Method for producing particulate material for battery cells from liquid mixtures

Abstract

To produce a particle material for a battery cell from a liquid mixture.SOLUTION: A method for producing a particle material for a battery cell from a liquid mixture includes: generating one or more droplet flows of a single size, and jetting the droplet flows from a liquid mixture to a dispersion chamber using one or more power jet modules having one or more power jets and one or more actuators; moving the one or more power jets, and connecting the power jets corresponding to one or more openings of a chamber wall of the dispersion chamber using the one or more actuators; transmitting one or more first gases to one or more first gas flows; conveying the one or more droplet flows of the single size from the dispersion chamber to a reaction chamber using the one or more first gas flows; forming one or more gas-liquid mixtures having the one or more first gases and the one or more droplet flows of the single size; reacting the gas-liquid mixture in the reaction chamber for retention time; and forming a gas-solid mixture having a particle material and the one or more first gases.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1B

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the preparation of materials for use in batteries. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods of making structured cathode or anode active materials for use in secondary batteries. [Background technology]

[0002] Much effort has been expended in the development of advanced electrochemical battery cells to satisfy the growing demands in various consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and grid energy storage applications for high energy density, high power performance, large capacity, long cycle life, low cost, and high safety. In many cases, it is desirable to make batteries small, lightweight, and rechargeable (and thus reusable) to conserve space and material resources.

[0003] In an electrochemically active battery cell, the cathode and anode are immersed in an electrolyte and are electronically separated by a separator. The separator is typically made of a porous polymeric membrane material so that metal ions released from the electrodes into the electrolyte can diffuse through the pores of the separator and migrate between the cathode and anode during charging and discharging of the battery. Battery cell types are usually named for the metal ions that are transported between their cathode and anode electrodes. Various rechargeable secondary batteries, such as nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries, and lithium-ion polymer batteries, have been developed for sale over the years. For commercial use, rechargeable secondary batteries are required to have high energy density, high power density, and be safe. However, there is a trade-off between energy density and power density.

[0004] Lithium-ion batteries are secondary batteries that were developed in the early 1990s. Compared to other secondary batteries, lithium-ion batteries offer high energy density, long cycle life, no memory effect, low self-discharge rate, and environmentally friendly advantages. Lithium-ion batteries have rapidly gained acceptance and dominate the secondary battery sales market. However, the cost of producing various lithium battery materials for sale is significantly higher than other types of secondary batteries.

[0005] In lithium-ion batteries, the electrolyte mainly consists of lithium salts (e.g., LiPF6, LiBF4, or LiClO4) in organic solvents (e.g., ethylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, and diethyl carbonate) such that lithium ions can move freely in the solvent. Generally, aluminum foils (e.g., 15-20 μm thick) and copper foils (e.g., 8-15 μm thick) are used as the current collectors of the cathode and anode electrodes, respectively. For the anode, micron-sized graphite (with a reversible capacity of about 330 mAh / g) is often used as the active material coated on the anode current collector. Graphite materials are often prepared from solid-state processes such as grinding and pyrolysis at extremely high temperatures without oxygen (e.g., graphitization at about 3000 °C). For the active cathode materials, various solid-state materials with different crystal structures and capacities have been developed over the years. Examples of good cathode active materials include nanometer or micron sized lithium transition metal oxide materials and lithium ion phosphate.

[0006] The cathode active material is the most expensive component of a lithium-ion battery and determines, to a relatively large extent, the energy density, cycle life, manufacturing cost, and safety of a lithium battery cell. When lithium batteries were first commercialized, lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) material was used as the cathode material, which still holds a significant market share in the market of cathode active materials. However, cobalt is toxic and expensive. Other lithium transition metal oxide materials, such as layered structure LiMeO2 (where the metal Me=Ni, Mn, Co, etc.), such as LiNiO2 with a reversible capacity / practical capacity of about 140-150 mAh / g, have been used. 0.33 Mn 0.33 Co 0.33 LiMeO2), spinel-structured LiMn2O4 (reversible capacity / used capacity of about 110-120 mAh / g), and olivine-type lithium metal phosphates (e.g., LiFePO4, reversible capacity / used capacity of about 140-150 mAh / g) have been recently developed as active cathode materials. When used as cathode materials, spinel-structured LiMn2O4 materials exhibit poor battery cycle life, and olivine-type LiFePO4 materials suffer from low energy density and poor low-temperature performance. As for LiMeO2 materials, although their electrochemical performance is good, previous LiMeO2 manufacturing processes may obtain most of the aggregates, resulting in low electrode density of most LiMeO2 materials compared to LiCoO2. In either case, previous processes for manufacturing materials (especially cathode active materials) for use in batteries are costly, as most processes are long and consume a significant amount of energy, and furthermore, previous material quality is inconsistent and manufacturing yield is poor.

[0007] Conventional material manufacturing processes such as solid-state reactions (e.g., mixing of solid precursors followed by calcination) and wet chemical processes (e.g., processing of precursors in solution by co-precipitation, sol-gel, or hydrothermal reaction, followed by mixing and calcination) have significant challenges in making nano- and micro-structured materials. It is difficult to consistently produce uniform solid materials (i.e., particles and powders) with the desired particle size, morphology, crystal structure, particle shape, and even the desired stoichiometry. Most conventional solid-state reactions require long calcination times (e.g., 4-20 hours) and additional annealing processes to cause complete reaction, homogeneity, and grain growth. For example, spinel-structured LiMn2O4 materials and olivine-structured LiFePO4 materials produced by solid-state reactions require at least several hours of calcination in addition to a separate post-thermal annealing process (e.g., 24 hours) and still exhibit poor quality consistency. One inherent problem associated with solid-state reactions is the presence of temperature and chemical gradients (such as O2) inside the calciner, limiting performance, consistency, and overall quality of the final product.

[0008] On the other hand, wet chemical processes, which are performed at low temperatures, usually involve fast chemical reactions, but require separate high temperature firing processes and even additional annealing processes at a later time. Furthermore, the chemical additives, gelling agents, and surfactants required in wet chemical processes add to the material production cost (in purchasing additional chemicals and adjusting the specific process sequence, ratios, pH, and temperature) and may also interfere with the final composition of the produced active material (thus often requiring additional steps to remove unwanted chemicals or filter the product). Furthermore, the primary particle size of the product powder produced by wet chemistry is very small and tends to aggregate into undesirably larger secondary particles, thereby affecting the energy packing density. Also, the morphology of the powder particles produced in the same manner often exhibits undesirable amorphous aggregates, porous aggregates, wires, rods, flakes, etc. A uniform particle size and shape that allows for high packing density is desirable.

[0009] The synthesis of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) material is relatively simple and involves mixing a lithium salt (e.g., lithium hydroxide (LiOH) or lithium carbonate (Li2CO3)) with cobalt oxide (Co3O4) of the desired particle size, and then firing in a furnace at very high temperatures for extended periods of time (e.g., 900°C for 20 hours) to ensure that the lithium metal diffuses into the crystal structure of the cobalt oxide to form the proper final product of LiCoO2 powder with a layered crystal structure. This approach does not work for LiMeO2 because transition metals such as Ni, Mn, and Co do not diffuse well into each other and do not form a homogeneously mixed transition metal layer when their transition metal oxides or transition metal salts are directly mixed and reacted (solid-state firing). Therefore, the conventional LiMeO2 manufacturing process requires purchasing or preparing transition metal hydroxide precursor compounds (e.g., Me(OH)2, Me=Ni, Mn, Co, etc.) from a wet chemical process of co-precipitation before making the final active cathode material (e.g., lithium NiMnCo transition metal oxide (LiMeO2)).

[0010] Because the water solubility of these Ni(OH)2, Co(OH)2, and Mn(OH)2 precursor compounds differs and they usually precipitate at different concentrations, the pH of the mixed solution of these precursor compounds must be adjusted and ammonia (NH3) or other additives must be added slowly in small aliquots to ensure that nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), and cobalt (Co) can co-precipitate to form micron-sized nickel-manganese-cobalt hydroxide (NMC(OH)2) secondary particles. Such co-precipitated NMC(OH)2 secondary particles are often aggregates of nanometer-sized primary particles. Thus, the final lithium NMC transition metal oxide (LiMeO2) made from the NMC(OH)2 precursor compounds is also an aggregate. These aggregates tend to break under high pressure during the electrode calendaring step and during coating onto the current collector foil. Therefore, when these lithium NMC transition metal oxide materials are used as cathode active materials, a relatively low pressure must be used in the calendaring step, further limiting the electrode density of the produced cathode.

[0011] In the conventional manufacturing process of LiMeO2 active cathode material, precursor compounds such as lithium hydroxide (LiOH) and transition metal hydroxide (Me(OH)2) are mixed homogeneously as solids and stored in a thick Al2O3 crucible. The crucible is then placed in a furnace with a temperature ramp rate of 5-10 °C / min until 900°-950°C is reached and sintered for 10-20 hours. As the precursor compounds are heated at high temperatures for long periods of time, adjacent particles are sintered together, and thus a milling step is often required after sintering. Thus, particles of undesired sizes need to be screened and removed after milling, further reducing the overall yield. High temperatures and long reaction times also result in the evaporation of lithium metal, and typically require the addition of an additional amount of lithium precursor compound, equivalent to 10%, during sintering to ensure that the final product has the correct lithium metal / transition metal ratio. Overall, such multi-step batch manufacturing processes have process times of up to a week, are quite labor intensive and energy consuming, and batch processes increase the opportunities for impurities due to poor quality consistency and low overall yields from run-to-run control. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] Therefore, there is a need for improved processes and systems for producing high quality, structured active materials for battery cells.

[0013] The present invention relates generally to a processing system and method for producing particulate materials from liquid mixtures, and more particularly to a method and processing system for producing particles of material (such as active electrode materials) with desired crystal structure, crystal size, and crystal morphology. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In one embodiment, a processing system for producing a particulate material from a liquid mixture is provided. The processing system includes a system inlet connected to one or more gas lines that deliver one or more gases to the processing system, and an arrangement of one or more power jet modules adapted to eject the liquid mixture into one or more droplet streams and force the one or more droplet streams into the processing system. The processing system further includes a reaction chamber adapted to deliver the one or more droplets in the presence of the one or more gases and process the one or more droplets into the particulate material.

