Nanocomposite of a nanoporous material and an active material and method of synthesizing thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11316148-B2
Application number	US-201816103663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2018
Priority date	Aug 14, 2017
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

In an embodiment, an active material-based nanocomposite is synthesized by infiltrating an active material precursor into pores of a nanoporous carbon, metal or metal oxide material, and then annealing to decompose the active material precursor into a first gaseous material and an active material and/or another active material precursor infiltrated inside the pores. The nanocomposite is then exposed to a gaseous material or a liquid material to at least partially convert the active material and/or the second active material precursor into active material particles that are infiltrated inside the pores and/or to infiltrate a secondary material into the pores. The nanocomposite is again annealed to remove volatile residues, to enhance electrical contact within the active material-based nanocomposite composite and/or to enhance one or more structural properties of the nanocomposite. In a further embodiment, the pores may be further infiltrated with a filler material and/or may be at least partially sealed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An active material-based nanocomposite particle for use in an electrolyte-containing electrochemical energy storage device, comprising:
a nanoporous carbon, metal, or metal oxide material;
active material particles infiltrated in pores of the nanoporous carbon, metal or metal oxide material; and
a filler material that is infiltrated in the pores separately from the active material particles and/or a sealing material that at least partially closes the pores,
wherein the active material particles comprise Fe,
wherein the active material particles comprise from about 30 vol. % to about 99 vol. % of a total volume of the active material-based nanocomposite particle,
wherein the active material-based nanocomposite particle is arranged as a powder, and
wherein the filler material and/or the sealing material comprise an ionically conducting material with a conductivity of active ions in a range from about 10 −7 S cm −1 to about 10 −3 S cm −1 at operating temperature and/or in a range from about 10 −9 S cm −1 to about 10 −1 S cm −1 at room temperature.

2. The active material-based nanocomposite particle of claim 1 , wherein the active material-based nanocomposite particle comprises an oxide, hydroxide, oxy-hydroxide, sulfide, fluoride, an oxy-fluoride or hydride of Fe, Zn, Ni, Mn, Ag, Al, Cu, Si, Ti, Nb, Ta, Li, Na, Mg or a mixture thereof.

3. The active material-based nanocomposite particle of claim 1 , wherein the active material-based nanocomposite particle includes the filler material.

4. The active material-based nanocomposite particle of claim 3 , wherein the filler material includes one or more one or more of In, S, Na, Cd, Pb, Nb, Ti, Si, Ta, Mo, W, Zn, Sn, Bi, H, C, N, O, F, Cl, P, one or more polymers, one or more cross-linked ionic liquids, one or more organic salts, or any combination thereof.

5. The active material-based nanocomposite particle of claim 4 , wherein the filler material includes an ionically conducting polymer with a conductivity of active ions in a range from about 10 −7 S cm −1 to about 10 −3 S cm −1 at room temperature.

6. The active material-based nanocomposite particle of claim 4 , wherein the filler material includes In(acac) 3 or Na 2 S.

7. The active material-based nanocomposite particle of claim 3 ,
wherein the filler material is substantially insoluble in an electrolyte, or
wherein the filler material is substantially impermeable to an electrolyte solvent, or
wherein the filler material is substantially permeable to ions being transported into or out of the pores during device operation, or
wherein the filler material is insulative and is substantially resistant to electron transport, or
wherein the filler material swells less than about 10% in response to exposure to the electrolyte, or
any combination thereof.

8. The active material-based nanocomposite particle of claim 1 , wherein the active material-based nanocomposite particle includes the sealing material.

9. The active material-based nanocomposite particle of claim 8 , wherein the sealing material includes one or more of a polymer, a gel, a ceramic, carbon, or any combination thereof.

10. The active material-based nanocomposite particle of claim 9 , wherein the sealing material includes an ionically conducting polymer with a conductivity of active ions in a range from about 10 −7 S cm −1 to about 10 −3 S cm −1 at room temperature.

