JP6981466B2 - Method for producing crosslinked polymer or salt thereof - Google Patents

Description

The techniques disclosed herein are a binder for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery electrode that can be used in a lithium ion secondary battery and the like and its use, and production of a carboxyl group-containing crosslinked polymer or a salt thereof used in the binder. Regarding the method.
(Mutual reference of related applications)
This application is a related application of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-063036 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-063037 filed on March 28, 2017, and all the contents described in this Japanese application are referred to. It is to be used. In addition, this application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-063036.

Excellent durability (cycle characteristics) is required for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries such as lithium ion secondary batteries. During charging and discharging, the active material expands and contracts due to the occlusion and release of lithium ions, so a binder with high binding force is required so that the mixture layer does not peel off or fall off. Further, the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery electrode is produced by applying, drying, or the like on a current collector a composition for forming an electrode mixture layer containing an active material, a binder, and the like. As the binder used in the negative electrode mixture layer composition, an aqueous binder containing styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) latex and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is used. Further, as a binder having excellent dispersibility and binding property, a binder containing an aqueous acrylic acid polymer solution or an aqueous dispersion is known. On the other hand, as a binder used for the positive electrode mixture layer, a solution of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is widely used. However, against the background of increasing environmental awareness in recent years, there is an increasing demand for water-based composition that does not use an organic solvent even for the positive electrode mixture layer composition.

On the other hand, as the use of lithium ion secondary batteries expands, the demand for improving their reliability and durability tends to increase further. Therefore, studies have been made with the aim of improving the binding property of the binder and further improving the durability of the electrode (Patent Documents 1 to 3).
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an acrylic acid polymer crosslinked with polyalkenyl ether as a binder for forming a negative electrode coating film of a lithium ion secondary battery. Further, Patent Document 2 contains a structural unit derived from an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid salt monomer and a structural unit derived from an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid ester monomer, and has a specific aqueous solution viscosity. A water-based electrode binder for a secondary battery containing the above is disclosed. Patent Document 3 discloses an aqueous binder for a secondary battery containing a specific amount of a structural unit derived from an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer with respect to an active material and having a specific aqueous solution viscosity.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-294247 JP-A-2015-18776 International Publication 2016/158939

Patent Document 1 discloses that crosslinked polyacrylic acid is used as a binder, but improvement in durability and the like of the obtained electrode has been desired. The binder described in Patent Document 2 is good in terms of flexibility, but is not sufficiently satisfactory in terms of binding properties. Further, even with the binder described in Patent Document 3, there is room for further improvement in binding property.

The technique disclosed in the present specification has been made in view of such circumstances, and includes a water-based binder for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having excellent binding properties, a polymer used for the binder, or a salt thereof, and a salt thereof. The manufacturing method is provided.

As a result of diligent studies by the present inventors, it is a crosslinked polymer having a carboxyl group or a salt thereof (hereinafter, also referred to as a crosslinked polymer (salt)) and remains as a monomer in the crosslinked polymer (salt). It was found that the electrode mixture layer obtained by using a crosslinked polymer having a controlled amount of acrylic acid or a salt thereof for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery electrode exhibits excellent binding properties. According to the present specification, the following means are provided based on such findings.

The disclosure of the present specification provides a method for producing a crosslinked polymer having a carboxyl group or a salt thereof used in a binder for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery electrode. In this method for producing a crosslinked polymer or a salt thereof, a monomer component containing 50% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less of a structural unit derived from an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer is subjected to precipitation polymerization with respect to all structural units. Polymerization process and
The polymerization step is followed by one or more cleaning steps.
By the washing step, the total amount of the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and its salt converted into an unneutralized type with respect to the total amount of the crosslinked polymer and its salt can be set to 5.0% by mass or less.

The binder for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery electrode disclosed in the present specification can exhibit excellent binding properties to a current collector and an active material, so that an excellent integral electrode mixture layer can be obtained. Can be formed. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a secondary battery having high durability (cycle characteristics) because the mixture layer is less likely to be missing even by charging / discharging at a high rate.

Since the composition for the electrode mixture layer of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery disclosed in the present specification has good binding property to the active material, it is possible to form an electrode mixture layer having good integrity, and the electrode characteristics can be changed. Good non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery electrodes can be obtained.

The binder for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery (hereinafter, also referred to as the present binder) containing a crosslinked polymer having a carboxyl group or a salt thereof obtained by the production method of the present disclosure is electrode-matched by mixing with an active material and water. It can be a material layer composition. The above composition may be in a slurry state that can be applied to the current collector, or may be prepared in a wet powder state so that it can be pressed on the surface of the current collector. A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery electrode can be obtained by forming a mixture layer formed from the above composition on the surface of a current collector such as a copper foil or an aluminum foil.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the techniques disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail. In addition, in this specification, "(meth) acrylic" means acrylic and / or methacrylic, and "(meth) acrylate" means acrylate and / or methacrylate. Further, the “(meth) acryloyl group” means an acryloyl group and / or a methacryloyl group.

(binder)
The present binder contains a crosslinked polymer having a carboxyl group (hereinafter, also referred to as the present crosslinked polymer) or a salt thereof. The crosslinked polymer has a structural unit derived from an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer.

(Structural unit derived from ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer)
The crosslinked polymer can have a structural unit derived from an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer (hereinafter, also referred to as “component (a)”). When the crosslinked polymer has a carboxyl group, the binding property to the current collector is improved, and the lithium ion is excellent in desolvation effect and ionic conductivity, so that the resistance is small and charging / discharging at a high current density is performed. An electrode having excellent characteristics (high rate characteristics) can be obtained. Further, since water swelling property is imparted, the dispersion stability of the active material or the like in the mixture layer composition can be enhanced.

The component (a) can be introduced, for example, by polymerizing a monomer containing an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer. Alternatively, it can also be obtained by (co) polymerizing a (meth) acrylic acid ester monomer and then hydrolyzing it. Further, after polymerizing (meth) acrylamide, (meth) acrylonitrile or the like, it may be treated with a strong alkali, or it may be a method of reacting an acid anhydride with a polymer having a hydroxyl group.

Examples of the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer include (meth) acrylic acid; (meth) acrylamide alkylcarboxylic acid such as (meth) acrylamide hexane acid and (meth) acrylamide dodecanoic acid; and monohydroxyethyl succinate (meth) acrylate. , Ω-carboxy-caprolactone mono (meth) acrylate, β-carboxyethyl (meth) acrylate and other ethylenically unsaturated monomers having a carboxyl group or (partially) alkaline neutralized products thereof. One of the above may be used alone, or two or more of them may be used in combination. Among the above, a compound having an acryloyl group is preferable, and acrylic acid is particularly preferable, in that a polymer having a long primary chain length can be obtained due to a high polymerization rate and the binder has a good binding force. When acrylic acid is used as the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer, a polymer having a high carboxyl group content can be obtained.

The content of the component (a) in the crosslinked polymer is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 50% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less with respect to all the structural units of the crosslinked polymer. By containing the component (a) in such a range, excellent adhesiveness to the current collector can be easily ensured. The lower limit is, for example, 60% by mass or more, for example, 70% by mass or more, and for example, 80% by mass or more. When the crosslinked polymer contains a structural unit derived from a crosslinkable monomer described later, the upper limit of the component (a) can be 99.95% by mass or less, and 99.0% by mass or less. May be good. When the ratio of the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer to all the structural units is less than 50% by mass, the dispersion stability, the binding property and the durability as a battery may be insufficient.

