Transition metal-containing precursor materials and methods for their preparation

Abstract

The invention relates to a transition metal containing precursor material free of S and free of Cl, to the use thereof for the production of a positive electrode active material; to a positive electrode active material for a rechargeable battery, to a process for the production of the transition metal containing precursor material and a process for the production of the positive electrode active material; and to a battery comprising the positive electrode active material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a transition metal precursor material that is free of sulfur and chloride, and its use in preparing a positive electrode active material; to a positive electrode active material for a rechargeable battery, a method for preparing the transition metal precursor material and a method for preparing the positive electrode active material; and to a battery comprising the positive electrode active material. Background Technology

[0002] Energy storage systems such as rechargeable batteries are essential for rapidly storing and releasing large amounts of energy to adjust power output according to demand. The same battery technology is also used in electric vehicles, which operate using stored electrical energy and reduce pollution compared to conventional vehicles with internal combustion engines. To meet appropriate demands, these batteries need to store high levels of energy with minimal weight, charge and discharge at rapid rates, and withstand numerous cycles without performance degradation. These requirements are referred to as high energy density, high rate performance, and high cycle life, and must be met while maintaining affordability and safety. In particular, due to their high energy density and high rate performance, many types of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been extensively researched to meet these requirements.

[0003] CN113363493A discloses a single-crystal ternary cathode active material and its preparation method, which begins with the step of mixing a transition metal precursor and a lithium source. The transition metal precursor is prepared by using a transition metal sulfate solution, a transition metal chloride solution, a transition metal nitrate solution, or a combination thereof. The transition metal precursor contains Cl or S or has a relatively low Ni content (i.e., Ni of 70 mol% relative to the sum of Ni, Mn, and Co). The method proposed in CN113363493A is costly due to its long processing time.

[0004] CN109811412B discloses a layered lithium nickel manganate cathode active material with a single-crystal morphology and its preparation method, aiming to eliminate the scarce resource Co and significantly reduce the material preparation cost. It discloses a transition metal precursor with a Ni to Mn ratio of 50 mol% to 50 mol%, which is prepared by using a transition metal nitrate solution or a combination of transition metal nitrate and sulfate solutions. However, this method uses pre-sintering and calcination steps, which increases processing time and cost.

[0005] The aforementioned prior art discloses methods for producing single-crystal (monomeric) cathode active materials, which use relatively high sintering (heating) temperatures and relatively long sintering times.

[0006] One object of the present invention is to provide a precursor containing a transition metal that can be used at a lower sintering temperature or for a shorter sintering time, thereby reducing processing costs.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing the precursor material, wherein the particle growth process is not inhibited during heating.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing positive electrode active materials, which uses a shorter processing time and a lower sintering temperature, making the process economically efficient. Summary of the Invention

[0009] Compared to polycrystalline cathode active materials, monolithic cathode active materials are preferred in some battery applications due to their relatively better hardness and lower specific surface area. The better hardness prevents the formation of microcracks during processing, and the lower specific surface area reduces side reactions between the cathode active material and the electrolyte. However, the synthesis of monolithic materials requires high sintering temperatures and long sintering times to fuse all primary particles into a single particle. Using precursors with low or no sulfur content is expected to benefit the growth of monolithic particles, as sulfur acts as a sintering inhibitor. Precursors prepared from metal nitrate sources can be used.

[0010] In a first aspect, the object of the present invention is achieved by providing a transition metal-containing precursor material for a positive electrode active material of a rechargeable battery, the precursor material comprising M' and oxygen, wherein M' comprises:

[0011] - Ni with a content of x relative to M', of which 70.0 at% <x<100.0 at%, - Mn with a content of y relative to M', where 0.0 at% ≤ y ≤ 30.0 at%. -Co with a content of z relative to M', where 0.0 at% <z ≤ 25.0 at%, - D with a content of b relative to M', where 0.0 at% ≤ b ≤ 2.0 at%. Where D is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, B, Ba, Ca, Ce, Cr, Fe, La, Mg, Mo, Nb, Sr, Ti, V, W, Y, Zn and Zr; The feature is that M' further comprises, relative to M', S in a content of a, wherein a is 0.0 at% ≤ a ≤ 0.005 at%, and Cl in a content of c, wherein c is 0.0 at% ≤ c ≤ 0.005 at%. Furthermore, x, y, z, a, b, and c were measured by ICP-OES; and x+y+z+a+b+c is 100.0 at.

