VITREOUS SOLID ELECTROLYTE SHEETS OF Li ION CONDUCTING SULFUR-BASED GLASS AND ASSOCIATED STRUCTURES, CELLS AND METHODS

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019181496-A1
Application number	US-201816179803-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 2, 2018
Priority date	Dec 2, 2014
Publication date	Jun 13, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A lithium ion-conductive solid electrolyte including a freestanding inorganic vitreous sheet of sulfide-based lithium ion conducting glass is capable of high performance in a lithium metal battery by providing a high degree of lithium ion conductivity while being highly resistant to the initiation and/or propagation of lithium dendrites. Such an electrolyte is also itself manufacturable, and readily adaptable for battery cell and cell component manufacture, in a cost-effective, scalable manner.

First claim

1 - 65 . (canceled)

66 . A method for making a standalone Li ion conductive solid electrolyte separator for use in a lithium battery cell, the method comprising the steps of: drawing a dense substantially amorphous inorganic Li ion conducting solid electrolyte sheet from a drawing process; the drawn substantially amorphous sheet having i) substantially parallel lengthwise edges; ii) first and second opposing principal sides and associated side surfaces; and iii) room temperature Li ion conductivity no less than 10 −5 S/cm.

67 . The method of claim 66 , wherein the mole % of Li in the inorganic solid electrolyte sheet is ≥10%.

68 . The method of claim 66 , wherein the dense inorganic sheet is a vitreous Li ion conducting sulfur-based glass having first and second principal opposing side surfaces.

69 . The method of claim 67 , wherein the drawing process is a melt draw, and the drawing step comprises i) melting a material batch comprising the elemental constituents of the sulfur-based glass; and ii) drawing a sheet from the melt.

70 - 71 . (canceled)

72 . The method of claim 68 wherein the drawing process is slot draw.

73 . The method of claim 68 wherein the drawing process is overflow draw.

74 . The method of claim 68 wherein the drawing process is fusion draw.

75 . The method of claim 68 wherein the drawing process is capillary draw.

76 . The method of claim 68 wherein the drawing process is preform draw.

77 . The method of claim 76 , further comprising the steps of:
i) providing a vitreous preform of the sulfur-based Li ion conducting glass; ii) heating a section of the preform to a temperature greater than Tg but below Tliq; and iii) drawing the preform to form a continuous long sheet.

78 . The method of claim 68 wherein the sulfur-based glass has a glass stability factor less than 50° C.

79 - 91 . (canceled)

92 . A standalone electrode assembly comprising:
i. a first freestanding and vitreous solid electrolyte sheet of Li ion conducting sulfur-based glass having first and second principal opposing sides and associated surfaces; and ii. an electroactive component layer having first and second major opposing surfaces, the layer comprising electroactive material;
wherein the first major surface of the electroactive component layer is encapsulated by the first principal side surface of the first vitreous solid electrolyte sheet.

93 . The standalone electrode assembly of claim 92 , wherein the vitreous solid electrolyte sheet comprises a freestanding substantially amorphous solid electrolyte wall structure that is dense, inorganic and highly conductive of Li ions, the wall structure comprising:
i) a continuous Li ion conducting inorganic amorphous material phase with room temperature Li ion conductivity ≥10 −5 S/cm; ii) first and second opposing principal sides and associated surfaces; and iii) a microstructure devoid of contiguous crystalline grain boundaries and powder particle boundaries extending between the opposing principal side surfaces; wherein the inorganic amorphous material phase is a Li ion conducting sulfur-based glass having, S (sulfur) and Li (lithium) as constituent elements of the glass; and at least one more constituent element of the glass selected from the group consisting of P (phosphorous), B (boron), Ge (germanium), and Si (silicon); wherein the wall structure is a freestanding vitreous sheet of the Li ion conducting sulfur-based glass; and wherein the vitreous sheet of sulfur-based glass has a uniform thickness of no more than 100 μm.

94 . The standalone electrode assembly of claim 93 , wherein the electrode assembly is solid-state, and the first major surface of the electroactive component layer forms a solid-state interface in direct contact with the first principal side surface.

95 - 97 . (canceled)

98 . The standalone electrode assembly of claim 94 , wherein the solid-state assembly is a double-sided assembly comprising:
a second freestanding and vitreous solid electrolyte sheet of Li ion conducting sulfur-based glass having first and second principal opposing sides and associated surfaces; and wherein the second major surface of the electroactive component layer is encapsulated in direct contact by the first principal side surface of the second vitreous solid electrolyte sheet.

99 . (canceled)

100 . The standalone electrode assembly of claim 92 , wherein the electrode assembly is sealed to prevent the electroactive material from coming into direct touching contact with constituents from the external environment

101 . The standalone electrode assembly of claim 100 , wherein the double-sided electrode assembly is edge sealed by a fusion seal or pinch seal between the first and second vitreous solid electrolyte sheets.

102 - 105 . (canceled)

106 . A method of making a Li electrode assembly, the method comprising the steps of:
i. providing a freestanding and vitreous solid electrolyte sheet of Li ion conducting sulfur-based glass having first and second principal opposing sides and associated surfaces; and ii. applying a fresh surface of lithium metal directly onto the first principal side surface of the vitreous solid electrolyte sheet.

107 . The method of claim 106 , wherein the fresh lithium metal surface is a freshly extruded lithium metal foil or freshly surface treated lithium metal layer.

108 . The method of claim 106 , further comprising the steps of:
i. providing a self-supporting current collecting layer devoid of lithium metal; ii. positioning the current collecting layer and vitreous solid electrolyte sheet in a roll laminator; and iii. laminating the current collecting layer to the vitreous sheet while simultaneously depositing Li metal on the surface of the current collector.

109 - 120 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Polyplus Battery Co Inc

Inventors

• Visco Steven J
• Nimon Yevgeniy S
• De Jonghe Lutgard C
• Katz Bruce D
• Nimon Vitaliy

Classifications

• H01M50/497

  Ionic conductivity · CPC title

• H01M50/489

  Separators, membranes, diaphragms or spacing elements inside the cells, characterised by their physical properties, e.g. swelling degree, hydrophilicity or shut down properties · CPC title

• H01M50/437

  Glass · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/0562 Primary

  Solid materials · CPC title