(Other structural units)
In addition to the component (a), the crosslinked polymer is a structural unit derived from another ethylenically unsaturated monomer copolymerizable with the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer (hereinafter, “component (b)”). Also referred to as.). The component (b) includes, for example, an ethylenically unsaturated monomer compound having an anionic group other than a carboxyl group such as a sulfonic acid group and a phosphoric acid group, or a nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomer. The structural unit from which it is derived can be mentioned. These structural units are ethylenically unsaturated monomer compounds having anionic groups other than carboxyl groups such as sulfonic acid groups and phosphoric acid groups, or monomers containing nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomers. Can be introduced by copolymerizing. Among these, as the component (b), a structural unit derived from a nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomer is preferable from the viewpoint of bending resistance.

As the nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomer, (meth) acrylamide and its derivatives are preferable in that the binder has excellent binding properties.
Examples of the (meth) acrylamide derivative include N-alkyls such as isopropyl (meth) acrylamide, t-butyl (meth) acrylamide, Nn-butoxymethyl (meth) acrylamide, and N-isobutoxymethyl (meth) acrylamide. Meta) acrylamide compounds; N, N-dialkyl (meth) acrylamide compounds such as dimethyl (meth) acrylamide and diethyl (meth) acrylamide can be mentioned, and one of these may be used alone or two. The above may be used in combination.

When the component (b) is a structural unit derived from a nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomer, the ratio thereof is not particularly limited, but for example, with respect to all the structural units of the present crosslinked polymer. It can be 1% by mass or more and 50% by mass or less. When the crosslinked polymer has 1% by mass or more of the component (b), a highly flexible mixture layer can be obtained, so that it is easy to obtain an electrode having excellent bending resistance. In addition, since the affinity for the electrolytic solution is improved, the effect of improving the lithium ion conductivity can be expected. The ratio of the component (b) is, for example, 5% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less, and for example, 10% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less. (B) The upper limit of the component can be 49.95% by mass or less, and may be 49.9% by mass or less. Further, if it is 50% by mass or less, the required amount of the above component (a) can be secured. When the crosslinked polymer has the component (b), the ratio of the component (a) to the total structural units of the crosslinked polymer is, for example, 50% by mass or more and 99% by mass or less, and for example, 60% by mass. It is 95% by mass or less, and for example, 70% by mass or more and 90% by mass or less.

As the other nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomer, for example, (meth) acrylic acid ester may be used.
Examples of the (meth) acrylic acid ester include (meth) methyl acrylate, ethyl (meth) acrylate, butyl (meth) acrylate, isobutyl (meth) acrylate, and 2-ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate. (Meta) Acrylic Acid Alkyl Ester Compounds; (Meta) Acrylic Acid Cycloalkyl Ester Compounds such as (Meta) Acrylic Acid Cyclohexyl, (Meta) Acrylic Acid Methyl Cyclohexyl; (Meta) Acrylic Acid 2-methoxyethyl, (Meta) Acrylic Acid ethoxy Examples include (meth) acrylic acid alkoxyalkyl ester compounds such as ethyl; (meth) acrylic acid hydroxyalkyl ester compounds such as (meth) acrylic acid hydroxyethyl, (meth) acrylic acid hydroxypropyl and (meth) acrylic acid hydroxybutyl. One of these may be used alone, or two or more thereof may be used in combination.

When a (meth) acrylic acid ester is used as the nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomer, the ratio of the structural units derived from the (meth) acrylic acid ester is, for example, the ratio of the structural units to the total structural units of the crosslinked polymer. It is 1% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less, and is, for example, 5% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less, and for example, 10% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less. Further, in this case, the ratio of the component (a) is, for example, 70% by mass or more and 99% by mass or less, and for example, 70% by mass or more and 95% by mass or less, with respect to all the structural units of the present crosslinked polymer. Further, for example, it is 70% by mass or more and 90% by mass or less.

Among the above, ethers such as (meth) acrylate alkoxyalkyls such as 2-methoxyethyl (meth) acrylate and ethoxyethyl (meth) acrylate are used because of their high lithium ion conductivity and improved high-rate characteristics. Compounds having a bond are preferable, and 2-methoxyethyl (meth) acrylate is more preferable.

Among the nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomers, a compound having an acryloyl group is preferable in that a polymer having a long primary chain length can be obtained because the polymerization rate is high and the binding force of the binder is good.
Further, as the nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomer, a compound having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of the homopolymer of 0 ° C. or lower is preferable in that the bending resistance of the obtained electrode is good.

Further, the present crosslinked polymer may be a salt. The type of salt is not particularly limited, but alkali metal salts such as lithium salt, sodium salt and potassium salt; alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium salt and barium salt; other metal salts such as magnesium salt and aluminum salt; ammonium. Examples thereof include salts and organic amine salts. Among these, alkali metal salts and magnesium salts are preferable, and alkali metal salts are more preferable, from the viewpoint that adverse effects on battery characteristics are unlikely to occur. Particularly preferable alkali metal salts are lithium salts and sodium salts. Further, in terms of low temperature battery characteristics, lithium salts are preferable.

(Aspects of crosslinked polymer)
The mode of cross-linking in the present cross-linked polymer is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include the following methods.
1) Copolymerization of crosslinkable monomers 2) Utilizing chain transfer to polymer chains during radical polymerization 3) After synthesizing a polymer having a reactive functional group, post-crosslinking is performed by adding a crosslinking agent as necessary. Among the above, the method by copolymerization of crosslinkable monomers is preferable because the operation is simple and the degree of crosslinking can be easily controlled.

(Crosslinkable monomer)
Examples of the crosslinkable monomer include a polyfunctional polymerizable monomer having two or more polymerizable unsaturated groups, a monomer having a self-crosslinkable crosslinkable functional group such as a hydrolyzable silyl group, and the like. Can be mentioned.

The polyfunctional polymerizable monomer is a compound having two or more polymerizable functional groups such as a (meth) acryloyl group and an alkenyl group in the molecule, and is a polyfunctional (meth) acrylate compound, a polyfunctional alkenyl compound, ( Meta) Examples thereof include compounds having both an acryloyl group and an alkenyl group. These compounds may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these, a polyfunctional alkenyl compound is preferable because a uniform crosslinked structure can be easily obtained, and a polyfunctional allyl ether compound having a plurality of allyl ether groups in the molecule is particularly preferable.

Examples of the polyfunctional (meth) acrylate compound include ethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, propylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, 1,6-hexanediol di (meth) acrylate, polyethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, and polypropylene glycol di (meth) acrylate. Di (meth) acrylates of dihydric alcohols such as meta) acrylates; trimethylol propanetri (meth) acrylates, tri (meth) acrylates of modified trimethylol propaneethylene oxide oxides, glycerin tri (meth) acrylates, pentaerythritol tris (meth) Tri (meth) acrylates of trivalent or higher polyhydric alcohols such as meta) acrylates and pentaerythritol tetra (meth) acrylates, poly (meth) acrylates such as tetra (meth) acrylates; Bisamides and the like can be mentioned.

Examples of the polyfunctional alkenyl compound include polyfunctional allyl ether compounds such as trimethylolpropanediallyl ether, trimethylolpropanetriallyl ether, pentaerythritol diallyl ether, pentaerythritol triallyl ether, tetraallyloxyetane, and polyallyl saccharose; diallyl phthalate and the like. Polyfunctional allyl compound; Polyfunctional vinyl compound such as divinylbenzene and the like can be mentioned.

Compounds having both (meth) acryloyl group and alkenyl group include (meth) allyl acrylate, (meth) isopropenyl acrylate, (meth) butenyl acrylate, (meth) pentenyl acrylate, and (meth) acrylate. 2- (2-Vinyloxyethoxy) ethyl and the like can be mentioned.