[0015] In one embodiment, the treatment system further includes a buffer chamber connected to the system inlet, the buffer chamber comprising a gas distributor having one or more channels therein for delivering one or more gases into a plurality of uniform gas streams inside the treatment system. The treatment system further includes a dispersion chamber connected to the buffer chamber and the one or more power jet modules, the dispersion chamber adapted to disperse the one or more gases, and one or more droplet streams are ejected from the one or more power jet modules, such that the gas streams of the one or more gases and some of the droplet streams of the one or more droplet streams are mutually dispersed at a dispersion angle (α) ranging from 0 degrees to about 180 degrees. The treatment system further includes a dispersion chamber connected to the buffer chamber and the one or more power jet modules, the dispersion chamber adapted to disperse the plurality of uniform gas streams from the buffer chamber, and one or more droplet streams are ejected from the one or more power jet modules.

[0016] In yet another embodiment, a processing system for producing a particulate material from a liquid mixture is provided. The system includes a system inlet connected to one or more gas lines that deliver a gas mixture to the processing system, and an arrangement of one or more power jet modules adapted to eject the liquid mixture into one or more first droplet streams and push the one or more droplet streams into the processing system. The processing system further includes a dispersion chamber connected to the one or more power jet modules and adapted to disperse the gas mixture, where the one or more droplet streams are ejected from the one or more power jet modules, and some of the droplet streams of the one or more gas streams of the gas mixture and the one or more droplet streams are mutually dispersed at a dispersion angle (α), and a reaction chamber connected to the dispersion chamber and adapted to process the one or more droplet streams into the particulate material.

[0017] In one embodiment, a method of producing a particulate material (e.g., a cathode active material or an anode active material) is provided. The method includes delivering one or more gases to a treatment system and ejecting a liquid mixture into one or more first droplet streams using one or more power jet modules of the treatment system and ejecting the liquid mixture into the treatment system. The method further includes reacting the one or more first droplet streams delivered from the treatment chamber inside the reaction chamber in the presence of the one or more gases at a first temperature into a particulate material.

[0018] In another embodiment, the method further includes drying the first droplet stream for a first residence time and forming a first gas-solid mixture from the one or more gases in the reaction chamber and the first droplet stream. The method further includes delivering the first gas-solid mixture out of the reaction chamber, separating the first gas-solid mixture into a first type of solid particles and waste, delivering the first type of solid particles to another reaction chamber, flowing a second gaseous flow of a second gas that is heated to a second temperature inside the second reaction chamber, forming a second gas-solid mixture from the heated second gas and the first type of solid particles inside the second reaction chamber, reacting the second gas-solid mixture inside the second reaction chamber for a second residence time, oxidizing the second gas-solid mixture into an oxidation reaction product, and delivering the oxidation reaction product out of the second reaction chamber. The oxidation reaction product is then cooled to obtain a second type of solid particles.

[0019] In one embodiment, the second type of solid particles are suitable for further processing into an active electrode material into an electrode for a battery cell. In another embodiment, the oxidation reaction products are further separated into the second type of solid particles and a gas by-product. In yet another embodiment, one or more streams of cooling fluid (e.g., gas or liquid) can be used to cool the temperature of the second type of solid particles.

[0020] So that the above-recited features of the invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention briefly summarized above can be made by reference to a number of embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention, as other embodiments may be recognized which are equally effective for the invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a processing system for producing a particulate material. [Figure 1B]FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a processing system for producing a particulate material. [Figure 2A] FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view (cross-section taken along dashed line BB′ shown in FIG. 1B) of an apparatus that can be used to carry out a process for preparing a particulate material according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus that can be used to carry out a process for producing particulate material, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view (cross-section taken along dashed line AA′ shown in FIG. 1B) of an apparatus that can be used to carry out a process for producing particulate material, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3B] 1 illustrates the angle between the gas flow and the droplet flow inside the device, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a power jet and an orifice thereon, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4B] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a power jet and an orifice thereon, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4C] 1A-1D are perspective views of various apparatus that can be used to carry out a process for producing particulate material, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a power jet and an orifice thereon, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a power jet and an orifice thereon, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5C] 1A-1D are perspective views of various apparatus that can be used to carry out a process for producing particulate material, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a power jet and an orifice thereon, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6B] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a power jet and an orifice thereon, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6C] 1A-1D are perspective views of various apparatus that can be used to carry out a process for producing particulate material, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a row of nozzles on a power jet module in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7B] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a row of nozzles on a power jet module in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a processing system for producing a particulate material. [Figure 9A] FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view (cut along dashed line AA′ shown in FIG. 8) of an apparatus that can be used to carry out a process for producing particulate material, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9B] FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view (cross-section taken along dashed line BB′ shown in FIG. 8) of an apparatus that can be used to carry out a process for producing particulate material, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9C] 8 shows a cross-sectional view (cut at dashed line CC' shown in FIG. 8) of an apparatus that can be used to function a processing system for producing particulate material according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary power jet module configured in a dispersion chamber of a processing system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary power jet module configured in a dispersion chamber of a processing system, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary power jet module configured in a dispersion chamber of a processing system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary power jet module configured in a dispersion chamber of a processing system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 1 illustrates method steps for operating a processing system for producing particulate material. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Processing system for producing particulate materials - Patents.com The present invention generally provides a processing system and method for producing particulate materials. The processing system includes an array of power jet modules, a system inlet, a reaction chamber, and optionally a dispersion chamber. The processing system is useful for producing particulate materials and performing a continuous process to save material production time and energy, and to solve the problems of high production cost, low yield, poor quality consistency, low electrode density, and low energy density as seen in conventional active material manufacturing processes.

[0023] In one embodiment, the liquid mixture, which may be a liquid mixture metal, is rapidly ejected into a droplet stream by a power jet module and then dispersed into a processing system. The droplet stream is continuously mixed with a gas to form a gas-liquid mixture, which is then delivered to a reaction chamber where it reacts.

[0024] Further, in one aspect, an air or gas stream is delivered to the processing system through a system inlet and serves as a gas source for forming a gas-liquid mixture with the liquid mixture and as a carrier gas for delivering the gas-liquid mixture to the reaction chamber. The gas may also serve as an energy source for the gas-liquid mixture to react in the reaction chamber if such gas is heated prior to entering the processing system.

[0025] The reaction products resulting from the reaction chamber are delivered out of the reaction chamber. The reaction products typically include solid material particles or fine powders of the oxide type of the liquid mixture composition (e.g., metal oxide materials such as fine powders of mixed metal oxide materials) with desired crystal structure, particle size, and morphology. Thus, high quality and uniform active particle materials can be obtained with significantly less time, labor, and monitoring than materials prepared from conventional manufacturing processes.

[0026] 1A is a perspective view of one embodiment of a processing system for producing a particulate material. This exemplary embodiment of a processing system 100 includes a system inlet 102 for delivering one or more gases through a gas line 106 and a system outlet 104 for delivering a particulate material out of the processing system. The one or more gases may be selected from the following gas sources: air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas, inert gases, noble gases, and combinations thereof, among others.

[0027] In one embodiment, such a processing system further includes an arrangement of one or more power jet modules for ejecting the liquid mixture into one or more droplet streams and forcing the one or more droplet streams into the processing system. The processing system further includes a reaction chamber for processing the one or more droplet streams and the one or more gases into a particulate material.

[0028] A liquid mixture is prepared from two or more precursor compounds and then converted into droplets, each droplet having two or more precursors uniformly distributed together. The moisture of the liquid mixture is then removed by passing the droplets through a dispersion chamber, and a gas flow is used to carry the vapor into the dispersion chamber for a suitable residence time. It is further contemplated that the concentration of the precursor compounds of the liquid mixture and the droplet size of the vapor of the liquid mixture can be adjusted to control the chemical composition, particle size, and particle size distribution of the final product particles of the battery material.

[0029] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, such a treatment system further includes at least one buffer chamber configured at the system inlet 102 for delivering the gas source into a plurality of uniform gas streams.

[0030] Further, in one embodiment, the processing system includes a dispersion chamber 220 and power jet modules 240A, 240B, and 240C for preparing the precursor liquid mixture to a desired diameter and delivering the desired precursor liquid mixture to the processing system. The power jet module is attached to a portion of the dispersion chamber and can use air pressure to eject the liquid mixture and directly convert it into a vapor with small diameter droplets inside the dispersion chamber. Alternatively, the vapor can be generated outside the dispersion chamber and delivered to the dispersion chamber. Depending on the selection of the power jet module used, the liquid mixture compound, the temperature of the dispersion chamber, the flow rate of the gas, and the residence time inside the dispersion chamber, the appropriate droplet size can be adjusted. As an example, a vapor with liquid droplet size of 0.1 micron to 1 millimeter is generated inside the dispersion chamber.

[0031] In one embodiment, the power jet module 240A is coupled to a portion of the dispersion chamber 220 and generates a vapor of the liquid mixture (e.g., a large amount of small droplet size) directly in the dispersion chamber. Generally, the power jet module 240A is capable of generating a vapor of droplets with uniform size. In one embodiment, the dispersion chamber 220 is connected to one or more power jet modules 240A, 240B, and 240C for receiving a plurality of uniform gas streams from the buffer chamber and dispersing the plurality of uniform gas streams, and one or more droplet streams are jetted from an arrangement of one or more power jet modules 240A, 240B, and 240C toward each other.

[0032] In one embodiment, the dispersion chamber 220 is then connected to a reaction chamber 210 for processing one or more droplet streams and one or more gases into a particulate material. The reaction chamber 210 is further connected to a system outlet 104 for delivering the particulate material out of the processing system.

[0033] 1B is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary processing system 100 that can be used to implement a fast, simple, continuous, and low-cost manufacturing process to produce particulate materials. The processing system 100 includes a system inlet 102 for delivering one or more gases to the processing system, a buffer chamber 230 connected to the system inlet 102, a dispersion chamber 220 connected to the buffer chamber 230, a reaction chamber 210 connected to the dispersion chamber 220, and a system outlet 104 connected to the reaction chamber 210.

