Replenished negative electrodes for secondary batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12009488-B2
Application number	US-202318098285-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2023
Priority date	May 8, 2015
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

A method is provided for activating a secondary battery having a negative electrode, a positive electrode, and a microporous separator between the negative and positive electrodes permeated with carrier-ion containing electrolyte, the negative electrode having anodically active silicon or an alloy thereof. The method includes transferring carrier ions from the positive electrode to the negative electrode to at least partially charge the secondary battery, and transferring carrier ions from an auxiliary electrode to the positive electrode, to provide the secondary battery with a positive electrode end of discharge voltage V pos,eod and a negative electrode end of discharge so voltage V neg,eod when the cell is at a predefined V cell,eod value, the value of V pos,eod corresponding to a voltage at which the state of charge of the positive electrode is at least 95% of its coulombic capacity and V neg,eod is at least 0.4 V (vs Li) but less than 0.9 V (vs Li).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of cycling a secondary battery between a charged state and a discharged state, the secondary battery comprising a negative electrode, a positive electrode, a microporous separator between the negative and positive electrodes permeated with a carrier ion-containing electrolyte in ionic contact with the negative and positive electrodes, and a controller, wherein
the positive electrode comprises a cathodically active material and has a positive electrode coulombic capacity for the carrier ions,
the negative electrode comprises anodically active silicon or an alloy thereof and has a negative electrode coulombic capacity for the carrier ions that exceeds the positive electrode coulombic capacity,
the controller is programmed with a predefined cell end of charge voltage V cell,eoc value and a predefined cell end of discharge voltage V cell,eod value, and
the positive electrode has an end of discharge voltage V pos,eod and the negative electrode has an end of discharge voltage V neg,eod when the secondary battery is at the predefined V cell,eod , the value of V pos,eod corresponds to a voltage at which a state of charge of the positive electrode is at least 95% of its coulombic capacity and V neg,eod is at least 0.4 V (vs Li) but less than 0.9 V (vs Li),
wherein the method comprises cycling the secondary battery by repeatedly charging the secondary battery to the charged state having a cell end of charge voltage that does not exceed the predefined V cell,eoc value, and discharging the secondary battery to the discharged state having a cell end of discharge voltage that does not exceed the predefined V cell,eod value.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the value of V pos,eod corresponds to a voltage at which the state of charge of the positive electrode is at least 96% of its coulombic capacity and V neg,eod is at least 0.4 V (vs Li) but less than 0.9 V (vs Li).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the value of V pos,eod corresponds to a voltage at which the state of charge of the positive electrode is at least 97% of its coulombic capacity and V neg,eod is at least 0.4 V (vs Li) but less than 0.9 V (vs Li).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the value of V pos,eod corresponds to a voltage at which the state of charge of the positive electrode is at least 98% of its coulombic capacity and V neg,eod is at least 0.4 V (vs Li) but less than 0.9 V (vs Li).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the value of V pos,eod corresponds to a voltage at which the state of charge of the positive electrode is at least 99% of its coulombic capacity and V neg,eod is at least 0.4 V (vs Li) but less than 0.9 V (vs Li).

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein V neg,eod is at least 0.4 V (vs Li) but less than 0.8 V (vs Li).

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein V neg,eod is at least 0.5 V (vs Li) but less than 0.8 V (vs Li).

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein V neg,eod is at least 0.4 V (vs Li) but less than 0.7 V (vs Li).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein V neg,eod is at least 0.5 V (vs Li) but less than 0.7 V (vs Li).

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier ions are lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium or aluminum ions.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier ions are lithium, magnesium or aluminum ions.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier ions are lithium ions.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier ions are magnesium ions.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode comprises a microstructured silicon-containing active material that contains a significant void volume fraction to accommodate volume expansion and contraction as carrier ions are incorporated into or leave the negative electrode during charging and discharging cycles.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the void volume fraction of the microstructured silicon-containing active material is at least 0.1.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the void volume fraction of the microstructured silicon-containing active material is not greater than 0.8.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the void volume fraction of the microstructured silicon-containing active material is about 0.15 to about 0.75.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the void volume fraction of the microstructured silicon-containing active material is about 0.2 to about 0.7.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the void volume fraction of the microstructured silicon-containing active material is about 0.25 to about 0.6.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the microstructured silicon-containing active material comprises macroporous, microporous or mesoporous material layers or a combination thereof.

Assignees

• Enovix Corp

Inventors

• Castledine Christopher G
• Fouchard David T
• Doan Jonathan C
• Spindt Christopher J
• Spotnitz Robert M
• Wilcox James D
• Lahiri Ashok
• Ramasubramanian Murali

Classifications

• H01M10/446 Primary

  Initial charging measures · CPC title

• H01M10/448 Primary

  End of discharge regulating measures · CPC title

• H01M10/48

  Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

  Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/386 Primary

  Silicon or alloys based on silicon · CPC title