Particulate composite materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11639292-B2
Application number	US-202117336085-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2021
Priority date	Aug 18, 2020
Publication date	May 2, 2023
Grant date	May 2, 2023

Abstract

Particulate composite materials and devices comprising the same are provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A particulate silicon-carbon composite comprising silicon and carbon, wherein:
A) the carbon comprises:
i) a porous carbon scaffold comprising:
a) amorphous carbon;
b) a pore volume, wherein greater than 70% of the pore volume resides in pores having a diameter less than 2 nm; and
c) a DPv90 less than 50 nm;

B) the silicon comprises:
i) amorphous, nano-sized silicon embedded within the pore volume of the carbon scaffold; and

C) the composite comprises:
i) a surface area less than 30 m 2 /g;
ii) a capacity of greater than 1300 mA/g;
iii) an average Coulombic efficiency of greater than or equal to 0.9980, as measured in a half cell;
iv) a Z of less than 10, wherein Z=1.875×[(M1100−M)/M1100]×100%, wherein M1100 is a mass of the silicon-carbon composite at 1100° C. and M is the minimum mass of the silicon-carbon composite between 800° C. and 1100° C. when the silicon-carbon composite is heated under air from about 25° C. to about 1100° C., as determined by thermogravimetric analysis; and
v) a φ of greater than or equal to 0.15, wherein φ=(Max peak height dQ/dV in Regime I)/(Max peak height dQ/dV in Regime III), wherein dQ/dV is measured in a half-cell coin cell, and Regime I is 0.8V-0.4V and Regime III is 0.15V-0V.

2. The particulate composite of claim 1 , wherein the surface area of the composite is less than 10 m 2 /g.

3. The particulate composite of claim 1 , wherein the composite comprises from 30% to 70% by weight of the silicon.

4. The particulate composite of claim 1 , wherein the composite comprises from 40% to 60% by weight of the silicon.

5. The particulate composite of claim 1 , wherein the Z is less than 5.

6. The particulate composite of claim 1 , wherein the φ is greater than or equal to 0.25.

7. The particulate composite of claim 1 , wherein the average Coulombic efficiency is greater than or equal to 0.9985, as measured in a half cell.

8. The particulate composite of claim 1 , wherein the pore volume of the porous carbon scaffold, in the absence of the embedded silicon, is greater than 0.5 cm 3 /g.

9. The particulate composite of claim 1 , wherein the particulate composite comprises a first cycle efficiency of greater than 75%, as measured in a half cell coin cell cycled from 5 mV to 0.8 V.

10. The particulate composite of claim 1 , having a Dv50 particle size ranging from 2 microns to 20 microns.

11. A particulate silicon-carbon composite; comprising silicon and carbon, wherein:
A) the carbon comprises:
i) a porous carbon scaffold comprising:
a) amorphous carbon;
b) a pore volume of greater than 0.5 cm 3 /g; and
c) greater than 70% of the pore volume residing in pores having a diameter less than 2 nm;

B) the silicon comprises:
i) amorphous, nano-sized silicon embedded within the pore volume of the carbon scaffold; and

C) the composite comprises:
i) a surface area less than 30 m 2 /g;
ii) a capacity of greater than 1300 mA/g;
iii) an average Coulombic efficiency of greater than or equal to 0.9980, as measured in a half cell;
iv) a Z of less than 10, wherein Z=1.875×[(M1100−M)/M1100]×100%, wherein M1100 is a mass of the silicon-carbon composite at 1100° C. and M is the minimum mass of the silicon-carbon composite between 800° C. and 1100° C. when the silicon-carbon composite is heated under air from about 25° C. to about 1100° C., as determined by thermogravimetric analysis; and
v) a φ of greater than or equal to 0.15, wherein φ=(Max peak height dQ/dV in Regime I)/(Max peak height dQ/dV in Regime III), wherein dQ/dV is measured in a half-cell coin cell, and Regime I is 0.8V-0.4V and Regime III is 0.15V-0V.

12. The particulate composite of claim 11 , wherein the surface area of the composite is less than 10 m 2 /g.

13. The particulate composite of claim 11 , wherein the composite comprises from 30% to 70% by weight of the silicon.

14. The particulate composite of claim 11 , wherein the composite comprises from 40% to 60% by weight of the silicon.

15. The particulate composite of claim 11 , wherein the Z is less than 5.

16. The particulate composite of claim 11 , wherein the φ is greater than or equal to 0.25.

17. The particulate composite of claim 11 , wherein the average Coulombic efficiency is greater than or equal to 0.9985, as measured in a half cell.

18. The particulate composite of claim 11 , wherein the pore volume of the porous carbon scaffold, in the absence of the embedded silicon, is greater than 0.7 cm 3 /g.

19. The particulate composite of claim 11 , wherein the particulate composite comprises a first cycle efficiency of greater than 75%, as measured in half cell coin cells cycled from 5 mV to 0.8 V.

20. The particulate composite of claim 11 , having a Dv50 particle size ranging from 2 microns to 20 microns.

Assignees

• Group14 Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Costantino Henry R
• Dhanabalan Abirami
• Sakshaug Avery J

Classifications

• H01M4/587

  for inserting or intercalating light metals · CPC title

• C04B38/0054

  the pores being microsized or nanosized · CPC title

• C01P2006/40

  Electric properties · CPC title

• B82Y40/00

  Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures · CPC title

• C01P2006/14

  Pore volume · CPC title