[0034] In one embodiment, the processing system 100 further includes a gas distributor 232 attached to a chamber wall 238 of the buffer chamber 230, channels of the distributor 232 for delivering one or more gases F1 into multiple uniform gas flows F2 inside the processing system, a dispersion chamber 220, and one or more power jet modules 240A and 240B attached to a chamber wall 228 of the dispersion chamber 220.

[0035] In one embodiment, the one or more gases F1 delivered to the buffer chamber 230 are pressurized downward and flow at a constant speed through the channel 234 of the gas distributor 232, and flow out of the channel 234 into a plurality of uniform gas flows F2, which then flow into the dispersion chamber 220. In one embodiment, the one or more gases F1 can be pumped through an air filter to remove any particles, droplets, or contaminants, and the flow rate of the gas can be adjusted by a valve or other means. In one embodiment, the flow rate of the plurality of uniform gas flows F2 coming out of the channel 234 is greater than the flow rate of the one or more gases F1. Furthermore, gases gather and consolidate in the direction of the plurality of uniform gas flows F2.

[0036] In one embodiment, the power jet module 240A includes a power jet 242A for ejecting a liquid mixture provided to the power jet module 240A into one or more droplet streams. The power jet module 240A further includes a support frame 244A for supporting the power jet module 240A, and one or more droplet streams F ejected from the power jet 242A attached inside the support frame 244A. Aand into the dispersion chamber 220, and a connector 245A connecting the module actuator 246A and the power jet 242A. The power jet module 240B further includes a power jet 242B for ejecting the liquid mixture supplied to the power jet module 240B into one or more droplet streams. The power jet module 240B further includes a support frame 244B for supporting the power jet module 240B, and a connector 245A connecting the module actuator 246A and the power jet 242A ... B and a module actuator 246B mounted inside the support frame 244B for moving and pushing the module actuator 246B into the dispersion chamber 220, and a connector 245B connecting the module actuator 246B and the power jet 242B.

[0037] In one embodiment, the droplet stream F ejected into the dispersion chamber 220 A and multiple uniform gas flows F2 are mutually spaced at a divergence angle α A , and a plurality of uniform gas flows F2 and droplet flows F A In addition, the droplet flow F3 ejected into the dispersion chamber 220 is formed. B and multiple uniform gas flows F2 are mutually spaced at a divergence angle α B , and a plurality of uniform gas flows F2 and droplet flows F B In one embodiment, the dispersion chamber itself is maintained at the first temperature.

[0038] In one embodiment, one or more gases are heated to a drying temperature and mixed with the droplet stream to remove moisture from the droplet stream. It is designed to obtain spherical solid particles from a thoroughly mixed liquid mixture of two or more liquid mixtures after drying of the liquid mixture vapor. In contrast, conventional solid manufacturing processes include mixing or grinding a solid mixture of liquid mixture compounds, resulting in a non-uniform mixture of the liquid mixture.

[0039] The one or more gases may be, for example, air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas, inert gas, noble gas, and combinations thereof, among others. For example, heated air may be used as an inexpensive gas and energy source for drying the droplet stream. The one or more gases selected may be gases that mix well with the droplet stream of precursor and dry the vapor without reacting with the precursor. In some cases, the chemicals of the droplet stream may react with one or more gases and / or with each other to some extent during drying, depending on the drying temperature and chemical composition of the precursor. Furthermore, the residence time of the droplet stream of the thoroughly mixed precursor compound in the dispersion chamber may be adjustable, and may be, for example, from 1 second to 1 hour, depending on the flow rate of the one or more gases and the path length that the droplet stream needs to disperse and flow in the dispersion chamber.

[0040] In one embodiment, the processing system 100 further includes a reaction chamber 210 for receiving the gas-liquid mixture F3 and carrying out a desired reaction of the gas-liquid mixture F3 at a second temperature for a period of reaction time into a final reaction product F4. Finally, the final reaction product F4, which may be a product particle, can be delivered out of the system 100 through the system outlet 104 for further analysis of its properties (e.g., specific capacity, power performance, particulate charging cycle performance, etc.), particle size, morphology, crystal structure, etc., for use as a particulate material.

[0041] In one embodiment, the processing system 100 is connected to an electronic control unit 300 with a CPU 340 for automatically controlling the processing system 100. As shown in FIG. 1B, the control unit 300 is coupled to the processing system 100 at various locations to automatically control the manufacturing process performed by the processing system 100 to adjust various process parameters (e.g., flow rate, mixing ratio, temperature, residence time, etc.) inside the processing system 100. For example, the flow rate of the liquid mixture to the processing system 100 can be adjusted near the container or pump of the liquid mixture. As another example, the droplet size and generation rate of the vapor generated by the power jet modules 240A and 240B can be adjusted. Furthermore, the flow rate and temperature, etc. of the various gases flowing in the gas lines can be controlled by the control unit 300. Furthermore, the process control unit 300 is adapted to control the temperature, air pressure, and residence time of the various gas-solid mixtures and solid particles at the desired levels at various locations.

[0042] In operation, the control unit 300 can be used to control parameters of a sequential multi-step process (e.g., method 900 described herein) performed within the control unit 300 to obtain high quality and uniform active battery material with significantly less time, work, and monitoring than materials prepared from conventional manufacturing processes. A representative processing profile performed by the control unit 300 in FIG. 1B is shown as a graph of temperature versus time. The multi-step process can include a first processing stage 910, a second processing stage 920, a third processing stage 930, and a fourth processing stage 940.

[0043] Optionally, in one embodiment, the processing system 100 further includes a first separator, which is connected to the dispersion chamber 230 and adapted to collect the gas-liquid mixture F3 from the dispersion chamber and separate it into a first type of solid particles and waste. Optionally, the first separator is connected to a drying chamber, which is connected to the dispersion chamber 230 and adapted to collect the gas-liquid mixture F3 from the dispersion chamber, dry the gas-liquid mixture F3 into gas-solid particles, deliver the gas-solid particles to the first separator, and separate the first type of solid particles and waste in the first separator. In one embodiment, the first separator further includes a first separator outlet connected to the reaction chamber 210 and adapted to deliver the first type of solid particles to the reaction chamber 210, and a second separator outlet adapted to deliver waste out of the first separator.

[0044] Figure 2A is a cross-sectional view of a buffer chamber 230 for carrying out a process for preparing a particulate material according to one embodiment of the present invention. With reference to Figure 1 as well, the buffer chamber 230 in Figure 2A is a cross-section taken along dashed line BB'. In one embodiment, the buffer chamber 230 includes a cylinder gas distributor 232 for delivering one or more gases from a system inlet to a plurality of integrated gases, the cylinder gas distributor 232 being enclosed within the inner chamber wall 238 of the buffer chamber 230 and positioned at the bottom of the buffer chamber 230, and a channel 234 of the gas distributor 232 for delivering one or more gases in a uniform direction and at a constant flow rate.

[0045] 2B is a perspective view of the buffer chamber 230. The buffer chamber 230 includes a cylinder gas distributor 232 enclosed within a chamber wall 238 of the buffer chamber 230 and a channel 234 of the gas distributor 232.

[0046] 3A is a cross-sectional view of a dispersion chamber 220 configured in the processing system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring also to FIG. 1, the cross-section of the buffer chamber 220 in FIG. 3A is taken along dashed line AA'. The dispersion chamber 220 is surrounded by a chamber wall 228.

[0047] In one embodiment, an array of one or more power jet modules (respectively, power jet module 240A, power jet module 240B, power jet module 240C, and power jet module 240D) are positioned in one or more openings 222A, 222B, 222C, and 222D in the chamber wall 228 of the dispersion chamber 220. In one embodiment, the power jet modules 240A-240D can be attached to the chamber wall 228 of the dispersion chamber 220 in one arrangement as shown in FIG. 3A. In that arrangement, each of the four power jets can be configured on the chamber wall 228 adjacent to each other and equidistant from each other on the same horizontal line of the chamber wall 228.

[0048] In one embodiment, the power jet module 240A includes a power jet 242A for ejecting a liquid mixture provided to the power jet module 240A into one or more droplet streams. The power jet module 240A further includes a support frame 244A for supporting the power jet module 240A, and one or more droplet streams F ejected from the power jet 242A attached inside the support frame 244A. A and a module actuator 246A mounted inside the support frame 244A for moving and forcing the module actuator 246A into the dispersion chamber 220, and a connector 245A connecting the module actuator 246A and the power jet 242A. Similarly, the power jet module 240B includes a power jet 242B, a support frame 244B, a module actuator 246B, and a connector 245B. Similarly, the power jet module 240C includes a power jet 242C, a support frame 244C, a module actuator 246C, and a connector 245C. And, the power jet module 240D includes a power jet 242D, a support frame 244D, a module actuator 246D, and a connector 245D.

[0049] In one embodiment, the power jets 242A-242D are positioned near the top of the vertically positioned dispersion chamber 220 (e.g., a dome-shaped dispersion chamber, etc.) and A ~F DThe droplet stream of is injected into the dispersion chamber 220 and passes vertically downward through the dispersion chamber. Alternatively, the power jets 242A-242D can be positioned near the bottom of the dispersion chamber 220, which is positioned vertically, and inject the droplet stream upward into the dispersion chamber (as shown in FIG. 3B), allowing for a longer residence time of the liquid flow occurring within the dispersion chamber. In another embodiment, when the dispersion chamber 220 (e.g., a tubular dispersion chamber, etc.) is positioned horizontally and the power jets 242A-242D are positioned near one end of the dispersion chamber 220, the vapor stream delivered from one end of the dispersion chamber 220 through the other end can pass through a path inside the dispersion chamber 220 for the length of its residence time.