[0012] In another objective, the present invention discloses the use of the transition metal-containing precursor material for the preparation of positive electrode active materials.

[0013] In another objective, the present invention discloses a positive electrode active material obtained by using the aforementioned transition metal-containing precursor material, wherein the positive electrode active material comprises integral particles. The inventors provide a positive electrode active material achieving a narrower span.

[0014] In another objective, the present invention provides a method for preparing the precursor material by nitrate-based precipitation.

[0015] In another objective, the present invention provides a method for preparing positive electrode active materials. Both methods reduce production costs by lowering the sintering temperature or shortening the sintering time.

[0016] In another objective, the present invention provides a battery comprising the aforementioned positive electrode active material. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Other features and advantages of the invention may be appreciated from the following detailed description provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 SEM image of precursor B Figure 2 SEM image of EX1 Detailed Implementation In the following detailed description, preferred embodiments are described in detail to enable the practice of the invention. Although the invention has been described with reference to these specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to these preferred embodiments. Rather, the invention includes numerous alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description and drawings.

[0018] As used herein and in the claims, the term “comprising” should not be construed as limited to the manner listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It should be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, or components as mentioned, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, or components, or groups thereof. Therefore, the scope of the expression “composition comprising components A and B” should not be limited to compositions consisting solely of components A and B. This means that, for the purposes of this invention, the only relevant components of the composition are A and B. Therefore, the terms “comprising” and “including” encompass the more restrictive terms “consistently composed of” and “composed of”.

[0019] As used herein and in the claims, the term "positive electrode active material" (also known as cathode active material or CAM) is defined as a material that is electrochemically active in a positive or negative electrode. An active material should be understood as a material capable of capturing and releasing Li ions when subjected to voltage changes over a predetermined time period.

[0020] Within the framework of this invention, at% represents atomic percentage. In the expression of concentration, at% or "atomic percentage" of a given element means what percentage of all atoms in the compound are atoms of that element. The name at% is equivalent to mol% or "molar percentage".

[0021] As defined herein, the term “median particle size D50” (also known as median particle size Dv50 by volume) is used interchangeably with the terms “D50” or “d50” or “median particle size” or “median particle size (d50 or D50)”. D50 is defined herein as the particle size at 50% of the cumulative volume percentage distribution. D50 is typically determined by laser diffraction particle size analysis. D10 and D90 (Dv10 and Dv90) are defined, respectively, as the particle size at 10% and 90% of the cumulative volume percentage distribution when measured by laser scattering as described in this specification. As used herein, the term “span” is defined as (D90 – D10) divided by D50; i.e., (D90 – D10) / D50. The term “narrow span” represents a span of 1.0 or less.

[0022] As defined herein, the term "integral" in certain preferred embodiments of the invention refers to a positive electrode active material comprising integral particles, the powder consisting of single particles and / or secondary particles, wherein each of the single particles consists of only one primary particle, and each of the secondary particles consists of at least two primary particles and at most twenty primary particles, as observed in SEM images.

