Patents Assigned to Umicore
  • Patent number: 12640369
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a lithium nickel-based oxide positive electrode active material for lithium-ion secondary batteries suitable for electric vehicle and hybrid electric vehicle applications, comprising lithium transition metal-based oxide particles comprising zirconium, and a preparation method for said positive electrode material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2026
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: KyungSub Jung, JiU Ann, Woon-Hyoung Ryu
  • Patent number: 12617696
    Abstract: A lithium cobalt-based oxide cathode active material powder having: —a primary phase comprising Li, Co, and O, and—a secondary phase comprising LiNaSO4, wherein the content of said LiNaSO4 secondary phase in said powder is of at least 0.4 wt. % and inferior or equal to 1.1 wt. % with respect to a total weight of the cathode active material powder, said cathode active material powder being characterized in that it has a S/Na atomic ratio superior or equal to 0.80 and inferior or equal to 1.20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2026
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Jens Paulsen, KyeongSe Song
  • Patent number: 12577110
    Abstract: A powder of carbonaceous matrix particles with silicon-based sub-particles dispersed therein, wherein the particles have a harmonic mean value of their average Vickers hardness value and their average elastic modulus value, both values of hardness and elasticity being measured by nanoindentation and expressed in MPa, being superior or equal to 7000 MPa and inferior or equal to 20000 MPa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2026
    Assignees: UMICORE, UMICORE KOREA LTD.
    Inventors: Michal Tulodziecki, Jean-Sébastien Bridel, Sul-Hee Min
  • Patent number: 12570542
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for preparing a high-purity nickel sulphate solution, comprising the steps of: i. providing an aqueous feed solution comprising nickel, cobalt, calcium and magnesium: ii. extracting cobalt, calcium, and partly magnesium from said aqueous feed solution using a first solvent comprising a first alkylphosphorus-based acidic extractant, thereby obtaining an aqueous raffinate comprising nickel and magnesium: iii. extracting magnesium from said aqueous raffinate solution comprising nickel and magnesium using a second solvent comprising a second alkylphosphorus-based acidic extractant, thereby obtaining a high-purity aqueous nickel sulphate solution comprising nickel and magnesium: iv. stripping the first loaded solvent comprising cobalt, calcium and magnesium with an aqueous solution comprising a mineral acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2026
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Francis Rondas, Jan Luyten, Joris Roosen, Wannes De Moor, Maarten Schurmans
  • Patent number: 12567582
    Abstract: A silicon-based powder for use in the negative electrode of a battery comprises silicon-based particles. The silicon-based particles have a number-based particle size distribution having a d50, and less than 8.0% of the particles have a size which is larger than twice the d50. The silicon-based powder may be embedded in a matrix to form an active material powder. Preferably d50<150 nm and d10>10 nm. The cycle efficiency of a negative electrode of a battery, made using such a powder, is much improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2026
    Assignee: Umicore
    Inventors: Stijn Put, Nicolas Marx, Jan Gilleir, Daniël Nelis
  • Patent number: 12545805
    Abstract: A composition for use as a drier in auto-oxidizable coatings or as an accelerator in unsaturated polyester resins comprises a manganese-bearing polymer having a manganese dicarboxylate repeating unit and at least one nitrogen-containing donor ligand. Such compositions offer excellent drying performances. They ensure a strongly reduced leachability of manganese compared to that of known manganese-bearing driers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2026
    Assignee: Umicore
    Inventor: Carl Vercaemst
  • Patent number: 12542302
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a solid electrolyte interphase composition having a F:CF3 mol-ratio (x) of 0.00<x?12.00; a negative electrode comprising a negative electrode material and a solid electrolyte interphase composition on a surface of said negative electrode material, wherein said solid electrolyte interphase composition has a molar ratio F:CF3 (x) of 0.00<x?12.00, as determined by XPS; as well as its application in a lithium secondary battery cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2026
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Sebastian Mai, Svetlozar-Dimitrov Ivanov, Andreas Bund
  • Patent number: 12525603