[0050] In addition to the liquid mixture flow, the dispersion chamber 220 is also filled with a gas flow. A gas distributor 232 is coupled to the end of the buffer chamber and adapted to flow a plurality of integrated gases F2 into the dispersion chamber 220. Simultaneously with the formation of the droplet flow inside the dispersion chamber 220 so that the droplet flow is transported through the dispersion chamber 220, the gas flow of the plurality of integrated gases F2 can be delivered to the dispersion chamber 220, which may or may not remove moisture from the vapor, forming a gas-liquid mixture in the direction of F3 containing the liquid mixture. Also, the gas flow of the plurality of integrated gases F2 can be delivered to the dispersion chamber 220 before the vapor is formed, filling the internal volume of the dispersion chamber 220 and preheating it to a first temperature before the droplet flow occurs inside the dispersion chamber 220.

[0051] In one example, the gas distributor 232 is connected to an end of the buffer chamber 230, which is connected to the top of the dispersion chamber 310, and the gas distributor 232 delivers the multiple integrated gases F2 to the dispersion chamber 220, where the gas F2 mixes with the droplet stream generated by the power jet module attached to the chamber wall 228 of the dispersion chamber 220. In one embodiment, the multiple integrated gases F2 are preheated to a temperature of 70°C to 600°C and mixed with the droplet stream to remove moisture from the droplet stream. In another embodiment, the multiple integrated gases F2 are used without preheating to ensure that the gas-liquid mixture formed inside the dispersion chamber 220 is mixed with the gas uniformly.

[0052] FIG. 3B illustrates the dispersion angle of multiple combined gas F2 and droplet streams FA inside the dispersion chamber 220 configured in the processing system 100 of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] In FIG. 3B, inside the dispersion chamber 220, the droplet stream F A is the dispersion angle α A It is shown that the light is dispersed into multiple integrated gases F2 at a dispersion angle α A is the droplet flow F with respect to the vertical axis Z A 1 and the angle between the direction of the plurality of integrated gases F2 and is further shown in a three-dimensional perspective view of an XYZ axis setting.

[0054] In one embodiment, the liquid mixture (e.g., the droplet stream F A The liquid flow of the droplet stream F ) and the gas flow of the gas (e.g., the multiple integrated gases F2) may collide with each other inside the dispersion chamber at an angle of 0 degrees to 180 degrees. A And the air flow of gas flow F2 may flow in a straight line, a spiral, a tangled manner, and / or in other manners.

[0055] In one embodiment, the droplet stream F A and the multiple integrated gases F2 are arranged at an angle α A (0≦α A ≦180°) and may merge and mix inside the dispersion chamber (e.g., become parallel flows). Furthermore, the droplet flow F A The combined gases F2 may flow at various angles toward each other and / or toward the periphery of the chamber body to facilitate the formation of spiral, intertwining, and / or other air flows inside the dispersion chamber 220. In one embodiment, the droplet stream and gas stream may be configured at an angle α of less than 90 degrees and may meet and mix inside the dispersion chamber. In another embodiment, the droplet stream and gas stream F2 may be configured at an angle α of less than 90 degrees and may meet and mix inside the dispersion chamber. A and gas flow F2 are configured at an angle α of 90 degrees and can meet and mix inside the dispersion chamber. Aand gas flows F2 may flow at various angles toward each other and / or toward the outer periphery of the chamber body, facilitating the formation of spiral, intertwining, and / or other air flows inside the dispersion chamber 220.

[0056] For example, as shown in the example of FIG. 3B, the gas flow and the liquid flow of the droplet flow flowing inside the dispersion chamber can be configured to flow as a parallel flow. The advantages of parallel flow include, among other things, a shorter residence time, a lower particle drying temperature, and a higher particle separation efficiency. In another embodiment, also shown in FIG. 3B, the gas flow and the liquid flow of the droplet flow of the multiple integrated gas streams flowing inside the dispersion chamber can be configured to flow as a convection flow. The advantages of convection include, among other things, a longer residence time, and a higher particle drying temperature.

[0057] In another embodiment, the droplet stream F A and gas flow F2 is configured at an angle α of 180 degrees and flows convectively. In an alternative embodiment, the dispersion chamber 220 can be positioned horizontally. Similarly, the droplet stream liquid flow F A And the gas flow F2 can be configured at an angle α between 0 degrees and 180 degrees. Referring also to FIG. 1, once the droplet stream of the liquid mixture is formed into a gas-liquid mixture with the gas, the gas-liquid mixture is delivered to the reaction chamber 210 through the dispersion chamber 220.

[0058] 4A is a perspective view of a power jet according to one embodiment of the present invention. The power jet 242A is connected to a liquid source 720 that stores a desired amount of liquid mixing compound, and an electronic control unit 300 for directing and controlling the delivery of the liquid mixing compound from the liquid source 720 to the power jet 242A.

[0059] In another configuration, the liquid mixture inside the liquid source 720 can be pumped from the liquid source 720 to the power jet 242A. The pumping of the liquid mixture can be configured, for example, continuously and at a desired delivery rate (e.g., regulated by a throttle valve or other means) to achieve good process throughput of the processing system 100. In another configuration, the power jet 242A is positioned outside the dispersion chamber 220, and the liquid flow generated from the power jet 242A is delivered to the dispersion chamber 220 via a chamber inlet.

[0060] In one embodiment, the power jet 242A is a rectangular parallelepiped structure with six rectangular faces at right angles to each other. Additionally, the power jet 242A has a nozzle array 480A on one side of the power jet 242A. In one embodiment, the nozzle array 480A is on a side of the power jet 242A whose base width is less than its side length and is made up of 3×10 evenly spaced orifices 402A forming a rectangular shape. In another embodiment, the nozzle array 480A is made up of another pattern of orifices.

[0061] 4B is a perspective view of a power jet 442D according to another embodiment of the present invention. The power jet 442D is a cylindrical structure with a horizontal parallel face and a circular or elliptical cross section. Additionally, the power jet 442D has a nozzle row 480B on one side of the horizontal parallel face of the power jet 442D. In one embodiment, the nozzle row 480B consists of a single orifice 402D.

[0062] 4C is a perspective view of an apparatus that can be used to carry out a process for preparing a particulate material according to one embodiment of the present invention. A and droplet flow F B is ejected into the dispersion chamber 220 by power jets 242A and 242B, flanked by nozzle rows attached to openings in the chamber walls of the dispersion chamber 220. The bottom sidewall 228S is connected to the reaction chamber 210, which is surrounded by the chamber wall 218 of the reaction chamber 210.

[0063] In one embodiment of the present invention, the droplet stream F A The direction of the droplet flow F is perpendicular to the wall of the dispersion chamber 220. B The direction of the droplet flow F A Unlike the direction of the droplet flow F, the droplet flow F is inclined perpendicular to the wall of the dispersion chamber 220. A The droplet stream F mixes with the air flow to form a gas-liquid mixture F3, which travels downward in the reaction chamber 210 by gravity through the bottom of the dispersion chamber 220. In one embodiment of the present invention, the droplet stream F B The mixture mixes with the air flow to form a gas-liquid mixture F3, which travels downward in the reaction chamber 210 by gravity through the bottom of the dispersion chamber 220. The gas-liquid mixture F3 is processed in the reaction chamber 210 to form the final reaction product F4.

[0064] 5A is a perspective view of a power jet, according to one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, the power jet 542A is a rectangular parallelepiped structure having six rectangular faces at right angles to each other. Additionally, the power jet 542A has a nozzle array 580A on one side of the power jet 542A. In one embodiment, the nozzle array 580A is on a side of the power jet 542A whose base width is greater than its side length and is made up of 2×11 evenly spaced orifices 502A forming a rectangular shape. In another embodiment, the nozzle array 580A is made up of another pattern of orifices.

[0065] 5B is a perspective view of a power jet according to another embodiment of the present invention. The power jet 542D is a cylindrical structure with horizontal parallel faces and a circular or elliptical cross section. Additionally, the power jet 542D has a nozzle row 580B in the upper horizontal plane on one side of the power jet 542D. In one embodiment, the nozzle row 580B consists of six orifices 502D that form a triangle in the horizontal plane of the power jet 542D.

[0066] 5C is a perspective view of an apparatus that can be used to perform a process for preparing a particulate material according to one embodiment of the present invention. The dispersion chamber 220 has a chamber body, a top sidewall 228T connected to the buffer chamber, a bottom sidewall 228S connected to the reaction chamber 210, and a chamber wall that surrounds all of the chamber body.

[0067] In one embodiment, power jet 542A, power jet 542B, and power jet 542C are attached to openings in the chamber wall of dispersion chamber 220 on the sides of power jet 542A, power jet 542B, and power jet 542C, and these openings have a base width that is longer than their side length.

[0068] 6A is a perspective view of a power jet, according to one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, the power jet 642A is a rectangular parallelepiped structure having six rectangular faces at right angles to each other. Additionally, the power jet 642A has a nozzle array 680A on one side of the power jet 642A. In one embodiment, the nozzle array 680A is located on the bottom surface of the power jet 542A and consists of 3×13 orifices 602A evenly spaced to form a rectangular shape. In another embodiment, the nozzle array 680A consists of another pattern of orifices.

[0069] 6B is a perspective view of a power jet according to another embodiment of the present invention. The power jet 642D is a cylindrical structure with horizontal parallel faces and a circular or elliptical cross section. Additionally, the power jet 642D has a nozzle array 680B on the bottom horizontal surface on one side of the power jet 442D. In one embodiment, the nozzle array 680B consists of 3×4 orifices 602D that form a parallelogram on the bottom horizontal surface of the power jet 642D.

[0070] 6C is a perspective view of an apparatus that can be used to perform a process for preparing particulate materials, according to one embodiment of the present invention. The dispersion chamber 220 includes a chamber body, a top sidewall 228T, a bottom sidewall 228S that is connected to the reaction chamber 210, and one or more gases F. 1AIn one embodiment of the present invention, the dispersion chamber has a chamber wall 218 connected to an inlet 606 for flowing one or more gases F 1A The direction of is perpendicular to the chamber wall 218 of the dispersion chamber 220.