Specific examples of the above-mentioned monomer having a crosslinkable functional group include a hydrolyzable silyl group-containing vinyl monomer, N-methylol (meth) acrylamide, N-methoxyalkyl (meth) acrylate and the like. Can be mentioned. These compounds can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The hydrolyzable silyl group-containing vinyl monomer is not particularly limited as long as it is a vinyl monomer having at least one hydrolyzable silyl group. For example, vinyl silanes such as vinyl trimethoxysilane, vinyl triethoxysilane, vinylmethyldimethoxysilane, vinyldimethylmethoxysilane; silyl groups such as trimethoxysilylpropyl acrylate, triethoxysilylpropyl acrylate, and methyldimethoxysilylpropyl acrylate. Containing acrylic acid esters; silyl group-containing methacrylic esters such as trimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate, triethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate, methyldimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate, dimethylmethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate; trimethoxysilylpropyl vinyl ether and the like. Cyril group-containing vinyl ethers; silyl group-containing vinyl esters such as trimethoxysilyl undecanoic acid vinyl and the like can be mentioned.

When the present crosslinked polymer is crosslinked by a crosslinkable monomer, the amount of the crosslinkable monomer used is the total amount of monomers other than the crosslinkable monomer (non-crosslinkable monomer). It can be 0.02 to 0.7 mol% with respect to. Further, for example, it is 0.03 to 0.4 mol%. When the amount of the crosslinkable monomer used is 0.02 mol% or more, it is preferable in that the binding property and the stability of the mixture layer slurry are improved. If it is 0.7 mol% or less, the stability of the crosslinked polymer tends to be high.

The amount of the crosslinkable monomer used is, for example, 0.05 to 5% by mass, for example, 0.1 to 4% by mass, or 0, for example, in the total constituent monomers of the crosslinkable polymer. .2 to 3% by mass, and for example 0.3 to 2% by mass.

In general, the longer the length of the polymer chain (primary chain length) of the crosslinked polymer, the greater the toughness, the higher the binding property, and the higher the viscosity of the aqueous dispersion. Further, the crosslinked polymer (salt) obtained by subjecting a polymer having a long primary chain length to a relatively small amount of crosslinks exists as a microgel body swollen in water in water. In the composition for the electrode mixture layer of the present disclosure, the thickening effect and the dispersion stabilizing effect are exhibited by the interaction of the microgel bodies. The interaction of microgels varies depending on the degree of water swelling of the microgels and the strength of the microgels, which are affected by the degree of cross-linking of the crosslinked polymer. If the degree of cross-linking is too low, the strength of the microgel may be insufficient, and the dispersion stabilizing effect and the binding property may be insufficient. On the other hand, if the degree of cross-linking is too high, the degree of swelling of the microgel may be insufficient, and the dispersion stabilizing effect and the binding property may be insufficient. That is, it is desirable that the crosslinked polymer is a microcrosslinked polymer obtained by appropriately cross-linking a polymer having a sufficiently long primary chain length.

The crosslinked polymer or a salt thereof contains an acid group such as a carboxyl group derived from an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer so that the neutralization degree is 20 to 100 mol% in the mixture layer composition. It is summed and can be used as an embodiment of salt. The degree of neutralization is also, for example, 50 to 100 mol% and, for example, 60 to 95 mol%. When the degree of neutralization is 20 mol% or more, the water swelling property is good and the dispersion stabilizing effect is easily obtained, which is preferable. In the present specification, the degree of neutralization can be calculated by calculation from the charged values of a monomer having an acid group such as a carboxyl group and a neutralizing agent used for neutralization. The degree of neutralization was measured by IR measurement of the crosslinked polymer or a salt thereof after drying at 80 ° C. for 3 hours under reduced pressure conditions, and the peak derived from the C = O group of the carboxylic acid and the C = of the carboxylic acid Li =. It can be confirmed from the intensity ratio of the peak derived from the O group.

The crosslinked polymer or a salt thereof can have the above-mentioned degree of neutralization, but the pH of the 0.5% by mass aqueous solution thereof of the crosslinked polymer or a salt thereof can be, for example, 7.5 or more. .. When the pH is 7.5 or more, good dispersibility and coatability, as well as adhesion and cycle characteristics can be ensured, and an electrode having excellent integrity can be produced. Further, for example, it is 7.7 or more, for example, 7.9 or more, for example, 8.0 or more, for example, 8.1 or more, and for example, 8.5 or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 10.0 or less, and for example, 9.0 or less.

The pH of the 0.5% by mass aqueous solution can be adjusted by the degree of neutralization of the crosslinked polymer, and when the degree of neutralization is high, the pH is on the alkaline side.

The above ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and its salt are converted into an unneutralized type with respect to the total amount of the crosslinked polymer and its salt (that is, all existing ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers are converted to carboxylic acid. The total amount (hereinafter, also referred to as the residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) content) converted into morphology can be, for example, 5.0% by mass or less. The residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) content is also, for example, 4.0% by mass or less, for example 3.0% by mass or less, for example 2.0% by mass or less, and for example 1. It is 5% by mass or less, for example 1.0% by mass or less, and for example 0.5% by mass or less. When the residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) content is 5.0% by mass or less, high binding property can be obtained.

Further, by setting the content to 3.0% by mass or less, the binding property is improved as compared with the case where the residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) content exceeds 5.0% by mass, which is about 1.7 times. Adhesion and cycle characteristics are improved. For example, in the evaluation method in Examples, a peel strength of 550 mN / 25 mm or more, and similarly, for example, a 100-cycle capacity retention rate of 66% or more can be exhibited. Further, by setting the content to 2.0% by mass or less, even higher binding properties can be obtained. That is, the binding property is improved as compared with the case where the residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) content exceeds 5.0% by mass, and for example, the peel strength of 600 mN / 25 mm or more in the evaluation method in the examples. Similarly, for example, a 100-cycle capacity retention rate of 75% or more can be exhibited. Further, by setting the content to 1.0% by mass or less, higher binding property can be obtained. That is, the binding property is improved as compared with the case where the residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) content is more than 5.0% by mass. A peel strength of / 25 mm or more, and similarly, for example, a 100-cycle capacity retention rate of 85% or more can be exhibited. Further, by setting the content to 0.5% by mass or less, even higher binding properties can be obtained. That is, the binding property is improved as compared with the case where the residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) content is more than 5.0% by mass. Similarly, for example, a 100-cycle capacity retention rate of 90% or more can be exhibited.

The lower limit of the residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) content is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.05% by mass or more. Further, for example, it is 0.1% by mass or more, for example, 0.2% by mass or more, for example, 0.3% by mass or more, and for example, 0.4% by mass or more. This is because, for example, setting the residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) content to less than 0.05% by mass may not be advantageous from the viewpoint of cleaning cost and the like.

The residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) content is a ratio based on the total amount of the present crosslinked polymer and its salts. The "total amount of the present crosslinked polymer and its salt" as used herein is the total amount of the present crosslinked polymer or its salt as a "resin powder", and includes the remaining ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and its salt. It is a waste. Such "resin powder" is, for example, a powder (resin solid content) obtained in the synthesis of a crosslinked polymer or a salt thereof and dried as needed. In addition, the "residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) content" means that the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer or a salt thereof existing in the "resin powder" as a binder is all in the form of an unneutralized acid. It is the total amount when converted. Therefore, the residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) content is recovered from the crosslinked polymer obtained by polymerization or a salt thereof (recovered from the polymerization reaction solution, and is dried at 80 ° C. for 3 hours under reduced pressure, for example. The resin solid content of the present crosslinked polymer in the form of powder or a salt thereof) was treated with water, 1-propanol or the like and then centrifuged, and the obtained supernatant was treated with an ion exchange resin. All of the remaining ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers were made into an unneutralized acid form, and the treated solution was used as a sample for gas chromatography to obtain the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer. Can be calculated as the amount of. The content of the residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) in the crosslinked polymer (salt) can be adjusted, for example, by the method described in the method for producing the crosslinked polymer or a salt thereof, which will be described later.

