Self-heating battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12388127-B2
Application number	US-202217854692-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2022
Priority date	Mar 22, 2017
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

Lithium-based and sodium-based batteries and capacitors using metal foil current collectors, coated with porous layers of particles of active electrode materials for producing an electric current, may be adapted to produce heat for enhancing output when the cells are required to periodically operate during low ambient temperatures. A self-heating cell may be placed in heat transfer contact with a working cell that is temporarily in a cold environment. One or both of the anode current collector and cathode current collector of a heating cell may be formed with shaped extended portions, uncoated with electrode materials, through which cell current may be passed for resistance heating of the extended current collector areas. These extended current collector areas may be used to heat the working area of the cell in which they are incorporated, or to contact and heat an adjacent working cell.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery or capacitor comprising:
a working cell comprising a working anode, a working cathode, and a first porous separator disposed therebetween, the working anode including a working anode current collector foil having a first anode material layer including particles of a first active anode material comprising graphite bonded to the working anode current collector foil, and the working cathode including a working cathode current collector foil having a first cathode material layer including particles of a first active cathode material bonded to the working cathode current collector foil; and
a self-heating cell disposed in heat transfer contact with the working cell, the self-heating cell comprising a heating anode, a heating cathode, and a second porous separator disposed therebetween, the heating anode including a heating anode current collector foil having a second anode material layer including particles of a second active anode material comprising lithium titanate bonded to the heating anode current collector foil, the heating cathode including a heating cathode current collector foil having a second cathode material layer including particles of a second active cathode material comprising lithium manganese oxide bonded to the heating cathode current collector foil, and each of the heating anode and cathode current collector foils being in electrical contact with an external electrical circuit,
wherein, when an electrical current is produced by the self-heating cell and passed through the external electrical circuit, heat is generated in the self-heating cell by electrical resistance heating and heat is transferred from the self-heating cell to the working cell.

2. The battery or capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the working cell is constructed to produce a specified electrical current when operating in a specified ambient temperature range to an external electrically powered device, and the self-heating cell is constructed to produce a specified electrical current for heating itself and the working cell when the working cell is operating while exposed to an ambient temperature below the specified ambient temperature range.

3. The battery or capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the internal electrical resistance of the self-heating cell is greater than that of the working cell.

4. The battery or capacitor of claim 1 , wherein at least one of (i) the heating anode current collector foil is formed of a metal composition having a higher electrical resistance than the working anode current collector foil, and (ii) the heating cathode current collector foil is formed of a metal composition having a higher electrical resistance than the working cathode current collector foil.

5. The battery or capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the working anode and cathode and the heating anode and cathode of the working cell and the self-heating cell are flat layers of like peripheral shape, contained in separate containers, and the separate containers are stacked in parallel alignment in heat transfer contact.

6. The battery or capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the working anode and cathode and the heating anode and cathode of the working cell and the self-heating cell are flat layers of like peripheral shape, contained in the same container, and the electrodes are stacked in parallel alignment in the same container.

7. The battery or capacitor of claim 1 , further comprising a non-aqueous liquid electrolyte infiltrating pores of the second anode material layer of the heating anode, the second cathode material layer of the heating cathode, and the second porous separator, wherein the heating anode, the heating cathode, and the second porous separator are sealed within a pouch having a thin wall, wherein each of the heating anode and cathode current collector foils having a connector tab that extends through the thin wall of the pouch, and wherein the connector tabs of the heating anode and cathode current collector foils are in electrical contact with the external electrical circuit.

8. A lithium-based battery, the battery comprising:
a working cell comprising a working anode, a working cathode, and a first porous separator disposed therebetween, the working anode including a working anode current collector foil having a first anode material layer including particles of a first active anode material comprising graphite bonded to the working anode current collector foil, and the working cathode including a working cathode current collector foil having a first cathode material layer including particles of a first active cathode material bonded to the working cathode current collector foil;
a self-heating cell disposed in heat transfer contact with the working cell, the self-heating cell comprising a heating anode, a heating cathode, and a second porous separator disposed therebetween, the heating anode including a heating anode current collector foil having a second anode material layer including particles of a second active anode material comprising lithium titanate bonded to the heating anode current collector foil, the heating cathode including a heating cathode current collector foil having a second cathode material layer including particles of a second active cathode material bonded to the heating cathode current collector foil, and each of the heating anode and cathode current collector foils being in electrical contact with an external electrical circuit; and
a non-aqueous liquid electrolyte infiltrating pores of the first and second anode material layers of the working anode and the heating anode, the first and second cathode material layers of the working cathode and the heating cathode, and the first and second porous separators,
wherein, when an electrical current is produced by the self-heating cell and passed through the external electrical circuit, heat is generated in the self-heating cell by electrical resistance heating and heat is transferred from the self-heating cell to the working cell.

9. The lithium-based battery of claim 8 , wherein the second active cathode material of the self-heating cell comprises lithium manganese oxide.

10. The lithium-based battery of claim 9 , wherein the first active cathode material of the working cell comprises lithium iron phosphate.

11. The lithium-based battery of claim 8 , wherein the working cell is constructed to produce a specified electrical current when operating in a specified ambient temperature range to an external electrically powered device, and the self-heating cell is constructed to produce a specified electrical current for heating itself and the working cell when the working cell is operating while exposed to an ambient temperature below the specified ambient temperature range.

12. The lithium-based battery of claim 8 , wherein an internal electrical resistance of the self-heating cell is greater than that of the working cell.

13. The lithium-based battery of claim 8 , wherein (i) the heating anode current collector foil is formed of a metal composition having a higher electrical resistance than that of the working anode current collector foil, and/or (ii) the heating cathode current collector foil is formed of a metal composition having a higher electrical resistance than that of the working cathode current collector foil.

14. The lithium-based battery of claim 8 , wherein the working anode and the working cathode of the working cell and the heating anode and the heating cathode of the self-heating cell are flat layers of like peripheral shape, contained in separate containers, and the separate containers are stacked in parallel alignment in heat transfer contact.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Yu Zhiqiang
• Liu Haijing
• Que Xiaochao
• Rich Dave Gerard
• Hasan Saad
• Wu Meiyuan

Classifications

• H01M50/538

  Connection of several leads or tabs of wound or folded electrode stacks · CPC title

• H01M50/536

  characterised by the method of fixing the leads to the electrodes, e.g. by welding · CPC title

• H01M10/0587

  of accumulators having only wound construction elements, i.e. wound positive electrodes, wound negative electrodes and wound separators · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

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

• H01M4/80

  Porous plates, e.g. sintered carriers · CPC title