Electrodes, lithium-ion batteries, and methods of making and using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017271659-A1
Application number	US-201715612890-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 2, 2017
Priority date	Sep 29, 2009
Publication date	Sep 21, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Described herein are improved composite anodes and lithium-ion batteries made therefrom. Further described are methods of making and using the improved anodes and batteries. In general, the anodes include a porous composite having a plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites. At least one of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites is formed from a dendritic particle, which is a three-dimensional, randomly-ordered assembly of nanoparticles of an electrically conducting material and a plurality of discrete non-porous nanoparticles of a non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof disposed on a surface of the dendritic particle. At least one nanocomposite of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites has at least a portion of its dendritic particle in electrical communication with at least a portion of a dendritic particle of an adjacent nanocomposite in the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites.

First claim

1 . (canceled)

2 . A battery electrode composition comprising a plurality of composite particles, each composite particle comprising:
an electrically-interconnected matrix having a three-dimensional, randomly-ordered structure forming internal pores within the matrix; and a plurality of nanoparticles of a non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof disposed within the internal pores of the matrix.

3 . The battery electrode composition of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles are discrete and non-porous.

4 . The battery electrode composition of claim 3 , wherein the discrete and non-porous nanoparticles comprise silicon.

5 . The battery electrode composition of claim 1 , wherein the electrically-interconnected matrix comprises an electrically-conductive material.

6 . The battery electrode composition of claim 5 , wherein the electrically-conductive material comprises amorphous or graphitic carbon.

7 . The battery electrode composition of claim 1 , wherein the matrix comprises interconnected dendritic particles.

8 . The battery electrode composition of claim 7 , wherein the matrix further comprises a carbonized polymer that bonds the dendritic particles together in the three-dimensional, randomly-ordered structure to form the matrix.

9 . The battery electrode composition of claim 1 , where the electrically-interconnected matrix comprises:
a plurality of dendritic particles; and an electrically-conductive additive material joining the plurality of dendritic particles together, wherein the plurality of dendritic particles and the electrically-conductive additive material both comprise carbon.

10 . The battery electrode composition of claim 1 , wherein each composite particle further comprises a coating disposed on at least a portion of an outer surface of the composite particle.

11 . The battery electrode composition of claim 10 , wherein the coating fully encases the outer surface of the composite particle.

12 . The battery electrode composition of claim 10 , wherein the coating encases the nanoparticles within the outer surface of the composite particle.

13 . The battery electrode composition of claim 10 , wherein the coating is an electrically conductive coating that comprises carbon.

14 . The battery electrode composition of claim 13 , wherein at least some of the carbon of the coating comprises a carbonized polymeric binder.

15 . The battery electrode composition of claim 13 , wherein at least some of the carbon of the coating comprises a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) carbon.

16 . The battery electrode composition of claim 1 , wherein the composite particles have an average size in the range of about 100 nanometers to about 40 micrometers.

17 . The battery electrode composition of claim 1 , wherein the composite particles exhibit an average specific surface area that is less than or equal to about 24 m 2 /g.

18 . The battery electrode composition of claim 1 , wherein the composite particles have an average pore volume that is less than about 20 times the average volume occupied by the nanoparticles of each composite particle.

19 . The battery electrode composition of claim 1 , wherein the composite particles are formed as a spherical or substantially-spherical granule.

20 . The battery electrode composition of claim 1 , wherein the matrix forms a bulk unitary body.

21 . The battery electrode composition of claim 1 , wherein the battery electrode composition comprises a plurality of agglomerations of the composite particles.

22 . The battery electrode composition of claim 21 , wherein at least a portion of each composite particle is in electrical communication with at least a portion of an adjacent composite particle in the plurality of agglomerated composite particles.

Assignees

• Sila Nanotechnologies Inc
• Georgia Tech Res Inst

Inventors

• Yushin Gleb
• Magazynskyy Oleksandr
• Dixon Patrick
• Hertzberg Benjamin

Classifications

• H01M4/1393

  of electrodes based on carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx · CPC title

• H01M4/137

  Electrodes based on electro-active polymers · CPC title

• Y10S977/773

  Nanoparticle, i.e. structure having three dimensions of 100 nm or less · CPC title

• H01M4/587

  for inserting or intercalating light metals · CPC title

• H01M4/1395

  of electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys · CPC title