Sulfur-carbon nanocomposites and their application as cathode materials in lithium-sulfur batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9023528-B2
Application number	US-87425410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2010
Priority date	Sep 2, 2009
Publication date	May 5, 2015
Grant date	May 5, 2015

Abstract

The invention is directed in a first aspect to a sulfur-carbon composite material comprising: (i) a bimodal porous carbon component containing therein a first mode of pores which are mesopores, and a second mode of pores which are micropores; and (ii) elemental sulfur contained in at least a portion of said micropores. The invention is also directed to the aforesaid sulfur-carbon composite as a layer on a current collector material; a lithium ion battery containing the sulfur-carbon composite in a cathode therein; as well as a method for preparing the sulfur-composite material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sulfur-carbon composite material useful as a cathodic material in a lithium ion battery, the sulfur-carbon composite material comprising:
(i) a bimodal porous carbon component containing therein a first mode of pores which are mesopores, and a second mode of pores which are micropores; and
(ii) elemental sulfur contained in at least 60 vol % of said micropores while no more than 5 vol % of the mesopores is occupied by elemental sulfur.

2. The sulfur-carbon composite material of claim 1 , wherein at least 10% and no more than 90% of the pore volume of the bimodal porous carbon component is attributable to micropores.

3. The sulfur-carbon composite material of claim 1 , wherein at least 20% and no more than 90% of the pore volume of the bimodal porous carbon component is attributable to micropores.

4. The sulfur-carbon composite material of claim 1 , wherein at least 80 vol % of the micropores is occupied by elemental sulfur.

5. The sulfur-carbon composite material of claim 1 , wherein the micropores are completely occupied by elemental sulfur.

6. A layered material useful as a cathodic material in a lithium ion battery, the layered material comprising a current collector material having coated thereon a layer of a sulfur-carbon composite material comprising:
(i) a bimodal porous carbon component containing therein a first mode of pores which are mesopores, and a second mode of pores which are micropores; and
(ii) elemental sulfur contained in at least 60 vol % of said micropores while no more than 5 vol % of the mesopores is occupied by elemental sulfur.

7. A lithium ion battery comprising:
(a) a lithium anode
(b) a cathode comprising a sulfur-carbon composite material comprising:
(i) a bimodal porous carbon component containing therein a first mode of pores which are mesopores, and a second mode of pores which are micropores; and
(ii) elemental sulfur contained in at least 60 vol % of said micropores while no more than 5 vol % of the mesopores is occupied by elemental sulfur; and

(c) a lithium-containing electrolyte medium in contact with said anode and cathode.

8. The lithium ion battery of claim 7 , wherein the electrolyte medium is a liquid.

9. The lithium ion battery of claim 7 , wherein the electrolyte medium is a solid or gel.

10. The lithium ion battery of claim 7 , wherein the electrolyte medium comprises a matrix material and a lithium ion electrolyte component.

11. The lithium ion battery of claim 10 , wherein the electrolyte medium further comprises a halide-containing additive.

12. The lithium ion battery of claim 11 , wherein the halide-containing additive is an inorganic halide salt.

13. The lithium ion battery of claim 12 , wherein the inorganic halide salt is an alkali halide metal salt.

14. The lithium ion battery of claim 11 , wherein the halide-containing additive is present in the electrolyte medium in an amount of at least 0.1 m concentration.

15. The lithium ion battery of claim 11 , wherein the halide-containing additive is present in the electrolyte medium in an amount of at least 0.5 m concentration.

16. The lithium ion battery of claim 10 , wherein the matrix material is comprised of one or more solvents.

17. The lithium ion battery of claim 16 , wherein the one or more solvents are polar aprotic solvents.

18. The lithium ion battery of claim 16 , wherein the one or more solvents include one or more oxyether groups.

19. The lithium ion battery of claim 7 , wherein the electrolyte medium comprises one or more solvents, a lithium ion electrolyte component, and one or more halide-containing additives.

20. The lithium ion battery of claim 19 , wherein the one or more solvents include one or more oxyether groups.

Assignees

• Liang Chengdu
• Dudney Nancy J
• Howe Jane Y
• Ut Battelle Llc

Inventors

• Liang Chengdu
• Dudney Nancy J
• Howe Jane Y

Classifications

• H01M10/0566

  Liquid materials · CPC title

• H01M4/362

  Composites · CPC title

• H01M10/0569

  characterised by the solvents · CPC title

• H01M4/625

  Carbon or graphite · CPC title

• H01M10/052 Primary

  Li-accumulators · CPC title