Anode for thermal battery, apparatus for manufacturing the anode for thermal battery, and method of manufacturing the anode for thermal battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11784299-B2
Application number	US-201917053011-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2019
Priority date	May 7, 2019
Publication date	Oct 10, 2023
Grant date	Oct 10, 2023

Abstract

A lithium anode of a thermal battery may include a metal alloy foam in which a plurality of pores is formed and including nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), and aluminum (Al) mixed in a predetermined composition ratio, and lithium impregnated into the metal alloy foam in a molten state and accommodated in the pores, wherein the chromium in the composition ratio may facilitate the impregnation of the lithium into the pores and reduce the reactivity of the metal alloy foam to the lithium at an operating temperature of the thermal battery, and the aluminum in the composition ratio may facilitate the impregnation of the lithium into the pores and prevent the lithium from penetrating into a surface of the metal alloy foam.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lithium anode of a thermal battery, the lithium anode comprising:
a metal alloy foam in which a plurality of pores is formed and comprising nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), and aluminum (Al) mixed in a predetermined composition ratio; and
lithium impregnated into the metal alloy foam in a molten state and accommodated in the pores,
wherein the chromium in the composition ratio facilitates the impregnation of the lithium into the pores and reduces the reactivity of the metal alloy foam with the lithium at an operating temperature of the thermal battery,
the aluminum in the composition ratio facilitates the impregnation of the lithium into the pores and prevents the lithium from penetrating into a surface of the metal alloy foam, and
a first composition ratio of the metal alloy foam comprises, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the metal alloy foam, 22 to 42 parts by weight of the nickel, 9 to 19 parts by weight of the iron, 21 to 41 parts by weight of the chromium, and 9 to 29 parts by weight of the aluminum.

2. A lithium anode of a thermal battery, the lithium anode comprising:
a metal alloy foam in which a plurality of pores is formed and comprising nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), and aluminum (Al) mixed in a predetermined composition ratio; and
lithium impregnated into the metal alloy foam in a molten state and accommodated in the pores,
wherein the chromium in the composition ratio facilitates the impregnation of the lithium into the pores and reduces the reactivity of the metal alloy foam with the lithium at an operating temperature of the thermal battery,
the aluminum in the composition ratio facilitates the impregnation of the lithium into the pores and prevents the lithium from penetrating into a surface of the metal alloy foam, and
a second composition ratio of the metal alloy foam comprises, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the metal alloy foam, 26 to 46 parts by weight of the nickel, 6 to 26 parts by weight of the iron, 18 to 38 parts by weight of the chromium, and 10 to 30 parts by weight of the aluminum.

3. A lithium anode of a thermal battery, the lithium anode comprising:
a metal alloy foam in which a plurality of pores is formed and comprising nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), and aluminum (Al) mixed in a predetermined composition ratio; and
lithium impregnated into the metal alloy foam in a molten state and accommodated in the pores,
wherein the chromium in the composition ratio facilitates the impregnation of the lithium into the pores and reduces the reactivity of the metal alloy foam with the lithium at an operating temperature of the thermal battery,
the aluminum in the composition ratio facilitates the impregnation of the lithium into the pores and prevents the lithium from penetrating into a surface of the metal alloy foam, and
metal alloy foam further comprises an oxygen element (O) to facilitate the impregnation of the lithium through oxidation, and a third composition ratio of the metal alloy foam comprises, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the metal alloy foam, 10 to 30 parts by weight of the nickel, 2 to 22 parts by weight of the iron, 9 to 29 parts by weight of the chromium, 2 to 22 parts by weight of the aluminum, and 9 to 29 parts by weight of the oxygen element.