[0071] In one embodiment, power jet 642A, power jet 642B, and power jet 642C are attached to openings in upper sidewall 228T of dispersion chamber 220 on the bottom surface of power jet 642A, power jet 642B, and power jet 642C to eject a stream of droplets into dispersion chamber 220, where liquid mixture F 2A One or more gases F 1A The droplets disperse and travel downward in the reaction chamber 210 by gravity through the bottom of the dispersion chamber 220. In one embodiment of the invention, the direction of the droplet stream is parallel to the chamber wall 218 of the dispersion chamber 220. In another embodiment of the invention, the direction of the droplet stream is perpendicular to the upper sidewall 228T of the dispersion chamber 220.

[0072] 7A is a perspective view of a nozzle row of a power jet according to an embodiment of the present invention. The power jet 742A is connected to a liquid source 720 that stores a desired amount of liquid mixture compound, and an electronic control unit 300 for directing and controlling the delivery of the liquid mixture compound from the liquid source 720 to the power jet 742A. In another configuration, the liquid mixture inside the liquid source 720 can be pumped from the liquid source 720 to the power jet 742A. The pumping of the liquid mixture can be configured to achieve a good process throughput of the processing system 100, for example, continuously and at a desired delivery amount (e.g., an amount regulated by a throttle valve or other means). In another configuration, the power jet 742A is positioned outside the dispersion chamber 220, and the liquid flow generated from the power jet 742A is delivered to the dispersion chamber 220 through the chamber inlet.

[0073] In one embodiment, the power jet 742A is a rectangular parallelepiped structure having six rectangular faces at right angles to each other. Additionally, the power jet 742A has a nozzle array 780A on one side of the power jet 742A. In one embodiment, the nozzle array 780A is on a side of the power jet 742A that has a base width less than its side length and is made up of 1×8 evenly spaced orifices 702A forming a straight line. Referring also to FIG. 4A, the shape of the orifice 702A is smaller than the shape of 402A.

[0074] 7B is a perspective view of a nozzle row of a power jet according to an embodiment of the present invention. The power jet 742B is connected to a liquid source 720 that stores a desired amount of liquid mixture compound, and an electronic control unit 300 for directing and controlling the delivery of the liquid mixture compound from the liquid source 720 to the power jet 742B. In another configuration, the liquid mixture inside the liquid source 720 can be pumped from the liquid source 720 to the power jet 742B. The pumping of the liquid mixture can be configured to achieve a good process throughput of the processing system 100, for example, continuously and at a desired delivery amount (e.g., an amount regulated by a throttle valve or other means). In another configuration, the power jet 742B is positioned outside the dispersion chamber 220, and the liquid flow generated from the power jet 742B is delivered to the dispersion chamber 220 through the chamber inlet.

[0075] In one embodiment, the power jet 742B is a rectangular parallelepiped structure having six rectangular faces at right angles to each other. Additionally, the power jet 742B has a nozzle array 780B on one side of the power jet 742B. In one embodiment, the nozzle array 780B is on a side of the power jet 742B that has a base width less than its side length and is made up of 3x8 evenly spaced orifices 702B forming a rectangular shape. Referring also to FIG. 4A, the shape of the orifice 702B is smaller than the shape of 402A.

[0076] 8 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary processing system 800 that can be used to implement a fast, simple, continuous, and low-cost manufacturing process to produce particulate materials, illustrating one embodiment of a system for producing particulate materials. Processing system 800 includes a system inlet 802 for delivering one or more gases to the processing system, a buffer chamber 830 connected to the system inlet 802, a dispersion chamber 820 connected to the buffer chamber 830, a reaction chamber 810 connected to the dispersion chamber 820, and a system outlet 804 connected to the reaction chamber 810.

[0077] In one embodiment, the processing system 800 further includes a gas distributor 832 attached to a chamber wall 838 of the buffer chamber 830, channels of the distributor 832 for delivering one or more gases F1 into multiple uniform gas flows F2 inside the processing system, a dispersion chamber 820, and one or more power jet modules 840A and 840B attached to a chamber wall 828 of the dispersion chamber 820.

[0078] In one embodiment, the one or more gases F1 delivered to the buffer chamber 830 are pressurized downward and flow at a constant speed through the channel 834 of the gas distributor 832, and flow out of the channel 834 into the multiple uniform gas flows F2, which then flow into the dispersion chamber 820. In one embodiment, the one or more gases F1 can be pumped through an air filter to remove any particles, droplets, or contaminants, and the flow rate of the gas can be adjusted by a valve or other means. In one embodiment, the flow rate of the multiple uniform gas flows F2 coming out of the channel 834 is greater than the flow rate of the one or more gases F1. Furthermore, gases gather and consolidate in the direction of the multiple uniform gas flows F2.

[0079] In one embodiment, one or more power jet modules 840A and 840B may eject the liquid mixture provided to the one or more power jet modules 840A and 840B into one or more droplet streams F. A and droplet flow F BThe one or more power jet modules 840A and 840B further include one or more support frames 844A and 844B, one or more connectors 845A and 845B, and one or more droplet streams F ejected from the power jets 842A and 842B. A and droplet flow F B and one or more modular actuators 846A and 846B for moving and forcing the dispersion chamber 820.

[0080] In one embodiment, the droplet stream F ejected into the dispersion chamber 820 A and the plurality of uniform gas flows F2 are diverged from each other by a divergence angle α over a first divergence period at a first temperature. A , and a plurality of uniform gas flows F2 and droplet flows F A In addition, the droplet flow F3 ejected into the dispersion chamber 820 is formed. B and the plurality of uniform gas flows F2 are diverged from each other by a divergence angle α over a first divergence period at a first temperature. B , and a plurality of uniform gas flows F2 and droplet flows F B In one embodiment, the dispersion chamber itself is maintained at the first temperature.

[0081] In one embodiment, one or more gases are heated to a drying temperature and mixed with the droplet stream to remove moisture from the droplet stream. It is designed to obtain spherical solid particles from a thoroughly mixed liquid mixture of two or more liquid mixtures after drying of the vapor of the liquid mixture. In contrast, conventional solid manufacturing processes include mixing or grinding a solid mixture of liquid mixed compounds, resulting in a non-uniform mixture of the liquid mixture. The one or more gases can be, for example, air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas, inert gas, noble gas, and combinations thereof, among others. For example, heated air can be used as an inexpensive gas source and energy source for drying the droplet stream. The one or more gases selected can be gases that mix well with the droplet stream of precursor and dry the vapor without reacting with the precursor. In some cases, the chemicals of the droplet stream can react to one or more gases and / or to each other to some extent during drying, depending on the drying temperature and chemical composition of the precursor. Additionally, the residence time of the droplet stream of thoroughly mixed precursor compounds within the dispersion chamber can be adjustable and can be, for example, from 1 second to 1 hour, depending on the flow rates of one or more gases and the path length that the droplet stream must disperse and flow within the dispersion chamber.

[0082] Optionally, in one embodiment, the processing system 800 further includes a first separator, the first separator is connected to the dispersion chamber 830 and adapted to collect the gas-liquid mixture F3 from the dispersion chamber and separate it into a first type of solid particles and waste. Optionally, the first separator is connected to a drying chamber, the drying chamber is connected to the dispersion chamber 830 and adapted to collect the gas-liquid mixture F3 from the dispersion chamber, dry the gas-liquid mixture F3 into gas-solid particles, deliver the gas-solid particles to the first separator and separate it into a first type of solid particles and waste in the first separator. In one embodiment, the first separator further includes a first separator outlet connected to the reaction chamber 810 and adapted to deliver the first type of solid particles to the reaction chamber 810 and a second separator outlet adapted to deliver waste out of the first separator.

[0083] In one embodiment, the processing system 800 further includes a reaction chamber 810 for receiving the gas-liquid mixture F3. In one embodiment, the reaction chamber 810 further includes one or more gas line inlets 808A attached to the chamber wall 818 of the reaction chamber 810 for flowing one or more second gases F5 to the gas distribution ring 882, an inner chamber wall of the reaction chamber 810 connected to the chamber wall 828 of the dispersion chamber 820, and a gas distribution ring 882 attached to the inside of the chamber wall 818 at its outer periphery and the outside of the inner wall 888 at its inner periphery. In one embodiment, the gas distribution ring 882 further includes a channel 884 for delivering one or more second gases to a plurality of uniform gas flows F6 inside the reaction chamber 810, which react with the gas-liquid mixture F3 at a second temperature and over a reaction time to become the final reaction product F7.

[0084] The one or more gases may be, but are not limited to, air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas, inert gas, noble gas, and combinations thereof, among others. For example, air can be used as an inexpensive gas and energy source for drying the vapor. The gas selected may be a gas that mixes well with the gas-liquid mixture and dries the gas-liquid mixture without reacting with the gas-liquid mixture. In some cases, the chemicals of the droplets / vapor may react with the gas and / or with each other to some extent during the reaction, depending on the second temperature and the chemical composition of the liquid mixture. Furthermore, the reaction time of the vapor of the fully mixed liquid mixture compound in the reaction chamber is adjustable and may be, for example, from 1 second to 1 hour, depending on the flow rate of the gas and the path length the vapor needs to flow through the reaction chamber.

[0085] In one embodiment, the reaction time can range from 1 second to 10 hours, or longer than 10 hours, depending on the flow rate of the gas, the path length the vapor must flow through within the reaction chamber, the reaction temperature and the type of liquid mixture initially delivered to the processing system 800.

[0086] In one embodiment, the reaction chamber 810 is capable of carrying out reactions including, but not limited to, oxidation, reduction, decomposition, combination reactions, phase transformation, recrystallization, simple displacement reactions, double displacement reactions, combustion, isomerization, and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the final reaction product F7 (which may be product particles) resulting from the reaction carried out in the reaction chamber of the homogenous gas stream F6 and the gas-liquid mixture F3 is delivered out of the system 800 through the system outlet 804 for further analysis of its properties (e.g., specific capacity, power performance, charging cycle performance of the particulates, etc.), particle size, morphology, crystal structure, etc., for use as particulate material.

