Methods and systems for producing lithium intercalated anodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024014371-A1
Application number	US-202318199749-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 19, 2023
Priority date	Jul 11, 2022
Publication date	Jan 11, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to battery technology, and more specifically, methods and systems for preparing lithium anodes. In one or more embodiments, a method for producing a lithium intercalated anode includes introducing a sacrificial substrate containing lithium films and an anode substrate containing graphite into a processing region within a chamber. The method also includes combining the sacrificial and anode substrates overlapping one another around a rewinder roller, rotating the rewinder roller to wind the sacrificial and anode substrates together to produce a rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle during a winding process. The method also includes heating the sacrificial substrate, the anode substrate, and/or the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle while rotating the rewinder roller and applying a force to the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle via an idle roller during the winding process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of forming a lithium intercalated anode, comprising:
introducing a sacrificial substrate into a processing region within a chamber, wherein the sacrificial substrate comprises a base foil having an upper surface opposite a lower surface and a lithium coating disposed on the upper and lower surfaces; introducing an anode substrate comprising graphite into the processing region within the chamber; combining the sacrificial substrate and the anode substrate overlapping one another around a rewinder roller within the processing region during a rolling process; rotating the rewinder roller to wind the sacrificial substrate and the anode substrate together to produce a rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle while continuing to introduce the sacrificial substrate and the anode substrate into the processing region during the rolling process; heating the sacrificial substrate, the anode substrate, and/or the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle while rotating the rewinder roller during the rolling process; and applying a force to the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle via an idle roller during the rolling process.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transferring at least a portion of the lithium metal from the sacrificial substrate to the anode substrate; absorbing the lithium metal into the anode substrate to produce a lithium intercalated anode substrate; and maintaining the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle under vacuum for about 2 hours to about 24 hours while producing the lithium intercalated anode substrate.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transferring at least a portion of the lithium metal from the sacrificial substrate to the anode substrate; absorbing the lithium metal into the anode substrate to produce a lithium intercalated anode substrate; and unwinding the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle and separating the lithium intercalated anode substrate from the base foil of the sacrificial substrate.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing region is maintained at a pressure in a range from about 1×10 −6 mTorr to about 1×10 −3 mTorr while combining the sacrificial substrate and the anode substrate and rotating the rewinder roller.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial substrate, the anode substrate, and/or the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle are heated to a temperature of about 50° C. to about 200° C. during the rolling process.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle is heated under vacuum for a period from about 2 hours to about 36 hours by one or more infrared lamps positioned within the processing region.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
radially moving the idle roller away from the rewinder roller as the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle is produced from the sacrificial substrate and the anode substrate; while maintaining the force applied to the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the chamber comprises a calendaring system which comprises the idle roller, wherein the calendaring system further comprises two pivot arms, and wherein each of the pivot arms comprises a sliding slot configured to support the idle roller.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the calendaring system further comprises two casters, wherein each caster is coupled on opposite ends of the idle roller, and wherein each caster is configured to travel within a respective sliding slot on each of the pivot arms.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the base foil of the sacrificial substrate comprises a metal selected from copper, a copper alloy, nickel, a nickel alloy, a stainless steel alloy, alloys thereof, or any combination thereof.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the base foil of the sacrificial substrate comprises a polymeric material selected from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), copolymers thereof, elastomers thereof, or any combination thereof.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the anode substrate comprises a graphite foil, a silicon-graphite material, a silicon oxide-graphite material, or any combination thereof.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the rewinder roller and the processing region are both in a rewinder chamber, wherein the rewinder chamber is part of a process system further comprising a process chamber coupled to and between an unwinder chamber and the rewinder chamber.

14 . A method of forming a lithium intercalated anode, comprising:
introducing a sacrificial substrate into a processing region within a chamber, wherein the sacrificial substrate comprises a base foil having an upper surface opposite a lower surface and a lithium coating disposed on the upper and lower surfaces; introducing an anode substrate into the processing region within the chamber; rotating a rewinder roller within the processing region to wind the sacrificial substrate and the anode substrate together and overlapping one another around to produce a rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle while continuing to introduce the sacrificial substrate and the anode substrate into the processing region during a rolling process, wherein the processing region is maintained at a pressure of less than 760 Torr while producing the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle; heating the sacrificial substrate, the anode substrate, and/or the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle while rotating the rewinder roller during the rolling process; applying a force to the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle via an idle roller during the rolling process; transferring at least a portion of the lithium metal from the sacrificial substrate to the anode substrate; and absorbing the lithium metal into the anode substrate to produce a lithium intercalated anode substrate.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the processing region is maintained at a pressure in a range from about 1×10 −6 mTorr to about 1×10 −3 mTorr while producing the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle is heated under vacuum for a period from about 2 hours to about 36 hours by one or more infrared lamps positioned within the processing region.

17 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
radially moving the idle roller away from the rewinder roller as the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle is produced from the sacrificial substrate and the anode substrate; while maintaining the force applied to the rolled anode-sacrificial substrate bundle.

18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the chamber comprises a calendaring system which comprises the idle roller, wherein the calendaring system further comprises two pivot arms, and wherein each of the pivot arms comprises a sliding slot configured to support the idle roller.

19 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the rewinder roller and the processing region are both in a rewinder chamber, and wherein the rewinder chamber is part of a process system further comprising a process chamber coupled to and between an unwinder chamber and the rewinder chamber.

20 . A process system for forming a lithium intercalated anode, comprising:
a chamber having a processing region therein and configured to maintained the processing region at a pressure in a range from about 1×10 −6 mTorr to about 1×10 −3 mTorr; a first source coupled to the chamber

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Ramachandrappa Prasannakalleshwara Buddappa
• Kundu Sambhu Nath
• Sivaramakrishnan Visweswaren
• Herle Subramanya P

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M2004/027

  Negative electrodes · CPC title

• H01M4/382

  Lithium (H01M4/405 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M4/364

  as mixtures · CPC title

• H01M4/483

  for non-aqueous cells (H01M4/485 takes precedence) · CPC title