Electrode element for an energy storage unit, energy storage unit, and method for producing electrode element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11961685-B2
Application number	US-202217863724-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2022
Priority date	Mar 15, 2019
Publication date	Apr 16, 2024
Grant date	Apr 16, 2024

Abstract

An electrode element ( 1 ) for an energy storage unit ( 200 ), such as a capacitor, has an electrode body ( 100 ) made of an active electrode material (E), wherein the electrode body ( 100 ) includes one or more of: at least one cavity ( 110 ) on its surface or in its interior; at least one partial volume ( 120 ) of lower density; and/or a surface coating (D) covering at least a portion of the surface of the electrode body ( 100 ), such that the surface area covered by the surface coating (D) remains unwetted when in contact with an electrolyte. Energy storage units ( 200 ) incorporating the electrode element ( 1 ) are particularly suitable for use in implantable electrotherapeutic devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrode element ( 1 ) for an electrolytic capacitor ( 200 ) having a liquid electrolyte, the electrode element including an electrode body ( 100 ) made of an active electrode material (E) and a terminal lead electrically connected to the electrode body ( 100 ), wherein the electrode body ( 100 ) includes
a surface coating (D) thereon, wherein the surface coating (D) is configured to maintain a surface of the electrode body ( 100 ) covered by the surface coating (D) unwetted and functionally deactivated when the surface is in contact with the liquid electrolyte.

2. The electrode element ( 1 ) of claim 1 further including one or more of:
a. a cavity ( 110 ) upon or within the electrode body ( 100 ), wherein the cavity ( 110 ) is configured to adapt electrode activity of the electrode body ( 100 ) to a predefined electrode activity;
b. a partial volume ( 120 ) therein, the partial volume ( 120 ) containing electrode material (E) having a lower density than the electrode material (E) of the electrode body ( 100 ) outside of the partial volume ( 120 ), wherein the partial volume ( 100 ) is configured to adapt the electrode activity of the electrode body ( 100 ) to a predefined electrode activity;
wherein the cavity ( 110 ) or the partial volume ( 120 ) defines a separation boundary ( 130 ), the separation boundary ( 130 ) being configured to ease mechanical separation of the electrode body ( 100 ) into a first body segment ( 131 ) and a second body segment ( 132 ) at the separation boundary ( 130 ).

3. The electrode element ( 1 ) of claim 2 wherein the cavity ( 110 ) or the partial volume ( 120 ) extends along:
a. an elongated path extending between edges of the electrode body ( 100 ), and
b. a major portion of a distance between the edges of the electrode body ( 100 ).

4. The electrode element ( 1 ) of claim 2 wherein one or more of:
a. several of the cavity ( 110 ), the cavities ( 110 ) being separate from each other, and
b. several of the partial volume ( 120 ), the partial volumes ( 120 ) being separate from each other,
are arrayed in spaced relationship along a path extending between edges of the electrode body ( 100 ), the path defining the separation boundary ( 130 ).

5. The electrode element ( 1 ) of claim 2 wherein the electrode body ( 100 ) includes:
a. the cavity ( 110 ) upon or within the electrode body ( 100 ), and
b. filler material (F) filling the cavity ( 110 ) of the electrode body ( 100 ), the filler material (F) having an electrode activity different from the electrode activity of the active electrode material (E).

6. The electrode element ( 1 ) of claim 5 wherein:
a. the cavity ( 110 ) is within the electrode body ( 100 ), and
b. the cavity ( 110 ), and the filler material (F) therein, are entirely surrounded by the active electrode material (E).

7. The electrode element ( 1 ) of claim 1 wherein:
a. the electrode body ( 100 ) includes:
(1) two or more partial bodies ( 400 , 401 ) adjacently arrayed along a is longitudinal axis (L),
(2) one or more connecting elements ( 410 ), each connecting element ( 410 ) connecting the partial bodies ( 400 , 401 ) of each pair of adjacent partial bodies ( 400 , 401 ),

b. each partial body ( 400 , 401 ) and each connecting element ( 410 ) is formed of the active electrode material (E), and
c. each connecting element ( 410 ) has a smaller cross-sectional area perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (L) than its adjacent partial bodies ( 400 , 401 ), whereby the cavity ( 110 ) is:
(1) formed between the adjacent partial bodies ( 400 , 401 ) and adjacent the connecting element ( 410 ), and
(2) configured to ease mechanical separation of the adjacent partial bodies ( 400 , 401 ) by severing the connecting element ( 410 ).

8. The electrode element ( 1 ) of claim 1 wherein the active electrode material (E) includes one or more of:
a. aluminum,
b. tantalum,
c. niobium, and
d. zirconium.

9. The electrode element ( 1 ) of claim 1 defining an electrode of a capacitor ( 200 ).

10. The electrode element ( 1 ) of claim 9 further including an implantable electrotherapeutic device having the capacitor ( 200 ) therein.

11. The electrode element ( 1 ) of claim 1 defining an anode of a capacitor ( 200 ).

12. The electrode element ( 1 ) of claim 1 wherein the electrode body ( 100 ) has pores extending therein from the surface of the electrode body ( 100 ), with the surface coating extending into the pores.

Assignees

• Botronik Se & Co Kg
• Biotronik Se & Co Kg

Inventors

• Dörr Thomas
• Weiss Ingo

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01G9/048 Primary

  characterised by their structure (H01G11/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01G9/0029

  Processes of manufacture · CPC title

• H01G9/042

  characterised by the material (H01G11/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01G11/26 Primary

  characterised by their structure, e.g. multi-layered, porosity or surface features · CPC title