[0087] In an alternative embodiment, the gas line inlet 808A of the reaction chamber 810 is coupled to a heating mechanism that heats one or more second gases from a gas source to a reaction temperature of 400°C to 1300°C. The heating mechanism can be, for example, an electric heater, a gas-fueled heater, a burner, among other heaters. If necessary, an additional gas line inlet can be used to deliver heated air or heated gas to the reaction chamber 810. The reaction chamber 810 can be filled with a preheated second gas to maintain the internal temperature of the reaction chamber 810 with much more energy efficiency than conventional heating of the chamber body of the reaction chamber 810. Using the heated second gas inside the reaction chamber 810 as an energy source provides, among other benefits, fast heat transfer, precise temperature control, uniform temperature distribution within the reaction chamber, and / or easy to enhance function.

[0088] In one embodiment, once the reaction inside the reaction chamber 810 is complete, e.g., a desired crystal structure, particle morphology, and particle size is formed, the reaction products are delivered out of the reaction chamber 810 via the system outlet 804. In one embodiment, the reaction products are cooled. The final reaction products include a type of particulate particles, including, for example, oxidation reaction product particles of the liquid mixture.

[0089] Optionally, the processing system 800 includes a second separator that collects the final reaction product F7 from the system outlet 804 of the reaction chamber 810. The second separator can be a particle collector such as a cyclone, an electrostatic separator, an electrostatic precipitator, a gravity separator, an inertial separator, a membrane separator, a fluidized bed classifier, an electric sieve, an impactor, a percolation separator, an elutriator, an air classifier, a percolation classifier, and combinations thereof.

[0090] Optionally, the second separator of the treatment system 800 generally includes a separator inlet, a first separator outlet, and a second separator outlet to separate the final reaction product F7 into a second type of solid particles and gas by-products. The gas by-products can be delivered to a gas abatement device, treated, and discharged from the treatment system 800. The gas by-products separated by the second separator generally can include water (H2O) vapor, organic solvent vapor, nitrogen-containing gas, oxygen-containing gas, O2, O3, nitrogen gas (N2), NO, NO2, NO2, N2O, N4O, NO3, N2O3, N2O4, N2O5, N(NO2)3, carbon-containing gas, carbon dioxide (CO2), CO, hydrogen-containing gas, H2, chlorine-containing gas, Cl2, sulfur-containing gas, SO2, small particles of the first type of solid particles, small particles of the second type of solid particles, and combinations thereof.

[0091] Optionally, the processing system 800 may further include one or more coolant lines connected to the system outlet 804 or the separator outlet of the second separator and adapted to cool the final reaction product F7 and / or the second type of solid particles. The coolant lines are adapted to deliver a coolant (e.g., gas or liquid) from a liquid source to the separator inlet of the second separator. The coolant lines are adapted to deliver the coolant to the heat exchanger, which may be filtered by a filter to remove particles.

[0092] Optionally, the heat exchanger is adapted to collect and cool the second type of solid particles and / or final reaction products F7 from the second separator and / or reaction chamber 810 by flowing a cooling liquid through the heat exchanger. The cooling liquid has a lower temperature than the temperature of the final reaction products F7 and the second type of solid particles delivered from the second separator and / or reaction chamber 810. The cooling liquid may have a temperature between 4°C and 30°C. The cooling liquid may be liquid water, liquid nitrogen, air, an inert gas, or any other gas that will not react with the reaction products.

[0093] 9A is a cross-sectional view of a dispersion chamber 820 configured in a processing system 800 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring also to FIG. 8, the buffer chamber 820 of FIG. 2A is cross-sectionally taken along dashed line AA'. The dispersion chamber 820 is surrounded by a chamber wall 828 having one or more openings that are connected to power jets 842A, 842B, 842C, and 842D of one or more power jet modules.

[0094] In one embodiment, the power jets 842A-842D are positioned near the top of the dispersion chamber 820 (e.g., a dome-shaped dispersion chamber, etc.) that is positioned vertically, and the droplet stream is injected into the dispersion chamber 820 and passes vertically downward through the dispersion chamber. Alternatively, the power jets 842A-842D can be positioned near the bottom of the dispersion chamber 820 that is positioned vertically, and the droplet stream is injected upward into the dispersion chamber, allowing for a longer residence time of the liquid stream occurring within the dispersion chamber. In another embodiment, when the dispersion chamber 820 (e.g., a tubular dispersion chamber, etc.) is positioned horizontally, and the power jets 842A-842D are positioned near one end of the dispersion chamber 820, the vapor stream delivered from one end of the dispersion chamber 820 through the other end can pass through a path inside the dispersion chamber 820 for the length of its residence time.

[0095] In one embodiment, the power jet modules 842A-842D can be mounted to the chamber wall 828 of the dispersion chamber 820 in one arrangement shown in Figure 9A, where each of the four power jets can be configured on the chamber wall 828 adjacent to each other and at equal distances on the same horizontal line of the chamber wall 828.

[0096] Figure 9B is a cross-sectional view of a buffer chamber 830 for carrying out a process for preparing a particulate material according to one embodiment of the present invention. With reference to Figure 8 as well, the buffer chamber 830 in Figure 9B is a cross-section taken along dashed line BB'. In one embodiment, the buffer chamber 830 includes a cylinder gas distributor 832 for delivering one or more gases from a system inlet to a plurality of integrated gases, the cylinder gas distributor 832 being enclosed within the inner chamber wall 838 of the buffer chamber 830 and positioned at the bottom of the buffer chamber 830, and a channel 834 of the gas distributor 832 for delivering one or more gases in a uniform direction and at a constant flow rate.

[0097] FIG. 9C is a cross-sectional view of the top of a reaction chamber 810 for carrying out a process for preparing a particulate material according to an embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 8 as well, the reaction chamber 810 in FIG. 9C is a cross-section taken along dashed line CC'. In one embodiment, the reaction chamber 810 includes a chamber wall 818 surrounding the chamber body of the reaction chamber 810, an inner chamber wall 888 of the reaction chamber 810 connected to the chamber wall 828 of the dispersion chamber 820, and a gas distribution ring 882 attached to the inside of the chamber wall 818 at its outer periphery and the outside of the inner wall 888 at its inner periphery. In one embodiment, the gas distribution ring 882 further includes a channel 884 for delivering one or more second gases to a plurality of uniform gas flows F6 in a uniform direction and at a constant flow rate inside the reaction chamber 810, and the gas flows F6 react with the gas-liquid mixture F3 over a reaction time at a second temperature to become the final reaction product F7.

[0098] 10 shows an example of a power jet module configured in a dispersion chamber of a processing system in a perspective view. In one embodiment, a power jet module 1040A for ejecting a liquid mixture into one or more droplet streams and forcing the one or more droplet streams into a processing system includes a power jet 1042A for ejecting a liquid mixture provided to the power jet module 1040A into one or more droplet streams. The power jet module 1040A further includes a support frame 1044A for supporting the movement of the power jet 1042A, a first module actuator 1046A for moving the power jet connected to match the opening of the dispersion chamber, and a connector 1045A for connecting the first module actuator 1046A and the power jet 1042A.

[0099] 10, the dispersion chamber 1020 includes one or more openings 1022A, 1022B, 1022C, 1022D, 1022E, and 1022F that are positioned in the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1020 and adapted to connect and match with the power jets of the power jet module on one side of the power jets with nozzle rows. In one embodiment, the shape of the one or more openings and the arrangement of the one or more openings are shown in FIG. 10, where the one or more openings are rectangular with a base width shorter than the side length, and are positioned adjacent to each other at equal distances on the same horizontal line of the chamber wall.

[0100] Also, as shown in Fig. 10, the dispersion chamber 1020 is filled with a plurality of integrated gases F2 delivered from the buffer chamber of the processing chamber. In one embodiment, the plurality of integrated gases F2 can be delivered to the dispersion chamber 1020 at the same time as the formation of the droplet stream ejected from the power jet of the power jet module inside the dispersion chamber 1020 to carry the droplet stream through the dispersion chamber 1020, and may or may not remove moisture from the vapor, forming a gas-liquid mixture including a liquid mixture and a plurality of integrated gases in the direction of F3. Also, the gas flow of the plurality of integrated gases F2 can be delivered to the dispersion chamber 1020 before the droplet stream is formed, and fill the internal volume of the dispersion chamber 1020 and optionally preheat it to a first temperature before the droplet stream is generated inside the dispersion chamber 1020.

[0101] In one embodiment, one or more of the openings 1022A-1022F are positioned near the top of the vertically positioned dispersion chamber 1020 (e.g., a dome-shaped dispersion chamber, etc.) and are connected to and adapted for a power jet module to inject a droplet stream into the dispersion chamber 1020 and pass vertically downward through the dispersion chamber. Alternatively, one or more of the openings 1022A-1022F can be positioned near the bottom of the vertically positioned dispersion chamber 1020, allowing for connection to and adaptation for a power jet module to inject a droplet stream upward into the dispersion chamber by increasing the residence time of the liquid stream generated within the dispersion chamber. In another embodiment, when the dispersion chamber 1020 (e.g., a tubular dispersion chamber, etc.) is positioned horizontally and one or more openings 1022A-1022F are positioned near one end of the dispersion chamber 1020, such that these openings are adapted and connected to a power jet module that injects a droplet stream that is delivered from one end of the dispersion chamber 1020 through the other end, allowing the droplet stream to pass through a path inside the dispersion chamber 1020 for the length of its residence time.

[0102] Further, in one embodiment, the droplet stream ejected into the dispersion chamber 1020 is dispersed together with the plurality of uniform gas streams F2 into a gas-liquid mixture F3 comprising the plurality of uniform gas streams F2 and the droplet streams. In one embodiment, the dispersion chamber itself is maintained at a first temperature.

[0103] In one embodiment of the present invention, the direction of the multiple uniform gas flows F2 delivered to the dispersion chamber is parallel to the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1020. And the direction of the gas-liquid mixture F3 delivered through the dispersion chamber 1020 is also parallel to the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1020. In another embodiment of the present invention, the direction of the multiple uniform gas flows F2 delivered to the dispersion chamber 1020 and the direction of the gas-liquid mixture F3 delivered through the dispersion chamber 1020 are different.

