Protective Layers for Metal Electrode Batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021135228-A1
Application number	US-201716471400-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 19, 2017
Priority date	Dec 19, 2016
Publication date	May 6, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Rechargeable metal batteries are disclosed having a protective ionic membrane layer on a metal anode. The ionic membrane can be formed from ionomers in the electrolyte including polymerizable ionic liquid monomers or halogenated alkyl anion salts. Such ionic membranes can continuously supply ions near the anode electrode and stabilize the anode metal electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A rechargeable battery comprising a metal anode, a cathode and an electrolyte, wherein the metal anode has an ionic membrane thereon which can continuously supply ions near the metal anode and protect the metal anode.

2 . The rechargeable battery of claim 1 , wherein the ionic membrane comprises an ionic polymer membrane.

3 . The rechargeable battery of claim 2 , wherein the ionic polymer membrane is formed from one or more polymerizable ionic liquids having more than one polymerizable groups and an anion.

4 . The rechargeable battery of claim 3 , wherein the metal anode comprises substantially metallic sodium.

5 . The rechargeable battery of claim 1 , wherein the ionic membrane comprises alkyl anions tethered to the metal anode.

6 . The rechargeable battery of claim 5 , wherein the alkyl anions tethered to the metal anode are formed from one or more halogenated alkyl anion salts.

7 . The rechargeable battery of claim 5 , wherein the alkyl anions tethered to the metal anode are formed from one or more halogenated alkyl sulfonate salts.

8 . The rechargeable battery of claim 7 , wherein the metal anode comprises substantially metallic lithium.

9 . The rechargeable battery of any one of claims 1 - 8 , wherein the electrolyte includes one or more ionomers that form the ionic membrane.

10 . The rechargeable battery of any one of claims 1 - 9 , wherein the rechargeable battery has a coulombic efficiency exceeding 90%.

11 . The rechargeable battery of any one of claims 1 - 10 , wherein the rechargeable battery can stably cycle over 100 cycles.

12 . The rechargeable battery of any one of claims 1 - 11 , wherein the ionic membrane has a thickness in the range of about 5 nm to about 500 microns.

13 . The rechargeable battery of any one of claim 1 - 3 , 5 - 7 , or 9 - 12 wherein the metal anode comprises substantially metallic lithium, metallic sodium, metallic aluminum, or metallic zinc.

14 . A method of preparing a metal anode electrode for a rechargeable battery, the method comprising:
forming a conformal ionic membrane directly on a surface of the metal anode from one or more ionomers wherein the ionic membrane can continuously supply ions near the metal anode and protect the metal anode.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein forming the conformal ionic membrane includes electropolymerizing a polymerizable ionic liquid monomer as the ionomer onto the metal anode to form the ionic membrane.

16 . The method of claim 14 , comprising forming the conformal ionic membrane directly on the surface of a substantially metallic sodium anode by electropolymerizing a polymerizable ionic liquid monomer having more than one polymerizable groups onto the metal anode to form the ionic membrane.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein forming the ionic membrane includes adsorbing halogenated alkyl anion salts as the ionomer onto the metal anode to form the ionic membrane.

18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein forming the ionic membrane includes adsorbing halogenated alkyl sulfonate salt as the ionomer onto a substantially metallic lithium anode as the metal anode to form the ionic membrane.

19 . The method of any one of claims 14 - 18 , wherein the ionomer is added to an electrolyte of the rechargeable battery.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the ionomer is added to the electrolyte in an amount of from about 1 to about 30 weight percent of the electrolyte.

Assignees

• Univ Cornell

Inventors

• Archer Lynden A
• Tu Zhengyuan
• Choudhury Snehashis
• Wei Shuya

Classifications

• H01M10/0525

  Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/381

  Alkaline or alkaline earth metals elements (H01M4/40 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M4/387

  Tin or alloys based on tin · CPC title

• H01M4/382

  Lithium (H01M4/405 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M10/052 Primary

  Li-accumulators · CPC title