Ion permeable composite current collectors for metal-ion batteries and cell design using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11038165-B2
Application number	US-201514725784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2015
Priority date	May 29, 2014
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A Li-ion battery cell, among other materials, components, and techniques, is provided that includes ion-permeable anode and cathode electrodes, an electrolyte ionically coupling the anode and the cathode, a separator electrically separating the anode and the cathode, and a sacrificial, high-capacity Li composition for providing Li to at least one of the electrodes.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A Li-ion battery cell, comprising:
ion-permeable anode and cathode electrodes connected to respective first and second tabs;
an electrolyte ionically coupling the ion-permeable anode electrode and the ion-permeable cathode electrode;
a separator electrically separating the ion-permeable anode electrode and the ion-permeable cathode electrode; and
a sacrificial electrode comprising a high-capacity Li composition for providing Li to the ion-permeable anode electrode and/or the ion-permeable cathode electrode, wherein the sacrificial electrode is connected to a third tab that is electrically isolated from the first and second tabs, and wherein the high-capacity Li composition comprises a surface coating that is separate from the electrolyte, covers substantially all of an exposed surface of the high-capacity Li composition, and is configured to prevent the high-capacity Li composition from interaction with dry air when the surface coating is directly exposed to an oxygen-containing environment,
wherein the high-capacity Li composition exhibits a volumetric capacity in excess of 1000 mAh/cc.

2. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the high-capacity Li composition comprises at least 60% Li atoms.

3. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the high-capacity Li composition is connected to a current collector that is electrically separated from each of the ion-permeable anode electrode and the ion-permeable cathode electrode.

4. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the surface coating comprises a polymer layer that swells in electrolyte solvent.

5. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the high-capacity Li composition comprises first and second, physically separated high capacity Li compositions.

6. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the Li-ion battery cell is cylindrical and the high-capacity Li composition (i) has a rod shape or a cylinder shape and is located in a center region of the Li-ion battery cell and/or (ii) has a cylinder shape and is located in a periphery region of the Li-ion battery cell.

7. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the Li-ion battery cell is a pouch cell or a prismatic cell.

8. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the ion-permeable anode and cathode electrodes comprises an ion-permeable current collector that (i) has a thickness below about 20 microns and (ii) comprises pores or through channels making up from about 1% to about 20% of a cross-sectional area of the ion-permeable current collector.

9. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the ion-permeable anode and cathode electrodes comprises an ion-permeable current collector having pores with a size in the range of about 0.01 to about 20 microns.

10. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the ion-permeable anode and cathode electrodes comprises an ion-permeable current collector that comprises a filler material.

11. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 10 , wherein the filler material comprises a polymer or a polymer mixture.

12. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 11 , wherein the polymer or the polymer mixture exhibits a Li-ion conductivity of at least 10 −6 S/cm.

13. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 11 , wherein the polymer or the polymer mixture comprises a block co-polymer.

14. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 10 , wherein the filler material comprises ceramic particles of an elongated shape.

15. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the ion-permeable anode electrode comprises an active material including Si.

16. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the ion-permeable anode electrode comprises an active material that exhibits a capacity in the range from about 400 mAh/g to about 4200 mAh/g.

17. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the ion-permeable cathode electrode comprises an active material including a metal fluoride.

18. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the ion-permeable electrodes comprises holes through the electrode.

19. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the ion-permeable anode and cathode electrodes comprises an ion-permeable current collector produced using a process that involves electrodeposition.

20. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the surface coating comprises a solid electrolyte.

21. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 20 , wherein the solid electrolyte comprises a ceramic electrolyte, a polymer electrolyte, or a polymer-ceramic composite layer.

22. The Li-ion battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the surface coating comprises a Li active material.

Assignees

• Sila Nanotechnologies Inc

Inventors

• Yushin Gleb
• Berdichevsky Eugene Michael
• Zdyrko Bogdan
• Jacobs Alexander Thomas

Classifications

• H01M4/668

  Composites of electroconductive material and synthetic resins · CPC title

• H01M4/661

  Metal or alloys, e.g. alloy coatings (H01M4/669 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M4/66

  Selection of materials · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

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

• H01M4/58

  of inorganic compounds other than oxides or hydroxides, e.g. sulfides, selenides, tellurides, halogenides or LiCoFy; of polyanionic structures, e.g. phosphates, silicates or borates · CPC title