Electrodes, lithium-ion batteries, and methods of making and using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022166010-A1
Application number	US-202217667412-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 8, 2022
Priority date	Sep 29, 2009
Publication date	May 26, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

Described herein are improved composite anodes and lithium-ion batteries made therefrom. Further described are methods of making and using the improved anodes and batteries. In general, the anodes include a porous composite having a plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites. At least one of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites is formed from a dendritic particle, which is a three-dimensional, randomly-ordered assembly of nanoparticles of an electrically conducting material and a plurality of discrete non-porous nanoparticles of a non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof disposed on a surface of the dendritic particle. At least one nanocomposite of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites has at least a portion of its dendritic particle in electrical communication with at least a portion of a dendritic particle of an adjacent nanocomposite in the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A battery electrode composite particle, comprising:
a matrix having a three-dimensional structure comprising pores; and a plurality of nanoparticles of a non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof at least partially disposed within the matrix, wherein the pores define a total pore volume of the pores that is different from a volume occupied by the plurality of nanoparticles of the non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof, and wherein the composite particle is at least partially coated with a material to inhibit access of electrolyte solvent to the plurality of at least some of the nanoparticles of the non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof disposed within the matrix.

2 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 ,
wherein the material coats at least part of a surface of the pores, or wherein the material coats at least part of an outer surface of the battery electrode composite particle, or wherein the material coats at least part of the plurality of nanoparticles of the non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof, or a combination thereof.

3 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 2 , wherein the material fully encases the outer surface of the battery electrode composite particle.

4 . The battery electrode of claim 2 , wherein the material encases the plurality of nanoparticles within the outer surface of the battery electrode composite particle.

5 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the material is electrically conductive.

6 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the material comprises carbon.

7 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 6 , wherein at least some of the carbon of the material comprises a carbonized polymeric binder.

8 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 6 , wherein at least some of the carbon of the material comprises a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) carbon.

9 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nanoparticles are discrete and non-porous.

10 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 9 , wherein the discrete and non-porous nanoparticles comprise silicon.

11 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the matrix comprises an electrically-conductive material.

12 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 11 , wherein the electrically-conductive material comprises amorphous or graphitic carbon.

13 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the matrix comprises interconnected dendritic particles.

14 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 13 , wherein the matrix further comprises a carbonized polymer that bonds the dendritic particles together in the three-dimensional structure to form the matrix.

15 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , where the matrix comprises:
a plurality of dendritic particles; and an electrically-conductive additive material joining the plurality of dendritic particles together, wherein the plurality of dendritic particles and the electrically-conductive additive material both comprise carbon.

16 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the battery electrode composite particle has a size in the range of about 100 nanometers to about 40 micrometers.

17 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the battery electrode composite particle has a specific surface area that is less than or equal to about 24 m 2 /g.

18 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the total pore volume of the battery electrode composite particle is less than about 20 times the volume occupied by the plurality of nanoparticles of the non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof.

19 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the battery electrode composite particle is formed as a spherical or substantially-spherical granule.

20 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the matrix forms a bulk unitary body.

21 . A battery electrode composition, comprising:
a plurality of agglomerations of composite particles, wherein the plurality of agglomerated composite particles includes the battery electrode composite particle of claim 2 .

22 . The battery electrode composition of claim 21 , wherein at least a portion of each composite particle in the plurality of agglomerated composite particles is in electrical communication with at least a portion of an adjacent composite particle in the plurality of agglomerated composite particles.

23 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the total pore volume of the battery electrode composite particle is greater than the volume occupied by the plurality of nanoparticles of the non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof.

24 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the matrix comprises at least one carbon particle having a purity greater than 99 percent.

25 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 24 , wherein the at least one carbon particle comprises carbon black.

26 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 1 , wherein the matrix comprises at least one carbon particle having a purity greater than 99.9 percent.

27 . A battery electrode composite particle, comprising:
a matrix having a three-dimensional structure comprising pores; and a non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof at least partially disposed within the pores, wherein the matrix includes a volume to accommodate expansion of the non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof during battery operation, and wherein the battery electrode composite particle is at least partially coated with a material to inhibit access of electrolyte solvent to at least a portion of the non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof.

28 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 27 , wherein the volume is not occupied by the non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof.

29 . The battery electrode composite particle of claim 27 , wherein the volume of the matrix that accommodates the expansion of the non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof during battery operation is defined by the pores of the matrix.

Assignees

• Sila Nanotechnologies Inc
• Georgia Tech Res Inst

Inventors

• Yushin Gleb
• Magazynskyy Oleksandr
• Dixon Patrick
• Hertzberg Benjamin

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/625

  Carbon or graphite · CPC title

• H01M4/386

  Silicon or alloys based on silicon · CPC title

• H01M4/587

  for inserting or intercalating light metals · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

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