Electrochemical cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10629947-B2
Application number	US-86252810-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2010
Priority date	Aug 5, 2008
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

Electrochemical cells including components and configurations for electrochemical cells, such as rechargeable lithium batteries, are provided. The electrochemical cells described herein may include a combination of components arranged in certain configurations that work together to increase performance of the electrochemical cell. In some embodiments, such combinations of components and configurations described herein may minimize defects, inefficiencies, or other drawbacks that might otherwise exist inherently in prior electrochemical cells, or that might exist inherently in prior electrochemical cells using the same or similar materials as those described herein, but arranged differently.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A final electrochemical cell, comprising:
a first electrode comprising:
a first base electrode material layer comprising a first active electrode species, wherein the first active electrode species comprises lithium; and
at least one protective layer adjacent the first base electrode material layer;

a release layer, wherein the release layer has a greater adhesive affinity to a surface of the first electrode relative to its adhesive affinity to a carrier substrate on which the first electrode was formed;
a second electrode comprising a second active electrode species; and
an electrolyte,
wherein an anisotropic force is applied to the final electrochemical cell during at least one period of time during charge and/or discharge of the final electrochemical cell, wherein the anisotropic force comprises a component normal to a surface of the first electrode, and wherein the component defines a pressure of at least about 4.9 N/cm 2 and causes a surface morphology of at least one of the first electrode or the second electrode to be affected.

2. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode is an anode and the second electrode is a cathode.

3. The final electrochemical cell of claim 2 , comprising a primer layer positioned adjacent the cathode.

4. The final electrochemical cell of claim 2 , wherein the final electrochemical cell is capable of achieving a discharge current density of at least about 0.4 mA per square centimeter of the cathode surface.

5. The final electrochemical cell of claim 2 , wherein the second electrode of the cathode comprises a sulfur in an amount of at least 1.0 mg/cm 2 .

6. The final electrochemical cell of claim 2 , wherein the cathode has a porosity of at least about 30% during discharge of the final electrochemical cell.

7. The final electrochemical cell of claim 2 , wherein the cathode contains less than about 20% binder by weight.

8. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the first active electrode species comprises lithium metal.

9. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the protective layer is a single-ion conductive layer.

10. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the protective layer is a polymer layer.

11. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises an external additive having the formula LiR or (Li—X) n R′, wherein
R comprises a heteroalkyl or heteroaryl group, optionally substituted;
R′ comprises an alkyl or aryl group, optionally substituted;
X is a heteroatom; and
n is an integer equal to or greater than 1.

12. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises a lithium compound additive that can be produced through reaction between the lithium of the anode and at least one other species of the final electrochemical cell during charge and/or discharge of the final electrochemical cell, and wherein the reaction is substantially irreversible under normal charge and/or discharge of the final electrochemical cell.

13. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode and the electrolyte together have a maximum thickness of 500 microns or less.

14. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises one or more N—O additives.

15. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises one or more N—O additives, the one or more N—O additives comprising one or more of inorganic nitrates, organic nitrates, organic nitrites, and organic nitro compounds.

16. The final electrochemical cell of claim 15 , wherein the electrolyte comprises lithium nitrate.

17. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises a solvent comprising one or more of an acyclic ether, a cyclic ether, a polyether, and a sulfone.

18. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises one or more lithium salts.

19. The final electrochemical cell of claim 18 , wherein the electrolyte comprises one or more of LiSCN, LiCF 3 SO 3 , and LiN(CF 3 SO 2 ) 2 .

20. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode comprises a sulfur-containing material as the second active electrode species, and the final electrochemical cell exhibits utilization of the sulfur-containing material of at least 60% and a charge-discharge efficiency of at least 80% over at least 10 cycles at a discharge current density of about 0.4 mA/cm 2 .

21. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises a first electrolyte solvent and a second electrolyte solvent, wherein, in use, the first electrolyte solvent is present disproportionately at the first electrode, and the second electrolyte solvent is present disproportionately at the second electrode, wherein the second electrolyte solvent includes at least one species which reacts adversely with the first electrode.

22. The final electrochemical cell of claim 21 , wherein the first active electrode species comprises lithium metal, and wherein the second solvent includes at least one species which interacts with the lithium metal to substantially irreversibly form a lithium-containing impurity.

23. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises a first electrolyte solvent and a second electrolyte solvent, wherein, in use, the first electrolyte solvent is present disproportionately at the first electrode, and the second electrolyte solvent is present disproportionately at the second electrode, wherein a polymer gel layer is in contact with at least one of the first and second electrodes, the polymer gel layer disproportionately containing one of the first and second electrolyte solvents.

24. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the second active electrode species comprises sulfur in the form of at least one of elemental sulfur, a sulfide of the first active electrode species, and a polysulfide of the first active electrode species.

25. The final electrochemical cell of claim 24 , wherein the second electrode comprises sulfur, and wherein the final electrochemical cell is capable of utilizing at least about 65% of the sulfur in the final electrochemical cell, and wherein 100% utilization corresponds to 1675 mAh per gram of sulfur in the final electrochemical cell.

26. The final electrochemical cell of claim 24 , wherein the second electrode is a cathode comprising sulfur, and wherein the final electrochemical cell is capable of achieving a current density of at least about 100 mA per gram of sulfur in the cathode during charge or discharge.

27. The final electrochemical cell of claim 24 , wherein the second electrode is a cathode comprising sulfur, and wherein the second electrode has an electrolyte accessible conductive area of at least about 1 m 2 per gram of sulfur in the cathode.

28. The final electrochemical cell of claim 24 , wherein the second electrode is a cathode comprising sulfur, and wherein the ratio of the mass of electrolyte in the final electrochemical cell to the mass of sulfur in the cathode is less than about 6:1.

29. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode comprises a conductive carbon-containing material.

30. The final electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode comprises p

Assignees

• Affinito John D
• Mikhaylik Yuriy V
• Scordilis Kelley Chariclea
• Sion Power Corp

Inventors

• Affinito John D
• Mikhaylik Yuriy V
• Scordilis-Kelley Chariclea

Classifications

• H01M10/4235

  Safety or regulating additives or arrangements in electrodes, separators or electrolyte (H01M10/4242 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M4/136

  Electrodes based on inorganic compounds other than oxides or hydroxides, e.g. sulfides, selenides, tellurides, halogenides or LiCoFy · CPC title

• H01M10/0567

  characterised by the additives · CPC title

• H01M4/405

  Alloys based on lithium · CPC title

• H01M4/134

  Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys · CPC title