Lithium replenishment cell to enhance beginning of life capacity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10483598-B2
Application number	US-201715674186-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2017
Priority date	Aug 10, 2017
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A method for fabricating an electrode sandwich includes, responsive to an amount of cyclable lithium lost being greater than a predefined threshold, initiating, by a controller, current flow between the sandwich and a lithium replenishment electrode in ionic conductivity with the sandwich via replenishment gaps to transfer lithium thereto, and, responsive to an amount of transferred lithium corresponding to the amount lost, hot-press sealing the replenishment gaps and detaching the replenishment electrode from the sandwich.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for fabricating an electrode sandwich, comprising:
responsive to an amount of cyclable lithium lost being greater than a predefined threshold, initiating, by a controller, current flow between the sandwich and a lithium replenishment electrode in ionic conductivity with the sandwich via replenishment gaps to transfer lithium thereto; and,
responsive to an amount of transferred lithium corresponding to the amount lost, hot-press sealing the replenishment gaps and detaching the replenishment electrode from the sandwich.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising hot-press sealing a gassing gap between the sandwich and a gassing pouch, and detaching the pouch from the sandwich.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the cyclable lithium is lost during a solid electrolyte interphase layer formation phase of the fabrication.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transferred amount corresponds to a plurality of lithium ions released by the replenishment electrode in response to the current flow.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the lost amount corresponds to a plurality of ionic voids in electrodes of the sandwich, and wherein the transferred ions fill the voids.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the current flow defines a charge transfer loop beginning at one of negative and positive terminals of the sandwich, each connected with a corresponding sandwich electrode, and entering the replenishment electrode via a replenishment terminal prior to being directed to the sandwich electrode therefrom.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein a direction of the transferred lithium is according to a direction of the loop.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ionic conductivity is established using electrolyte material that envelops the replenishment electrode and extends through the replenishment gap to envelop at least a portion of the electrode sandwich.

9. A battery cell, comprising:
an electrode sandwich having a pair of opposing walls;
a gassing pouch connected along the first wall and defining a gassing gap therebetween, the gassing gap configured to transfer gasses from the electrode sandwich to the gassing pouch; and
a lithium replenishment electrode region connected along a second wall and defining a replenishment gap therebetween, the replenishment gap configured to transfer lithium ions from the region to the sandwich.

10. The cell of claim 9 , wherein both the gassing gap and the replenishment gap are further configured to be heat-press sealed to detach a corresponding one of the pouch and the region from the sandwich.

11. The cell of claim 9 , wherein the replenishment electrode region includes a lithium replenishment electrode configured to release the ions responsive to being exposed to an electrical current flow between the sandwich and the replenishment electrode.

12. The cell of claim 9 , wherein the replenishment electrode defines one of lithium foil, LiFePO 4 , LiMnO 2 , LiCoO 2 , lithiated graphite, lithiated Si, lithiated Sn, or lithium titanate material.

13. A method for fabricating an electrode sandwich of a battery cell, comprising:
responsive to a solid electrolyte interphase layer forming in the sandwich, initiating, by a controller, current flow between the sandwich and a lithium replenishment electrode in ionic conductivity therewith via a replenishment gap to cause the replenishment electrode to supply lithium to the sandwich; and,
responsive to an amount of the supplied lithium corresponding to an amount of lithium lost during the forming, hot-press sealing the replenishment gap and detaching the replenishment electrode.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the forming is during a controlled charging and discharging of the sandwich.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising hot-press sealing a gassing gap between the sandwich and a gassing pouch, and detaching the pouch from the sandwich.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the supplied amount corresponds to a plurality of lithium ions released by the replenishment electrode in response to the current flow.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the current flow defines a charge transfer loop beginning at one of negative and positive terminals of the sandwich, each connected with a corresponding sandwich electrode, and entering the replenishment electrode via a replenishment terminal prior to being directed to the sandwich electrode therefrom.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a direction of the supplied ions is according to a direction of the loop.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the lost amount corresponds to a plurality of ionic voids in electrodes of the sandwich and the supplied ions fill the voids.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the ionic conductivity is established using electrolyte material that envelops the replenishment electrode and extends through the replenishment gap to envelop at least a portion of the sandwich.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Shaffer Christian Edward
• Deshpande Rutooj D
• Chikkannanavar Satish B

Classifications

• H01M10/4242 Primary

  Regeneration of electrolyte or reactants · CPC title

• H01M10/44

  Methods for charging or discharging (circuits for charging H02J7/00) · CPC title

• H01M10/058 Primary

  Construction or manufacture · CPC title

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

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