Powder, electrode and battery comprising such a powder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10847782-B2
Application number	US-201515538292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2015
Priority date	Dec 23, 2014
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

Powder comprising particles comprising a matrix material and silicon-based domains dispersed in this matrix material, whereby either part of the silicon-based domains are present in the form of agglomerates of silicon-based domains whereby at least 98% of these agglomerates have a maximum size of 3 μm or less, or the silicon-based domains are not at all agglomerated into agglomerates.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A negative electrode powder comprising particles comprising a matrix material and silicon-based domains dispersed in the matrix material, wherein the matrix material is a continuous phase and the silicon content in the silicon-based domains is 80 wt % or more, and either
a portion of the silicon-based domains are present in the form of agglomerates of the silicon-based domains and wherein at least 98% of the agglomerates have a maximum size of 3 μm or less, or
the silicon-based domains are not at all agglomerated into agglomerates.

2. The powder according to claim 1 , wherein at least 98% of the agglomerates of silicon based domains have a maximum size of 2 μm or less.

3. The powder according to claim 1 , wherein at least 98% of the agglomerates of silicon based domains have a maximum size of 1 μm or less.

4. The powder according to claim 1 , wherein all of the agglomerates of the silicon based domains have a maximum size of 3 μm or less.

5. The powder according to claim 1 , wherein the powder contains less than 3 weight % of oxygen.

6. The powder according to claim 1 , wherein the powder contains between 2 weight % and 25 weight % of silicon.

7. The powder according to claim 1 , wherein the powder has an average particle diameter d50 of between 1 and 20 microns.

8. The powder according to claim 1 , wherein the silicon-based domains have a mass-based average diameter d50 which is less than 500 nm.

9. The powder according to claim 1 , wherein the silicon-based domains are silicon-based particles.

10. The powder according to claim 1 , wherein the particles of the powder contain at least 90% by weight of said silicon-based domains and said matrix material.

11. The powder according to claim 1 , wherein the powder has a BET value of less than 10 m 2 /g.

12. The powder according to claim 1 , wherein that the particles have a porosity of less than 20 volume %.

13. An electrode for an electrochemical cell comprising the powder of claim 1 .

14. A battery containing the electrode of claim 13 .

15. The powder of claim 1 , further comprising a carbonaceous material, wherein the silicon-based domains are not embedded in the carbonaceous material.

16. The powder of claim 15 , wherein the carbonaceous material comprises graphite.

Assignees

• Umicore Nv

Inventors

• Put Stijn
• Van Genechten Dirk
• Gilleir Jan
• Marx Nicolas

Classifications

• H01M4/386

  Silicon or alloys based on silicon · CPC title

• H01M4/362

  Composites · CPC title

• C01P2006/40

  Electric properties · CPC title

• C01P2006/12

  Surface area · CPC title

• C01P2004/62

  Submicrometer sized, i.e. from 0.1-1 micrometer · CPC title