[0104] 11 shows an example of a power jet module configured in a dispersion chamber of a processing system in a perspective view. In one embodiment, a power jet module 1140A for ejecting a liquid mixture into one or more droplet streams and forcing the one or more droplet streams into a processing system includes a power jet 1142A for ejecting a liquid mixture provided to the power jet module 1140A into one or more droplet streams. The power jet module 1140A further includes a support frame 1144A for supporting the movement of the power jet 1142A, a first module actuator 1146A for moving the power jet connected to match the opening of the dispersion chamber, and a connector 1145A for connecting the first module actuator 1146A and the power jet 1142A.

[0105] 11, the dispersion chamber 1120 includes one or more openings 1122A, 1122B, 1122C that are positioned in the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1120 and adapted to connect and mate with the power jets of the power jet module on one side of the power jets with the nozzle array. In one embodiment, the shape of the one or more openings and the arrangement of the one or more openings are shown in FIG. 11, where the one or more openings are rectangular with a base width greater than the side length and are positioned adjacent to each other at equal distances on the same horizontal line of the chamber wall.

[0106] Also, as shown in FIG. 11, the dispersion chamber 1120 is filled with a plurality of integrated gases F2 delivered from the buffer chamber of the processing chamber. In one embodiment, the plurality of integrated gases F2 can be delivered to the dispersion chamber 1120 at the same time as the formation of the droplet stream ejected from the power jet of the power jet module inside the dispersion chamber 1120 to carry the droplet stream through the dispersion chamber 1120, and may or may not remove moisture from the vapor, forming a gas-liquid mixture including the liquid mixture and the plurality of integrated gases in the direction of F3. Also, the gas flow of the plurality of integrated gases F2 can be delivered to the dispersion chamber 1120 before the droplet stream is formed, and fill the internal volume of the dispersion chamber 1120 and optionally preheat it to a first temperature before the droplet stream is generated inside the dispersion chamber 1120.

[0107] In one embodiment, one or more of the openings 1122A-1122C are positioned near the top of the vertically positioned dispersion chamber 1120 (e.g., a dome-shaped dispersion chamber, etc.) and are connected to and adapted for a power jet module to inject the droplet stream into the dispersion chamber 1120 and pass vertically downward through the dispersion chamber. Alternatively, one or more of the openings 1122A-1122C can be positioned near the bottom of the vertically positioned dispersion chamber 1120, allowing for connection to and adaptation for a power jet module to inject the droplet stream upward into the dispersion chamber by increasing the residence time of the liquid flow generated within the dispersion chamber. In another embodiment, when the dispersion chamber 1120 (e.g., a tubular dispersion chamber, etc.) is positioned horizontally and one or more openings 1122A-1122C are positioned near one end of the dispersion chamber 1120, such that these openings are adapted and connected to a power jet module that injects a droplet stream that is delivered from one end of the dispersion chamber 1120 through the other end, allowing the droplet stream to traverse a path inside the dispersion chamber 1120 for the length of its residence time. In one embodiment, the dispersion chamber itself is maintained at a first temperature.

[0108] In one embodiment of the present invention, the direction of the multiple uniform gas streams F2 delivered to the dispersion chamber is parallel to the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1120. And the direction of the gas-liquid mixture F3 formed by dispersing the multiple uniform gas streams F2 into droplet streams from the power jet delivered through the dispersion chamber 1120 is also parallel to the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1120.

[0109] 12 illustrates an example of a power jet module configured in a dispersion chamber of a processing system in a perspective view. In one embodiment, a power jet module 1240A for ejecting a liquid mixture into one or more droplet streams and forcing the one or more droplet streams into a processing system includes a power jet 1242A for ejecting a liquid mixture provided to the power jet module 1240A into one or more droplet streams. The power jet module 1240A further includes a support frame 1244A for supporting the movement of the power jet 1242A, a first module actuator 1246A for moving the power jet connected to match the opening of the dispersion chamber, and a connector 1245A for connecting the first module actuator 1246A and the power jet 1242A.

[0110] 12, the dispersion chamber 1220 includes one or more openings 1222A, 1222B, 1222C that are positioned in a wall of the dispersion chamber 1220 and adapted to connect and mate with the power jets of the power jet module on one side of the power jets with the nozzle array. In one embodiment, the shape of the one or more openings and the arrangement of the one or more openings are shown in FIG. 12, where the one or more openings are rectangular with a base width shorter than the side length, and are positioned adjacent to each other at equal distances on the same vertical line of the wall of the dispersion chamber 1220.

[0111] Also, as shown in FIG. 12, the dispersion chamber 1220 is filled with a plurality of integrated gases F2 delivered from the buffer chamber of the processing chamber. In one embodiment, the plurality of integrated gases F2 can be delivered to the dispersion chamber 1220 at the same time as the formation of the droplet stream ejected from the power jet of the power jet module inside the dispersion chamber 1220 to carry the droplet stream through the dispersion chamber 1220, and may or may not remove moisture from the vapor to form a gas-liquid mixture F3 including the liquid mixture and the plurality of integrated gases. Also, the gas flow of the plurality of integrated gases F2 can be delivered to the dispersion chamber 1220 before the droplet stream is formed, and fill the internal volume of the dispersion chamber 1220 and optionally preheat to a first temperature before the droplet stream is generated inside the dispersion chamber 1220.

[0112] In one embodiment, one or more openings 1222A-C are positioned near the left end of the horizontally positioned dispersion chamber 1220 (e.g., a tubular dispersion chamber, etc.) and are connected to and adapted for a power jet module to inject the droplet stream into the dispersion chamber 1220 and pass from one end of the dispersion chamber to the other. Alternatively, one or more openings 1222A-C can be positioned near the right end of the horizontally positioned dispersion chamber 1220, allowing for connection to and adaptation for a power jet module to inject the droplet stream upward into the dispersion chamber over the length of the residence time of the liquid stream generated within the dispersion chamber. In one embodiment, the dispersion chamber itself is maintained at a first temperature.

[0113] In one embodiment of the present invention, the direction of the multiple uniform gas streams F2 delivered to the dispersion chamber is parallel to the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1220. And the direction of the gas-liquid mixture F3 formed by dispersing the multiple uniform gas streams F2 into droplet streams from the power jet delivered through the dispersion chamber 1220 is also parallel to the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1220.

[0114] 13 shows an example of a power jet module configured in a dispersion chamber of a processing system in a perspective view. In one embodiment, a power jet module 1340A for ejecting a liquid mixture into one or more droplet streams and forcing the one or more droplet streams into a processing system includes a power jet 1342A for ejecting a liquid mixture provided to the power jet module 1340A into one or more droplet streams. The power jet module 1340A further includes a support frame 1344A for supporting the movement of the power jet 1342A, a first module actuator 1346A for moving the power jet connected to match the opening of the dispersion chamber, and a connector 1345A for connecting the first module actuator 1346A and the power jet 1342A.

[0115] 13, the dispersion chamber 1320 includes one or more openings 1322A, 1322B, 1322C, 1322D, 1322E, and 1322F, which are positioned in the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1320 and adapted to connect and mate with the power jets of the power jet module on one side of the power jets, with nozzle rows, and a base width longer than its side length. In one embodiment, the shape of the one or more openings and the arrangement of the one or more openings are shown in FIG. 13, and the one or more openings are rectangular with a base width longer than its side length, and are positioned adjacent to each other on the same vertical line of the chamber wall at an equal distance.

[0116] In one embodiment, one or more openings 1322A-1322F are positioned near the left end of the horizontally positioned dispersion chamber 1320 (e.g., a tubular dispersion chamber, etc.) and are connected to and adapted for a power jet module to inject the droplet stream into the dispersion chamber 1320 and pass from one end of the dispersion chamber to the other. Alternatively, one or more openings 1322A-1322F can be positioned near the right end of the horizontally positioned dispersion chamber 1320, allowing for connection to and adaptation for a power jet module to inject the droplet stream upward into the dispersion chamber over the length of the residence time of the liquid stream generated within the dispersion chamber. In one embodiment, the dispersion chamber itself is maintained at a first temperature.

[0117] In one embodiment of the present invention, the direction of the multiple uniform gas flows F2 delivered to the dispersion chamber is parallel to the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1020. And the direction of the gas-liquid mixture F3 delivered through the dispersion chamber 1020 is also parallel to the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1020. In another embodiment of the present invention, the direction of the multiple uniform gas flows F2 delivered to the dispersion chamber 1020 and the direction of the gas-liquid mixture F3 delivered through the dispersion chamber 1020 are different.

[0118] In one embodiment of the present invention, the direction of the multiple uniform gas streams F2 delivered to the dispersion chamber is parallel to the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1320. And the direction of the gas-liquid mixture F3 formed by dispersing the multiple uniform gas streams F2 into droplet streams from the power jet delivered through the dispersion chamber 1320 is also parallel to the chamber wall of the dispersion chamber 1320.

[0119] Method for producing particulate material 14 illustrates a method 900 for producing a particulate material. The method 900 includes steps 910, 920, 930, and 940.

[0120] Step 910 includes delivering one or more gases to the processing system. The one or more gases can be, for example, air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas, an inert gas, a noble gas, and combinations thereof, among others.

[0121] The method 920 includes ejecting the liquid mixture into one or more droplet streams by one or more power jet modules of a processing system.

[0122] By adjusting the size of the liquid delivery / injection channels in the power jet module, the desired diameter of the one or more droplet streams can be adjusted. Diameters of the one or more droplet streams ranging from a few nanometers to hundreds of micrometers can be generated. Depending on the choice of the vapor generator used, the liquid mixture compound, the temperature of the dispersion chamber, the flow rate of the gas, and the residence time inside the dispersion chamber, the appropriate droplet diameter can be adjusted. As an example, vapor with liquid droplet diameters of 0.1 microns to 1 millimeter can be generated inside the dispersion chamber.

[0123] Step 930 includes dispersing one or more gas streams of one or more gases with one or more droplet streams into a gas-liquid mixture at a first temperature inside a dispersion chamber of the processing system.

[0124] Therefore, in one embodiment of the present invention, one or more gases flowing in the dispersion chamber are provided to be used as a gas source to form a gas-liquid mixture in the dispersion chamber. One or more droplet streams are mixed in the dispersion chamber by flowing one or more gases continuously and / or adjustably at variable flow rates. At the same time, the droplet streams ejected from the liquid mixture are carried by the gas through a path in the dispersion chamber as a thoroughly mixed gas-liquid mixture, and as more gas flows, the gas-liquid mixture is delivered out of the dispersion chamber and continuously delivered to a reaction chamber connected to the dispersion chamber.