4. The lithium anode of the thermal battery of claim 1 , wherein the pores each have a diameter of 250 μm to 6000 μm.

5. A thermal battery comprising:
a lithium anode comprising a metal alloy foam in which a plurality of pores are formed and comprising nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), and aluminum (Al) mixed in a predetermined composition ratio and lithium impregnated into the metal alloy foam in a molten state and accommodated in the pores;
an anode current collector arranged on one surface of the lithium anode;
an electrolyte arranged on another surface of the lithium anode;
a cathode arranged opposite to the lithium anode with respect to the electrolyte; and
a cathode current collector arranged opposite to the electrolyte with respect to the cathode,
wherein a first composition ratio of the metal alloy foam comprises, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the metal alloy foam, 22 to 42 parts by weight of the nickel, 9 to 19 parts by weight of the iron, 21 to 41 parts by weight of the chromium, and 9 to 29 parts by weight of the aluminum, or
wherein a second composition ratio of the metal alloy foam comprises, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the metal alloy foam, 26 to 46 parts by weight of the nickel, 6 to 26 parts by weight of the iron, 18 to 38 parts by weight of the chromium, and 10 to 30 parts by weight of the aluminum.

6. A lithium anode of a thermal battery, lithium anode comprising:
a metal alloy foam in which a plurality of pores are formed and comprising nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), and molybdenum (Mo) mixed in a predetermined composition ratio; and
lithium impregnated into the metal alloy foam in a molten state and accommodated in the pores,
wherein the chromium in the composition ratio facilitates the impregnation of the lithium into the pores, and
the molybdenum in the composition ratio prevents the metal alloy foam from reacting with lithium and melting,
a first composition ratio of the metal alloy foam comprises, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the metal alloy foam, 47 to 67 parts by weight of the nickel, 1 to 33 parts by weight of the iron, 13 to 33 parts by weight of the chromium, and 1 to 14 parts by weight of the molybdenum.

7. A lithium anode of a thermal battery, lithium anode comprising:
a metal alloy foam in which a plurality of pores are formed and comprising nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), and molybdenum (Mo) mixed in a predetermined composition ratio; and
lithium impregnated into the metal alloy foam in a molten state and accommodated in the pores,
wherein the chromium in the composition ratio facilitates the impregnation of the lithium into the pores,
the molybdenum in the composition ratio prevents the metal alloy foam from reacting with lithium and melting, and
a second composition ratio of the metal alloy foam comprises, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the metal alloy foam, 47 to 67 parts by weight of the nickel, 1 to 33 parts by weight of the iron, 13 to 33 parts by weight of the chromium, 1 to 14 parts by weight of the molybdenum, and 1 to 11 parts of weight of silicon.

8. The lithium anode of the thermal battery of claim 6 , wherein the lithium anode does not comprise a cup or mesh to maintain the shape of the metal alloy foam.

9. A thermal battery comprising:
a lithium anode comprising a metal alloy foam in which a plurality of pores are formed and comprising nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), and molybdenum (Mo) mixed in a predetermined composition ratio and lithium impregnated into the metal alloy foam in a molten state and accommodated in the pores;
an anode current collector arranged on one surface of the lithium anode;
an electrolyte arranged on another surface of the lithium anode;
a cathode arranged opposite to the lithium anode with respect to the electrolyte; and
a cathode current collector arranged opposite to the electrolyte with respect to the cathode,
wherein a first composition ratio of the metal alloy foam comprises, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the metal alloy foam, 22 to 42 parts by weight of the nickel, 9 to 19 parts by weight of the iron, 21 to 41 parts by weight of the chromium, and 9 to 29 parts by weight of the aluminum, or
wherein a second composition ratio of the metal alloy foam comprises, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the metal alloy foam, 26 to 46 parts by weight of the nickel, 6 to 26 parts by weight of the iron,

Assignees

• Agency Defense Dev

Inventors

• Choi Yu Song
• Ahn Tae Young
• Cho Jang Hyeon

Classifications

• H01M4/12 Primary

  of consumable metal or alloy electrodes (use of alloy compositions as active materials H01M4/38) · CPC title

• H01M4/10

  of pressed electrodes with central core, i.e. dollies · CPC title

• H01M6/36

  containing electrolyte and made operational by physical means, e.g. thermal cells · CPC title

• H01M4/808 Primary

  Foamed, spongy materials · CPC title

• H01M4/38

  of elements or alloys · CPC title