wherein generating droplets having a controllable size comprises generating two or more streams of droplets having different diameters to form a plurality of droplets having different diameters in the LiNi x Mn y Co z A multi-peak particle size distribution is generated between O2 particles.

[0116] Embodiment 19. A method for preparing lithium-containing particles represented by the following formula:

[0117] LiNi x Co y Al z O2

[0118] Wherein x=~0.8, y=~0.15, z=~0.05; the method comprises:

[0119] dissolving a combination of a lithium salt, a nickel salt, a cobalt salt, and an aluminum salt in a solvent to form a uniform precursor solution;

[0120] generating uniformly sized droplets of the uniform precursor solution using a droplet maker;

[0121] introducing the uniformly sized droplets into a microwave generated plasma;

[0122] Production of micron or submicron-sized LiNi from the microwave-generated plasma x Co y Al z O2 particles; and

[0123] Collect the LiNi x Co y Al z O2 particles.

[0124] Embodiment 20. The method of embodiment 19, wherein generating droplets having a controllable size comprises generating two or more streams of droplets having different diameters to form a plurality of droplets having different diameters in the LiNi x Co y Al z A multi-peak particle size distribution is generated between O2 particles.

[0125] For the purpose of illustration, exemplary flow charts are provided herein and are non-limiting examples of methods. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the exemplary methods may include more or fewer steps than the methods shown in the exemplary flow charts, and that the steps in the exemplary flow charts may be performed in a different order than that shown in the exemplary flow charts.

[0126] When describing exemplary embodiments, for the sake of clarity, specific terms are used. For the purpose of description, each specific term is intended to at least include all technical and functional equivalents that operate in a similar manner to achieve similar purposes. In addition, in some cases where a specific exemplary embodiment includes multiple system elements, device components or method steps, those elements, components or steps can be replaced with a single element, component or step. Similarly, a single element, component or step can be replaced with multiple elements, components or steps with the same purpose. In addition, although exemplary embodiments have been shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various replacements and changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of the present invention. Further, other aspects, functions and advantages are also within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for producing lithium-ion battery materials, comprising: combining starting materials to form a homogeneous precursor solution comprising lithium; generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a piezoelectric droplet maker; introducing droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution into a microwave generated plasma; producing micron or submicron-sized lithium-containing particles from said microwave-generated plasma; controlling a residence time of droplets of the uniform precursor solution in the microwave generated plasma by controlling at least one of a plasma gas flow rate or a speed at which droplets of the uniform precursor solution exit a droplet maker, wherein controlling the residence time of droplets of the uniform precursor solution comprises increasing the residence time of droplets of the uniform precursor solution at a particular temperature to minimize an amorphous phase of the lithium-containing particles; collecting the lithium-containing particles; and forming a slurry with the lithium-containing particles to form the lithium-ion battery material, wherein the porosity of the lithium-containing particles is adjusted by controlling the amount of nitrate material and acetate material in the homogeneous precursor solution and by controlling the residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave-generated plasma, and The particle size of the lithium-containing particles is adjusted by controlling the concentration of the starting material in the uniform precursor solution.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the lithium-containing particles comprises quenching the lithium-containing particles, the method further comprising: The quenching rate of the lithium-containing particles is controlled by selecting a quenching fluid, controlling a quenching fluid flow rate, or controlling a quenching fluid temperature.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The size of the droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution was controlled using a droplet maker.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The residence time of the droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave generated plasma is controlled by controlling the power density of the microwave generated plasma.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the homogeneous precursor solution comprises an aqueous solution of lithium acetate, nickel acetate, manganese acetate, and cobalt acetate in hydrated or non-hydrated form.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the homogeneous precursor solution comprises an aqueous solution of lithium nitrate, nickel nitrate, manganese nitrate, and cobalt nitrate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the microwave generated plasma is generated in oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas.