    Abstract: A positive electrode active material for solid state rechargeable batteries, whereby the positive electrode active material is a powder which comprises Li, M?, and O, wherein M? consists of Co in a content x superior or equal to 2.0 mol % and inferior or equal to 35.0 mol %, Mn in a content y superior or equal to 0 mol % and inferior or equal to 35.0 mol %, A in a content m superior or equal to 0 mol % and inferior or equal to 5 mol %, whereby A comprises at least one element of the group consisting of: Al, Ba, B, Mg, Nb, Sr, Ti, W, S, Ca, Cr, Zn, V, Y, Si, and Zr, Ni in a content of 100-x-y-m mol %, a first compound which comprises Li2WO4 and a second compound which comprises WO3, whereby the powder is a single-crystalline powder, whereby the positive electrode active material comprises Li in a molar ratio of Li/(Co+Mn+Ni+A) of at least 0.9 and at most 1.1, whereby the positive electrode active material has a tap density which is at least 1.0 gr/cm3 and at most 3.0 g/cm3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2026
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Jens Martin Paulsen, Shinichi Kumakura, Liang Zhu, JiHye Kim, JiHoon Kang, HyeJeong Yang, YuRi Lee
  • Patent number: 12509361
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for preparing a high-purity nickel sulphate solution, comprising the steps of: i. forming an aqueous mixed metal sulphate solution by reacting sulphuric acid with a raw material feed comprising nickel, manganese, cobalt, and magnesium in an aqueous medium; ii. extracting manganese from said aqueous mixed metal sulphate solution, thereby obtaining a first aqueous raffinate comprising nickel, cobalt and magnesium, and a manganese-rich organic phase; iii. extracting cobalt from said first aqueous raffinate, thereby obtaining a second aqueous raffinate comprising nickel and magnesium, and a cobalt-rich organic phase; and iv. extracting magnesium from said second aqueous raffinate solution, thereby obtaining a high-purity nickel sulphate solution, and a magnesium-rich organic phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2025
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Werner Verdickt, Joris Roosen, Wannes De Moor, Jan Luyten
  • Patent number: 12512472
    Abstract: A lithium metal composite oxide powder for use in a positive electrode active material for a lithium ion battery has a composition of LiaNibCocAldO2 (wherein, a=0.8 to 1.2, b=0.7 to 0.95, c=0.02 to 0.2, d=0.005 to 0.1, and b+c+d=1). The powder has been treated with an aqueous solution of an organic metal salt and soluble aluminum salt and does not cause volume expansion due to gas generation. A positive electrode active material with the lithium metal composite oxide powder has a large discharge capacity, excellent cycle characteristics, and suppressed gas generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2025
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Takashi Shinpuku, Hiroshi Tani, Ralph Otterstedt, Keiichiro Kanao
  • Patent number: 12489107
    Abstract: A powder for use in a negative electrode of a battery, comprising a mixture of a first number-based fraction of particles comprising a carbonaceous matrix material and silicon-based particles dispersed therein, and a second number-based fraction of particles, comprising Si-free carbonaceous particles comprising graphitic domains having a mean size of at least 10 nm and at most 45 nm, as determined by the Scherrer equation applied to the powder's X-ray diffraction peak assigned to C(002) having an intensity IC with its maximum at 2?Cu between 26° and 27°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2025
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Kun Feng, Boaz Moeremans, Jean-Sébastien Bridel
  • Patent number: 12482862
    Abstract: A liquid electrolyte lithium secondary battery cell comprising: —a positive electrode material comprising a lithium transition metal-based oxide powder having a general formula Li1+a ((Niz (Ni0.5Mn0.5)y Cox)1?k Ak)1?a O2, wherein A is a dopant, ?0.025?a?0.025, 0.18?x?0.22, 0.42?z?0.52, 1.075<z/y<1.625, x+y+z=1 and k?0.01; and—an electrolyte composition comprising: a) at least one cyclic carbonate, b) at least one fluorinated acyclic carboxylic acid ester, c) at least one electrolyte salt, d) at least one lithium compound selected from lithium phosphate compounds, lithium boron compounds, lithium sulfonate compounds and mixtures thereof, e) at least one cyclic sulfur compound, and f) optionally at least one cyclic carboxylic acid anhydride.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2025
    Assignees: UMICORE, SYENSQO SA
    Inventors: JiHye Kim, Jens Paulsen, AReum Park, Dae-Hyun Kim, Hee-Sung Gil, Jean-Sébastien Bridel, Ji-Hye Won, Moon-Hyung Choi, Mi-Soon Oh, Hyuncheol Lee, Lawrence Alan Hough, Hae-Young Kim
  • Patent number: 12465975
    Abstract: The invention concerns pre-alloyed powders useful for the manufacture of metal-bonded diamond tools. A process for the synthesis of such powders is presented, characterized in that at least a major part of the phosphor is introduced by adding an aqueous solution of a phosphorus salt to one or more of the metal-bearing compounds. The powder can have a low cobalt content, or even be cobalt-free, yet remain suitable for the production of diamond-loaded segments having harness and bending characteristics approaching or exceeding that of cobalt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2025
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventor: Thierry Commeau