[0125] Alternatively, one or more gases flowing in the dispersion system are heated, and the thermal energy of the heated gases serves as an energy source for carrying out drying and / or other reactions inside the dispersion chamber. The gases can be heated to a temperature of 70°C to 600°C by passing through a suitable heating mechanism, such as an electric heater, a fuel-fired heater, etc. Optionally, the drying and / or other reactions inside the dispersion chamber can be carried out by directly heating the dispersion chamber (e.g., by heating the chamber body of the dispersion chamber, etc.). The advantages of using heated gases include, among others, fast heat transfer, high temperature uniformity, and easy to increase performance. The dispersion chamber can be any chamber, such as a dome-shaped ceramic dispersion chamber, a quartz chamber, a tubular chamber, etc., a furnace with an enclosed chamber body. Optionally, the chamber body is made of a thermal insulating material (e.g., ceramic, etc.) to prevent heat loss during drying and / or other reactions inside the dispersion chamber.

[0126] Thus, the one or more gases may be gases that are thoroughly mixed with the droplet stream into a gas-liquid mixture and dry the gas-liquid mixture without reacting with the droplet stream. In some cases, the chemicals of the droplet stream may react with the gas and / or with each other to some extent during drying and / or other reactions inside the dispersion chamber, depending on the first temperature and the chemical composition of the droplet stream. Furthermore, the residence time of the gas-liquid mixture of the thoroughly mixed droplet stream compounds in the dispersion chamber can be adjusted and can be, for example, from 1 second to 1 hour, depending on the flow rate of the one or more gases and the path length the droplet stream needs to flow through the dispersion chamber.

[0127] Optionally, after step 930, a dried product (e.g., a gas-solid mixture including the gas and liquid mixture mixed together after drying the gas-liquid mixture at a first temperature inside a dispersion chamber of the treatment system) is obtained and separated into a first type of solid particles and waste, for example, using a gas-solid separator. The first type of solid particles may include thoroughly mixed solid particles of the liquid mixture.

[0128] Step 940 includes processing the gas-liquid mixture at a second temperature inside a reaction chamber of a processing system, the gas-liquid mixture being delivered to the reaction chamber where it undergoes a reaction at the second temperature, different than the first temperature.

[0129] Optionally, step 940 includes flowing a second gaseous flow of a second gas heated to a second temperature inside the reaction chamber, such that the heated second gas and the gas-liquid mixture delivered inside the reaction chamber mix together to form a second gas-liquid mixture.

[0130] In one embodiment, the second gas is heated to a desired reaction temperature (such as a temperature between 400°C and 1300°C) and flows into the reaction chamber to serve as an energy source for drying and / or reacting the second gas-liquid mixture into reaction products (e.g., solid particles of the first type) at the second temperature for a second residence time. The advantages of flowing already heated air or gas include, among other things, fast heat transfer, uniform temperature distribution (especially in the high temperature zones), and easy performance enhancement. The second residence time can be any residence time required to carry out a complete reaction of the second gas-liquid mixture, such as a residence time between 1 second and 10 hours, or longer than 10 hours.

[0131] The reaction of the second gas-liquid mixture in the reaction chamber may include any of oxidation, reduction, decomposition, combination reactions, phase transformations, recrystallization, simple displacement reactions, double displacement reactions, combustion, isomerization, and combinations thereof. For example, the second gas-liquid mixture may be oxidized, e.g., to oxidize a liquid mixture compound to an oxide material. Alternatively, a desired crystal structure of the reaction product is obtained from the reaction of the second gas-liquid mixture in the reaction chamber.

[0132] Exemplary second gases include, but are not limited to, air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, oxidizing gases, nitrogen gas, inert gases, noble gases, and combinations thereof. For oxidation reactions inside the reactor, such as forming an oxide material from one or more liquid mixtures, an oxidizing gas can be used as the second gas. For reduction reactions inside the reactor, a reducing gas can be used as the second gas. As an example, heated air can be used as the gas source for forming the second gas-solid mixture.

[0133] Optionally, after step 940, the reaction products (e.g., a gas-solid mixture of the oxidation reaction product mixed with the second gas and / or other gas-phase by-products, or waste products, etc.) can be delivered out of the reaction chamber and cooled to obtain final solid particles of the desired size, morphology, and crystal structure, ready for further use in the battery. For example, the reaction products can be cooled slowly to room temperature to avoid disturbing or failing the process of forming its stable energy state with a uniform morphology and desired crystal structure.

[0134] The foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention; other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, which is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. 1. A method for producing a particulate material for a battery cell from a liquid mixture, comprising: generating and ejecting one or more uniform droplet streams into a dispersion chamber of the processing system using one or more power jet modules of a processing system, each power jet module having one or more power jets and one or more actuators; moving the one or more power jets to correspondingly couple to one or more openings in a chamber wall of the dispersion chamber using the one or more actuators; delivering one or more first gases to one or more first gas streams in a treatment system; transporting the one or more uniform droplet streams from the dispersion chamber to a reaction chamber within the processing system using one or more first gas flows; forming one or more gas-liquid mixtures comprising the one or more first gases and the one or more streams of uniform droplets; reacting the gas-liquid mixture in a reaction chamber of the processing system for a residence time; forming a gas-solid mixture having said particulate material and said one or more first gases.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising heating the one or more first gases to a first temperature prior to delivering the one or more first gases to the one or more first gas streams in the processing system.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gas stream of the one or more first gases and the one or more streams of uniform droplets are mutually dispersed at a dispersion angle (α) in the range of 0 degrees to 180 degrees.

4. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: delivering one or more second gases from one or more second gas sources to a plurality of second gas streams of the one or more second gases in the reaction chamber via one or more channels of a gas distribution ring, the one or more channels being uniformly distributed on and within the gas distribution ring.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising heating the one or more second gases in the reaction chamber to a second temperature prior to delivering the one or more second gases to the second gas stream, the second temperature being higher than the first temperature.

6. 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising reacting the gas-liquid mixture in a reaction chamber using the one or more second gases, heating the interior of the reaction chamber, and drying the gas-liquid mixture.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising separating the gas-solid mixture to obtain solid particles of the particulate material.

8. 1. A method for producing a particulate material for a battery cell from a liquid mixture, comprising: generating and ejecting one or more uniform droplet streams into a dispersion chamber of the processing system using one or more power jet modules of a processing system, each power jet module having one or more power jets and one or more actuators; moving the one or more power jets to correspondingly couple to one or more openings in a chamber wall of the dispersion chamber using the one or more actuators; delivering one or more first gases from one or more first gas sources into a processing system, the first gas sources being connected to one or more first gas lines; generating one or more first gas flows of the first gas from two or more channels of a gas distributor for delivery to a plurality of uniform gas flows within the processing system; dispersing the first gas stream in the treatment system into one or more gas-liquid mixtures in a dispersion chamber by the one or more uniform droplet streams ejected from the power jet module, the dispersion chamber being connected to the power jet module; transporting the one or more uniform droplet streams from the dispersion chamber to a reaction chamber of the processing system using the first gas flow; reacting and processing the one or more gas-liquid mixtures in a reaction chamber; and forming a gas-solid mixture comprising a particulate material and the one or more first gases.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising heating the one or more first gases to a first temperature prior to delivering the one or more first gases to the uniform gas flow within the treatment system.

10. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: delivering one or more second gases from one or more second gas sources to a plurality of second gas streams of the one or more second gases in the reaction chamber via one or more channels of a gas distribution ring, the one or more channels being uniformly distributed on and within the gas distribution ring.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising heating the one or more second gases in the reaction chamber to a second temperature prior to delivering the one or more second gases to the second gas stream, the second temperature being higher than the first temperature.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the gas distribution ring is concentric around an inner chamber wall of the reaction chamber.

13. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first gas stream of one or more first gases and the stream of uniform droplets are mutually dispersed at a dispersion angle (α) ranging from 0 degrees to 180 degrees.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the dispersion angle (α) is 90 degrees.

15. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the divergence angle (α) is 0 degrees and the first gas stream and the uniform droplet stream of the one or more first gases are co-flowing with each other from the same direction.

16. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the divergence angle (α) is 180 degrees and the first gas stream and the uniform droplet stream of the one or more first gases counter-flow each other from opposite directions.

17. The method of claim 8 , wherein the two or more channels of the gas distributor are uniformly distributed on and within the gas distributor.

18. The method of claim 8 , wherein the gas distributor is positioned to connect a buffer chamber and the dispersion chamber.

19. 1. A method for producing a particulate material for a battery cell from a liquid mixture, comprising: generating and ejecting one or more uniform droplet streams into a dispersion chamber of the processing system using one or more power jet modules of a processing system, each power jet module having one or more power jets and one or more actuators; moving the one or more power jets to correspondingly couple to one or more openings in a chamber wall of the dispersion chamber using the one or more actuators; delivering one or more first gases from one or more first gas sources into a processing system, the first gas sources being connected to one or more first gas lines; generating one or more first gas flows of the first gas from the two or more channels of a gas distributor for delivery to a plurality of uniform gas flows within the processing system; dispersing the first gas stream in the treatment system into one or more gas-liquid mixtures in a dispersion chamber by the one or more uniform droplet streams ejected from the power jet module, the dispersion chamber being connected to the power jet module; transporting the one or more uniform droplet streams from the dispersion chamber to a reaction chamber of the processing system using the first gas; delivering one or more second gases from one or more second gas sources into a plurality of second gas streams of the one or more second gases within the reaction chamber via one or more channels of a gas distribution ring, the one or more channels being uniformly distributed on and within the gas distribution ring; reacting and processing the one or more gas-liquid mixtures in a reaction chamber; and forming a gas-solid mixture comprising the particulate material and the one or more first gases.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first gas stream and the stream of uniform droplets of the one or more first gases are mutually dispersed at a dispersion angle (α) ranging from 0 degrees to 180 degrees.

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