8. A method for adjusting lithium-ion battery materials, comprising: combining starting materials to form a homogeneous precursor solution comprising lithium; generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a piezoelectric droplet maker; introducing droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution into a microwave generated plasma; producing micron or submicron-sized lithium-containing particles from said microwave-generated plasma; controlling a residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave-generated plasma by controlling a plasma gas flow rate, wherein controlling the residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution comprises increasing the residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution at a specific temperature to minimize an amorphous phase of the lithium-containing particles; quenching the lithium-containing particles; and adjusting at least one of the morphology, particle size, particle size distribution, or chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles by controlling at least one of precursor solution chemistry, plasma gas flow rate, residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave-generated plasma, quench rate, or power density of the microwave-generated plasma, wherein the porosity of the lithium-containing particles is adjusted by controlling the amount of nitrate material and acetate material in the homogeneous precursor solution and by controlling the residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave-generated plasma, and The particle size of the lithium-containing particles is adjusted by controlling the concentration of the starting material in the uniform precursor solution.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the morphology of the lithium-containing particles comprises controlling the residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the afterglow region of the microwave-generated plasma.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the porosity of the lithium-containing particles further comprises controlling solution precursor chemistry.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles comprises controlling a ratio of the starting materials in the precursor solution.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the particle size of the lithium-containing particles further comprises controlling a droplet size of the precursor solution.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles comprises: determining a desired chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles prior to forming the homogenous precursor solution; as well as The stoichiometric ratios of the starting materials are calculated based on the desired chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles.

14. A method for preparing lithium-containing particles represented by the following formula: LiNi x Mr y Co z O2 Where x≥0, y≥0, z≥0, and x+y+z=1; The method comprises: dissolving a combination of a lithium salt, a nickel salt, a manganese salt, and a cobalt salt in a solvent to form a uniform precursor solution; A piezoelectric droplet maker is used to generate droplets of the uniform precursor solution with controllable size, and two or more streams of the uniform precursor solution with different droplet diameters are generated to form a uniform precursor solution on the LiNi x Mn y Co z A multi-peak particle size distribution is generated between O2 particles; introducing droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution into a microwave generated plasma; Production of micron or submicron-sized LiNi from the microwave-generated plasma x Mn y Co z O2 particles; controlling a residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave generated plasma by controlling a plasma gas flow rate, wherein controlling the residence time of the droplets comprises increasing the residence time of the droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution at a specific temperature to minimize an amorphous phase of the lithium-containing particles; and Collect the LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 particles, wherein the LiNi is adjusted by controlling the amount of nitrate material and acetate material in the uniform precursor solution and by controlling the residence time of the droplets of the uniform precursor solution in the microwave generated plasma x Mn y Co z The porosity of O2 particles, The LiNi x Mn y Co z The particle size of O2 particles.

15. A method for preparing lithium-containing particles represented by the following formula: LiNi x Co y Al z O2 Wherein x=0.8, y=0.15, z=0.05; the method comprises: dissolving a combination of a lithium salt, a nickel salt, a cobalt salt, and an aluminum salt in a solvent to form a uniform precursor solution; generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a piezoelectric droplet maker; introducing droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution into a microwave generated plasma; Production of micron or submicron-sized LiNi from the microwave-generated plasma x Co y Al z O2 particles; controlling a residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave-generated plasma by controlling a plasma gas flow rate, wherein controlling the residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution comprises increasing the residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution at a specific temperature to minimize an amorphous phase of the lithium-containing particles; and Collect the LiNi x Co y Al z O2 particles, wherein the LiNi is adjusted by controlling the amount of nitrate material and acetate material in the uniform precursor solution and by controlling the residence time of the droplets of the uniform precursor solution in the microwave generated plasma x Co y Al z The porosity of the O2 particles, and The LiNi x Co y Al z The particle size of O2 particles.

16. A method for preparing lithium-containing particles represented by the following formula: LiNi x Mr y Co z O2 Wherein x≥0, y≥0, z≥0, and x+y+z=1; the method comprises: dissolving a combination of a lithium salt, a nickel salt, a manganese salt, and a cobalt salt in a solvent to form a uniform precursor solution; generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a droplet maker; introducing the droplets into a microwave-generated plasma; Production of micron or submicron-sized LiNi from the microwave-generated plasma x Mn y Co z O2 particles; and Collect the LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 particles.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein generating droplets of controllable size comprises generating two or more streams of droplets of different diameters to form a plurality of droplets of different diameters in the LiNi x Mn y Co z A multi-peak particle size distribution is generated between O2 particles.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 particles include LiNi 1 / 3 Mn 1 / 3 Co 1 / 3 O2(NCM-333), LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O2(NCM-532), LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O2(NCM-622) or LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O2(NCM-811).

