Porous current collector and electrode for an electrochemical battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017263938-A1
Application number	US-201715442442-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 24, 2017
Priority date	Mar 11, 2016
Publication date	Sep 14, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A component for use in an electrochemical battery, wherein the component includes a self-supporting porous metal substrate capable of acting as both an electrode and a current collector in an electrochemical battery. The present disclosure is also directed to methods of making the components of the present disclosure and electrochemical batteries including at least one component according to the present disclosure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A component for use in an electrochemical battery, wherein the component includes a self-supporting porous metal substrate, wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate is electrically conductive, and wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate comprises a plurality of pores capable of ion insertion and extraction.

2 . The component of claim 1 , wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate comprises copper.

3 . The component of claim 1 , wherein the component has a specific capacity in an electrochemical battery that is greater or less than about 350 Ah/kg.

4 . The component of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pores have an average diameter of from about 0.1 to 40 nm.

5 . The component of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of pores have an average diameter of from about 1 to 10 nm.

6 . The component of claim 1 further comprising a carbon-containing material.

7 . The component of claim 6 , wherein the carbon-containing material is a coating provided on a surface of the porous metal substrate.

8 . The component of claim 7 , wherein the carbon-contains material is graphene.

9 . The component of claim 1 , wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate has a pore size distribution that is the same as that of a hard carbon material.

10 . The component of claim 9 , wherein an exterior surface of the self-supporting porous metal substrate and at least a portion of an interior surface of the self-supporting porous metal substrate defining the plurality of pores is coated with a carbon-containing material.

11 . The component of claim 10 , wherein the carbon-containing material is graphene, and wherein the graphene is applied to the self-supporting porous metal substrate by chemical vapor deposition.

12 . The component of claim 1 , wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate is prepared by sintering a plurality of copper nanoparticles and/or a copper metal precursor to form the self-supporting porous metal substrate.

13 . The component of claim 1 , wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate is prepared by providing a copper-containing alloy and chemically or electrochemically dealloying the copper-containing alloy to form the self-supporting porous metal substrate.

14 . The component of claim 1 , wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate comprises a porous copper first layer positioned on a non-porous copper second layer.

15 . An electrochemical battery comprising:
an electrolyte; a cathode; a current collector in communication with an external face of the cathode; a component comprising a self-supporting porous metal substrate; and a separator positioned between the cathode and the component, wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate is electrically conductive and comprises a plurality of pores capable of ion insertion and extraction, and wherein the component acts as an anode and a current collector in the lithium ion battery.

16 . The electrochemical battery of claim 15 , wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate comprises copper.

17 . The electrochemical battery of claim 15 , wherein the component has a specific capacity in an electrochemical battery that is greater or less than about 350 Ah/kg.

18 . The electrochemical battery of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of pores have an average diameter of from about 0.1 to 40 nm.

19 . The electrochemical battery of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of pores have an average diameter of from about 1 to 10 nm.

20 . The electrochemical battery of claim 15 further comprising a carbon-containing material provided on a surface of the porous metal substrate.

21 . The electrochemical battery of claim 20 , wherein the carbon-containing material is graphene.

22 . The electrochemical battery of claim 15 , wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate has a pore size distribution that is the same as that of a hard carbon material.

23 . The electrochemical battery of claim 15 , wherein an exterior surface of the self-supporting porous metal substrate and at least a portion of an interior surface of the self-supporting porous metal substrate defining the plurality of pores is coated with a carbon-containing material.

24 . The electrochemical battery of claim 23 , wherein the carbon-containing material is graphene, and wherein the graphene is applied to the self-supporting porous metal substrate by chemical vapor deposition.

25 . The electrochemical battery of claim 15 , wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate is prepared by sintering a plurality of copper nanoparticles and/or a copper metal precursor to form the self-supporting porous metal substrate.

26 . The electrochemical battery of claim 15 , wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate is prepared by providing a copper-containing alloy and chemically or electrochemically dealloying the copper-containing alloy to form the self-supporting porous metal substrate.

27 . The electrochemical battery of claim 15 , wherein the self-supporting porous metal substrate comprises a porous copper first layer positioned on a non-porous copper second layer.

28 . A method of making a lithium-ion battery comprising:
providing a self-supporting copper substrate that is electrically conductive and comprises a plurality of pores capable of ion insertion and extraction; assembling an electrochemical battery comprising a cathode, a combined anode and current collector comprising the self-supporting copper substrate, and a separator positioned between the cathode and anode.

29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the self-supporting copper substrate has a pore size distribution that is the same as that of a hard carbon material.

30 . The method of claim 29 , wherein an exterior surface of the self-supporting copper substrate and at least a portion of an interior surface of the self-supporting copper substrate defining the plurality of pores is coated with a carbon-containing material.

31 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the carbon-containing material is graphene and the step of providing the self-supporting copper substrate includes applying the graphene to the self-supporting copper substrate by chemical vapor deposition.

32 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the step of providing the self-supporting copper substrate comprises sintering a plurality of copper nanoparticles and/or a copper metal precursor to form the self-supporting copper substrate.

33 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the step of providing the self-supporting copper substrate includes providing a copper-containing alloy and chemically or electrochemically dealloying the copper-containing alloy to form the self-supporting copper substrate.

34 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the self-supporting copper substrate comprises a porous copper first layer positioned on a non-porous copper second layer.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Harutyunyan Avetik
• Chen Gugang

Classifications

• H01M4/02

  Electrodes composed of, or comprising, active material · CPC title

• H01M4/808

  Foamed, spongy materials · CPC title

• B82Y30/00

  Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

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

• H01M4/667

  in the form of layers, e.g. coatings · CPC title