Electrode structure for a battery and method of manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11769884-B2
Application number	US-202217586042-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2022
Priority date	Jan 27, 2022
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

An electrode structure for a battery includes a middle layer made of an electrically conductive perforated mesh having a top surface, a bottom surface, a plurality of interconnected electrically conductive segments and a plurality of perforations among adjacent ones of the interconnected segments. A top layer of an electrode material is disposed on the top surface, and a bottom layer of the electrode material is disposed on the bottom surface, such that the top and bottom layers are disposed in physical contact with each other through the perforations in the middle layer. A method of manufacturing the electrode structure includes providing the layer of perforated mesh, applying the top and bottom layers of electrode material to the top and bottom surfaces, and curing the top and bottom layers of electrode material using one or more of heat, electromagnetic radiation and convection to produce a layer of cured electrode structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrode structure for a battery, comprising:
a middle layer made of an electrically conductive perforated mesh having a top surface, a bottom surface, a plurality of interconnected electrically conductive segments and a plurality of perforations among adjacent ones of the interconnected electrically conductive segments;
a top layer of an electrode material disposed on the top surface; and
a bottom layer of the electrode material disposed on the bottom surface,
wherein the top layer and the bottom layer are disposed in physical contact with each other through the plurality of perforations in the middle layer,
wherein the perforated mesh is a 3D-printed mesh of an electrically non-conductive material onto which an electrically conductive second material has been electrodeposited.

2. The electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive perforated mesh is made of steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminum or titanium.

3. The electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein the electrode material is a cured initially thixotropic slurry or paste.

4. The electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein the electrode structure forms an anode or a cathode.

5. The electrode structure of claim 4 , wherein if the electrode structure forms an anode then the electrode material contains at least one of graphite, silicon, silicon oxide, lithiated silicon and lithiated silicon oxide, and if the electrode structure forms a cathode then the electrode material contains at least one of a layered transition metal oxide, an olivine and a spinel.

6. The electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein the top and bottom layers of electrode material form a bounded shape and at least one portion of the middle layer of perforated mesh extends outside the bounded shape.

7. The electrode structure of claim 6 , wherein the bounded shape is one of a generally flat rectangular prism and a generally flat disc.

8. The electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein the top and bottom layers of electrode material form a bounded shape and the middle layer of perforated mesh does not extend outside the bounded shape.

9. The electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein the perforated mesh is between 10 and 500 microns in thickness, and wherein each of the top and bottom layers of electrode material is between 40 and 200 microns in thickness if the electrode structure is formed as an anode and between 100 and 400 microns in thickness if the electrode structure is formed as a cathode.

10. A battery electrode, comprising:
a middle layer made of an electrically conductive perforated mesh having a top surface, a bottom surface, a plurality of interconnected electrically conductive segments and a plurality of perforations among adjacent ones of the interconnected electrically conductive segments;
a top layer of an electrode material disposed on the top surface, wherein the electrode material is a cured initially thixotropic slurry or paste containing at least one of graphite, silicon, silicon oxide, lithiated silicon and lithiated silicon oxide if the battery electrode is formed as an anode, or at least one of a layered transition metal oxide, an olivine and a spinel if the battery electrode is formed as a cathode; and
a bottom layer of the electrode material disposed on the bottom surface,
wherein the top and bottom layers are disposed in physical contact with each other through the plurality of perforations in the middle layer,
wherein the perforated mesh is a 3D-printed mesh of an electrically non-conductive material onto which an electrically conductive second material has been electrodeposited,
wherein the second material is made of steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminum or titanium.

11. A method of manufacturing an electrode structure for a battery, comprising:
3D-printing a layer of electrically non-conductive perforated mesh having a top surface, a bottom surface, a plurality of interconnected segments and a plurality of perforations among adjacent ones of the interconnected segments;
electrodepositing a conductive material onto the non-conductive perforated mesh such that its segments are electrically conductive;
applying a top layer and a bottom layer of electrode material to the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, such that the top and bottom layers are in physical contact with each other through the plurality of perforations in the perforated mesh; and
curing the top and bottom layers of electrode material using one or more of heat, electromagnetic radiation and convection to produce a sheet of cured electrode structure.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the top and bottom layers of electrode material are applied generally simultaneously as a single step.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation includes one or more of infrared radiation and ultraviolet radiation.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the electrode material is applied to only one of the top and bottom surfaces to form the respective top or bottom layer, and the electrode material flows through the perforations to the other of the top and bottom surfaces to form the respective bottom or top layer.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the electrode material is applied to the layer of perforated mesh as a slurry or paste which is either:
sprayed or expressed onto the layer of perforated mesh by one or more dispensers facing one or both of the top and bottom surfaces; or
transferred onto the layer of perforated mesh by a first decal transfer backing facing the top surface and a second decal transfer backing facing the bottom surface.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
spreading the electrode material on at least one of the top and bottom surfaces so as to achieve a predetermined thickness of the electrode material on the at least one of the top and bottom surfaces.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the layer of perforated mesh is disposed in either a horizontal orientation or a vertical orientation for the applying and curing steps.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
cutting the sheet of cured electrode structure into predetermined sized cut sheets.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
rolling the sheet of cured electrode structure into a coil.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Sachdev Anil K
• Moylan Thomas E

Classifications

• H01M4/742 Primary

  perforated material · CPC title

• H01M4/0419 Primary

  involving spraying · CPC title

• H01M4/0435

  Rolling or calendering · CPC title

• H01M4/669

  Steels · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title