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 particles include LiNi 1 / 3 Mn 1 / 3 Co 1 / 3 O2(NCM-333), and wherein the lithium salt comprises Li(COOCH3), the nickel salt comprises Ni(COOCH3)2*4H2O, and the manganese salt comprises Mn(COOCH3)2*4H2O.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the lithium salt, the nickel salt, and the manganese salt are dissolved in a molar ratio of 1:1 / 3:1 / 3.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising: x Mn y Co z The O2 particles are layered onto the substrate.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the LiNi x Mn y Co z The gradient of the material composition of the O 2 particles varies over the entire thickness of the layer formed by the layering.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising minimizing or eliminating the LiNi by increasing the residence time of the droplets in the microwave generated plasma at a specific temperature. x Mn y Co z Amorphous phase of O2 particles.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the residence time is increased by controlling the flow rate of the plasma gas.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the residence time is increased by controlling the power density of the microwave generated plasma.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the residence time is increased by controlling the speed at which the droplets leave the droplet maker.

27. A method for preparing lithium-containing particles represented by the following formula: LiNi x Mr y Co z O2 Wherein x≥0, y≥0, z≥0, and x+y+z=1; the method comprises: receiving, by a controller, an input from a user input device, the input indicating a desired parameter of the lithium-containing particle; selecting, by the controller, a set of starting materials, the selection being based at least in part on input received from the user input device; calculating, by the controller, the ratio of the starting materials; introducing the starting material into a microwave generated plasma; controlling, by the controller, one or more of an input rate of the starting material, a plasma gas flow rate, a power density of the microwave-generated plasma, and a temperature of the microwave-generated plasma; and Production of LiNi from the microwave generated plasma x Mn y Co z O2 particles.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the desired parameters include one or more of particle porosity, morphology, or particle size.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the selecting is based at least in part on a type of plasma gas used to generate the microwave generated plasma.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 particles include LiNi 1 / 3 Mn 1 / 3 Co 1 / 3 O2(NCM-333), LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O2(NCM-532), LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O2(NCM-622) or LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O2(NCM-811).

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising: x Mn y Co z The O2 particles are layered onto the substrate.

32. A method for preparing lithium-containing particles represented by the following formula: LiNi x Mr y Co z O2 Wherein x≥0, y≥0, z≥0, and x+y+z=1; the method comprises: combining starting materials to form a homogeneous precursor solution comprising lithium; generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a droplet maker; introducing droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution into a microwave generated plasma; Production of micron or submicron-sized LiNi from the microwave-generated plasma x Mn y Co z O2 particles; as well as The LiNi is minimized or eliminated by increasing the residence time of the droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave generated plasma at a specific temperature. x Mn y Co z The amorphous phase of O2 particles, The LiNi x Mn y Co z The O2 particles comprise a substantially single-phase crystal structure.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising supplementing the starting material with lithium so that the lithium is present in the LiNi x Mn y Co z The stoichiometric proportion of the O2 particles is present in a large stoichiometric proportion in the starting material.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 particles include LiNi 1 / 3 Mn 1 / 3 Co 1 / 3 O2(NCM-333), LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O2(NCM-532), LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O2(NCM-622) or LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O2(NCM-811).

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising: x Mn y Co z The O2 particles are layered onto the substrate.

36. A method for producing a lithium-ion battery material, comprising: combining starting materials to form a homogeneous precursor solution comprising lithium; generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a droplet maker; introducing said droplets of said homogeneous precursor solution into a microwave generated plasma; producing micron or submicron-sized lithium-containing particles from said microwave-generated plasma; controlling a residence time of the droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave-generated plasma by controlling at least one of a plasma gas flow rate, a power density of the microwave-generated plasma, or a speed at which the droplets exit the droplet maker; collecting the lithium-containing particles; and The lithium-containing particles are used to form a slurry to form a lithium-ion battery material.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein collecting the lithium-containing particles comprises quenching the lithium-containing particles, the method further comprising: The quenching rate of the lithium-containing particles is controlled by selecting a quenching fluid, controlling a quenching fluid flow rate, or controlling a quenching fluid temperature.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising: The size of the droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution is controlled using the droplet maker.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the homogeneous precursor solution comprises an aqueous solution of lithium acetate, nickel acetate, manganese acetate, and cobalt acetate in hydrated or non-hydrated form; or an aqueous solution of lithium nitrate, nickel nitrate, manganese nitrate, and cobalt nitrate.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein generating droplets having a controllable size comprises generating two or more streams of droplets having different diameters.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein the microwave generated plasma is generated in oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas.

