Compositions and methods for prelithiating energy storage devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12494473-B2
Application number	US-202418586015-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2024
Priority date	Jan 15, 2019
Publication date	Dec 9, 2025
Grant date	Dec 9, 2025

Abstract

An energy storage device can include a cathode, an anode, and a separator between the cathode and the anode. At least one of the electrodes can include an electrode film prepared by a dry process. The electrode film and/or the electrode can comprise a prelithiating material. Processes and apparatuses used for fabricating the electrode and/or electrode film are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A dry electrode film of an energy storage device, comprising:
a dry active material; a dry binder; and a dry prelithiating material distributed throughout the dry active material and the dry binder, wherein the dry prelithiating material comprises a lithium cation, and wherein the dry electrode film is self-supporting and substantially free of solvent residues.

2 . The dry electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the dry prelithiating material is selected from the group consisting of Li 2 O, Li 2 O 2 , Li 2 S, Li 3 N, LiN 3 , LiF, Li 5 FeO 4 , Li 2 NiO 2 , Li 6 CoO 4 , and Li 2 MoO 3 , or combinations thereof.

3 . The dry electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the dry prelithiating material is Li 2 O 2 .

4 . The dry electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the dry prelithiating material comprises about 0.5-10 wt. % of the dry electrode film.

5 . The dry electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the dry active material is a dry cathode active material.

6 . The dry electrode film of claim 5 , wherein the dry cathode active material comprises sulfur or a material comprising sulfur.

7 . The dry electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the dry electrode film is free-standing.

8 . The dry electrode film of claim 1 , further comprising a dry conductive carbon additive, wherein a weight ratio of the dry prelithiating material and the dry conductive carbon additive is within a range of about 10:1 to about 1:1.

9 . The dry electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the dry prelithiating material comprises submicron sized particles.

10 . The dry electrode film of claim 1 , wherein the dry binder comprises particles of about 50 nm to about 10 μm in size.

11 . An energy storage device comprising the dry electrode film of claim 1 .

12 . The energy storage device of claim 11 , wherein the energy storage device is a battery.

13 . The dry electrode film of claim 10 , further comprising a thickness of at least about 110 μm.

14 . A dry method of fabricating the dry electrode film of claim 1 , comprising:
combining the dry prelithiating material, the dry active material and the dry binder to form a dry electrode film mixture; and fibrillizing the dry binder in the dry electrode film mixture, wherein the dry method is a dry fabrication process substantially free of solvents.

15 . The dry method of claim 14 , wherein combining further comprises combining a dry conductive carbon additive with the dry prelithiating material, the dry active material and the dry binder to form the dry electrode film mixture.

16 . The dry method of claim 15 , wherein combining the dry prelithiating material, the dry conductive carbon additive, the dry active material and the dry binder comprises:
combining the dry prelithiating material, the dry conductive carbon additive, and the dry active material to form a dry mixture; and combining the dry binder and the dry mixture to form the dry electrode film mixture.

17 . The dry method of claim 16 , wherein combining the dry prelithiating material, the dry conductive carbon additive, and the dry active material to form the dry mixture comprises:
combining the dry prelithiating material and the dry conductive carbon additive to form a first mixture; and combining the first mixture and the dry active material to form the dry mixture.

18 . The dry method of claim 17 , wherein combining the first mixture and the dry active material further comprises mixing a dry carbon material and a dry conductive carbon material to form the dry mixture.

19 . The dry method of claim 17 , wherein combining the first mixture and the dry active material is performed so that a temperature of the dry mixture is at most about 100° C.

20 . The dry method of claim 15 , wherein the dry prelithiating material and the dry conductive carbon additive are combined at a temperature of at most about 200° C.

21 . The dry method of claim 15 , wherein the dry prelithiating material and the dry conductive carbon additive are combined and results in electrical contact between primary particles of the dry prelithiating material and the dry conductive carbon additive.

22 . The dry method of claim 15 , wherein the dry prelithiating material and the dry conductive carbon additive are combined without excessive heating.

23 . The dry method of claim 15 , wherein a ratio of the dry prelithiating material and the dry conductive carbon additive is within a range of about 10:1 to about 1:1.

24 . The dry method of claim 15 , wherein a ratio of the dry prelithiating material and the dry conductive carbon additive is within a range of about 5:1 to about 5:3.

25 . The dry method of claim 14 , further comprising calendering the dry electrode film mixture to form the dry electrode film.

26 . The dry method of claim 25 , further comprising disposing the dry electrode film over a current collector to form an electrode.

27 . The dry method of claim 26 , further comprising:
incorporating the electrode into an energy storage device; and performing an initial cycling of the energy storage device, thereby oxidizing the dry prelithiating material.

Assignees

• Tesla Inc

Inventors

• Wang Ziying
• Duong Hieu Minh

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M2004/021

  Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area · CPC title

• H01M4/58

  of inorganic compounds other than oxides or hydroxides, e.g. sulfides, selenides, tellurides, halogenides or LiCoFy; of polyanionic structures, e.g. phosphates, silicates or borates · CPC title

• H01M4/622

  being polymers · CPC title

• H01M4/38

  of elements or alloys · CPC title