Method and system for carbon-coated silicon in a pyrolyzed carbon binder electrode on copper current collectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025300163-A9
Application number	US-202117319726-A
Country	US
Kind code	A9
Filing date	May 13, 2021
Priority date	Mar 28, 2017
Publication date	Sep 25, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and system for carbon-coated silicon in a pyrolyzed carbon binder electrode on copper current collectors may include providing a metal current collector; forming a non-porous carbon coating on the metal current collector; coating silicon particles with carbon; forming an active material layer on the metal current collector, where the active material layer comprises at least 50% silicon particles by weight and a carbon source; and pyrolyzing the active material layer on the metal current collector, with no silicon particles in contact with metal from the metal current collector. The metal current collector may include copper. The battery anode may include no copper-silicon eutectic. The silicon particles may range in size from 2 to 50 μm. The active material layer may include aluminum carbide. A source for the pyrolyzed carbon may include polyimide and/or polyamide-imide. The current collector may be coated with the non-porous carbon coating using physical vapor deposition.

First claim

1 . A method of forming a battery, the method comprising:
providing a metal current collector; forming a non-porous carbon coating on the metal current collector; coating silicon particles with a first carbon to form carbon-coated, encapsulated silicon particles; forming an active material layer on the non-porous carbon coating on the metal current collector incorporating the carbon-coated, encapsulated silicon particles into the active material layer, the active material layer comprising at least 50% of the carbon-coated, encapsulated silicon particles by weight and a carbon source including a second carbon different from the first carbon; and pyrolyzing the active material layer on the metal current collector, wherein no carbon-coated, encapsulated silicon particles of the active material layer are in contact with metal in or from the metal current collector following pyrolysis due to the non-porous carbon coating on the metal current collector or the carbon-coated, encapsulated silicon particles.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal current collector comprises copper or copper alloy.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the battery comprises a battery anode that comprises no copper-silicon eutectic.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the silicon particles range in size from 2 to 50 μm.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the active material layer comprises aluminum carbide.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon source comprises one or more of: polyimide, polyamide-imide, polyacrylonitrile, phenolic, water based PAI, phenolic resins, tar, and pitch.

7 . The method of claim 1 , comprising coating the metal current collector with the non-porous carbon coating using physical vapor deposition.

8 . The method of claim 1 , comprising coating the silicon particles with the first carbon using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process using a fluidized bed reactor.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising coating the silicon particles with polymer using microencapsulation.

10 . The method of claim 2 , comprising pyrolyzing the active material layer on the metal current collector in a temperature range of 500 to 1084° C.

11 . The method of claim 2 , comprising pyrolyzing the active material layer on the metal current collector in a temperature range of 600 to 1084° C.

12 . The method of claim 2 , comprising pyrolyzing the active material layer on the metal current collector in a temperature range of 700 to 1084° C.

13 . The method of claim 2 , comprising pyrolyzing the active material layer on the metal current collector in a temperature range of 800 to 1084° C.

14 . The method of claim 2 , comprising pyrolyzing the active material layer on the metal current collector in a temperature range of 900 to 1084° C.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the active material layer comprises one or more of: FeC 3 , Fe 2 Si, Fe 3 Si 7 , Al 3 C 4 , and copper-aluminum alloys.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the active material layer comprises alloy particles with a density per area of greater than 200 mm −2 .

17 . A battery anode comprising:
a metal current collector, the metal current collector having a non-porous carbon coating; and an active material layer on the metal current collector, the active material layer comprising a pyrolyzed carbon source including a first carbon and at least 50% silicon by weight, wherein the silicon comprises heat treated carbon-coated silicon particles coated with a second carbon different from the first carbon incorporated within the pyrolyzed carbon source, and wherein none of the silicon is in contact with metal in or from the metal current collector.

18 . The battery anode of claim 17 , wherein the metal current collector comprises copper.

19 . The battery anode of claim 18 , wherein the battery anode comprises no copper-silicon eutectic.

20 . The battery anode of claim 17 , wherein the silicon comprises particles that range in size from 2 to 50 μm.

21 . The battery anode of claim 17 , wherein the active material layer comprises aluminum carbide.

22 . The battery anode of claim 17 , wherein the pyrolyzed carbon source comprises one or more of: polyimide, polyamide-imide, polyacrylonitrile, phenolic, water based PAI, phenolic resins, tar, and pitch.

23 . The battery anode of claim 17 , wherein the active material layer comprises one or more of: FeC 3 , Fe 2 Si, Fe 3 Si 7 , Al 3 C 4 , and copper-aluminum alloys.

24 . The battery anode of claim 17 , wherein the active material layer comprises alloy particles with a density per area of greater than 200 mm −2 .

25 . A method of forming a battery, the method comprising:
providing a copper current collector; forming a non-porous carbon coating on the copper current collector; coating silicon particles with a first carbon to form carbon-coated silicon particles; thermally treating the carbon-coated silicon particles; forming an active material layer on the non-porous carbon coating on the copper current collector; incorporating the thermally treated carbon-coated silicon particles into the active material layer, the active material layer comprising at least 50% of the carbon-coated silicon particles by weight and a carbon source including a second carbon different from the first carbon; and pyrolyzing the active material layer on the copper current collector in a temperature range of 500 to 1084° C., wherein no carbon-coated silicon particles are in contact with metal in or from the copper current collector following pyrolysis.

Assignees

• Enevate Corp

Inventors

• Park Benjamin
• Pestana Jill
• Browne Ian
• Ansari Younes
• Perera Sanjaya D

Classifications

• H01M4/1393

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

• H01M4/625

  Carbon or graphite · CPC title

• H01M4/133

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

• H01M4/661

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

• H01M2004/021

  Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area · CPC title