Battery cells comprising elastic compressible functiona layers and manufacturing process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022020991-A1
Application number	US-201917294957-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 5, 2019
Priority date	Dec 6, 2018
Publication date	Jan 20, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure concerns a rechargeable battery cell comprising a compressible elastic composite material to form one or more of: a compressible and elastic first current collector; and a compressible and elastic positive electrode; and a compressible and elastic solid state electrolyte; and a compressible and elastic negative electrode; and a compressible and elastic second current collector, wherein the compressible elastic composite material comprises a plurality of compressible pores.

First claim

1 . A rechargeable battery cell comprising a compressible elastic composite material to form one or more of the group consisting of:
a compressible and elastic first current collector; a compressible and elastic positive electrode; a compressible and elastic solid state electrolyte; a compressible and elastic negative electrode; and a compressible and elastic second current collector; wherein the compressible elastic composite material comprises compressible pores, and wherein the compressible elastic composite material is configured to, at least in part, counter act compressive and/or tensile forces within the rechargeable battery cell resulting from volume changes in a negative electrode and/or a positive electrode during charging and/or discharging the rechargeable battery cell.

2 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the compressible pores have a diameter that is less than 20% of a thickness of the compressible elastic composite material comprising the compressible pores.

3 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the compressible pores are at least in part provided by compressible hollow particles comprising an elastic shell structure surrounding a hollow core, and
wherein the compressible hollow particles ( 10 ) have a diameter in a range between 10 micrometers and 50 nanometers.

4 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 3 , wherein the hollow compressible particles are hollow latex beads having a volumetric core to shell ratio in a range from 5 to 0.05, and
wherein the hollow latex beads have a diameter in a range between 50 nanometers and 5 micrometers.

5 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of the first compressible current collector and the second compressible elastic current collector comprises the compressible elastic composite material and an electronic conductive material, thereby providing a compressible characteristic.

6 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the compressible elastic solid state electrolyte comprises the compressible elastic composite material and a solid state electrolyte material, thereby providing a compressible characteristic.

7 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the compressible and elastic positive electrode comprises:
the compressible elastic composite material and a positive electrode material, an ionically conductive material, and an electronic conductive material dispersed throughout the compressible elastic composite material, thereby providing a compressible characteristic.

8 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the compressible and elastic negative electrode comprises:
the compressible elastic composite material and a negative electrode material, an ionically conductive material, and an electronically conductive material, thereby providing a compressible characteristic.

9 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 5 , wherein the one or more of the first compressible and elastic current collector and the second compressible and elastic current collector comprises an electrically conductive capping.

10 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 5 , wherein the one or more of the first compressible and elastic current collector and the second compressible and elastic current comprises, at least in part, a conductive metal film providing homogeneous conductivity along an electrode material interface.

11 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein:
a stack of functional layers forms a planar structure, or the rechargeable battery cell is formed of a base current collecting structure comprising an array of conductive elements spaced at a distance from one another and extending in a direction away from said base, and wherein at least one of the electrode and solid state electrolyte is provided between said elements.

12 . A process for manufacturing a rechargeable battery cell comprising a compressible elastic composite material wherein the process comprises one or more operations taken from the group consisting of:
providing a compressible elastic composite material to form a compressible and elastic first current collector; providing a compressible elastic composite material to form a compressible and elastic positive electrode; providing a compressible elastic composite material to form a compressible and elastic solid state electrolyte; providing a compressible elastic composite material to form a compressible and elastic negative electrode; and providing a compressible elastic composite material to form a compressible and elastic second current collector; wherein a plurality of compressible pores are provided to the compressible elastic composite material by preparing a mixture comprising one or more pore forming agents, wherein addition of solid state electrolyte forming material allows forming a compressible and elastic solid-state electrolyte, wherein addition of the electrode material allows forming a compressible and elastic electrode, and wherein addition of the current collector material allows forming a compressible and elastic current collector.

13 . The process according to claim 12 , wherein the one or more pore forming agents comprise:
a foaming agent, a high vapor pressure solvent, and dissolved gasses; wherein the process comprises activating the pore forming agent to form the plurality of pores, and wherein the activating the pore forming agent is performed by performing one or more of applying a low pressure or high temperature for a time sufficient to activate the pore forming agent.

14 . The process according to claim 12 , wherein the one or more pore forming agents comprise hollow latex beads and wherein the hollow latex beads are provided by:
obtaining core-shell polymer latex beads, wherein the core comprises a aqueous gel, drying the core-shell polymer latex beads by freeze-drying or by a liquid-gas phase exchange process using a continuous dry gas flow.

15 . Hollow latex beads provided by:
obtaining core-shell polymer latex beads, wherein the core comprises an aqueous gel, drying the core-shell polymer latex beads by freeze-drying or by a liquid-gas phase exchange process using a continuous dry gas flow,
obtaining core-shell polymer latex beads wherein the core comprises a aqueous gel, and
drying the core-shell polymer latex beads by freeze-drying or by a liquid-gas phase exchange process using a continuous dry gas flow.

16 . The hollow latex beads of claim 15 , provided by further applying an electrically conductive coating to the dried conductive hollow latex beads to form electrically conductive hollow latex beads

17 . The process of claim 14 , further comprising applying an electrically conductive coating to the dried conductive hollow latex beads to form electrically conductive hollow latex beads.

Assignees

• TNO

Inventors

• Tulodziecki Michal
• Unnikrishnan Sandeep
• Vercauteren Franky Flory
• Haverkate Lucas Augustinus

Classifications

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• H01M4/139

  Processes of manufacture · CPC title

• H01M4/04

  Processes of manufacture in general · CPC title

• H01M4/64

  Carriers or collectors · CPC title

• C08L2207/53

  Core-shell polymer · CPC title