  • Patent number: 12438209
    Abstract: The present invention lies in the field of pyrometallurgy and discloses a process and a slag suitable for the recovery of Ni and Co from Li-ion batteries or their waste, particularly from Black Mass. The slag composition is defined according to: 25%<MnO<70%; Al2O3+0.5 MnO<45% SiO2>5%; Li2O>1%; MnO+Li2O+Al2O3+CaO+SiO2+FeO+MgO+P2O5>90%; and, wherein (CaO+2 Li2O+0.4 MnO)/SiO2?2.0. This composition is particularly adapted to limit or avoid the wear or corrosion of furnaces lined with magnesia-bearing refractory bricks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2025
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Ryohei Yagi, Lennart Scheunis
  • Patent number: 12424612
    Abstract: A powder for use in a negative electrode of a battery, said powder comprising particles, wherein the particles comprise a carbonaceous matrix material and silicon-based domains dispersed in the carbonaceous matrix material, wherein the particles further comprise pores wherein at least 1000 cross-sections of pores comprised in a cross-section of the powder satisfy optimized conditions of size and size distribution, allowing the battery containing such a powder to achieve a superior cycle life and a production method of such a powder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2025
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Boaz Moeremans, Kun Feng, Michal Tulodziecki, Jean-Sébastien Bridel, Nicolas Marx, Stijn Put
  • Patent number: 12419090
    Abstract: The invention concerns monocrystalline dislocation-free Ge, n-type doped, and having a resistivity of less than 10 mOhm·cm, characterized in that phosphorus is the single dopant. Such crystals can be obtained by using the Czochralski pulling technique with GeP as dopant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2025
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Johannes Vanpaemel, Kristof Dessein, Ben Depuydt
  • Patent number: 12416065
    Abstract: The present invention lies in the field of pyrometallurgy and discloses a process and a slag suitable for the recovery of Ni and Co from Li-ion batteries or their waste. The slag composition is defined according to: 10%<MnO<40%; (CaO+1.5*Li2O)/Al2O3>0.3; CaO+0.8*MnO+0.8*Li2O<60%; (CaO+2*Li2O+0.4*MnO)/SiO2?2.0; Li2O?1%; and, Al2O3+SiO2+CaO+Li2O+MnO+FeO+MgO>85%. This composition is particularly adapted to limit or avoid the corrosion of furnaces lined with magnesia-bearing refractory bricks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2025
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Ryohei Yagi, Lennart Scheunis
  • Patent number: 12401030
    Abstract: A catholyte destined to be used in a lithium ion solid-state battery, said catholyte comprising: (i) a solid electrolyte powder having a formula: Li(3.5+L+x)Si(0.5+s?x)P(0.5+p?x)Ge2xO4+a, wherein ?0.10?L?0.10, ?0.10?s?0.10, ?0.10?p?0.10, ?0.40?a?0.40, and 0.00?x?0.30, and (ii) a positive electrode active material powder having a formula: Li1+kM?1?kO2 where M?=Ni1?x??y?z?Mnx?Coy?Az? with ?0.05?k?0.05, 0?x??0.40, 0.05?y??0.40, and 0?z??0.05, wherein A is a doping element which is different to Li, M? and O, said positive active material powder comprising particles having a layered R-3m crystal structure, said catholyte having a D99?50 ?m and an ionic conductivity of at least 1.0×10?6 S/m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2025
    Assignees: UMICORE, UMICORE KOREA LTD., POSTECH ACADEMY-INDUSTRY FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Byoungwoo Kang, Seung-Jun Woo
  • Patent number: 12394790
    Abstract: This invention relates to a process for manufacturing lithium nickel cobalt oxide-based cathode compounds for lithium ion secondary batteries. As part of this process, nickel, cobalt, and optionally manganese-bearing precursor compounds are lithiated and sintered at a high temperature. When cooled down, a high cooling rate will benefit the throughput of the process and the economics. It has however been found that the cooling rate should not exceed 10° C./min in what has been determined to be a critical temperature domain, ranging from 700° C. to 550° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2025
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Randy De Palma, Kasper Lambrighs, Dae-Hyun Kim, HyeJeong Yang
  • Patent number: 12381227
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electrochemically active powder comprising particles containing a compound represented by formula AaMm(XO4)n wherein A comprises an alkaline metal; M comprises at least one transition metal and optionally at least one non-transition metal; and X is chosen among S, P and Si; wherein 0<a?3.2; 1?m?2; and 1?n?3; wherein said particles are at least partially coated with a layer comprising a carbonaceous material, said carbonaceous material comprising a highly ordered graphite, wherein said highly ordered graphite has a ratio (I1360/I1580) of a peak intensity (I1360) at 1360 cm?1 to a peak intensity (I1580) at 1580 cm?1, obtained by Raman spectrum analysis, of at most 3.05.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2025
    Assignee: UMICORE
    Inventors: Jens Paulsen, Xin Xia, KyungTae Lee, DaeKwang Kim