Electrodes, heaters, sensors, and associated articles and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11637353-B2
Application number	US-201916724596-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2019
Priority date	Dec 27, 2018
Publication date	Apr 25, 2023
Grant date	Apr 25, 2023

Abstract

Articles and electrochemical devices containing electrodes, current collectors, heaters, and/or sensors and associated systems and methods, are provided. The sensors, when present, may be temperature sensors or pressure sensors. In some cases, the heaters and/or sensors are adjacent to the article or electrochemical device. In certain cases, the heaters and/or sensors are thin films that are integrated into the article or electrochemical device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article, comprising:
a substrate layer;
a plurality of discrete electrode segments adjacent to the substrate layer, each electrode segment comprising a discrete layer comprising electrode active material;
a current collector domain comprising a current collector bus layer adjacent to the substrate layer, the current collector bus layer electronically coupled to the discrete electrode segments; and
a heater layer adjacent to the substrate layer,
wherein:
the heater layer is configured to heat at least a portion of the article,
the article is foldable, and
the heater layer is positioned between folded sections of the article when the article is folded.

2. The article of claim 1 , wherein the heater layer is immediately adjacent to the substrate layer.

3. The article of claim 1 , wherein the heater layer comprises a thin film.

4. The article of claim 1 , wherein the heater layer comprises a metal or metal alloy.

5. The article of claim 1 , wherein the heater layer comprises nichrome, graphite, a silicon-based compound, or a combination thereof.

6. The article of claim 1 , wherein the heater layer is configured to have an electrical resistance of greater than or equal to 50Ω and less than or equal to 1000Ω.

7. The article of claim 1 , wherein the heater layer is not electronically coupled to the plurality of discrete electrode segments or the current collector domain.

8. The article of claim 1 , wherein a least a portion of the heater layer is coated with an electrically insulative material.

9. The article of claim 1 , wherein the article is configured such that when the temperature of the article reaches a threshold temperature, at least one of the electrode segments is no longer electronically coupled to the current collector bus layer due, at least in part, to a heat-induced change in volume of the substrate layer.

10. The article of claim 9 , wherein the heater layer is configured to cause at least a portion of the heat-induced change in volume of the substrate layer.

11. The article of claim 9 , wherein the heat-induced change in volume of the substrate layer is an increase in the volume of the substrate layer.

12. The article of claim 9 , wherein the heat-induced change in volume of the substrate layer is a decrease in the volume of the substrate layer.

13. The article of claim 9 , wherein the substrate layer has a negative thermal expansion coefficient at the threshold temperature.

14. The article of claim 1 , wherein the substrate layer comprises a heat shrinkable film.

15. The article of claim 1 , wherein the substrate layer comprises polyvinyl alcohol.

16. An article, comprising:
a substrate layer;
a plurality of discrete electrode segments adjacent to the substrate layer, each electrode segment comprising a discrete layer comprising electrode active material;
a current collector domain comprising a current collector bus layer, the current collector bus layer electronically coupled to the discrete electrode segments; and
one or more sensor layers adjacent to the substrate layer configured to respond to a condition of the article,
wherein:
the article is foldable, and
the article further comprises a heater layer positioned between folded sections of the article when the article is folded.

17. A method, comprising:
heating at least a portion of an electrochemical device comprising the article of claim 1 using the heater layer.

18. The article of claim 1 , wherein the heater layer has an average thickness that is greater than or equal to 20 nm and less than or equal to 1 mm.

19. The article of claim 1 , wherein the heater layer has an average thickness that is greater than or equal to 20 nm and less than or equal to 100 μm.

20. The article of claim 1 , wherein the heater layer has an average thickness that is greater than or equal to 20 nm and less than or equal to 10 μm.

Assignees

• Sion Power Corp

Inventors

• Laramie Michael G

Classifications

• H01M10/615

  Heating or keeping warm · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M50/54

  Connection of several leads or tabs of plate-like electrode stacks, e.g. electrode pole straps or bridges · CPC title

• H01M50/578

  in response to pressure · CPC title

• H01M4/64 Primary

  Carriers or collectors · CPC title