Fast charging and discharging rechargeable batteries by isotope control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023178710-A1
Application number	US-202117927455-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 16, 2021
Priority date	Jul 20, 2020
Publication date	Jun 8, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a battery that comprise at least one electrochemical cell that comprises a cathode, an anode or an anode current collector and an electrolyte disposed between the cathode and the anode or the current collector, wherein (a) the anode comprises an isotopically enriched metal; (b) the cathode comprises isotopically enriched metal ions; (c) the electrolyte comprises an isotopically enriched metal salt; (d) a combination of (a) and (b); (e) a combination of (a) and (c); (f) a combination of (b) and (c); or (g) a combination of (a), (b) and (c).

First claim

1 . A battery comprising at least one electrochemical cell that comprises a cathode, an anode or an anode current collector and an electrolyte disposed between the cathode and the anode or the current collector, wherein (a) the anode comprises an isotopically enriched metal; (b) the cathode comprises isotopically enriched metal ions; (c) the electrolyte comprises an isotopically enriched metal salt; (d) a combination of (a) and (b); (e) a combination of (a) and (c); (f) a combination of (b) and (c); or (g) a combination of (a), (b) and (c).

2 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the metal is lithium, zinc, potassium, or magnesium.

3 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode comprises isotopically enriched metal ions.

4 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode, comprises isotopically enriched lithium ions

5 . The battery of claim 4 , wherein the cathode is selected from a lithium transition-metal oxide cathode, a lithium transition-metal phosphate cathode, a sulfur based cathode, a metal fluoride cathode or an air-based cathode.

6 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical cell comprises the anode and wherein the anode comprises an isotopically enriched metal.

7 . The battery of claim 6 , wherein the anode comprises an isotopically enriched lithium anode.

8 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical cell comprises the anode current collector.

9 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises isotopically enriched metal ions.

10 . The battery of claim 9 , wherein the electrolyte is selected from a liquid electrolyte and a solid electrolyte.

11 . The battery of claim 1 , further comprising an ionically conductive separator between the cathode and the anode or current collector.

12 . The battery of claim 11 , wherein the separator comprises porous glass or porous polypropylene.

13 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical cell has a specific energy ranging from 100 Wh/kg to 1000 Wh/kg.

14 . A method of operating the battery of claim 1 , the method comprising: charging the battery and/or discharging the battery.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the battery initially comprises the anode, and wherein an initial cell forming step is either a charging step or a discharging step.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the battery initially comprises the current collector and does not comprise an anode, and wherein an initial cell forming step is a charging step.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the electrochemical cell is charged at a current density up to 15 mA/cm 2 during operation.

18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the electrochemical cell is charged at a voltage ranging from 0 V to 5 V during operation.

19 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the electrochemical cell is discharged at a current density up to 25 mA/cm 2 during operation.

20 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the electrochemical cell is discharged at a voltage ranging from 0 V to 5 V during operation.

Assignees

• Univ Carnegie Mellon

Inventors

• Viswanathan Venkatasubramanian
• Ahmad Zeeshan
• Zhu Shang

Classifications

• H01M50/497

  Ionic conductivity · CPC title

• H01M4/382

  Lithium (H01M4/405 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M4/661

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

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title

• H01M2004/028

  Positive electrodes · CPC title