Electrochemical Cell Activated With A Liquid Electrolyte Wetting The Electrode Assembly Through A Channel System In The Casing Lid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022013876-A1
Application number	US-202117358076-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 25, 2021
Priority date	Jul 10, 2020
Publication date	Jan 13, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A miniature electrochemical cell of a primary or secondary chemistry with a total volume that is less than 0.5 cc is described. The cell has a casing comprising an annular sidewall supported on a lower plate opposite an upper lid. The lid has a sealed electrolyte fill port. At least one electrolyte channel in the inner surface of the lid extends radially from the fill port and outwardly beyond an outer peripheral edge of the current collector. A current collector contacts an inner surface of the lid with a first electrode active material contacting the current collector. An opposite polarity active material contacts the lower plate. A dielectric material coats the lower open end of the annular sidewall and a portion of the inner surface of the sidewall. A glass seals the dielectric material to the lower plate. An electrolyte activates the electrode assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electrochemical cell, comprising:
a) a casing, comprising:
i) an annular sidewall extending to an upper open end spaced from a lower open end, the annular sidewall having an inner surface;
ii) a lid closing the upper open end of the annular sidewall, wherein the lid has a hermetically sealed electrolyte fill port extending to an inner surface thereof;
iii) a current collector contacted to the inner surface of the lid;
iv) a lower plate;
v) a dielectric material coating the lower open end of the annular sidewall and coating at least a portion of the inner surface of the annular sidewall; and
vi) a ring-shaped sealing glass in a glass-to-metal sealed relationship with the lower plate and in a hermetically sealed relationship with the dielectric material coating the lower open end of the annular sidewall; and
b) an electrode assembly housed inside the casing, the electrode assembly comprising:
i) an anode active material;
ii) a cathode active material; and
iii) a separator segregating the anode active material from directed physical contact with the cathode active material,
iv) wherein one of the anode and cathode active materials contacts the current collector in turn contacting the lid serving as one terminal for the cell, and the other of the anode and cathode active materials contacts the lower plate serving as the other terminal for the cell; and
c) an activating electrolyte contacting the electrode assembly.

2 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein at least one electrolyte channel in the inner surface of the lid extends radially from the electrolyte fill port and outwardly beyond an outer peripheral edge of the current collector.

3 . The electrochemical cell of claim 2 , wherein the electrolyte channel does not extend to a peripheral edge of the lid.

4 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric material is an alumina (Al 2 O 3 ).

5 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the sealing glass is a vitreous and crystallizing composition.

6 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein an outer peripheral edge of the lower plate has a diameter that is substantially the same as that of an outer surface of the annular sidewall.

7 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein an outer surface of the annular sidewall is cylindrical.

8 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein an inner surface of the annular sidewall is provided with a step, and wherein the lid is seated on the step.

9 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the lid is substantially co-planar with the upper open end of the annular sidewall.

10 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the lid is welded to the annular sidewall to thereby close the upper open end thereof.

11 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte fill port is either welded closed or provided with a closure plug that is welded to the lid to hermetically seal the electrolyte fill port.

12 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the anode active material is selected from the group of coke, graphite, acetylene black, carbon black, glass carbon, hairy carbon, Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 , lithiated silver vanadium oxide, lithiated copper silver vanadium oxide, lithiated copper sulfide, lithiated iron sulfide, lithiated iron disulfide, lithiated titanium disulfide, lithiated copper vanadium oxide, Li x Cu x Ag y V 2 O z with 0.5≤x≤4.0, 0.01≤w≤1.0, 0.01≤y≤1.0 and 5.01≤z≤v 6.5, lithium, and mixtures thereon, and wherein the cathode active material is selected from the group of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LiNi a Mn b Co 1-a-b O 2 ), LiCoO 2 , LiNiO 2 , LiMnO 2 , TiS, FeS, FeS 2 , CF x , Ag 2 O, Ag 2 O 2 , Ag 2 CrO 4 , silver vanadium oxide (SVO), copper silver vanadium oxide (CSVO), V 2 O 5 , MnO 2 .

13 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 having a total volume that is less than 0.5 cc.

14 . An electrochemical cell, comprising:
a) a casing, comprising:
i) an annular sidewall extending to an upper open end spaced from a lower open end, wherein an inner surface of the annular sidewall is provided with a step;
ii) a lid seated on the step to close the upper open end of the annular sidewall, wherein the lid has a hermetically seated electrolyte fill port extending to an inner surface thereof;
iii) a current collector contacted to the inner surface of the lid;
iv) a lower plate;
v) an alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) coating at least a portion of an inner surface off the annular sidewall and coating the lower open end of the annular sidewall; and
vi) a ring-shaped sealing glass in a glass-to-metal sealed relationship with the lower plate and in a glass-to-ceramic sealed relationship with the alumina at the lower open end of the annular sidewall; and
b) an electrode assembly housed inside the casing, the electrode assembly comprising:
i) an anode active material;
ii) a cathode active material; and
iii) a separator segregating the anode active material from directed physical contact with the cathode active material,
iv) wherein one of the anode and cathode active materials contacts the current collector in turn contacting the lid serving as one terminal for the cell, and the other of the anode and cathode active materials contacts both the alumina coating at least a portion of the inner surface of the lower plate serving as the other terminal for the cell; and
c) an activating electrolyte contacting the electrode assembly.

15 . The electrochemical cell of claim 14 , wherein at least one electrolyte channel in the inner surface of the lid extends radially from the electrolyte fill port and outwardly beyond an outer peripheral edge of the current collector.

16 . The electrochemical cell of claim 15 , wherein the electrolyte channel does not extend to a peripheral edge of the lid.

17 . The electrochemical cell of claim 14 , wherein the lid is welded to the annular sidewall to thereby close the upper open end thereof.

18 . The electrochemical cell of claim 14 , wherein the sealing glass is a vitreous and crystallizing composition.

19 . An electrochemical cell, comprising:
a) a casing, comprising:
i) a lid having a hermetically sealed electrolyte fill port extending to an inner surface thereof;
ii) a current collector contacted to the inner surface of the lid; and
iii) an annular sidewall extending to a lower open end opposite an upper open end closed by the lid; and
iv) a lower plate; and
b) an electrode assembly housed inside the casing, the electrode assembly comprising an anode active material segregated from directed physical contact with a cathode active material by an intermediate separator, wherein the anode active material is electrically connected to the lower plate and the cathode active material is electrically connected to the lid through the current collector; c) a dielectric material coating the lower open end of the annular sidewall and coating at least a portion of the inner surface of the annular sidewall, wherein the separator contacts the dielectric material coating the inner surface of the annular sidewall; d) a sealing glass hermetically sealing the dielectric material coating the lower open end of the annular sidewall to the lower plate; and e) an activating electrolyte contacting the electrode assembly.

20 . The electrochemical cell of claim 19 , wherein at least one electrolyte channel in the inner surface of the lid extends radially from the electrolyte fill port and outward

Assignees

• Greatbatch Ltd

Inventors

• Baumer Daniel M
• Ulrich Joshua C
• Palazzo Marcus J
• Wutz David
• Dianetti David

Classifications

• H01M50/107 Primary

  having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic (H01M50/103, H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/545

  formed by the casing of the cells (cup shaped terminals adapted for cells having curved cross-section H01M50/56) · CPC title

• H01M50/559

  Terminals adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round, elliptic or button cells (H01M50/553 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/548

  on opposite sides of the cell · CPC title

• H01M50/153

  for button or coin cells · CPC title