(Method for producing the present crosslinked polymer or a salt thereof)
As the crosslinked polymer, known polymerization methods such as solution polymerization, precipitation polymerization, suspension polymerization, and reverse phase emulsion polymerization can be used, but precipitation polymerization and suspension polymerization (reverse phase) can be used in terms of productivity. Suspension polymerization) is preferable. The precipitation polymerization method is more preferable in that better performance can be obtained in terms of binding property and the like.
Precipitation polymerization is a method for producing a polymer by carrying out a polymerization reaction in a solvent that dissolves an unsaturated monomer as a raw material but does not substantially dissolve the polymer to be produced. As the polymerization progresses, the polymer particles become larger due to aggregation and growth, and a dispersion liquid of the polymer particles in which the primary particles of several tens of nm to several hundred nm are secondarily aggregated to several μm to several tens of μm can be obtained.
The secondary aggregation can also be suppressed by selecting a dispersion stabilizer, a polymerization solvent, or the like. In general, precipitation polymerization in which secondary aggregation is suppressed is also called dispersion polymerization.

In the case of precipitation polymerization, a solvent selected from water, various organic solvents and the like can be used as the polymerization solvent in consideration of the type of the monomer to be used and the like. In order to obtain a polymer having a longer primary chain length, it is preferable to use a solvent having a small chain transfer constant.
Specific examples of the polymerization solvent include water-soluble solvents such as methanol, t-butyl alcohol, acetone, acetonitrile and tetrahydrofuran, as well as benzene, ethyl acetate, dichloroethane, n-hexane, cyclohexane and n-heptane. Can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Alternatively, it may be used as a mixed solvent of these and water. As used herein, the water-soluble solvent refers to a solvent having a solubility in water at 20 ° C. of more than 10 g / 100 ml.
Of the above, the formation of coarse particles and adhesion to the reactor are small and the polymerization stability is good, and the precipitated polymer fine particles are difficult to secondary agglomerate (or even if secondary agglomeration occurs, they dissolve in the aqueous medium. Acetonitrile is preferable because it is easy), a polymer having a small chain transfer constant and a large degree of polymerization (primary chain length) can be obtained, and it is easy to operate during step neutralization described later.
Similarly, in order to allow the neutralization reaction to proceed stably and rapidly in the process neutralization, it is preferable to add a small amount of a highly polar solvent to the polymerization solvent. Such highly polar solvents preferably include water and methanol. The amount of the highly polar solvent used is, for example, 0.05 to 10.0% by weight, for example 0.1 to 5.0% by weight, and for example 0.1 to 1. It is 0% by mass. If the proportion of the highly polar solvent is 0.05% by mass or more, the effect on the neutralization reaction is recognized, and if it is 10.0% by mass or less, no adverse effect on the polymerization reaction is observed. Further, in the polymerization of a highly hydrophilic ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer such as acrylic acid, the polymerization rate is improved when a highly polar solvent is added, and it becomes easy to obtain a polymer having a long primary chain length. Among the highly polar solvents, water is particularly preferable because it has a large effect of improving the polymerization rate.

The production method of the present disclosure can include a polymerization step of precipitating and polymerizing a monomer component containing, for example, 50% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less of an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer. By the polymerization step, 50% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less of the structural unit (component (a)) derived from the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer is introduced into the crosslinked polymer. The amount of the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer used is, for example, 60% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less, and for example, 70% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less.

The ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer may be in an unneutralized state or in a neutralized salt state. Further, it may be in the state of a partially neutralized salt in which a part of the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer used is neutralized. Since the polymerization rate is high, the degree of neutralization of the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer can be, for example, 10 mol% or less in that a polymer having a high molecular weight and excellent binding properties can be obtained. For example, it can be 5 mol% or less, and can be unneutralized, for example.

In the production method of the present disclosure, in addition to the above ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer, another ethylenically unsaturated monomer copolymerizable therewith may be contained as a monomer component. Examples of the other ethylenically unsaturated monomer include an ethylenically unsaturated monomer compound having an anionic group other than a carboxyl group such as a sulfonic acid group and a phosphoric acid group, or a nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomer. Saturated monomers and the like can be mentioned. Among these, structural units derived from nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomers are preferable from the viewpoint of bending resistance. The nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomer may contain, for example, 1% by mass or more and 50% by mass or less, and for example, 5% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less, based on the total amount of the monomer components. For example, it is 10% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less. (B) The upper limit of the component can be 49.95% by mass or less, and may be 49.9% by mass or less.

When the polymer has 1% by mass or more of the component (b), the nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomer obtained by obtaining a highly flexible mixture layer is a monomer constituting the component (b). Although the above-mentioned monomer can be used as the above-mentioned monomer, (meth) acrylamide and its derivatives are preferable in that the binder has excellent binding properties.
In addition, for example, (meth) acrylic acid ester may be used as the nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomer. When a (meth) acrylic acid ester is used, the amount of the (meth) acrylic acid ester used is, for example, 1% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less, and for example, 5% by mass or more and 30% with respect to the total amount of the monomer components. It is not more than 10% by mass, and is, for example, 10% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less.

As the polymerization initiator, known polymerization initiators such as azo compounds, organic peroxides, and inorganic peroxides can be used, but the polymerization initiator is not particularly limited. The conditions of use can be adjusted by known methods such as heat initiation, redox initiation with a reducing agent, and UV initiation so that the amount of radicals generated is appropriate. In order to obtain a crosslinked polymer having a long primary chain length, it is preferable to set the conditions so that the amount of radicals generated is smaller within the allowable range of the production time.

Examples of the azo compound include 2,2'-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2'-azobis (N-butyl-2-methylpropionamide), and 2- (tert-butylazo) -2. -Cyanopropane, 2,2'-azobis (2,4,4-trimethylpentane), 2,2'-azobis (2-methylpropane), etc. may be mentioned, and one or more of these may be used. be able to.

Examples of the organic peroxide include 2,2-bis (4,4-di-t-butylperoxycyclohexyl) propane (manufactured by Nichiyu Co., Ltd., trade name "Pertetra A") and 1,1-di (t-). Hexylperoxy) cyclohexane (same as "perhexa HC"), 1,1-di (t-butylperoxy) cyclohexane (same as "perhexa C"), n-butyl-4,4-di (t-butylperoxy) Valerate (same as "Perhexa V"), 2,2-di (t-butylperoxy) butane (same as "Perhexa 22"), t-butylhydroperoxide (same as "Perbutyl H"), Kumen Hydroperoxide (Japan) Made by Yuyu Co., Ltd., trade name "Parkmill H"), 1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutylhydroperoxide ("PeroctaH"), t-butylcumyl peroxide ("PerbutylC"), di- t-Butyl peroxide (“Perbutyl D”), di-t-hexyl peroxide (“Perhexyl D”), di (3,5,5-trimethylhexanoyl) peroxide (“Perloyl355”), Dilauroyl peroxide (“Parloyl L”), Bis (4-t-butylcyclohexyl) peroxydicarbonate (“Parloyl TCP”), Di-2-ethylhexyl peroxydicarbonate (“ParloylOPP”), Di-sec-Butyl Peroxydicarbonate (“Parloyl SBP”), Kumil Peroxy Neodecanoate (“Park Mill ND”), 1,1,3,3-Tetramethyl Butyl Peroxy Neodecanoate (Same as “Park Mill ND”) The same "Perocta ND"), t-hexyl peroxyneodecanoate (the same "Perhexyl ND"), t-butylperoxyneodecanoate (the same "Perbutyl ND"), t-butylperoxyneoheptanoeate (Same as "Perbutyl NHP"), t-hexyl peroxypivalate (same as "Perhexyl PV"), t-butyl peroxypivalate (same as "Perbutyl PV"), 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di (same as "Perbutyl PV") 2-Ethylhexanoyl) hexane (same as "Perhexa 250"), 1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutylperoxy-2-ethylhexanoate (same as "Perocta O"), t-hexylperoxy-2 -Ethylhexanoate (same as "Perhexyl O"), t-butyl peroxy-2-ethylhexanoate (same as "Perbutyl O"), t-butyl peroxylaurate (same as "Perbutyl L"), t- Butyl Luperoxy-3,5,5-trimethylhexanoate (“Perbutyl 355”), t-hexyl peroxyisopropyl monocarbonate (“Perhexyl I”), t-butyl peroxyisopropyl monocarbonate (“Perbutyl I”) ), T-Butylperoxy-2-ethylhexyl monocarbonate (“Perbutyl E”), t-butyl peroxyacetate (“Perbutyl A”), t-hexyl peroxybenzoate (“Perhexyl Z”) and t. -Butyl peroxybenzoate (the same "perbutyl Z") and the like can be mentioned, and one or more of these can be used.

