Surface coated porous substrates and particles and systems and methods thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022131125-A1
Application number	US-202117451772-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 21, 2021
Priority date	Oct 22, 2020
Publication date	Apr 28, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

In an aspect, a functional, a conformal surface layer coating on an internal surface of pores of a porous substrate may be formed via exposure to gas streams of precursor molecules in an atomic-layer deposition (ALD) reactor. In another aspect, a functional surface layer coating on particles of a powder (or particle powder) may be formed via exposure to gas streams of precursor molecules in an ALD reactor. In another aspect, an ALD reactor system may be configured with mechanisms for supplying gas streams of precursor molecules to form the conformal surface layer(s). In another aspect, the porous electrode(s) and/or particle(s) with the conformal surface coating(s) may be made part of a Li-ion battery cell, which in turn be made part of a Li-ion battery module or Li-ion battery pack.

First claim

1 . A method of forming a functional, conformal surface layer coating on an internal surface of pores of a porous substrate, comprising:
(A1) supplying a first gas stream of first precursor molecules to a porous substrate at a first region in an atomic-layer deposition (ALD) reactor, a portion of the first precursor molecules forming a chemically-bonded layer on the internal surface, another portion of the first precursor molecules becoming physisorbed first precursor molecules; (A2) moving the porous substrate from the first region to a second region in the ALD reactor, the second region being spatially separated from the first region; and (A3) purging the physisorbed first precursor molecules from the porous substrate at the second region; (A4) moving the porous substrate from the second to a third region in the ALD reactor, the third region being spatially separated from the first region and the second region; (A5) supplying a second gas stream of second precursor molecules to the porous substrate at the third region, a portion of the second precursor molecules reacting with the first precursor molecules in the chemically-bonded layer to form at least a portion of the functional, conformal surface layer coating, another portion of the second precursor molecules becoming physisorbed second precursor molecules; (A6) moving the porous substrate from the third region to a fourth region in the ALD reactor, the fourth region being spatially separated from the first region, the second region, and the third region; and (A7) purging the physisorbed second precursor molecules from the porous substrate at the fourth region.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
(A3) comprises supplying a first inert gas stream to the porous substrate at the second region; and (A7) comprises supplying a second inert gas stream to the porous substrate at the fourth region.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the supplying of the gas stream in one or more of (A1), (A3), (A5), and (A7) comprises supplying the gas stream from one or more supply nozzles such that the gas stream flows from the one or more supply nozzles through the porous substrate to one or more exhaust nozzles, the one or more exhaust nozzles removing the gas stream from the ALD reactor, a spacing between (a) the one or more supply nozzles and the one or more exhaust nozzles and (b) the porous substrate ranging from around 5 microns to around 1 mm, a pressure gradient between the one or more supply nozzles and the one or more exhaust nozzles ranging between around 0.1 atm to around 1000 atm.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein (A1) through (A7) are repeated.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor molecules and/or the second precursor molecules are selected from: metal alkoxides, metal 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionates, isobutyl-metals, methyl-metals, dimethylamido-metals, cyclopentadienyl-metals, cyclopentadienyl-metal-hydrides, methyl-η 5 -cyclopentadienyl-methoxymethyl-metals, ethyl-metal-hydrides, methyl-metal-hydrides, butyl-metal-hydrides, methyl-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl-metals, metal-alkoxide-(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate), pentafluorophenyl-metals, ethyl-metals, phenyl-metals, N,N-bis(trimethylsilyl)amide-metals, butylcyclopentadienyl-metals, metal halides, tert-butoxy-metals, tert-pentoxy-metals, and hexamethyldisilazane.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor molecules and/or the second precursor molecules comprise one or more of the following: reductants, lithium sources, fluorine sources, aluminum sources, oxygen sources, phosphorous sources, nitrogen sources, iron sources, titanium sources, lanthanum sources, zirconium sources, cerium sources, and niobium sources.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
(A8) fluorinating the porous substrate, after formation of at least one portion of the functional, conformal surface layer coating.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
(A9) annealing the porous substrate, after formation of at least one portion of the functional, conformal surface layer coating.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the porous substrate comprises a current collector and a porous electrode coating on the current collector.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the current collector is porous.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the current collector comprises Cu or Al.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the porous substrate corresponds to at least part of an anode electrode for a Li-ion battery cell.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the anode electrode comprises silicon and/or carbon.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the porous substrate corresponds to at least part of a cathode electrode for a Li-ion battery cell.

15 . A method of forming a functional surface layer coating on particles of a particle powder, comprising the steps of:
(B1) supplying a first gas stream of first precursor molecules to the particles of the particle powder at a first region in a tubular atomic-layer deposition (ALD) reactor, a portion of the first precursor molecules forming a chemically-bonded layer on the particles of the particle powder, another portion of the first precursor molecules becoming physisorbed first precursor molecules; (B2) moving the particle powder from the first region to a second region in the tubular ALD reactor, the second region being spatially separated from the first region; (B3) purging the physisorbed first precursor molecules from the particle powder at the second region; (B4) moving the particle powder from the second to a third region in the tubular ALD reactor, the third region being spatially separated from the first region and the second region; (B5) supplying a second gas stream of second precursor molecules to the particle powder at the third region, a portion of the second precursor molecules reacting with the first precursor molecules in the chemically-bonded layer to form at least a portion of the functional surface layer coating, another portion of the second precursor molecules becoming physisorbed second precursor molecules; (B6) moving the particle powder from the third region to a fourth region in the tubular ALD reactor, the fourth region being spatially separated from the first region, the second region, and the third region; and (B7) purging the physisorbed second precursor molecules from the particle powder at the fourth region.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the particle powder is moved from the first region to the second region at (B2), from the second region to the third region at (B4), and from the third region to the fourth region at (B6) via a rotating auger inside the tubular ALD reactor.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
(B3) comprises supplying a first inert gas stream to the particle powder at the second region; and (B7) comprises supplying a second inert gas stream to the particle powder at the fourth region.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the supplying of the gas stream in one or more of (B1), (B3), (B5), and (B7) comprises supplying the gas stream from one or more supply nozzles such that the inert gas stream flows from the one or more supply nozzles through the particle powder to one or more exhaust nozzles, the one or more exhaust nozzles removing the gas stream from the tubular ALD reactor, a pressure gradient between the one or more supply nozzles and the one or more exhaust nozzles ranging between around 0.1 atm to around 1000 atm.

19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein steps (B1) through (B7) a

Assignees

• Sila Nanotechnologies Inc

Inventors

• Yushin Gleb
• Gerber Laura
• Clark Matthew
• Lulevich Valentin
• Fevre Mareva
• Lachman Eric

Classifications

• H01M4/1393

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

• H01M4/0404

  by coating on electrode collectors · CPC title

• H01M4/1395

  of electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys · CPC title

• H01M4/661

  Metal or alloys, e.g. alloy coatings (H01M4/669 take precedence) · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title