Garnet materials for li secondary batteries and methods of making and using garnet materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018076480-A1
Application number	US-201715632011-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 23, 2017
Priority date	Oct 7, 2013
Publication date	Mar 15, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed herein are garnet material compositions, e.g., lithium-stuffed garnets and lithium-stuffed garnets doped with alumina, which are suitable for use as electrolytes and catholytes in solid state battery applications. Also disclosed herein are lithium-stuffed garnet thin films having fine grains therein. Also disclosed herein are methods of making and using lithium-stuffed garnets as catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes for all solid state lithium rechargeable batteries. Also disclosed herein are electrochemical devices which incorporate these garnet catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes. Also disclosed herein are methods for preparing dense thin (<50 um) free standing membranes of an ionically conducting material for use as a catholyte, electrolyte, and, or, anolyte, in an electrochemical device, a battery component (positive or negative electrode materials), or a complete solid state electrochemical energy storage device. Also disclosed herein are sintering techniques, e.g., for heating and/or field assisted (FAST) sintering, for solid state energy storage devices and the components thereof.

First claim

1 - 21 . (canceled)

22 . A thin and free standing sintered garnet film, wherein the film thickness is less than 50 μm and greater than 10 nm, wherein the film comprises a garnet characterized by the formula Li A La B M′ C M″ D Zr E O F , Li A La B M′ C M″ D Ta E O F , or Li A La B M′ C M″ D Nb E O F , wherein 4<A<8.5, 1.5<B<4, 0≦C≦2, 0≦D≦2; 0≦E<2, 10<F≦13, and M′ and M″ are each, independently in each instance selected from Al, Mo, V, W, Nb, Sb, Ca, Ba, Sr, Ce, Hf, Rb, and Ta; and wherein the film is not adhered or fixed to a substrate.

23 . The thin and free standing sintered garnet film of claim 22 , wherein M″ is selected from Nb, Ta, V, W, Mo, and Sb.

24 . The thin and free standing sintered garnet film of claim 22 , wherein subscripts C, D, and E sum to 2.

25 . The thin and free standing sintered garnet film of claim 22 , wherein the film has a surface roughness of less than 5 μm.

26 . The thin and free standing sintered garnet film of claim 22 , wherein the garnet has a d 50 median grain size of between 0.1 μm and 10 μm.

27 . The thin and free standing sintered garnet film of claim 22 , wherein the film has an area specific resistance (ASR) of less than 10 Ωcm 2 .

28 . The thin and free standing sintered garnet film of claim 22 , wherein the film has an area specific resistance (ASR) of less than 10 Ωcm 2 at 80° C.

29 . The thin and free standing sintered garnet film of claim 22 , wherein the carbon content is less than 5 atomic %.

30 . The thin and free standing sintered garnet film of claim 22 , wherein the film density is greater than 4.8 g/cm 3 .

31 . The thin and free standing sintered garnet film of claim 22 , wherein the film porosity is less than 10%

32 . An electrode made by laminating a metal foil or metal powder between, and in direct contact with, two thin and free standing sintered garnet films of claim 22 .

33 . The electrode of claim 32 , wherein the metal foil or metal powder comprise a metal selected from Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), combinations thereof, and alloys thereof.

34 . The electrode of claim 33 , further comprising laminating cathode active materials to the electrode.

35 . The electrode of claim 34 , wherein the cathode active materials are in the discharged state.

36 . An electrode made by laminating cathode active materials to one side of the thin and free standing garnet film of claim 22 .

37 . The electrode of claim 36 , wherein the cathode active materials are in the discharged state.

38 . An electrode made by laminating lithium metal to the thin and free standing garnet film of claim 22 .

Assignees

• Quantumscape Corp

Inventors

• Choi Dong Hee Anna
• Donnelly Niall
• Holme Tim
• Hudson Will
• Iyer Sriram
• Karpenko Oleh
• Kerman Kian
• Singh Mohit
• Winoto Adrian

Classifications

• C04B2235/6025

  Tape casting, e.g. with a doctor blade · CPC title

• C04B2235/3229

  Cerium oxides or oxide-forming salts thereof · CPC title

• C04B35/645

  Pressure sintering · CPC title

• C04B2235/786

  Micrometer sized grains, i.e. from 1 to 100 micron · CPC title

• H01M10/0561

  the electrolyte being constituted of inorganic materials only · CPC title