Examples of the inorganic peroxide include potassium persulfate, sodium persulfate, ammonium persulfate and the like.
When starting redox, sodium sulfite, sodium thiosulfate, sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate, ascorbic acid, sulfurous acid gas (SO ₂ ), ferrous sulfate and the like can be used as the reducing agent.

The amount of the polymerization initiator used is, for example, 0.001 to 2 parts by mass, for example 0.005 to 1 part by mass, and for example 0, when the total amount of the monomer components used is 100 parts by mass. It is 0.01 to 0.1 parts by mass. When the amount of the polymerization initiator used is 0.001 part by mass or more, the polymerization reaction can be stably carried out, and when it is 2 parts by mass or less, a polymer having a long primary chain length can be easily obtained.

The concentration of the monomer component at the time of polymerization is preferably high from the viewpoint of obtaining a polymer having a longer primary chain length. However, if the concentration of the monomer component is too high, the aggregation of the polymer particles tends to proceed, and it becomes difficult to control the heat of polymerization, which may cause the polymerization reaction to run away. Therefore, the monomer concentration at the start of polymerization is generally in the range of about 2 to 30% by mass, and is, for example, in the range of 5 to 30% by mass.
The polymerization temperature is, for example, 0 to 100 ° C., and is, for example, 20 to 80 ° C., although it depends on conditions such as the type and concentration of the monomer used. The polymerization temperature may be constant or may change during the polymerization reaction. The polymerization time is, for example, 1 minute to 20 hours, and for example, 1 hour to 10 hours.

The production method of the present disclosure can include a washing step of washing the crosslinked polymer dispersion obtained through the polymerization step. The washing step can remove unreacted monomers (and salts thereof) in the polymerization step. In the washing step, after the solid-liquid separation step such as centrifugation and filtration is performed following the polymerization step, the cake component obtained by the solid-liquid separation step is washed with an organic solvent or a mixed solvent of an organic solvent / water. It is done by. When the above cleaning step is provided, even when the crosslinked polymer is secondarily aggregated, it is easily unraveled at the time of use, and the remaining unreacted monomer is removed, which is good in terms of binding property and battery characteristics. Shows excellent performance. The cleaning step can be performed once or a plurality of times. The number of cleaning steps is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, one. The number of washing steps is also, for example, 2 times or more, for example 3 times or more, for example 4 times or more, for example 5 times or more, for example 6 times or more, and for example 7 times. That is all.
As the cleaning solvent used in the cleaning step, a solvent used as a polymerization solvent can be used. Specific examples of the cleaning solvent include water-soluble solvents such as methanol, t-butyl alcohol, acetone, acetonitrile and tetrahydrofuran, as well as benzene, ethyl acetate, dichloroethane, n-hexane, cyclohexane and n-heptane. Can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Alternatively, it may be used as a mixed solvent of these and water. Among these, an alcohol solvent such as methanol and acetonitrile can be preferably used in terms of the efficiency of removing the unreacted monomer (and its salt).
The amount of the cleaning solvent used is not particularly limited, but a cleaning solvent having a mass ratio of 0.1 times or more and 20 times or less with respect to the crosslinked polymer can be used, and may be 0.2 times or more and 15 times or less. , 0.3 times or more and 10 times or less may be used.

The total amount of the unreacted monomer and its salt with respect to the total amount of the obtained crosslinked polymer and its salt can be controlled by appropriately adjusting the number of washing steps. By adjusting the number of washing steps, the residual carboxylic acid unit amount, which is the total amount of the unreacted ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and its salt converted into the unneutralized type with respect to the total amount of the crosslinked polymer and its salt. The body (salt) content can be, for example, 5.0% by mass or less. Further, for example, it is 4.0% by mass or less, for example 3.0% by mass or less, for example 2.0% by mass or less, for example 1.5% by mass or less, and for example 1.0% by mass. % Or less, and for example, 0.5% by mass or less. By setting such an amount to 5.0% by mass or less, excellent binding properties can be ensured. In the washing step, as described above, by reducing the content of the residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt), more excellent binding property can be obtained. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the number of washing steps so that the content of the residual carboxylic acid monomer (salt) is smaller.

After the washing step, a reduced pressure and / or heat treatment is performed in the drying step to distill off the solvent, whereby the desired crosslinked polymer can be obtained in a powder state.

In the production method of the present disclosure, when an unneutralized or partially neutralized salt is used as the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer, an alkaline compound is added to the polymer dispersion obtained in the polymerization step to obtain a polymer. After neutralization (hereinafter, also referred to as “step neutralization”), a washing step and a drying step may be performed. Further, after obtaining the powder of the crosslinked polymer in an unneutralized or partially neutralized salt state, an alkaline compound is added when preparing the electrode mixture layer slurry to neutralize the polymer (hereinafter, “after”. It may also be called "neutralization"). Of the above, process neutralization is preferable because secondary aggregates tend to be easily disintegrated.

(Composition for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery electrode mixture layer)
The composition for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery electrode mixture layer of the present disclosure (hereinafter, also referred to as the present composition) includes a binder, an active material and water containing the crosslinked polymer or a salt thereof.
The amount of the crosslinked polymer or a salt thereof used in the present composition is, for example, 0.1% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less with respect to the total amount of the active material. The amount used is, for example, 0.2% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less, for example, 0.3% by mass or more and 8% by mass or less, and for example, 0.4% by mass or more and 5% by mass or less. If the amount of the crosslinked polymer and its salt used is less than 0.1% by mass, sufficient binding properties may not be obtained. In addition, the dispersion stability of the active material or the like may be insufficient, and the uniformity of the formed mixture layer may decrease. On the other hand, when the amount of the crosslinked polymer and its salt used exceeds 20% by mass, the electrode mixture layer composition may have a high viscosity and the coatability to the current collector may be deteriorated. As a result, the obtained mixture layer may have bumps or irregularities, which may adversely affect the electrode characteristics. In addition, the interface resistance becomes large, and there is a concern that the high rate characteristics may be deteriorated.
When the amount of the crosslinked polymer and its salt used is within the above range, a composition having excellent dispersion stability can be obtained, and a mixture layer having extremely high adhesion to the current collector can be obtained. As a result, the durability of the battery is improved. Further, the crosslinked polymer and its salt show sufficiently high binding property to the active material even in a small amount (for example, 5% by mass or less) and have a carboxy anion, so that the interfacial resistance is small and the high rate characteristics are obtained. Excellent electrodes are obtained.

