Battery with enhanced resistance to dendrite formation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11735711-B2
Application number	US-202117180081-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2021
Priority date	Nov 16, 2016
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

A battery includes a case having a feedthrough port, a feedthrough assembly disposed in the feedthrough port, and a cell stack disposed within the case. The feedthrough port includes an inner conductor and an insulator core separating the inner conductor from the case. The cell stack includes an anode, a cathode, and a separator insulating the anode from the cathode, wherein the anode and cathode are offset from one another. An insulating boot surrounding the cell stack insulates the cell stack from the case. The insulating boot has an opening configured to receive therein the feedthrough assembly, which may include overmolded insulation. The interior surfaces and interior walls of the battery case may be thermal spray-coated with a dielectric material to prevent lithium dendrite formation between cathode and anode surfaces.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery, comprising:
an outer case;
a cell stack disposed within the outer case, the cell stack including
an anode having a main anode body and an anode tab projecting from the main anode body, the main anode body having an anode outer edge, the anode outer edge having a first peripheral portion distant from the anode tab, and a second peripheral portion that is a remainder of the anode outer edge, surfaces of the main anode body including an anode active material;
a cathode having a main cathode body and a cathode tab projecting from the main cathode body, the main cathode body having a cathode outer edge, the cathode outer edge having a first peripheral portion adjacent the cathode tab, and a second peripheral portion that is a remainder of the cathode outer edge, surfaces of the main cathode body including a cathode active material; and
a separator layer electrically insulating the anode from the cathode, the anode, the cathode and the separator layer being stacked together with the main anode body offset from the main cathode body such that the first peripheral portion of the anode outer edge is recessed from the first peripheral portion of the cathode outer edge by a first distance and the second peripheral portion of the cathode outer edge is recessed from the second peripheral portion of the anode outer edge by a second offset distance, the first offset distance being the same as the second offset distance.

2. The battery as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a feedthrough port in the outer case; and
a feedthrough assembly disposed in the outer case and extending into the feedthrough port, the feedthrough assembly including an inner conductor, an insulating core, feedthrough insulation, and a ferrule having a lumen.

3. The battery as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the insulating core is formed of glass.

4. The battery as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the inner conductor is disposed within the lumen of the ferrule, the insulating core is disposed within the lumen of the ferrule and separates the inner conductor from the ferrule, and the feedthrough insulation is disposed circumferentially around a portion of the ferrule.

5. The battery as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising an insulating boot formed from a material having a thickness, the insulating boot having a body and an annular lip projecting outwardly from the body, the insulating boot surrounding the cell stack and electrically insulating the cell stack from the outer case, the lip of the insulating boot circumferentially surrounding a portion of the feedthrough insulation that is at least three times the thickness of the material forming the insulating boot.

6. The battery as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the annular lip of the insulating boot is bonded to the feedthrough insulation.

7. The battery as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an insulating boot formed from a material having a thickness, the insulating boot surrounding the cell stack and electrically insulating the cell stack from the outer case.

8. The battery as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the insulating boot has a body and an annular lip projecting outwardly from the body.

9. The battery as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the insulating boot includes a first portion and a second portion that are initially separate from one another, the second portion being sealed to the first portion.

10. The battery as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the material of the insulating boot is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene (PE), ethylenetetrafluorethylene (ETFE), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), polycarbonate (PC), silicones, and mixtures thereof.

11. The battery as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the separator layer and the insulating boot are formed from the same material.

12. The battery as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the outer case is formed of metal and has a first cover and a second cover together defining an inner surface, and a layer of a dielectric material is disposed on at least a portion of the inner surface.

13. The battery as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the cell stack is positioned in the outer case so that the cathode tab opposes the layer of dielectric material.

14. The battery as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the dielectric material is a ceramic oxide.

15. The battery as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the dielectric material is applied to an entirety of the inner surface of the outer case.

16. The battery as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the separator layer includes a shut-down bag, and the anode is sealed in the shut-down bag.

17. The battery as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the separator layer protrudes outwardly from the anode outer edge around the entirely of the main anode body.

Assignees

• Pacesetter Inc

Inventors

• Bruch Russell
• Beauvais Joseph
• Armstrong Jeffrey
• Brooks Iii Del Charles
• Hallmark Christopher
• Duggan John

Classifications

• H01M4/131 Primary

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

• H01M4/133

  Electrodes based on carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx · CPC title

• H01M50/103

  prismatic or rectangular (H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/112

  Monobloc comprising multiple compartments · CPC title

• H01M50/117

  Inorganic material · CPC title