[0023] Transition metal precursors In a first aspect, the present invention provides a transition metal-containing precursor material for a rechargeable battery positive electrode active material, comprising M' and oxygen, wherein M' comprises: - Ni with a content of x relative to M', of which 70.0 at% <x<100.0 at%, - Mn with a content of y relative to M', where 0.0 at% ≤ y ≤ 30.0 at%. -Co with a content of z relative to M', where 0.0 at% <z ≤ 25.0 at%, - D with a content of b relative to M', where 0.0 at% ≤ b ≤ 2.0 at%. Where D is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, B, Ba, Ca, Ce, Cr, Fe, La, Mg, Mo, Nb, Sr, Ti, V, W, Y, Zn and Zr; The feature is that M' further comprises, relative to M', S in a content of a, wherein a is 0.0 at% ≤ a ≤ 0.005 at%, and Cl in a content of c, wherein c is 0.0 at% ≤ c ≤ 0.005 at%. Furthermore, x, y, z, a, b, and c were measured by ICP-OES; and x+y+z+a+b+c is 100.0 at.

[0024] In one preferred embodiment of the precursor material containing a transition metal, x is 80.0 at% ≤ x < 95.0 at%. In another preferred embodiment of the precursor material containing a transition metal, y is 1.0 at% ≤ y ≤ 10.0 at%. In another preferred embodiment of the precursor material containing a transition metal, z is 1.0 at% ≤ z ≤ 10.0 at%. In another embodiment of the precursor material containing a transition metal, a is a ≤ 0.001 at%.

[0025] In another embodiment, the precursor material containing the transition metal has a median particle size D50 between 1 μm and 10 μm, preferably between 2 μm and 8 μm, as determined by laser diffraction particle size analysis.

[0026] Precursor materials containing transition metals are usually in powder form.

[0027] Positive electrode active material In a second aspect, the present invention discloses the use of the precursor material containing the transition metal for preparing positive electrode active materials.

[0028] In another aspect, the present invention discloses a positive electrode active material obtained by using a transition metal-containing precursor material according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the positive electrode active material has a median particle size D50 between 1 μm and 10 μm as determined by laser diffraction particle size analysis. In a more preferred embodiment of the positive electrode active material, D50 is between 2 μm and 8 μm, most preferably between 2 μm and 4 μm.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the positive electrode active material comprises monolithic particles. In a more preferred embodiment, the monolithic particles are spherical. In an even more preferred embodiment, the monolithic particles have an average sphericity greater than 0.85.

[0030] In another preferred embodiment, the positive electrode active material has a span of less than 1.0; that is, the inventors have provided a positive electrode active material with a narrower span. The narrow span of the positive electrode active material allows for a uniform distribution of the positive electrode active material, resulting in better safety and cycle stability. Furthermore, a narrower span may lead to a higher energy density in the battery because it allows for the design of battery electrodes with a higher volumetric packing density.

[0031] Method for preparing transition metal-containing precursors In a third aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing a precursor containing a transition metal, wherein the precursor is prepared by a co-precipitation process using a transition metal salt source, sodium hydroxide, and ammonia, wherein the transition metal salt source is a nitrate source comprising Ni(NO3)2, Mn(NO3)2, and Co(NO3)2.

[0032] The inventors have discovered that when using precursors that do not contain S or Cl, integral particles with a preferred D50 can be obtained at a lower sintering temperature and a shorter sintering time, because S and Cl inhibit particle growth.

[0033] A method for preparing the transition metal-containing precursor according to the present invention includes: - A stream of transition metal salt solution containing one or more transition metal elements but excluding S and Cl is supplied to the reactor vessel for a period of time. During this period, a transition metal salt solution is mixed with an aqueous solution containing one or more alkali metal hydroxides and an ammonia solution (NH3(aq)), thereby precipitating the hydroxides of the one or more transition metal elements and forming an aqueous slurry containing hydroxide or hydroxyl oxide particles of the one or more transition metal elements. During this time period, the following conditions are maintained in the reactor vessel: - The pH range of the aqueous slurry is greater than or equal to 10.5 and less than or equal to 12.5, preferably greater than or equal to 11.0 and less than or equal to 12.0, wherein the pH value of the aqueous slurry is the pH value measured on a sample of the aqueous slurry after cooling to 20°C. -NH3(aq) concentration greater than or equal to 1 g / L and preferably less than or equal to 3 g / L, and - The temperature of the aqueous slurry is at least 70°C and at most 99°C, preferably at least 80°C and at most 90°C; After this period ends, the aqueous slurry in the reactor vessel is further processed by separating the solid fraction from the liquid fraction and drying the solid fraction to obtain a precursor containing transition metals.

