Immobilized Selenium, a Method of Making, and Uses of Immobilized Selenium in a Rechargeable Battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019058187-A1
Application number	US-201816170747-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 25, 2018
Priority date	Sep 22, 2015
Publication date	Feb 21, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

An immobilized selenium body, made from carbon and selenium and optionally sulfur, makes selenium more stable, requiring a higher temperature or an increase in kinetic energy for selenium to escape from the immobilized selenium body and enter a gas system, as compared to selenium alone. Immobilized selenium localized in a carbon skeleton can be utilized in a rechargeable battery. Immobilization of the selenium can impart compression stress on both the carbon skeleton and the selenium. Such compression stress enhances the electrical conductivity in the carbon skeleton and among the selenium particles and creates an interface for electrons to be delivered and or harvested in use of the battery. A rechargeable battery made from immobilized selenium can be charged or discharged at a faster rate over conventional batteries and can demonstrate excellent cycling stability.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A rechargeable battery comprising:
a cathode comprised of immobilized selenium disposed on an electrically conductive substrate; a separator disposed in direct contact with the immobilized selenium; and an anode.

2 . The rechargeable battery of claim 1 , further including the anode spaced from the separator by lithium.

3 . The rechargeable battery of claim 1 , further including the cathode, the separator, the anode, and the lithium immersed in an electrolyte.

4 . The rechargeable battery of claim 1 , wherein the immobilized selenium comprises a selenium-carbon mixture, wherein the selenium has been melted into the carbon.

5 . The rechargeable battery of claim 1 , wherein the separator is formed from an organic material, an inorganic material, or a solid electrolyte.

6 . The rechargeable battery of claim 1 , comprising at least one of the following:
an electrochemical capacity of ≥400 mAh/g of selenium; chargeable at ≥0.1C; a specific capacity of >30% of a second discharge capacity at a charge-discharge cycling rate of 0.1C following charge-discharge cycling at 5 cycles at 0.1C, 5 cycles at 0.2C, 5 cycles at 0.5C, 5 cycles at 1C, 5 cycles at 2C, 5 cycles at 5C, and 5 cycles at 10C; and a Coulombic efficiency ≥50%.

7 . A rechargeable battery comprising:
a cathode comprised of immobilized sulfur-doped selenium disposed on an electrically conductive substrate; a separator disposed in direct contact with the immobilized sulfur-doped selenium; and an anode spaced from the cathode by the separator.

8 . The rechargeable battery of claim 7 , further including the anode spaced from the separator by lithium.

9 . The rechargeable battery of claim 7 , further including the cathode, the separator, the anode, and the lithium immersed in an electrolyte.

10 . The rechargeable battery of claim 7 , wherein the immobilized sulfur-doped selenium comprises a selenium-carbon-sulfur mixture, wherein the selenium and sulfur has been melted into the carbon.

11 . The rechargeable battery of claim 7 , wherein the separator is formed from an organic material, an inorganic material, or a solid electrolyte.

12 . The rechargeable battery of claim 7 , comprising a Coulombic efficiency ≥95%.

Assignees

• Ii Vi Inc
• Inst Chemistry Cas

Inventors

• Eissler Elgin E
• Xu Wen-Qing
• Li Xiaoming
• Zhang Yancheng
• Patkar Shailesh
• Barbarossa Giovanni
• Guo Yu-Guo
• Zhang Shuaifeng
• Yin Yaxia

Classifications

• H01M4/38

  of elements or alloys · CPC title

• H01M4/362

  Composites · CPC title

• H01M4/364

  as mixtures · CPC title

• H01M4/583

  Carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx · CPC title

• H01M4/1397

  of electrodes based on inorganic compounds other than oxides or hydroxides, e.g. sulfides, selenides, tellurides, halogenides or LiCoFy · CPC title