Porous carbonized composite material for high-performing silicon anodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10326136-B2
Application number	US-201514868878-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2015
Priority date	Sep 29, 2015
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

An electrode material for an electrochemical cell, such as a lithium ion battery or a lithium sulfur battery, is provided. The electrode may be a negative anode. The electrode material comprises a composite comprising a porous matrix comprising a carbonized material. The electrode material further comprises a plurality of silicon particles homogeneously dispersed in the porous matrix of carbonized material. Each silicon particle of the plurality has an average particle diameter of greater than or equal to about 5 nanometers and less than or equal to about 20 micrometers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrode material for an electrochemical cell comprising:
a plurality of hierarchy composite particles having an average particle diameter of greater than or equal to about 0.5 micrometers and less than or equal to about 50 micrometers, each hierarchy composite particle of the plurality of hierarchy composite particles comprising:
a porous matrix comprising a carbonized material; and
a plurality of particles homogeneously distributed in pores of the porous matrix, each particle of the plurality of particles comprising silicon, having at least 70% of a surface area being coated with a layer of the carbonized material, and having an average particle diameter of greater than or equal to about 5 nanometers and less than or equal to about 20 micrometers, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of particles are chemically bonded to the carbonized material, and the pores of the porous matrix are configured to accept a volume expansion of the plurality of particles during cycling of the electrochemical cell.

2. The electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of particles is capable of accepting an insertion of lithium ions during charging of the electrochemical cell and releasing lithium ions during discharging of the electrochemical cell.

3. The electrode material of claim 1 , wherein at least 80% of a surface area of each particle of the plurality of particles is coated with a layer of the carbonized material.

4. The electrode material of claim 3 , wherein at least 95% of a surface area of each particle of the plurality of particles is coated with a layer of the carbonized material.

5. The electrode material of claim 1 , wherein a loading density of the plurality of particles comprising silicon in the porous matrix is greater than or equal to about 0.1 mg/cm 2 and less than or equal to about 20 mg/cm 2 .

6. The electrode material of claim 1 , wherein a packing density of the plurality of particles in the hierarchy composite particles is greater than or equal to about 5% and less than or equal to about 90% by volume.

7. The electrode material of claim 6 , wherein the packing density of the plurality of particles in the hierarchy composite particles is greater than or equal to about 5% and less than or equal to about 75% by volume.

8. An electrochemical cell comprising:
a negative electrode comprising the electrode material of claim 1 ;
a positive electrode;
a separator; and
an electrolyte.

9. The electrochemical cell of claim 8 , wherein the negative electrode is substantially free of carbon black particles.

10. The electrochemical cell of claim 8 , wherein the positive electrode comprises an electrochemically active sulfur-containing material.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Xiao Xingcheng
• Zhou Weidong

Classifications

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title

• H01M4/364 Primary

  as mixtures · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

  Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/38

  of elements or alloys · CPC title

• H01M4/362

  Composites · CPC title