[0034] Methods for preparing positive electrode active materials In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing a cathode material according to a second aspect of the present invention, wherein the method comprises the following steps: 1) Preparation of precursors containing transition metals, 2) The precursor containing the transition metal is mixed with a Li source to prepare a mixture. 3) Heating the mixture to prepare a heated product. 4) Grinding the heated product to prepare a ground product, and 5) Optionally, the milled product is dried to prepare a positive electrode active material.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment of the method, the grinding in step 4) is performed by a wet grinding process, such as wet bead (ball) milling and wet ultrasonic treatment. As an alternative grinding technique, the method can use dry grinding, such as air jet milling and air-stage milling.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment, the method includes the following steps: 1) Preparation of precursors containing transition metals, 2) The transition metal precursor, lithium source, and optionally dopant source described in the first aspect of the invention are mixed to obtain a mixture. 3) The mixture is heated in an oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature between 750°C and 1000°C to obtain the heated product. 4) Preferably, the heated product is ground in an aqueous solution, more preferably in water using an ultrasonic treatment method to obtain the ground product. 5) The milled product is preferably dried in a vacuum at a drying temperature between 30°C and 200°C to obtain a positive electrode active material.

[0037] In an embodiment of the fourth aspect of the invention, step 1) of the method according to the third aspect of the invention is carried out in any embodiment or combination of embodiments thereof.

[0038] Battery In another aspect, the present invention provides a battery comprising a positive electrode active material as described above in the second aspect of the invention.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, the battery is a lithium-ion battery, preferably a lithium-ion rechargeable battery. Preferably, the battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, an electrode, and a separator comprising a cathode active material according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0040] In an additional aspect, the present invention relates to the use of a battery according to the last aspect of the invention in any of a portable computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, energy storage system (ESS), electric vehicle (EV) or hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), preferably in an electric vehicle or hybrid electric vehicle.

[0041] Examples and Experimental Tests The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to embodiments, but the invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0042] Experimental tests used in the examples The following analysis methods were used in the examples: A) Particle size distribution (PSD) analysis After dispersing the positive electrode active material powder examples as described below in an aqueous medium, the PSD was measured using a Malvern Mastersizer 3000 with a Hydro MV wet dispersion attachment. To improve the dispersion of the positive electrode active material powder examples, adequate ultrasonic irradiation and stirring were applied, and a suitable surfactant was introduced. D10, D50, and D90 were defined as the particle size at 10%, 50%, and 90% of the cumulative volume % distribution, respectively. The span was defined as (D90 - D10) / D50.

[0043] B) Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Analysis (ICP-OES) The positive electrode active material examples described below were measured using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) with an Agilent ICP 720-OES instrument. One gram of powder sample from each example was dissolved in 50 mL of high-purity hydrochloric acid in an Erlenmeyer flask. The flask was covered with a watch glass and heated on a hot plate at 380°C until the sample was completely dissolved. After cooling to room temperature, the solution and rinsing water from the Erlenmeyer flask were transferred to a 250 mL volumetric flask. The volumetric flask was then filled to the 250 mL mark with DI water and thoroughly homogenized. A suitable amount of solution was pipetted and transferred to a 250 mL volumetric flask for a second dilution, in which the volumetric flask was filled to the 250 mL mark with an internal standard and 10% hydrochloric acid and then homogenized. Finally, this solution was used for ICP-OES measurements. Elemental content is expressed as at% of the sum of these contents.

[0044] C) Scanning electron microscope The morphology of the positive electrode active material was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A JEOL JCM-6100Plus microscope was used to analyze the morphology at 9.6 x 10⁻⁶ mm. -5Measurements were performed under a high vacuum of 25°C. The particles in the image should be well-distributed to avoid overlap. This can be achieved by pouring a small amount of powder sample onto the adhesive attached to the SEM sample holder and blowing air to remove excess powder.