42. The method of claim 36, wherein collecting the lithium-containing particles comprises quenching the lithium-containing particles; the method further comprising: At least one of the porosity, morphology, particle size, particle size distribution, or chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles is adjusted by controlling at least one of the precursor solution chemistry, droplet size, plasma gas flow rate, residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma, quench rate, or power density of the microwave-generated plasma.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein adjusting the morphology of the lithium-containing particles comprises controlling the residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma and in the afterglow region of the microwave-generated plasma; or wherein controlling the porosity of the lithium-containing particles comprises controlling at least one of the amount of nitrate material and acetate material in the homogeneous precursor solution, the solution precursor chemistry, or the residence time of the droplets in the microwave-generated plasma; or wherein controlling the chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles comprises controlling the proportion of the starting materials in the precursor solution; or wherein controlling the particle size of the lithium-containing particles comprises controlling at least one of the droplet size of the droplets of the precursor solution, or controlling the concentration of the starting materials in the precursor solution.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein generating droplets having a controllable size comprises generating two or more streams of droplets having different diameters.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the two or more streams of droplets are produced using different nozzles or openings in the droplet maker.

46. ​​The method of claim 42, wherein adjusting the chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles comprises: determining a desired chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles prior to forming the homogenous precursor solution; as well as The stoichiometric ratios of the starting materials are calculated based on the desired chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles.

47. The method of claim 36, wherein the lithium-containing particles have the formula: LiNi x Mr y Co z O2 where x≥0, y≥0, z≥0, and x+y+z=1; and The combining of the starting materials comprises dissolving a combination of a lithium salt, a nickel salt, a manganese salt and a cobalt salt in a solvent to form a uniform precursor solution.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein generating droplets of controllable size comprises generating two or more streams of droplets of different diameters to form a plurality of droplets of different diameters in the LiNi x Mn y Co z A multi-peak particle size distribution is generated between O2 particles.

49. The method of claim 36, wherein the lithium-containing particles have the formula: LiNi x Co y Al z O2 where x=0.8, y=0.15, z=0.05; and The combining of the starting materials comprises dissolving a combination of a lithium salt, a nickel salt, a cobalt salt and an aluminum salt in a solvent to form a uniform precursor solution.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein generating droplets of controllable size comprises generating two or more streams of droplets of different diameters to form a plurality of droplets of different diameters in the LiNi x Co y Al z A multi-peak particle size distribution is generated between O2 particles.

51. A method for preparing lithium-containing particles represented by the following formula: LiNi x Mr y Co z O2 Where x≥0, y≥0, z≥0, and x+y+z=1; The method comprises: dissolving a combination of a lithium salt, a nickel salt, a manganese salt, and a cobalt salt in a solvent to form a uniform precursor solution; generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a droplet maker; introducing the droplets into a microwave-generated plasma; Production of micron or submicron-sized LiNi from the microwave-generated plasma x Mn y Co z O2 particles; Collect the LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 particles.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein generating droplets of controllable size comprises generating two or more streams of droplets of different diameters to form a plurality of droplets of different diameters in the LiNi x Mn y Co z A multi-peak particle size distribution is generated between O2 particles.

53. The method of claim 51, wherein the LiNi is collected x Mn y Co z The O2 particles include the LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 particle quenching, the method further comprising: The LiNi quenching fluid can be controlled by selecting the quenching fluid, controlling the quenching fluid flow rate or controlling the quenching fluid temperature. x Mn y Co z Quenching rate of O2 particles.

54. The method of claim 51, further comprising: The size of the droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution is controlled using the droplet maker.

55. The method of claim 51, further comprising: The residence time of the droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave generated plasma is controlled by controlling at least one of a plasma gas flow rate, a power density of the microwave generated plasma, or a speed at which the droplets exit the droplet maker.

56. The method of claim 51, wherein the homogeneous precursor solution comprises an aqueous solution of lithium acetate, nickel acetate, manganese acetate, and cobalt acetate in hydrated or non-hydrated form.

57. The method of claim 51, wherein the homogeneous precursor solution comprises an aqueous solution of lithium nitrate, nickel nitrate, manganese nitrate, and cobalt nitrate.

