Lead-lead oxide-carbon nanocomposite for energy storage cells and method of preparation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11611069-B2
Application number	US-202016853988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2020
Priority date	Apr 21, 2020
Publication date	Mar 21, 2023
Grant date	Mar 21, 2023

Abstract

Lead/lead oxide/carbon (“Pb—O—C”) nanocomposite materials are useful as electrode active materials for electrodes in lithium and sodium batteries. A Pb—O—C nanocomposite as described herein comprises Pb and lead oxide nanoparticles homogeneously dispersed in a carbon nanoparticle matrix. In the nanocomposite, the other element or elements (e.g., transition metals, Al, Si, P, Sn, Sb, and Bi) can be alloyed with the Pb nanoparticles, incorporated as a mixed oxide with the lead oxide nanoparticles, or can be present as distinct elemental or oxide nanoparticles within the carbon nanoparticle matrix. In some embodiments, the additional element or elements are present as alloys and mixed oxides with the Pb materials and as distinct elemental and/or oxide nanoparticles. In a preferred embodiment the Pb nanoparticles surface is oxidized to lead oxide thus creating a shell on core nanostructure.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A lead-lead oxide-carbon nanocomposite comprising nanoparticles of lead (Pb) and nanoparticles of a lead oxide homogeneously dispersed in a carbon nanoparticle matrix; wherein lead oxide is present on the surface of at least some of the Pb nanoparticles.

2. The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles of Pb have a mean diameter in the range of about 2 to about 20 nm as determined by electron microscopy.

3. The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles of the lead oxide have a mean diameter in the range of about 2 to about 20 nm as determined by electron microscopy.

4. The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the nanocomposite has a elemental ratio of about 1:1 to about 1:20.

5. The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles of the lead oxide have a Pb:O atomic ratio of about 1:1 to about 1:2.

6. The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the Pb and the lead oxide are present in the nanocomposite in a respective molar ratio of about 1:0.1 to about 0.1:1.

7. An electrode for a lithium-ion or sodium-ion battery comprising the nanocomposite of claim 1 coated on a conductive current collector with a binder.

8. An electrochemical cell comprising a first electrode comprising a lead-lead oxide-carbon nanocomposite, a second electrode, an ion-conductive separator between the first electrode and the second electrode, and an electrolyte comprising a lithium salt or a sodium salt in a non-aqueous solvent at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 5 M, wherein the electrolyte contacts the first electrode, the second electrode, and the separator, and wherein the first electrode is the electrode of claim 7 .

9. The electrochemical cell of claim 8 , wherein the electrolyte further comprises 1-fluoroethylene carbonate at a concentration of about 1 wt % to about 50 wt %.

10. A secondary battery comprising a plurality of the electrochemical cells of claim 8 electrically connected in series, in parallel, or in both series and parallel.

11. A lead-lead oxide-carbon nanocomposite comprising nanoparticles of lead (Pb) and nanoparticles of a lead oxide homogeneously dispersed in a carbon nanoparticle matrix, and further comprising at least one additional element selected from the group consisting of a transition metal, Al, Si, P, Sn, Sb, and Bi.

12. The nanocomposite of claim 11 , wherein the at least one additional element is (a) incorporated within the nanoparticles of Pb, (b) incorporated as an oxide within the nanoparticles of the lead oxide, (c) dispersed within the carbon nanoparticle matrix as elemental nanoparticles, (d) dispersed within the carbon nanoparticle matrix as oxide nanoparticles, or (e) a combination of two or more of (a), (b), (c), and (d).

13. The nanocomposite of claim 11 , wherein the at least one additional element is selected from the group consisting of Mn, Ni, Fe, Sb, and Sn.

14. The nanocomposite of claim 11 , wherein the at least one additional element comprises a combination of Sb and Sn, or a combination of Sb and Ni.

15. The nanocomposite of claim 11 , wherein the at least one additional element is present in the nanocomposite at a concentration of about 50% to about 100% expressed as a percentage of the Pb in the nanocomposite.

16. An electrode for a lithium-ion or sodium-ion battery comprising the nanocomposite of claim 11 coated on a conductive current collector with a binder; and the at least one additional element is (a) incorporated within the nanoparticles of Pb, (b) incorporated as an oxide within the nanoparticles of the lead oxide, (c) dispersed within the carbon nanoparticle matrix as elemental nanoparticles, (d) dispersed within the carbon nanoparticle matrix as oxide nanoparticles, or (e) a combination of two or more of (a), (b), (c), and (d).

17. An electrochemical cell comprising a first electrode comprising a lead-lead oxide-carbon nanocomposite, a second electrode, an ion-conductive separator between the first electrode and the second electrode, and an electrolyte comprising a lithium salt or a sodium salt in a non-aqueous solvent at a concentration of about 0.1 to about 5 M; wherein the electrolyte contacts the first electrode, the second electrode, and the separator; and the first electrode is the electrode of claim 16 .

18. The electrochemical cell of claim 17 , wherein the electrolyte further comprises 1-fluoroethylene carbonate at a concentration of about 1 wt % to about 50 wt %.

19. A secondary battery comprising a plurality of the electrochemical cells of claim 17 electrically connected in series, in parallel, or in both series and parallel.

Assignees

• Uchicago Argonne Llc

Inventors

• Johnson Christopher S
• Lee Eungje
• Han Jinhyup
• Park Jehee

Classifications

• H01M4/131

  Electrodes based on mixed oxides or hydroxides, or on mixtures of oxides or hydroxides, e.g. LiCoOx · CPC title

• H01M10/054

  Accumulators with insertion or intercalation of metals other than lithium, e.g. with magnesium or aluminium · CPC title

• H01M4/62

  Selection of inactive substances as ingredients for active masses, e.g. binders, fillers · CPC title

• H01M10/0569

  characterised by the solvents · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

  Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries · CPC title