11. The active material-based nanocomposite particle of claim 8 ,
wherein the sealing material is substantially insoluble in an electrolyte, or
wherein the sealing material is substantially impermeable to an electrolyte solvent, or
wherein the sealing material is substantially permeable to active ions being transported into or out of the pores, or
wherein the sealing material is insulative and is substantially resistant to electron transport, or
wherein the sealing material swells less than about 10% in response to exposure to the electrolyte, or
any combination thereof.

12. The active material-based nanocomposite particle of claim 1 , wherein the active material-based nanocomposite particle is configured for use in an anode.

13. A method of synthesizing an active material-based nanocomposite particle for an electrolyte-containing electrochemical energy storage device, comprising:
infiltrating a first active material precursor into pores of a nanoporous carbon, metal or metal oxide material to produce the active material-based nanocomposite particle;
annealing the active material-based nanocomposite particle at a first temperature to at least partially remove excess material of the first active material precursor from an external surface of the active material-based nanocomposite particle;
annealing the active material-based nanocomposite at a second temperature to at least partially decompose the first active material precursor into a first gaseous material and an active material and/or a second active material precursor infiltrated inside the pores;
exposing the active material-based nanocomposite particle to a second gaseous material or a liquid material to at least partially convert the active material and/or the second active material precursor into active material particles that are infiltrated inside the pores and/or to infiltrate a secondary material into the pores;
annealing the active material-based nanocomposite particle at a third temperature to remove volatile residues, to enhance electrical contact within the active material-based nanocomposite particle and/or to enhance one or more structural properties of the active material-based nanocomposite particle; and
infiltrating a filler material into the pores before the infiltration of the first active material precursor and/or at least partially closing the pores with a sealing material after the annealing at the third temperature,
wherein the active material particles comprise Fe,
wherein the active material particles comprise from about 30 vol. % to about 99 vol. % of a total volume of the active material-based nanocomposite particle,
wherein the active material-based nanocomposite particle is arranged as a powder while the filler material and/or the sealing material is part of the active material-based nanocomposite particle, and
wherein the filler material and/or the sealing material comprise an ionically conducting material with a conductivity of active ions in a range from about 10 −7 S cm −1 to about 10 −3 S cm −1 at operating temperature and/or in a range from about 10 −9 S cm −1 to about 10 −1 S cm −1 at room temperature.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the infiltrating of the first active material precursor is implemented via a gas-phase impregnation technique.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the active material includes Fe, Zn, Ni, Mn, Ag, Al, Cu, Si, Ti, Nb, Ta, Li, Na, Mg, Sn, Sb or a mixture thereof.

16. The method of claim 15 ,
wherein the first active material precursor comprises Fe(CO) 5 ,
wherein the second active material precursor comprises iron oxide,
wherein the active material includes Fe, and
wherein the active material particles include at least 1 wt. % of FeO x , where 1<x<1.8.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the active material includes an oxide, hydroxide, oxy-hydroxide, halide, oxy-halide or hydride of Fe, Zn, Ni, Mn, Ag, Al, Cu, Si, Ti, Nb, Ta, Li, Na, Mg or a mixture thereof.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the active material includes a mixture or alloy of two or more distinct materials from the classes of metals, semi-metals, metal oxides

Assignees

• Sila Nanotechnologies Inc
• Georgia Tech Res Inst

Inventors

• Yushin Gleb
• LEI Danni

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01G11/86

  specially adapted for electrodes (carbonisation or activation of carbon for the manufacture of electrodes H01G11/34) · CPC title

• H01M4/521

  of iron for aqueous cells · CPC title

• H01G11/24 Primary

  characterised by structural features of the materials making up or comprised in the electrodes, e.g. form, surface area or porosity; characterised by the structural features of powders or particles used therefor · CPC title

• H01G11/46

  Metal oxides · CPC title