Metal/oxygen battery with internal oxygen reservoir

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10033036-B2
Application number	US-201313803197-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Jun 7, 2012
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

An electrochemical cell in one embodiment includes a negative electrode, a positive electrode spaced apart from the negative electrode, a separator positioned between the negative electrode and the positive electrode; and an active material particle within the positive electrode, the active material particle including an outer shell defining a core with a substantially constant volume and including a form of oxygen, the outer shell substantially impervious to oxygen and pervious to lithium.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrochemical cell, comprising:
a negative electrode;
a positive electrode spaced apart from the negative electrode;
a separator positioned between the negative electrode and the positive electrode; and
an active material particle within the positive electrode, the active material particle including an outer shell defining a core space and configured such that when the positive electrode is in a fully lithiated state, the core space includes Li 2 O 2 and no electrolyte, and when the positive electrode is in a delithiated state, the core space includes O 2 and no electrolyte.

2. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the volume of the core space when the positive electrode is in a fully delithiated state is substantially the same as the volume of the core space when the positive electrode is in a fully lithiated state.

3. The electrochemical cell of claim 2 , wherein the volume of Li 2 O 2 in the core space when the positive electrode is in a fully lithiated state is substantially the same as the volume of the core space.

4. The electrochemical cell of claim 2 , wherein the volume of Li 2 O 2 in the core space when the positive electrode is in a fully lithiated state is less than the volume of the core space.

5. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein:
the active material particle has a core space diameter;
the outer shell has a thickness; and
the thickness is less than about 10% of the core space diameter.

6. The electrochemical cell of claim 5 , wherein the core space diameter is less than about 10 microns.

7. The electrochemical cell of claim 5 , wherein the core space diameter is less than about 200 nanometers.

8. The electrochemical cell of claim 5 , wherein the thickness is less than about 1 micron.

9. The electrochemical cell of claim 8 , wherein the thickness is less than about 20 nanometers.

10. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the outer shell comprises an oxide material.

11. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the outer shell comprises a sulfide material.

12. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the outer shell is substantially impervious to oxygen and pervious to lithium.

13. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the active material particle is one of a plurality of active material particles within the positive electrode, each of the plurality of active material particles including a respective outer shell defining a respective core space and configured such that when the positive electrode is in a fully lithiated state, the respective core space includes Li 2 O 2 and no electrolyte, and when the positive electrode is in a delithiated state, the respective core space includes O 2 and no electrolyte.

14. The electrochemical cell of claim 13 , wherein each of the respective outer shells is substantially spherical.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Christensen John F
• Lohmann Timm
• Albertus Paul
• Kozinsky Boris
• Sanchez-Carrera Roel
• Kojic Aleksandar

Classifications

• H01M2004/028

  Positive electrodes · CPC title

• H01M4/76

  Containers for holding the active material, e.g. tubes, capsules · CPC title

• H01M2004/021

  Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area · CPC title

• H01M4/483

  for non-aqueous cells (H01M4/485 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M4/366 Primary

  as layered products · CPC title