Among the above active materials, the lithium salt of the transition metal oxide is mainly used as the positive electrode active material, and for example, layered rock salt type and spinel type lithium-containing metal oxides can be used. Specific compounds of the positive electrode active material of layered rock-salt, lithium cobaltate, lithium nickelate, _{and, NCM {Li (Ni x,} Co y, Mn z), x + y + z = 1} called ternary and NCA {Li (Ni _1-ab Co _a Al _b )} and the like can be mentioned. Examples of the spinel-type positive electrode active material include lithium manganate and the like. Phosphates, silicates, sulfur and the like are used in addition to oxides, and examples of the phosphates include olivine-type lithium iron phosphate and the like. As the positive electrode active material, one of the above may be used alone, or two or more thereof may be combined and used as a mixture or a composite.
When a positive electrode active material containing a layered rock salt type lithium-containing metal oxide is dispersed in water, the dispersion liquid exhibits alkalinity by exchanging lithium ions on the surface of the active material and hydrogen ions in water. Therefore, there is a risk that aluminum foil (Al), which is a general current collector material for positive electrodes, will be corroded. In such a case, it is preferable to neutralize the alkali content eluted from the active material by using an unneutralized or partially neutralized crosslinked polymer as the binder. The amount of the unneutralized or partially neutralized crosslinked polymer used should be such that the amount of unneutralized carboxyl groups in the crosslinked polymer is equal to or greater than the amount of alkali eluted from the active material. Is preferable.

Since all positive electrode active materials have low electrical conductivity, they are generally used by adding a conductive auxiliary agent. Examples of the conductive auxiliary agent include carbon-based materials such as carbon black, carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers, graphite fine powder, and carbon fibers. Among these, carbon black, carbon nanotubes, and carbon fibers are easy to obtain excellent conductivity. , Are preferred. Further, as the carbon black, Ketjen black and acetylene black are preferable. As the conductive auxiliary agent, one of the above may be used alone, or two or more of them may be used in combination. The amount of the conductive auxiliary agent used is, for example, 2% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less, and for example, 0.2% by mass or more and 10% by mass, based on the total amount of the active material from the viewpoint of achieving both conductivity and energy density. It is as follows.
Further, as the positive electrode active material, a material having a surface coating with a conductive carbon-based material may be used.

On the other hand, examples of the negative electrode active material include carbon-based materials, lithium metals, lithium alloys, metal oxides, and the like, and one or a combination of two or more of these can be used. Among these, active materials made of carbon-based materials such as natural graphite, artificial graphite, hard carbon and soft carbon (hereinafter, also referred to as "carbon-based active material") are preferable, and graphite such as natural graphite and artificial graphite, Also, hard carbon is more preferred. Further, in the case of graphite, spherical graphite is preferably used from the viewpoint of battery performance, and the range of the particle size thereof is, for example, 1 to 20 μm, and for example, 5 to 15 μm.
Further, in order to increase the energy density, a metal such as silicon or tin that can occlude lithium, a metal oxide, or the like can be used as the negative electrode active material. Among them, silicon has a higher capacity than graphite, and is an active material made of a silicon-based material such as silicon, a silicon alloy, and a silicon oxide such as silicon monoxide (SiO) (hereinafter, also referred to as "silicon-based active material"). ) Can be used. However, while the silicon-based active material has a high capacity, the volume change due to charge / discharge is large. Therefore, it is preferable to use it in combination with the above carbon-based active material. In this case, if the amount of the silicon-based active material is large, the electrode material may be disintegrated and the cycle characteristics (durability) may be significantly deteriorated. From this point of view, when a silicon-based active material is used in combination, the amount used is, for example, 60% by mass or less, and for example, 30% by mass or less, based on the carbon-based active material.

Since the carbon-based active material itself has good electrical conductivity, it is not always necessary to add a conductive additive. When a conductive auxiliary agent is added for the purpose of further reducing resistance, the amount used is, for example, 10% by mass or less, and for example, 5% by mass or less, based on the total amount of the active material, from the viewpoint of energy density. ..

When the present composition is in a slurry state, the amount of the active material used is, for example, in the range of 10% by mass or more and 75% by mass or less, and for example, in the range of 30% by mass or more and 65% by mass or less, based on the total amount of the composition. be. If the amount of the active material used is 10% by mass or more, migration of the binder or the like can be suppressed, and the drying cost of the medium is also advantageous. On the other hand, if it is 75% by mass or less, the fluidity and coatability of the composition can be ensured, and a uniform mixture layer can be formed.
When the composition for the electrode mixture layer is prepared in a wet powder state, the amount of the active material used is, for example, in the range of 60% by mass or more and 97% by mass or less, and for example, 70% by mass, based on the total amount of the composition. It is in the range of% or more and 90% by mass or less.
Further, from the viewpoint of energy density, it is preferable that the amount of non-volatile components other than the active material such as the binder and the conductive auxiliary agent is as small as possible within the range in which the required binding property and conductivity are guaranteed.

The composition uses water as the medium. Further, for the purpose of adjusting the properties and dryness of the composition, lower alcohols such as methanol and ethanol, carbonates such as ethylene carbonate, ketones such as acetone, and water-soluble organic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran and N-methylpyrrolidone. It may be used as a mixed solvent with. The proportion of water in the mixing medium is, for example, 50% by mass or more, and for example, 70% by mass or more.
When the present composition is in a coatable slurry state, the content of the medium containing water in the entire composition is, for example, 25 from the viewpoint of the coatability of the slurry, the energy cost required for drying, and the productivity. It is in the range of ~ 90% by mass, and is also in the range of, for example, 35 to 70% by mass. Further, in the case of a pressable wet powder state, the content of the medium is, for example, in the range of 3 to 40% by mass, and for example, 10 to 30% by mass, from the viewpoint of the uniformity of the mixture layer after pressing. It is a range.

The present binder may consist only of the crosslinked polymer or a salt thereof, but other binder components such as styrene / butadiene-based latex (SBR), acrylic-based latex and polyvinylidene fluoride-based latex may be used. May be used together. When other binder components are used in combination, the amount used is, for example, 0.1% by mass or more and 5% by mass or less, and for example, 0.1% by mass or more and 2% by mass or less, based on the active material. For example, it is 0.1% by mass or more and 1% by mass or less. If the amount of the other binder component used exceeds 5% by mass, the resistance may increase and the high rate characteristics may be insufficient.
Among the above, styrene / butadiene latex is preferable because it has an excellent balance between binding property and bending resistance.

The styrene / butadiene latex is a copolymer having a structural unit derived from an aromatic vinyl monomer such as styrene and a structural unit derived from an aliphatic conjugated diene monomer such as 1,3-butadiene. Shows an aqueous dispersion.
Examples of the aromatic vinyl monomer include α-methylstyrene, vinyltoluene, divinylbenzene and the like in addition to styrene, and one or more of these can be used.
The structural unit derived from the aromatic vinyl monomer in the copolymer is, for example, in the range of 20% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less, and for example, 30% by mass or more and 50 by mass, mainly from the viewpoint of binding property. It is in the range of mass% or less.

Examples of the aliphatic conjugated diene-based monomer include 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, and 2-chloro-1,3-, in addition to 1,3-butadiene. Butadiene and the like can be mentioned, and one or more of these can be used.
The structural unit derived from the aliphatic conjugated diene-based monomer in the copolymer is, for example, 30% by mass or more and 70% by mass in that the binding property of the binder and the flexibility of the obtained electrode are good. % Or less, and for example, 40% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less.

In addition to the above-mentioned monomers, the styrene / butadiene-based latex includes nitrile group-containing monomers such as (meth) acrylonitrile and (meth) as other monomers in order to further improve the performance such as binding property. ) A carboxyl group-containing monomer such as acrylic acid, itanconic acid, and maleic acid may be used as the copolymerization monomer.
The structural unit derived from the other monomer in the copolymer is, for example, in the range of 0% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less, and for example, in the range of 0% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less.

