Apparatuses and processes for forming a semi-solid electrode having high active solids loading and electrochemical cells including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12107252-B2
Application number	US-202217895229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2022
Priority date	Jan 21, 2020
Publication date	Oct 1, 2024
Grant date	Oct 1, 2024

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate generally to apparatuses and processes for forming semi-solid electrodes having high active solids loading by removing excess electrolyte. In some embodiments, the semi-solid electrode material can be formed by mixing an active material and, optionally, a conductive material in a liquid electrolyte to form a suspension. In some embodiments, the semi-solid electrode material can be disposed onto a current collector to form an intermediate electrode. In some embodiments, the semi-solid electrode material can have a first composition in which the ratio of electrolyte to active material is between about 10:1 and about 1:1. In some embodiments, a method for converting the semi-solid electrode material from the first composition into the second composition includes removing a portion of the electrolyte from the semi-solid electrode material. In some embodiments, the method includes mechanically compressing the intermediate electrode to remove the portion of electrolyte from the semi-solid electrode material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of forming a densified semi-solid electrode, the method comprising:
mixing an active material and a conductive material with a liquid electrolyte to form a semi-solid electrode material;
disposing the semi-solid electrode material onto a current collector; and
compressing the semi-solid electrode material to extract a portion of the liquid electrolyte and form the densified semi-solid electrode,
wherein the densified semi-solid electrode includes between about 60% and about 85% by volume of an active material.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
disposing an electrolyte absorbing material onto an exposed surface of the semi-solid electrode material.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the semi-solid electrode material is compressed between the current collector and the electrolyte absorbing material to extract the portion of the liquid electrolyte.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semi-solid electrode material is compressed between the current collector and a semi-permeable membrane to extract the portion of the liquid electrolyte.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the semi-permeable membrane is configured to absorb the portion of the liquid electrolyte extracted during compressing.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
disposing an absorptive material onto an exposed surface of the semi-permeable membrane, the absorptive material configured to absorb the portion of the liquid electrolyte extracted during compressing.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein compressing the semi-solid electrode material includes compressing the semi-solid material between a die and a base.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the densified semi-solid electrode material includes greater than about 70 wt % of the active material.

9. A method, comprising:
mixing an active material and a conductive material with a liquid electrolyte to form a semi-solid electrode material having a first volume;
interposing the semi-solid electrode material between a current collector and an absorptive material; and
applying a compressive force to the semi-solid electrode material via a roller such that the semi-solid electrode material has a second volume less than the first volume.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the absorptive material is conveyed by one or more rollers.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein a flat portion of the absorptive material is in contact with the semi-solid electrode material.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second volume is between about 50% and about 95% of the first volume.

13. A method, comprising:
mixing an active material and a conductive material with a liquid electrolyte to form a semi-solid electrode material;
disposing the semi-solid electrode material on a current collector such that the semi-solid electrode material has a first thickness and a first volume, the first thickness being a dimension of the semi-solid electrode material in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the current collector; and
applying a compressive force to the semi-solid electrode material via a roller such that the semi-solid electrode material has a second thickness less than the first thickness and a second volume less than the first volume.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
interposing the semi-solid electrode material between a current collector and an absorptive material prior to applying the compression force.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first thickness is between about 100 μm and about 2,000 μm.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second thickness is between about 5 μm and about 50 μm.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein compressing is accomplished by mechanically compressing the semi-solid electrode material between a base and a die of a mechanical press.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the semi-solid electrode material includes between about 60% and about 85% by volume of the active material after applying the compressive force.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the semi-solid electrode has a first density prior to applying the compressive force and a second density after applying the compressive force, the first density less than about 2 g/cm 3 and the second density is between about 2.1 g/cm 3 and about 4 g/cm 3 .

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein an energy density of the semi-solid electrode material after applying the compressive force is greater than about 7 mAh/g.

Assignees

• 24M Tech Inc
• Kyocera Corp

Inventors

• Aranami Junji
• Zagars Raymond
• Ota Naoki
• Chen Junzheng
• Bazzarella Ricardo

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/624

  Electric conductive fillers · CPC title

• H01M4/13

  Electrodes for accumulators with non-aqueous electrolyte, e.g. for lithium-accumulators; Processes of manufacture thereof · CPC title

• H01M4/0435

  Rolling or calendering · CPC title

• H01M4/043

  involving compressing or compaction · CPC title