Protection layer for electrochemical batteries and systems and methods therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12355088-B2
Application number	US-202217705512-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2022
Priority date	Mar 31, 2021
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

A secondary battery assembly includes an electrode assembly having mutually perpendicular transverse, longitudinal, and vertical axes corresponding to X, Y and Z axes, respectively. A constraint is disposed on an outer surface of the electrode assembly. At least one of the electrode assembly or constraint has a protrusion extending in an X-Y plane defined by the X and Y axes and having a first radius of curvature in the X-Y plane. A battery enclosure encloses the electrode assembly and the constraint. An enclosure protection layer is disposed over at least a portion of the protrusion and between the protrusion and the battery enclosure. The enclosure protection layer defines a second radius of curvature overlying the first radius of curvature in the X-Y plane. The second radius of curvature is greater than the first radius of curvature to thereby reduce the potential of the protrusion causing damage to the battery enclosure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A secondary battery assembly, comprising:
an electrode assembly having mutually perpendicular transverse, longitudinal, and vertical axes corresponding to an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis, respectively, of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system;
a constraint disposed on an outer surface of the electrode assembly;
at least one of (i) the electrode assembly and (i) the constraint, comprising a protrusion extending in an X-Y plane defined by the X axis and the Y axis, the protrusion having a first radius of curvature in the X-Y plane;
a battery enclosure enclosing the electrode assembly and the constraint; and
an enclosure protection layer disposed over at least a portion of the protrusion and between the protrusion and the battery enclosure, the enclosure protection layer defining a second radius of curvature overlying the first radius of curvature in the X-Y plane, the second radius of curvature being greater than the first radius of curvature, to thereby reduce a potential of the protrusion to cause damage to the battery enclosure.

2. The secondary battery assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electrode assembly comprises a rectangular prismatic shape having six rectangular faces, and wherein the protrusion is located on one of the rectangular faces.

3. The secondary battery assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electrode assembly is enclosed within a volume defined by the constraint, and the constraint comprises a first primary growth constraint in contact with at least one surface (a) of an electrode and/or (b) of a counter electrode, of the electrode assembly, and wherein the first primary growth constraint defines the protrusion, the electrode assembly comprising the electrode and the counter electrode.

4. The secondary battery assembly of claim 3 , wherein the constraint further comprises a second primary growth constraint spaced apart from the first primary growth constraint, the second primary growth constraint being in contact with a different surface of the electrode or of the counter electrode.

5. The secondary battery assembly of claim 3 , wherein the constraint further comprises a first secondary growth constraint in contact with a second surface of the electrode and/or of the counter electrode.

6. The secondary battery assembly of claim 5 , wherein the constraint further comprises a second secondary growth constraint being (a) spaced apart from the first secondary growth constraint, and (b) in contact with a third surface of the electrode and/or of the counter electrode.

7. The secondary battery assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a first bus bar and a second bus bar, and wherein a portion of the first bus bar or of the second bus bar, defines the protrusion.

8. The secondary battery assembly of claim 7 , wherein the enclosure protection layer is disposed over at least one of (a) the first bus bar and (b) the second bus bar.

9. The secondary battery assembly of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure protection layer comprises a polymer.

10. The secondary battery assembly of claim 9 , wherein the polymer comprises at least one of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyethylene (PE), ethylene acrylic acid (EAA), ethylene methacrylic acid (EMAA), functional derivatives, and copolymers thereof.

11. The secondary battery assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the electrode assembly comprises a rectangular prismatic shape having six rectangular faces; and
the constraint comprises (A) a first cover in contact with at least three of the rectangular faces and (B) a second cover spaced apart from the first cover, the second cover being in contact with at least three other ones of the rectangular faces, and wherein the constraint defines the protrusion.

12. The secondary battery assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first cover comprises a population of through bores extending through an entirety of a height dimension of the first cover, and wherein at least a portion of the through bores defines the protrusion.

13. The secondary battery assembly of claim 11 , wherein the second cover comprises a population of through bores extending through an entirety of a height dimension of the second cover, and wherein at least a portion of the through bores of the second cover defines the protrusion.

14. The secondary battery assembly of claim 11 , wherein the enclosure protection layer substantially covers at least two of the rectangular faces.

15. The secondary battery assembly of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure protection layer has a uniform thickness.

16. A secondary battery comprising:
an electrode assembly having mutually perpendicular transverse, longitudinal, and vertical axes corresponding to an X axis, a Y axis and a Z axis, respectively, of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system;
a constraint defining a volume, the electrode assembly contained within the volume;
at least one of (a) electrode assembly and (b) the constraint, defining at least one protrusion extending in an X-Y plane defined by the X axis and Y axis, the protrusion having a first radius of curvature in the X-Y plane;
an enclosure protection layer disposed over at least a portion of the protrusion and between the protrusion and a battery enclosure, the enclosure protection layer defining a second radius of curvature overlying the first radius of curvature in the X-Y plane, the second radius of curvature being greater than the first radius of curvature to thereby reduce a potential of the protrusion to cause damage to the battery enclosure; and
wherein the battery enclosure encloses the electrode assembly, constraint and enclosure protection layer, and at least a portion of the battery enclosure is in direct contact with the enclosure protection layer.

17. The secondary battery of claim 16 , wherein the enclosure protection layer is heat staked to at least one of (a) the electrode assembly and (b) the constraint.

18. The secondary battery of claim 16 , wherein the enclosure protection layer comprises at least one of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyethylene (PE), ethylene acrylic acid (EAA), ethylene methacrylic acid (EMAA), functional derivatives, and copolymers thereof.

19. The secondary battery of claim 16 , wherein the battery enclosure comprises aluminum.

20. The secondary battery of claim 16 , wherein the electrode assembly is a rectangular prismatic shape having at least six rectangular faces, and the enclosure protection layer is disposed over at least four of the rectangular faces.

21. The secondary battery of claim 16 , wherein the enclosure protection layer has a thickness of from 25 micrometers (μm) to 500 μm.

22. The secondary battery of claim 16 , wherein a height measured in a direction of the Z axis of the enclosure protection layer is substantially equal to a height measured in the direction of the Z axis of the electrode assembly.

23. The secondary battery of claim 16 , wherein the enclosure protection layer is heat staked along at least 80% of a length measured in a direction of the X axis of the enclosure protection layer.

24. The secondary battery of claim 23 , wherein the enclosure protection layer is heat staked along at least 95% of the length measured in the direction of the X axis of the enclosure protection layer.

25. The secondary battery of claim 16 , wherein the electrode assembly comprises an anodically active material selected from the group consisting of: (a) silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), tin (Sn)

Assignees

• Enovix Corp

Inventors

• Busacca Robert S
• Mandalam Aditya
• Rosen Robert K
• Valdes Bruno A
• Kinchen Robert F

Classifications

• H01M10/0468

  Compression means for stacks of electrodes and separators · CPC title

• H01M50/103 Primary

  prismatic or rectangular (H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/119

  Metals · CPC title

• H01M50/121

  Organic material · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title