The present composition contains the above-mentioned active substance, water and a binder as essential constituents, and can be obtained by mixing each component by using known means. The mixing method of each component is not particularly limited, and a known method can be adopted. However, after dry blending the powder components such as the active material, the conductive auxiliary agent and the crosslinked polymer particles which are binders, water is used. A method of mixing with a dispersion medium such as the above and dispersing and kneading is preferable.
When the present composition is obtained in a slurry state, it is preferable to finish the composition into a slurry having no poor dispersion or aggregation. As the mixing means, a known mixer such as a planetary mixer, a thin film swirl mixer, or a self-revolving mixer can be used, but a thin film swirl mixer is used because a good dispersion state can be obtained in a short time. It is preferable to do this. When using a thin film swirl mixer, it is preferable to pre-disperse in advance with a stirrer such as a disper.
The viscosity of the slurry is, for example, in the range of 500 to 100,000 mPa · s, and is in the range of, for example, 1,000 to 50,000 mPa · s as the B-type viscosity at 60 rpm.

On the other hand, when the present composition is obtained in a wet powder state, it is preferable to knead the composition in a uniform state without uneven concentration using a Henschel mixer, a blender, a planetary mixer, a twin-screw kneader or the like.

(Electrodes for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries)
The electrode for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery (hereinafter, also referred to as this electrode) of the present disclosure is provided with a mixture layer formed from the above-mentioned electrode mixture layer composition on the surface of a current collector such as copper or aluminum. It will be. The mixture layer is formed by applying the present composition to the surface of the current collector and then drying and removing a medium such as water. The method for applying the mixture layer composition is not particularly limited, and known methods such as a doctor blade method, a dip method, a roll coating method, a comma coating method, a curtain coating method, a gravure coating method and an extrusion method are adopted. be able to. Further, the drying can be performed by a known method such as blowing warm air, reducing the pressure, (far) infrared rays, and irradiating microwaves.
Usually, the mixture layer obtained after drying is subjected to a compression treatment by a die press, a roll press or the like. By compressing, the active material and the binder are brought into close contact with each other, and the strength of the mixture layer and the adhesion to the current collector can be improved. The thickness of the mixture layer can be adjusted to, for example, about 30 to 80% before compression by compression, and the thickness of the mixture layer after compression is generally about 4 to 200 μm.

By providing the present electrode with a separator and a non-aqueous electrolyte liquid, a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery can be manufactured.
The separator is arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery, and plays a role of preventing a short circuit due to contact between the two electrodes and holding an electrolytic solution to ensure ionic conductivity. The separator is preferably a film-like insulating microporous film having good ion permeability and mechanical strength. As a specific material, polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene and the like can be used.

As the non-aqueous electrolyte liquid, known ones generally used for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries can be used. Specific examples of the solvent include cyclic carbonates having a high dielectric constant and a high dissolving ability of an electrolyte such as propylene carbonate and ethylene carbonate, and chain carbonates having a low viscosity such as ethylmethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate and diethyl carbonate. , These can be used alone or as a mixed solvent. The non-aqueous electrolyte solution is used by dissolving lithium salts such as _{LiPF 6} , LiSbF ₆ , LiBF ₄ , LiClO ₄ , and LiAlO _{4 in these solvents.}
The non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is obtained by forming a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate partitioned by a separator into a spiral or laminated structure and storing them in a case or the like.

According to the above description, the present specification may include the following aspects.
[1] A method for producing a crosslinked polymer having a carboxyl group or a salt thereof, which is used as a binder for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery electrode.
A polymerization step of precipitating and polymerizing a monomer component containing 50% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less of a structural unit derived from an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer with respect to all structural units.
The polymerization step is followed by one or more cleaning steps.
By the washing step, the total amount of the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and its salt converted into an unneutralized type with respect to the total amount of the crosslinked polymer and its salt is set to 5.0% by mass or less.
Production method.
[2] The step according to [1], further comprising a step of adding an alkaline compound to the polymer dispersion obtained by the polymerization step to neutralize the polymer after the polymerization step and before the washing step. Production method.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be specifically described based on Examples. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples. In the following, "parts" and "%" mean parts by mass and% by mass unless otherwise specified.

≪Manufacturing of crosslinked polymer salt≫
(Synthesis Example 1: Production of Crosslinked Polymer Salt P-1)
A reactor equipped with a stirring blade, a thermometer, a reflux condenser and a nitrogen introduction tube was used for the polymerization.
875.6 parts of acetonitrile, 4.40 parts of ion-exchanged water, 100 parts of acrylic acid (hereinafter referred to as "AA"), and pentaerythritol triallyl ether (manufactured by Daiso, trade name "Neoallyl P-30") in the reactor. ) 0.5 copies were charged. After sufficiently replacing the inside of the reactor with nitrogen, the inside temperature was raised to 55 ° C. by heating. After confirming that the internal temperature was stable at 55 ° C., when 0.04 part of V-65 was added as a polymerization initiator, white turbidity was observed in the reaction solution, and this point was set as the polymerization initiation point. The polymerization reaction is continued while adjusting the outside temperature (water bath temperature) to maintain the internal temperature at 55 ° C., and cooling of the reaction solution is started 5 hours after the polymerization start point, and the internal temperature reaches 25 ° C. After the decrease, 52.5 parts of a powder of lithium hydroxide / monohydrate (hereinafter referred to as “LiOH / H _{2 O”) was added.} After the addition, stirring was continued at room temperature for 12 hours to obtain a slurry-like polymerization reaction solution in which particles of the crosslinked polymer salt P-1 (Li salt, neutralization degree 90 mol%) were dispersed in a medium.

The obtained polymerization reaction solution was centrifuged to settle the polymer particles, and then the supernatant was removed. Then, after redispersing the precipitate in methanol having the same mass as the polymerization reaction solution, the washing operation of precipitating the polymer particles by centrifugation and removing the supernatant was repeated 7 times. The sediment was recovered and dried at 80 ° C. for 3 hours under reduced pressure conditions to remove volatile components to obtain a powder of the crosslinked polymer salt P-1. Since the crosslinked polymer salt P-1 has hygroscopicity, it was sealed and stored in a container having a water vapor barrier property. The powder of the crosslinked polymer salt P-1 was measured by IR, and the degree of neutralization was determined from the intensity ratio of the peak derived from the C = O group of the carboxylic acid and the peak derived from the C = O of the carboxylic acid Li. It was 90 mol%, which was equal to the value calculated from.
Further, as a result of measuring the residual acrylic acid monomer (salt) content under the conditions shown below, it was 0.5% by mass.

<Measurement of residual acrylic acid monomer (salt) content>
A 2% aqueous solution was prepared by weighing 0.9 g of the crosslinked polymer salt and 44.1 g of ion-exchanged water in a 50 mL screw tube and mixing them well. 15 g of this was weighed in another 50 mL screw tube, and 15 g of 1-propanol was further added and mixed thoroughly to prepare a 1% solution.
Centrifuge the above 1% solution (4000 rpm x 10 minutes), add 4 g of the supernatant after centrifugation, 1 g of propylene glycol monomethyl ether with a concentration of 2%, and 1 g of ion exchange resin to a 9 mL screw tube, and mix for 1 hour with a mix rotor. did. The supernatant liquid was filtered through a 0.45 μm filter, and gas chromatography (GC) measurement was performed using the filtered liquid as a sample.

The residual acrylic acid monomer (salt) contained in the crosslinked polymer can be extracted and measured by the above operation. GC measurement was performed after the acrylic acid was converted into an acrylic acid form (unneutralized acid form) by ion exchange, and the obtained result was taken as the residual acrylic acid monomer (salt) content.

<GC measurement conditions>
Equipment: Agilent 7820A-1 (manufactured by Agilent Technologies)
Column: HP-INNOWAX 60m x 0.32mm, df = 0.5μm
Column temperature: 40 ° C (hold for 7 minutes) → 260 ° C (hold for 1 minute)
Temperature rise rate: 10 ° C / min

(Synthesis Examples 2-9: Production of Crosslinked Polymer Salts P-2 to P-9)
The same operation as in Production Example 1 was carried out except that the amount of each raw material charged, the type and degree of neutralization, and the number of washing operations with methanol were as shown in Table 1, and the crosslinked polymer salt in powder form was used. P-2 to P-9 were obtained. Each crosslinked polymer salt was sealed and stored in a container having a water vapor barrier property. In the Production Example 5, by using a 48% NaOH instead of LiOH · H ₂ O. A crosslinked polymer Na salt (neutralization degree 90 mol%) was obtained.