[0045] Example The present invention is further illustrated in the following embodiments: Comparative Examples 1 to 8 Comparative Example 1 (CEX1) provides a positive electrode active material with an integral morphology, which is prepared according to the following steps: 1) Preparation of Precursor A: A transition metal-based precursor (precursor A) with a Ni:Mn:Co ratio of 0.88:0.05:0.07 was prepared in a large continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) using a co-precipitation process with a mixture of nickel-manganese-cobalt sulfate, sodium hydroxide, and ammonia. The crude composition relative to the sum of Ni, Mn, and Co is Ni. 0.88 Mn 0.05 Co 0.07 (OH)2 precursor A also contains approximately 0.01 mol% S and 0.0 mol% Cl. The median particle size of precursor A is 3.3 μm for D50, 2.2 μm for D10, and 5.0 μm for D90, with a span of 0.86.

[0046] 2) Mixing: The precursor A prepared in step 1) is uniformly mixed to obtain a mixture with a lithium to metal (Ni, Mn and Co) ratio of 0.96.

[0047] 3) Heating: The mixture from step 2) is heated at 820°C for 2.5 hours in an oxygen atmosphere to obtain heated powder.

[0048] 4) Grinding: Grind the heated powder from step 3) using a wet ultrasonic treatment method with an ultrasonic probe. Add 20 g of heated powder to 150 g of water in a 400 mL cylindrical container with an inner diameter of 82 mm. Apply ultrasound at a power of 1500 watts for 60 minutes to obtain ground powder.

[0049] 5) Drying: Collect the ground powder from step 4) by filtration and then vacuum dry at 50°C for 12 hours to obtain CEX1.

[0050] CEX2 to CEX8 were prepared using the same method as CEX1, except that the heating temperature and time were as shown in Table 1.

[0051] For the coprecipitation process in the comparative example, NiSO4·6H2O was used as the nickel feedstock, CoSO4·7H2O as the cobalt feedstock, and MnSO4·H2O as the manganese feedstock. These feedstocks were dissolved in distilled water to prepare an aqueous solution of the metal salt. After preparing the coprecipitation reactor, N2 was purged to prevent oxidation of metal ions during the coprecipitation reaction, and the reactor temperature was maintained at 40°C–70°C. NH4(OH) was added to the coprecipitation reaction as a chelating agent, and NaOH was used for pH control. The precipitate obtained by the coprecipitation process was filtered, washed with distilled water, and then dried in a filter cake dryer at 140°C–190°C to prepare the comparative cathode active material precursor A.

[0052] Examples 1 to 8 Example 1 (EX1) provides a positive electrode active material with an integral morphology, which is prepared according to the following steps: 1) Preparation of precursor B: By using the metal nitrate Ni(NO3) 6H2O, Mn(NO3)2 4H2O and Co(NO3)2 A metal feed solution with a Ni:Mn:Co ratio of 0.88:0.05:0.07 was prepared using 6H2O. The total metal content in the metal feed solution was 120 g / L.

[0053] Precipitation was carried out in a 10 L reactor using a batch precipitation method. The starting batch consisted of 4500 mL of H₂O, 60 mL of ammonia solution, and 2 L of Ni(OH)₂ seed slurry with a D50 of 1.2 μm. The total seed content in the starting batch was 220 g, and the ammonia content was 2 g / L. The pH was adjusted to 11.5 with NaOH. The reactor was heated to 85°C, and the stirring speed of the stirrer in the reactor was 1000 rpm.

[0054] During the initial 4 hours, the metal feed solution was added to the reactor at a flow rate of 10 mL / min. The flow rate was then steadily increased from 10 mL / min to 56 mL / min, maintaining the calculated particle growth rate at approximately 0.1 μm / h.

