Seal-healing composites and applications thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016049217-A1
Application number	US-201314075841-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 8, 2013
Priority date	Nov 9, 2012
Publication date	Feb 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A battery electrode includes an electrochemically active material and a binder covering the electrochemically active material. The binder includes a self-healing polymer and conductive additives dispersed in the self-healing polymer to provide an electrical pathway across at least a portion of the binder.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A battery electrode, comprising:
an electrochemically active material; and a binder covering the electrochemically active material and including a self-healing polymer.

2 . The battery electrode of claim 1 , wherein the self-healing polymer includes a matrix formed of molecules cross-linked through reversible bonds having a bonding strength in the range of 4 kJ/mol to 100 kJ/mol.

3 . The battery electrode of claim 1 , wherein the reversible bonds are selected from at least one of hydrogen bonds, coordination bonds, electrostatic interactions, dynamic covalent bonds, π-π interactions, host-guest interactions, charge transfer interactions, and van der Waals interactions.

4 . The battery electrode of claim 1 , wherein the self-healing polymer has a glass transition temperature no greater than 75° C.

5 . The battery electrode of claim 1 , wherein the binder includes conductive additives dispersed in the self-healing polymer to provide an electrical pathway across at least a portion of the binder.

6 . The battery electrode of claim 5 , wherein a loading level of the conductive additives in the binder is above an electrical percolation threshold.

7 . The battery electrode of claim 1 , wherein the self-healing polymer is electrically conductive or semiconducting, and provides an electrical pathway across at least a portion of the binder.

8 . The battery electrode of claim 1 , wherein the binder has at least one of:
an electrical conductivity of at least 0.1 S/cm; and an elongation-at-break of at least 50%.

9 . The battery electrode of claim 1 , wherein the binder has at least one of:
a conductive healing efficiency of at least 40%; and a mechanical healing efficiency of at least 40%.

10 . A battery comprising:
an anode; a cathode; and an electrolyte disposed between the anode and the cathode, wherein at least one of the anode and the cathode corresponds to the battery electrode of claim 1 .

11 . A self-healing composite, comprising:
a polymeric matrix formed of molecules cross-linked through reversible bonds; and conductive additives dispersed in the polymeric matrix, wherein the self-healing composite has an electrical conductivity of at least 1 S/cm.

12 . The self-healing composite of claim 11 , wherein the electrical conductivity is at least 5 S/cm.

13 . The self-healing composite of claim 11 , wherein the self-healing composite has a glass transition temperature no greater than 25° C.

14 . The self-healing composite of claim 11 , wherein the reversible bonds have a bonding strength in the range of 4 kJ/mol to 100 kJ/mol.

15 . The self-healing composite of claim 11 , wherein the reversible bonds are selected from at least one of hydrogen bonds, coordination bonds, electrostatic interactions, dynamic covalent bonds, π-π interactions, host-guest interactions, charge transfer interactions, and van der Waals interactions.

16 . The self-healing composite of claim 11 , wherein each of the molecules includes a connecting moiety and multiple associative groups attached to the connecting moiety, and the molecules are cross-linked through their associative groups to form the polymeric matrix.

17 . The self-healing composite of claim 16 , wherein at least a portion of the connecting moiety includes an alkylene chain in the form of —(CH 2 ) n — with n in the range of 1 to 40.

18 . The self-healing composite of claim 16 , wherein at least a portion of the connecting moiety includes one of a polyamide chain, a polyester chain, a polyurethane chain, and a polysiloxane chain.

19 . The self-healing composite of claim 11 , wherein the conductive additives include metallic nanoparticles having surface texturing.

20 . A piezoresistive sensor, comprising:
a self-healing polymer including a matrix formed of molecules cross-linked through reversible bonds having a bonding strength in the range of 4 kJ/mol to 100 kJ/mol; and conductive additives dispersed in the self-healing polymer at a loading level below an electrical percolation threshold.

Assignees

• Univ Leland Stanford Junior

Inventors

• Tee Benjamin Chee-Keong
• Wang Chao
• Wu Hui
• Cui Yi
• Bao Zhenan

Classifications

• H01M4/622 Primary

  being polymers · CPC title

• G01L1/18

  using properties of piezo-resistive materials, i.e. materials of which the ohmic resistance varies according to changes in magnitude or direction of force applied to the material · CPC title

• H01B1/22 Primary

  the conductive material comprising metals or alloys · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

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

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title