Battery With Enhanced Resistance to Dendrite Formation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019131591-A1
Application number	US-201816226890-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 20, 2018
Priority date	Nov 16, 2016
Publication date	May 2, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A battery includes a case having a feedthrough port, a feedthrough assembly disposed in the feedthrough port, and a cell stack disposed within the case. The feedthrough port includes an inner conductor and an insulator core separating the inner conductor from the case. The cell stack includes an anode, a cathode, and a separator insulating the anode from the cathode, wherein the anode and cathode are offset from one another. An insulating boot surrounding the cell stack insulates the cell stack from the case. The insulating boot has an opening configured to receive therein the feedthrough assembly, which may include overmolded insulation. The interior surfaces and interior walls of the battery case may be thermal spray-coated with a dielectric material to prevent lithium dendrite formation between cathode and anode surfaces.

First claim

1 . (canceled)

2 . A battery, comprising:
a case; a cell stack disposed within the case, the cell stack including
an anode having a main anode body and an anode tab projecting from the main anode body, the main anode body having an anode outer edge, the anode outer edge having a first peripheral portion distant from the anode tab, and a second peripheral portion that is a remainder of the anode outer edge;
a cathode having a main cathode body and a cathode tab projecting from the main cathode body, the main cathode body having a cathode outer edge, the cathode outer edge having a first peripheral portion adjacent the cathode tab, and a second peripheral portion that is a remainder of the cathode outer edge; and
one or more separator layers electrically insulating the anode from the cathode, the anode, the cathode and the one or more separator layers being stacked together with the main anode body offset from the main cathode body such that the first peripheral portion of the anode outer edge is recessed from the first peripheral portion of the cathode outer edge by a first offset distance.

3 . The battery as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first offset distance is between about 0.010 inches and about 0.080 inches.

4 . The battery as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first offset distance is between 0.001 inches and 0.03 inches.

5 . The battery as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first offset distance is 0.015 inches.

6 . The battery as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the outer edge of the main cathode body has a total length, and the first peripheral portion of the outer edge of the main cathode body has a length that is between 10% and 25% of the total length.

7 . The battery as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the anode includes an anode current collector and an anode foil disposed on opposite sides of the anode current collector.

8 . The battery as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the anode current collector is in the form of a solid plate or a mesh.

9 . The battery as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the separator layers include a shut-down bag, and the anode is sealed in the shut-down bag.

10 . The battery as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the separator layers protrude outwardly from the anode outer edge around the entirety of the main anode body.

11 . The battery as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first peripheral portion of the cathode outer edge extends between 0.15 inches and 0.75 inches from the cathode tab in a first direction along the cathode outer edge and between 0.15 inches and 0.75 inches from the cathode tab in a second direction transverse to the first direction.

12 . The battery as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the anode, the cathode and the one or more separator layers are stacked together with the main anode body offset from the main cathode body such that the second peripheral portion of the cathode outer edge is recessed from the second peripheral portion of the anode outer edge by a second offset distance.

13 . The battery as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the second offset distance is the same as the first offset distance.

14 . A method of manufacturing an electrochemical cell, the method comprising:
providing a case for the electrochemical cell; forming an anode by applying an anode active material to opposite sides of an anode current collector, the anode having a main anode body with an anode outer edge and an anode tab projecting from the main anode body; forming a cathode by applying a cathode active material to opposite sides of a cathode current collector, the cathode having a main cathode body with a cathode outer edge and a cathode tab projecting from the main cathode body; preparing a cell stack, the cell stack including the anode, the cathode and one or more separator layers electrically insulating the anode from the cathode, the anode outer edge having a first peripheral portion distant from the anode tab and a second peripheral portion that is a remainder of the anode outer edge, the cathode outer edge having a first peripheral portion adjacent the cathode tab and a second peripheral portion that is a remainder of the cathode outer edge, the cell stack being prepared by stacking together the anode, the cathode and the one or more separator layers with the main anode body offset from the main cathode body such that the first peripheral portion of the anode outer edge is recessed from the first peripheral portion of the cathode outer edge by a first offset distance; inserting the cell stack into an insulating boot to form a covered cell assembly; and inserting the covered cell assembly into the case to form a completed electrochemical cell.

15 . The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the first offset distance is between about 0.010 inches and about 0.080 inches.

16 . The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the first offset distance is between 0.001 inches and 0.03 inches.

17 . The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the first offset distance is 0.015 inches.

18 . The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the separator layers include a shut-down bag, the step of preparing the cell stack including sealing the anode in the shut-down bag.

19 . The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the step of preparing the cell stack includes stacking together the anode, the cathode and the one or more separator layers so that the separator layers protrude outwardly from the anode outer edge around the entirety of the main anode body.

20 . The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the step of preparing the cell stack includes stacking together the anode, the cathode and the one or more separator layers with the main anode body offset from the main cathode body such that the second peripheral portion of the cathode outer edge is recessed from the second peripheral portion of the anode outer edge by a second offset distance.

21 . The method as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the second offset distance is the same as the first offset distance.

Assignees

• Pacesetter Inc

Inventors

• Beauvais Joseph
• Bruch Russell
• Armstrong Jeffrey

Classifications

• H01M4/131 Primary

  Electrodes based on mixed oxides or hydroxides, or on mixtures of oxides or hydroxides, e.g. LiCoOx · CPC title

• C01G31/02

  Oxides · CPC title

• C01G5/00

  Compounds of silver · CPC title

• H01M4/133

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

• H01M50/176

  for prismatic or rectangular cells (H01M50/181 takes precedence) · CPC title