[0055] An ammonia (NH3) solution was added to the reactor, and the ammonia concentration was maintained between 2 g / L and 4 g / L by adjustment. A NaOH solution was also added to the reactor, and the pH was maintained between 11.5 and 11.8 (20°C) by adjustment. The ammonia concentration in the ammonia solution was 220 g / L, and the NaOH concentration in the NaOH solution was 230 g / L.

[0056] When the particle size reaches the target, sedimentation is stopped to prepare a sediment slurry. The total sedimentation time is 21 hours.

[0057] The slurry was filtered and mixed with water at a ratio of 10 L water to 1 L slurry at 60°C, and dried at 120°C to obtain precursor B.

[0058] The crude composition relative to the sum of Ni, Mn, and Co is Ni. 0.88 Mn 0.05 Co 0.07 (OH)2 precursor B also contains 0.0 mol% S and 0.0 mol% Cl. The median particle size of precursor B is 3.2 μm for D50, 2.3 μm for D10, and 4.5 μm for D90, with a span of 0.66.

[0059] 2) Mixing: The precursor B prepared in step 1) is uniformly mixed to obtain a first mixture with a lithium to metal (Ni, Mn and Co) ratio of 0.96.

[0060] 3) Heating: The mixture from step 2) is heated at 820°C for 2.5 hours in an oxygen atmosphere to obtain heated powder.

[0061] 4) Grinding: Grind the heated powder from step 3) using a wet ultrasonic treatment method with an ultrasonic probe. Add 20 g of heated powder to 150 g of water in a 400 mL cylindrical container with an inner diameter of 82 mm. Apply ultrasound at a power of 1500 watts for 60 minutes to obtain ground powder.

[0062] 5) Drying: Collect the ground powder from step 4) by filtration and then vacuum dry at 50°C for 12 hours to obtain EX1.

[0063] EX2 to EX8 were prepared using the same method as CEX1, except that the heating temperature and time were as shown in Table 1.

[0064] Precursors A and B have very similar compositions and particle size distributions.

[0065] Further examples of precursor preparation from metal sulfates were described. A transition metal-based precursor (precursor C) with a Ni:Mn:Co metal ratio of 0.93:0.02:0.09 was prepared similarly to precursor A. The crude composition relative to the sum of Ni, Mn, and Co was Ni. 0.93 Mn 0.02 Co 0.09(OH)₂ precursor C also contains approximately 0.14 mol% S and 0.0 mol% Cl. The median particle size of precursor C is D50 of 3.2 μm, D10 of 2.2 μm, and D90 of 4.7 μm, with a span of 0.80. A transition metal-based precursor (precursor D) with a Ni:Mn:Co ratio of 0.82:0.06:0.12 was prepared similarly to precursor A. The crude composition relative to the sum of Ni, Mn, and Co is Ni. 0.82 Mn 0.06 Co 0.12 (OH)₂ precursor D also contains approximately 0.21 mol% S and 0.0 mol% Cl. The median particle sizes of precursor D are D50 (10.3 μm), D10 (5.5 μm), and D90 (18.0 μm), with a span of 1.21. A transition metal-based precursor (precursor E) with a Ni:Mn:Co metal ratio of 0.68:0.20:0.12 was prepared similarly to precursor A. The crude composition relative to the sum of Ni, Mn, and Co is Ni. 0.68 Mn 0.20 Co 0.12 The (OH)2 precursor E also contains approximately 0.01 mol% S and 0.0 mol% Cl. The median particle size of precursor D is 5.0 μm for D50, 2.9 μm for D10, and 8.1 μm for D90, with a span of 1.21.

[0066] As these comparative examples demonstrate, regardless of the metal ratio Ni:Mn:Co and particle size, sulfur is incorporated into the precursor composition whenever metal sulfates precipitate. As shown herein, this sulfur content has an impact on the final active material.

