Pulse plating of lithium material in electrochemical devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10784497-B2
Application number	US-201715671056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2017
Priority date	Jun 25, 2013
Publication date	Sep 22, 2020
Grant date	Sep 22, 2020

Abstract

The present invention is directed to battery system and operation thereof. In an embodiment, lithium material is plated onto the anode region of a lithium secondary battery cell by a pulsed current. The pulse current may have both positive and negative polarity. One of the polarities causes lithium material to plate onto the anode region, and the opposite polarity causes lithium dendrites to be removed. There are other embodiments as well.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lithium battery device comprising:
a lithiated cathode region having a first surface and a second surface;
a cathode current collector overlying the first surface, the cathode current collector overlaying the first surface of the lithiated cathode region;
a solid electrolyte region having a third surface and a fourth surface, the third surface interfacing the second surface, the solid electrolyte region being characterized by a ionic conductivity of at least 10 −7 S/cm;
an anode region having a fifth surface and a sixth surface, the fifth surface interfacing the fourth surface; and
an anode current collector overlaying the sixth surface, wherein the anode current collector comprises a layer of Sn metal;
wherein the anode region is formed by in-situ application of a plurality of current pulses between the cathode current collector and the anode current collector;
wherein the solid electrolyte region comprises a layer of lithium-stuffed garnet solid electrolyte.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising a dendrite layer within the proximity of the anode region, the plurality of current pulses being configured to remove at least a part of the dendrite layer.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the anode region is characterized by a variable thickness, the variable thickness being associated with a state of charge of the lithium battery device.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the anode region is characterized by a variable thickness, the variable thickness being associated with the first pulse current.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the anode region is characterized by a variable thickness, the variable thickness being associated with a number of life cycles of the lithium battery device.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the anode region is characterized by a variable thickness and further comprises a sensor for monitoring a state of charge.

Assignees

• Quantumscape Corp

Inventors

• Holme Timothy
• Mayer Marie
• Loveness Ghyrn
• Chen Zhebo
• Fasching Rainer

Classifications

• C25D5/611

  Smooth layers · CPC title

• C25D5/18

  Electroplating using modulated, pulsed or reversing current · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title