58. The method of claim 51, wherein generating droplets having a controllable size comprises generating two or more streams of droplets having different diameters.

59. The method of claim 51, wherein the microwave generated plasma is generated in oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas.

60. The method of claim 51, wherein the LiNi x Mn y Co z The O2 particles include a layered crystal structure.

61. The method of claim 51, wherein the LiNi x Mn y Co z The O2 particles include a nanocrystalline microstructure.

62. The method of claim 51, wherein the LiNi x Mn y Co z The O2 particles comprise a size distribution of ±2%.

63. The method of claim 51, wherein x = 0.5, y = 0.3, and z = 0.

2.

64. The method of claim 51, wherein x = 0.6, y = 0.2, and z = 0.

2.

65. The method of claim 51, wherein x = 0.8, y = 0.1, and z = 0.

1.

66. A method for preparing lithium-containing particles represented by the following formula: LiNi x Mr y Co z O2 Where x≥0, y≥0, z≥0, and x+y+z=1; The method comprises: dissolving a combination of a lithium salt, a nickel salt, a manganese salt, and a cobalt salt in a solvent to form a uniform precursor solution; A droplet maker is used to generate droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size, by generating two or more streams of droplets having different diameters to form a droplet on the LiNi x Mn y Co z A multi-peak particle size distribution is generated between O2 particles; introducing the droplets into a microwave-generated plasma system; Production of micron or submicron-sized LiNi from the microwave-generated plasma x Mn y Co z O2 particles; Collect the LiNi x Mn y Co z O2 particles; coating the particle to form a shell structure on the particle, wherein the shell structure comprises carbon or aluminum oxide; as well as The particles are used to form a slurry after the coating to form a lithium ion battery material.

67. The method of claim 66, further comprising controlling the residence time of the droplets in the microwave generated plasma system.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein collecting the particles comprises quenching the particles.

69. The method of claim 66, wherein the microwave generated plasma system is configured to use oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas.

70. The method of claim 66, wherein the introducing comprises introducing the droplets into a microwave-generated plasma of the microwave plasma system or into an afterglow region of the microwave-generated plasma.

71. The method of claim 70, wherein said introducing comprises introducing said droplets into said afterglow region.

72. The method of claim 66, wherein a first group of droplets having a first different diameter have a first uniform size, and wherein a second group of droplets having a second different diameter have a second uniform size.

73. The method of claim 66, wherein the coating comprises flowing a mixture of oxygen-containing gases into a reaction chamber, introducing the particles into the reaction chamber, and directing the particles and the mixture into a nozzle through a heat source, wherein the heat source decomposes the gas to form the shell structure on the particles.

74. The method of claim 73, wherein the gas comprises acetylene and the shell structure comprises carbon.

75. A method for preparing lithium-containing particles represented by the following formula: LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O2 The method comprises: dissolving a combination of a lithium salt, a nickel salt, a cobalt salt, and an aluminum salt in a solvent to form a uniform precursor solution; A droplet maker is used to generate droplets of uniform size of the uniform precursor solution by generating two or more streams of droplets with different diameters to form a uniform precursor solution on the LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 A multi-peak particle size distribution is generated between O2 particles; introducing the uniformly sized droplets into a microwave generated plasma system; Production of micron or submicron-sized LiNi from the microwave-generated plasma 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O2 particles; Collect the LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O2 particles; coating the particle to form a shell structure on the particle, wherein the shell structure comprises carbon or aluminum oxide; as well as The particles are used to form a slurry after the coating to form a lithium ion battery material.

76. The method of claim 75, further comprising controlling the residence time of the droplets in the microwave generated plasma system.

77. The method of claim 75, wherein collecting the particles comprises quenching the particles.

78. The method of claim 75, wherein the microwave generated plasma system is configured to use oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas.

79. The method of claim 75, wherein the introducing comprises introducing the droplets into a microwave-generated plasma of the microwave plasma system or into an afterglow region of the microwave-generated plasma.

80. The method of claim 79, wherein said introducing comprises introducing said droplets into said afterglow region.

81. The method of claim 75, wherein a first group of droplets having a first different diameter have a first uniform size, and wherein a second group of droplets having a second different diameter have a second uniform size.

