Electrochemically grown zinc oxide layer on current collectors for mitigating growth of lithium dendrites

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12592376-B2
Application number	US-202318125824-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2023
Priority date	Mar 24, 2023
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a battery cell includes connecting a current collector to a working electrode; connecting a zinc metal portion to a counter electrode; immersing the current collector and a portion of the working electrode in a liquid; immersing the zinc metal portion and a portion of the counter electrode in the liquid; supplying molecular oxygen into the liquid; and electrochemically coating the current collector with a zinc oxide layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for manufacturing a battery cell, comprising:
connecting a current collector to a working electrode; connecting a zinc metal portion to a counter electrode; immersing the current collector and a portion of the working electrode in a liquid; immersing the zinc metal portion and a portion of the counter electrode in the liquid; supplying molecular oxygen into the liquid; and electrochemically coating the current collector with a zinc oxide layer.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a voltage across the working electrode and the counter electrode.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising immersing a portion of a reference electrode in the liquid.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising applying current to the reference electrode.

5 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising applying a negative voltage to the reference electrode.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising creating an anode electrode by adding a lithium layer on the zinc oxide layer.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein adding the lithium layer includes electrodepositing the lithium layer.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein adding the lithium layer includes arranging the lithium layer on the zinc oxide layer using a roll-to-roll process.

9 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
providing a plurality of cathode electrodes; providing a plurality of separators; and arranging a plurality of the anode electrode, the plurality of cathode electrodes and the plurality of separators adjacent to one another in a predetermined order to form the battery cell.

10 . A method for manufacturing a battery cell, comprising:
connecting a current collector to a working electrode; connecting a zinc metal portion to a counter electrode; immersing the current collector and a portion of the working electrode in a liquid; immersing the zinc metal portion and a portion of the counter electrode in the liquid; supplying molecular oxygen into the liquid; applying a voltage across the working electrode and the counter electrode; immersing a portion of a reference electrode in the liquid; one of supplying current to the reference electrode and supplying a negative voltage to the reference electrode; and electrochemically coating the current collector with a zinc oxide layer.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising creating an anode electrode by adding a lithium layer on the zinc oxide layer.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein adding the lithium layer includes electrodepositing the lithium layer.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein adding the lithium layer includes arranging the lithium layer on the zinc oxide layer using a roll-to-roll process.

14 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing a plurality of cathode electrodes; providing a plurality of separators; and arranging a plurality of the anode electrode, the plurality of cathode electrodes and the plurality of separators adjacent to one another in a predetermined order to form the battery cell.

15 . A method for manufacturing a battery cell, comprising:
electrodepositing a zinc oxide layer on a plurality of current collectors; creating a plurality of anode electrodes by adding a plurality of lithium layers on the zinc oxide layer of the plurality of current collectors; providing a plurality of cathode electrodes; providing a plurality of separators; and arranging the plurality of cathode electrodes, the plurality of anode electrodes, and the plurality of separators in a predetermined order in an enclosure to form the battery cell, wherein electrodepositing the zinc oxide layer on the plurality of current collectors includes:
connecting the plurality of current collectors to a working electrode;
connecting a zinc metal portion to a counter electrode;
immersing the plurality of current collectors and a portion of the working electrode in a liquid;
immersing the zinc metal portion and a portion of the counter electrode in the liquid;
supplying molecular oxygen into the liquid; and
electrochemically coating the plurality of current collectors with the zinc oxide layer.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein adding the plurality of lithium layers includes electrodepositing the plurality of lithium layers.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein adding the plurality of lithium layers includes arranging the plurality of lithium layers on the zinc oxide layer of the plurality of current collectors using a roll-to-roll process.

18 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising applying a voltage across the working electrode and the counter electrode.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
Immersing a portion of a reference electrode in the liquid; and one of:
applying current to the reference electrode; and
applying a negative voltage to the reference electrode.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Nagy Sayed Youssef Sayed
• Reese Caleb
• Kim Yoojin

Classifications

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/0435 Primary

  Rolling or calendering · CPC title

• C25D9/08

  by cathodic processes · CPC title

• C25D3/42

  of light metals · CPC title