Lithium, phosphorus, sulfur, and iodine including electrolyte and catholyte compositions, electrolyte membranes for electrochemical devices, and annealing methods of making these electrolytes and catholytes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019097262-A1
Application number	US-201816143157-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 26, 2018
Priority date	Dec 4, 2015
Publication date	Mar 28, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure sets forth battery components for secondary and/or traction batteries. Described herein are new solid-state lithium (Li) conducting electrolytes including monolithic, single layer, and bi-layer solid-state sulfide-based lithium ion (Li 30 ) conducting catholytes or electrolytes. These solid-state ion conductors have particular chemical compositions which are arranged and/or bonded through both crystalline and amorphous bonds. Also provided herein are methods of making these solid-state sulfide-based lithium ion conductors including new annealing methods. These ion conductors are useful, for example, as membrane separators in rechargeable batteries.

First claim

1 . An electrolyte comprising a compound characterized by
Li x P y S z I t , wherein 5≤x≤12; 1≤y≤3; 5≤z≤9, and 0.1≤t≤2; and said electrolyte characterized by an x-ray powder diffraction (XRD) pattern comprising primary peaks at 20°±1° and at 29°±1° (2Θ), wherein the primary peak at 20°±1° (2Θ) has a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 2°±1°, wherein the primary peak at 29°±1° (2Θ) has a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 2°±1°, wherein subscripts x, y, z, and t are rational numbers; and wherein the compound is neutrally charged.

2 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , consisting essentially of a compound characterized by Li x P y S z I t , wherein 5≤x≤12; 1≤y≤3; 5≤z≤9, and 0.1≤t≤2; and
said electrolyte characterized by an XRD pattern comprising primary peaks at 20°±1° and at 29°±1° (2Θ),
wherein the primary peak at 20°±1° (2Θ) has a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 2°±1°,
wherein the primary peak at 29°±1° (2Θ) has a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 2°±1°,
wherein subscripts x, y, z, and t are rational numbers; and
wherein the compound is neutrally charged.

3 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte is characterized by an XRD pattern having the following reflections: 20, 25, 27, 29, and 45±1° (2Θ).

4 . The electrolyte of claim 2 , wherein the electrolyte is characterized by an XRD pattern having the following reflections: 20, 25, 27, 29, and 45±1° (2Θ).

5 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte is semiamorphous.

6 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the compound is Li a P b S c I d , wherein 7.2≤a≤7.6, 1.4≤b≤1.8, 7.0≤c≤7.4, and 0.8≤d≤1.2.

7 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the compound is Li 7.4 P 1.6 S 7.2 I.

8 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , comprising LiI.

9 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , comprising Li 2 S.

10 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the compound does not have an argyrodite crystal structure.

11 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , further comprising a polymer.

12 . The electrolyte of claim 11 , wherein the weight loading of Li x P y S z I t is at least 50% (w/w) but less than 95% (w/w).

13 . The electrolyte of claim 12 , wherein the weight loading of the polymer is about at least 0.01 (w/w) but less than 50% (w/w).

14 . The electrolyte of claim 11 , wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of epoxies, epoxides, polypropylene (PP), atactic polypropylene (aPP), isotactic polypropylene (iPP), polybutadiene (PBD), polybutadiene rubber (PB), cross-linked polybutadiene (cPBD), polystyrene (PS), ethylene propylene rubber (EPR), ethylene pentene copolymer (EPC), polyisobutylene (PIB), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), polyolefins, polyethylene-co-poly-1-octene (PE-co-PO), polyethylene-co-poly(methylene cyclopentane) (PE-co-PMCP), poly methyl-methacrylate, acrylics, acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR), polyvinyl acetacetal resin, polyvinylbutylal resin, PVB stereoblock polypropylenes, polypropylene polymethylpentene copolymer, polyethylene oxide (PEO), PEO block copolymers, nitriles, nitrile butadiene rubber, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), polyisoprene rubber (PI), polychloroprene rubber (CR), polyethyl acrylate (PEA), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), aqueous-compatible polymers, silicone, PMX-200 (polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS), methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, polyvinylbutyral (PVB), poly ethyl methacrylate (PEMA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), stereo block polypropylenes, polypropylene carbonate, polyethylene, and combinations thereof.

15 . The electrolyte of claim 1 formed as a thin film having a film thickness from about 10 nm to about 100 μm.

16 . The electrolyte of claim 15 , wherein the thin film has a surface roughness from 0.5 μm Rt to 30 μm Rt, wherein Rt is the maximum surface roughness peak height of sampled surface, or a surface roughness from 0.5 μm Ra to 30 μm Ra, wherein Ra is the average peak height of sampled surface roughness.

17 . A bi-layer solid-state electrolyte, having a top layer and a bottom layer, wherein the top layer comprises the electrolyte of claim 1 and wherein the bottom layer comprises a compound characterized by the empirical formula (1−x)(60:40 Li 2 S:SiS 2 ).(x)(Li 3 PO 4 ) wherein x is from 0.01 to 0.99.

18 . An electrochemical device comprising the electrolyte of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Quantumscape Corp

Inventors

• Chen Zhebo
• Holme Tim
• Hudson William
• Kerman Kian
• Mair Sunil
• Mehrotra Amal
• Van Berkel Kim
• Chao Cheng-Chieh
• Nguyen Drake

Classifications

• C01P2006/40

  Electric properties · CPC title

• C01P2002/88

  by thermal analysis data, e.g. TGA, DTA, DSC · CPC title

• C01P2004/03

  obtained by SEM · CPC title

• C01P2002/72

  by d-values or two theta-values, e.g. as X-ray diagram · CPC title

• H01M10/056 Primary

  characterised by the materials used as electrolytes, e.g. mixed inorganic/organic electrolytes · CPC title