(Example 1)
An electrode using the crosslinked polymer salt P-1 was prepared and evaluated. The specific procedure and evaluation method are shown below.
≪Manufacturing of negative electrode plate≫
A surface of SiOx (0.8 <x <1.2) coated with 10% carbon by a CVD method was prepared, and a mixture of this and graphite at a mass ratio of 5:95 was used as an active material. As the binder, a mixture of crosslinked polymer salt P-1, styrene / butadiene latex (SBR) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was used.
Using water as a diluting solvent, the mass ratio of active material: P-1: SBR: CMC = 95.5: 1.5: 1.5: 1.5 (solid content) was manufactured by Primix Corporation. K. The mixture was mixed using a hibis mix to prepare a negative electrode mixture slurry having a solid content of 50%. The negative electrode mixture slurry was applied to both sides of the copper foil and dried to form a mixture layer. Then, it was rolled so that the thickness of the mixture layer per one side was 80 μm and the packing density was 1.60 g / cm ^3.

<Evaluation of coatability>
After drying, the appearance of the mixture layer before rolling was visually observed, and the coatability was evaluated based on the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 2.
⊚: No abnormal appearance such as streaks or bumps is observed on the surface.
◯: There are slight appearance abnormalities such as streaks and bumps on the surface.
X: Appearance abnormalities such as streaks and bumps are noticeably observed on the surface.

<Adhesion evaluation>
A mixture layer surface of a 100 mm × 25 mm size negative electrode electrode plate was attached onto a 120 mm × 30 mm acrylic plate via a double-sided tape (Nichiban Co., Ltd. Nystack NW-20). Using a small tabletop tester (FGS-TV and FGP-5) manufactured by Nidec-Shimpo Co., Ltd., peeling was performed at a measurement temperature of 25 ° C. and a tensile speed of 50 mm / min by 90 °, and the peeling strength between the mixture layer and the copper foil was obtained. The adhesion was evaluated by measuring. The results are shown in Table 2.

Next, a battery including the negative electrode plate using the crosslinked polymer salt P-1 was prepared and evaluated. The specific procedure and evaluation method are shown below.
≪Manufacturing of positive electrode plate≫
In an N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) solvent, LiNi _0.8 Co _0.15 Al _0.05 O ₂ as a positive electrode active material, acetylene black as a carbon conductive agent, and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) having an average molecular weight of 1.1 million were added at 95: 2. A positive electrode mixture slurry having a solid content of 50% was prepared by mixing using a mixer at a mass ratio of 5.5: 2.5. The prepared slurry was applied to both sides of the aluminum foil, dried, and then rolled so that the thickness of the mixture layer per side was 95 μm and the packing density was 3.60 g / cm ^3.

≪Preparation of electrolytic solution≫
To a mixed solvent consisting of ethylene carbonate (EC) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC) (EC: DMC = 1: 3 by volume), 5 parts by mass of vinylene carbonate (VC) was added, and 1 mol / liter of _{LiPF 6 was dissolved.} To prepare a non-aqueous electrolyte.

≪Battery production≫
The battery configuration consists of a lead terminal attached to each of the positive and negative electrodes, which is wound in a spiral shape through a separator (polyethylene: film thickness 16 μm, pore ratio 47%), pressed, and crushed into a flat shape. The electrode body was put into a battery exterior body using an aluminum laminate, injected with liquid, and sealed to obtain a test battery. The design capacity of this prototype battery is 800 mAh. The design capacity of the battery was designed based on the charge termination voltage up to 4.2V.

<Evaluation of cycle characteristics>
The charge / discharge test shown below was repeated for 100 cycles at 25 ° C. for the battery obtained above, and the capacity retention rate was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2.
-Charging test Constant current charging was performed up to 4.2 V with a current of 0.3 C (240 mA), and constant voltage charging was performed with a constant voltage of 4.2 V until the current became 1/20 C (40 mA).
-Discharge test A constant current discharge was performed up to 2.75 V with a current of 0.5 C (400 mA).
-The interval between the pause charge test and the discharge test was set to 10 minutes.

(Examples 2 to 9 and Comparative Examples 1 to 2)
The same operation as in Example 1 was carried out except that the crosslinked polymer salt was as shown in Table 2, to obtain negative electrode plates and batteries of Examples 2 to 9 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2. Table 2 shows the results of the same evaluations as in Example 1 for the obtained negative electrode plates and batteries. In Example 3 and Comparative Example 2, by adding lithium acrylate to the crosslinked polymer salt P-2, the crosslinked polymer salt containing the residual acrylic acid monomer (salt) shown in Table 2 was obtained. Prepared (* 1 and * 2 in Table 2).

As shown in Table 2, all of Examples 1, 2, 4 to 9 using the crosslinked polymer (which has undergone the washing step) in which the total amount of acrylic acid remaining and its salt adjusted by this production method are adjusted are coated. While ensuring the properties, it exhibited good adhesion and battery characteristics. Further, when the total amount of the remaining carboxylic acid and its salt is reduced, the adhesion and the cycle characteristics are likely to be improved (Examples 1, 2, 7 to 9), and the higher the pH, the higher the cycle characteristics. Do you get it. It was also found that the sodium salt exhibits high coatability and adhesion.

On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1 using a crosslinked polymer in which the total amount of residual acrylic acid and its salt is not adjusted (without undergoing a washing step) regardless of the present production method, the coatability is good, but the adhesion is good. And it was found that it was difficult to improve the cycle characteristics.

By adding lithium acrylate to the purified crosslinked polymer salt P-2, the same amount of acrylic acid as the residual acrylic acid monomer (salt) of the crosslinked polymer salt used in Example 7 was used. In Example 3 adjusted to contain a body (salt), good results were shown in all of coatability, adhesion and cycle characteristics, whereas the crosslinked polymer salt P-2 contained lithium acrylate. In Comparative Example 2 adjusted to contain the same amount of lithium acrylate as the residual lithium acrylate of the crosslinked polymer salt used in Comparative Example 1, the adhesion and cycle characteristics can be improved. It turned out to be difficult. From this result, it was found that the residual acrylic acid monomer (salt) content greatly contributes to the physical properties and properties.

Further, according to the above results, increasing the number of washings and reducing the content of the residual acrylic acid monomer (salt) contributes to the binding property of the binder beyond expectations and adheres to the mixture layer. It was found that it has the effect of improving the properties and battery characteristics.

Claims (4)

A method for producing a crosslinked polymer having a carboxyl group or a salt thereof, which is used as a binder for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery electrode.
A polymerization step of precipitating and polymerizing a monomer component containing 50% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less of a structural unit derived from an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer with respect to all structural units.
The polymerization step is followed by one or more cleaning steps.
The polymerization solvent for the precipitation polymerization is acetonitrile.
By the washing step, the total amount of the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and its salt converted into an unneutralized type with respect to the total amount of the crosslinked polymer and its salt is set to 5.0% by mass or less.
Production method. By the washing step, the total amount of the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and its salt converted into an unneutralized type with respect to the total amount of the crosslinked polymer and its salt is 4.0% by mass or less.
The manufacturing method according to claim 1. The production method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount of the cleaning solvent used in the cleaning step is 0.1 times or more and 20 times or less as a mass ratio with respect to the crosslinked polymer. The step according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a step of adding an alkaline compound to the polymer dispersion obtained by the polymerization step to neutralize the polymer after the polymerization step and before the washing step. The manufacturing method described.