Apparatus and method accelerating electrilyte filling process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025357651-A1
Application number	US-202418664949-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 15, 2024
Priority date	May 15, 2024
Publication date	Nov 20, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for and method of wetting, with a liquid solvent, a plurality of pore surfaces formed a substrate of a lithium-ion battery, and thereafter, filling the lithium-ion battery with a liquid electrolyte.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
flowing a solvent vapor over a plurality of interior surfaces of a battery cell, wherein at least one of the plurality of interior surfaces of the battery cell has a plurality of pores formed therein, each pore of the plurality of pores being defined by a pore surface; condensing the solvent vapor to a liquid solvent so that the liquid solvent is deposited at least on the pore surface of each pore of the plurality of pores; and thereafter, filling the battery cell with an electrolyte including a solvent and a salt.

2 . The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the liquid solvent is deposited on the at least one of the plurality of interior surfaces.

3 . The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising flowing a carrier gas along with the solvent vapor over the plurality of interior surfaces of the battery cell.

4 . The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising drawing a vacuum on the battery cell to remove gas from the battery cell prior to flowing the solvent vapor over the plurality of interior surfaces of the battery cell.

5 . The method as set in claim 1 wherein the solvent vapor has a vapor pressure and a vapor temperature, and wherein condensing the solvent vapor to the liquid solvent comprising adjusting at least one of the vapor pressure or the vapor temperature.

6 . The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the solvent vapor has a vapor pressure and further comprising adjusting the vapor pressure to promote capillary condensation.

7 . The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising heating the solvent vapor flowing over the plurality of interior surfaces of the battery cell.

8 . The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising heating a solvent to produce the solvent vapor.

9 . The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein heating the solvent to produce the solvent vapor is performed in a bubbler.

10 . The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising flowing a carrier gas into the bubbler and flowing the carrier gas and the solvent vapor over the plurality of interior surfaces of the battery cell.

11 . The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the plurality of interior surfaces of the battery cell comprising at least one interior surface of a housing enclosing the battery cell, a first electrode, a second electrode, and a separator between the first electrode and the second electrode.

12 . The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a housing enclosing the battery cell; wherein the plurality of interior surfaces of the battery cell comprising at least one interior surface of a housing enclosing the battery cell, a first electrode, a second electrode, and a separator between the first electrode and the second electrode; heating a solvent to produce the solvent vapor; and flowing a carrier gas into a bubbler and flowing the carrier gas and the solvent vapor over the plurality of interior surfaces of the battery cell.

13 . A method comprising:
wetting, with a liquid solvent, a plurality of pore surfaces formed in a substrate of a lithium-ion battery; and thereafter, filling the lithium-ion battery with a liquid electrolyte.

14 . The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the wetting comprises flowing a solvent vapor over the plurality of pores surfaces formed in the substrate, and thereafter condensing the solvent vapor to the liquid solvent.

15 . The method as set forth in claim 14 wherein the substrate comprises at least one of an anode, an active material on the anode, a first face of a separator, a second face of the separator, a cathode, an active material on the cathode, or a surface of a battery housing.

16 . A product comprising:
a bubbler including a container and a heat source, a solvent vapor conduit connected to the container and to an electrolyte hopper, the electrolyte hopper having an open end for filling a lithium-ion battery.

17 . The product as set forth in claim 16 further comprising a carrier gas conduit connected to the container, the carrier gas conduit having a discharge end positioned to flow carrier gas into the container.

18 . The product as set forth in claim 17 further comprising a vacuum conduit connected to the electrolyte hopper.

19 . The product as set forth in claim 18 further comprising a filling port connected to the electrolyte hopper for filling liquid solvent into the electrolyte hopper.

20 . The product as set forth in claim 18 further comprising a vacuum pump connected to the vacuum conduit.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Xiao Xingcheng
• Cai Mei
• Healy John P

Classifications

• H01M10/058

  Construction or manufacture · CPC title

• H01M50/609 Primary

  Arrangements or processes for filling with liquid, e.g. electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

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

• H01M50/491

  Porosity · CPC title