[0067] result Table 1. Summary of heating conditions and particle size for the Examples and Comparative Examples

[0068] CEX1 to CEX8 are cathode active materials prepared from precursor A, which contains approximately 0.01 mol% S relative to the total of Ni, Mn, and Co. On the other hand, EX1 to EX8 are cathode active materials prepared from precursor B, which is obtained using a nitrate precipitation process and therefore contains neither S nor Cl. As can be seen from Table 1, under the same heating conditions, the cathode active materials prepared from precursor B achieve a larger D50 and a narrower span.

[0069] For example, CEX1 prepared by heating at 820°C for 2.5 hours showed a D50 of 1.89 μm and a span of 1.13, while EX1 prepared under the same heating conditions showed a D50 of 2.99 μm and a span of 0.94. The larger particle size of EX1 compared to CEX1 is related to the absence of S in the precursor, which would otherwise inhibit the growth process during heating.

Claims

1. A transition metal-containing precursor material for use in the positive electrode active material of a rechargeable battery, comprising M' and oxygen, wherein M' comprises: - Ni with a content of x relative to M', of which 70.0 at% <x<100.0 at%, - Mn with a content of y relative to M', where 0.0 at% ≤ y ≤ 30.0 at%. -Co with a content of z relative to M', where 0.0 at% <z ≤ 25.0 at%, - D with a content of b relative to M', where 0.0 at% ≤ b ≤ 2.0 at%. Where D is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, B, Ba, Ca, Ce, Cr, Fe, La, Mg, Mo, Nb, Sr, Ti, V, W, Y, Zn and Zr; Its features are, M' also contains, relative to M', S in a quantity of a, where a is 0.0 at% ≤ a ≤ 0.005 at%, and Cl in a quantity of c, where c is 0.0 at% ≤ c ≤ 0.005 at% Furthermore, x, y, z, a, b, and c were measured by ICP-OES; and x+y+z+a+b+c is 100.0 at.

2. The precursor material containing a transition metal according to claim 1, wherein 80.0 at% ≤ x < 95.0 at%.

3. The precursor material containing a transition metal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 1.0 at% ≤ y ≤ 10.0 at%.

4. The precursor material containing a transition metal according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein 1.0 at% ≤ z ≤ 10.0 at%.

5. The precursor material containing a transition metal according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a ≤ 0.001 at.

6. The precursor material containing a transition metal according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the precursor containing the transition metal has a median particle size D50 between 1 μm and 10 μm as determined by laser diffraction particle size analysis; preferably between 2 μm and 8 μm.

7. Use of the precursor material containing a transition metal according to any one of the preceding claims for the preparation of a positive electrode active material.

8. A positive electrode active material obtained by using a precursor material containing a transition metal according to claims 1 to 6, wherein the positive electrode active material has a median particle size D50 between 1 μm and 10 μm as determined by laser diffraction particle size analysis.

9. The positive electrode active material according to claim 8, wherein the positive electrode active material has a span of less than 1.

0.

10. The positive electrode active material according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the positive electrode active material comprises integral particles.

11. A method for preparing a transition metal-containing precursor according to claims 1 to 6, wherein the precursor is prepared by a co-precipitation process using a transition metal salt source, sodium hydroxide, and ammonia, wherein the transition metal salt source is a nitrate source comprising Ni(NO3)2, Mn(NO3)2, and Co(NO3)2.

12. A method for preparing the positive electrode active material according to claims 8 to 10, wherein the method comprises the following steps: 1) Preparation of precursors containing transition metals, 2) The precursor containing the transition metal is mixed with a Li source to prepare a mixture. 3) Heating the mixture to prepare a heated product. 4) Grinding the heated product to prepare a ground product, and 5) Optionally, the milled product is dried to prepare a positive electrode active material.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the grinding in step 4) is performed by a wet grinding process.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein in step 1), a precursor containing a transition metal is prepared by using a co-precipitation process of a transition metal salt source, sodium hydroxide and ammonia, wherein the transition metal salt source is a nitrate source containing Ni(NO3)2, Mn(NO3)2 and Co(NO3)2.

15. A battery comprising the positive electrode active material according to claims 8 to 10.

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