82. The method of claim 75, wherein the coating comprises flowing a mixture of oxygen-containing gases into a reaction chamber, introducing the particles into the reaction chamber, and directing the particles and the mixture into a nozzle through a heat source, wherein the heat source decomposes the gas to form the shell structure on the particles.

83. The method of claim 82, wherein the gas comprises acetylene and the shell structure comprises carbon.

84. A method for producing lithium-ion battery materials, comprising: dissolving the combination of starting materials in a solvent to form a homogeneous precursor solution comprising lithium; generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a droplet maker; introducing droplets of the uniform precursor solution into a microwave generated plasma system; producing micron or submicron-sized lithium-containing particles from said microwave-generated plasma; adjusting at least one of porosity, morphology, particle size, particle size distribution, or chemical composition of the lithium-containing particles by controlling at least one of precursor solution chemistry, plasma gas flow rate, residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave-generated plasma, quench rate, or power density of the microwave-generated plasma; collecting the lithium-containing particles; The particles are used to form a slurry to form a lithium ion battery material.

85. The method of claim 84, further comprising controlling the residence time of droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution in the microwave generated plasma system.

86. The method of claim 84, wherein collecting the particles comprises quenching the particles.

87. The method of claim 84, wherein the microwave generated plasma system is configured to use oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas.

88. The method of claim 84, wherein the introducing comprises introducing droplets of the homogeneous precursor solution into a microwave-generated plasma of a microwave plasma system or into an afterglow region of the microwave-generated plasma.

89. The method of claim 88, wherein said introducing comprises introducing a liquid of said homogeneous precursor solution into said afterglow region.

90. The method of claim 84, wherein the homogeneous precursor solution comprises an aqueous solution of lithium acetate, nickel acetate, manganese acetate, and cobalt acetate in hydrated or non-hydrated form.

91. The method of claim 84, wherein the homogeneous precursor solution comprises an aqueous solution of lithium nitrate, nickel nitrate, manganese nitrate, and cobalt nitrate.

92. The method of claim 84, wherein the introducing comprises generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a droplet maker.

93. The method of claim 84, wherein the lithium-containing particles include LiNi x Mn y Co z O2, where x≥0, y≥0, z≥0, and x+y+z=1.

94. The method of claim 84, wherein the lithium-containing particles include LiNi x Co y Al z O2, where x=0.8, y=0.15, z=0.

05.

95. The method of claim 84, wherein the lithium-containing particles are coated with an aluminum oxide coating or a carbon coating.

96. A lithium-containing particle prepared by the following method, the method comprising: dissolving the combination of starting materials in a solvent to form a homogeneous precursor solution comprising lithium; generating droplets of the uniform precursor solution having a controllable size using a droplet maker; introducing droplets of the uniform precursor solution into a microwave generated plasma system; producing micron or submicron-sized lithium-containing particles from said microwave-generated plasma; controlling a residence time of droplets of the uniform precursor solution in the microwave-generated plasma by controlling at least one of a plasma gas flow rate, a power density of the microwave-generated plasma, or a speed at which droplets of the uniform precursor solution exit a droplet maker; collecting the lithium-containing particles; The particles are used to form a slurry to form a lithium ion battery material.

97. The lithium-containing particle of claim 96, wherein the lithium-containing particle comprises LiNi x Mn y Co z O2, where x≥0, y≥0, z≥0, and x+y+z=1.

98. The lithium-containing particle of claim 96, wherein the lithium-containing particle comprises LiNi x Co y Al z O2, where x=0.8, y=0.15, z=0.

05.

99. The lithium-containing particle of claim 96, wherein the homogenous precursor solution comprises an aqueous solution of lithium acetate, nickel acetate, manganese acetate, and cobalt acetate in hydrated or non-hydrated form.

100. The lithium-containing particle of claim 96, wherein the homogenous precursor solution comprises an aqueous solution of lithium nitrate, nickel nitrate, manganese nitrate, and cobalt nitrate.

101. The lithium-containing particle of claim 96, wherein the lithium-containing particle is coated with an aluminum oxide coating or a carbon coating.

102. The lithium-containing particle of claim 96, wherein the coating is a continuously graded coating such that the material composition of the coating changes gradually throughout the thickness of the coating.

103. A lithium ion battery material obtained by the method of any one of claims 1 to 13, 36 to 50, and 84 to 95.

104. Lithium-containing particles obtained by the method of any one of claims 14 to 35 and 51 to 83.

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