Physically cross-linked gel electrolyte

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9350046-B2
Application number	US-201213551956-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2012
Priority date	Jul 18, 2012
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

An electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery has a physically cross-linked gel electrolyte situated between a negative electrode and a positive electrode. The gel electrolyte includes a block co-polymer host and a liquid electrolyte, which can transport lithium ions, absorbed into the block co-polymer host. The block co-polymer host includes poly(alkylene oxide) block units and physically cross-linkable block units. A few preferred physically cross-linkable block units that may be employed include polyamide block units and poly(terephthalate)ester block units.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lithium ion battery that includes at least one electrochemical battery cell that comprises:
a negative electrode;
a positive electrode situated opposite the negative electrode; and
a physically cross-linked gel electrolyte disposed between confronting faces of the negative electrode and the positive electrode, the gel electrolyte comprising a block co-polymer host and a liquid electrolyte absorbed into the block co-polymer host, the block co-polymer host having poly(ethylene oxide) block units and physically cross-linkable block units selected from the group consisting of polyamide block units and poly(terephthalate)ester block units.

2. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 1 , wherein the polyamide block units comprise poly(caprolactam) block units.

3. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 1 , wherein the poly(terephthalate)ester block units comprise poly(ethylene terephthalate) block units or poly(butylene terephthalate) block units.

4. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 1 , wherein the block co-polymer host has the chemical formula:

in which R is an alkylene bridge having 1 to 16 carbons, m ranges from 6 to 5000, and n ranges from 6 to 5000.

5. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 4 , wherein the block co-polymer host has the chemical formula:

6. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 1 , wherein the block co-polymer host has the chemical formula:

in which R 3 is an alkylene bridge having between 2 and 16 carbons, y ranges from 6 to 5000, and n ranges from 6 to 5000.

7. The method set forth in claim 6 , wherein the block co-polymer host has the chemical formula:

8. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 1 , wherein the gel electrolyte has a thickness that ranges from about 5 μm to about 200 μm.

9. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 1 , wherein the gel electrolyte further comprises physically blended poly(alkylene oxide).

10. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 1 , wherein the gel electrolyte further comprises ceramic particles or polymer particles.

11. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 1 , wherein the liquid electrolyte absorbed into the block co-polymer host comprises a lithium salt and an organic solvent.

12. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 11 , wherein the lithium salt comprises at least one of LiClO 4 , LiAlCl 4 , LiI, LiBr, LiSCN, LiBF 4 , LiB(C 6 H 5 ) 4 , LiAsF 6 , LiCF 3 SO 3 , LiN(CF 3 SO 2 ) 2 , LiPF 6 , and a mixture that includes one or more of these salts.

13. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 11 , wherein the organic solvent comprises at least one of a cyclic carbonate, an acyclic carbonate, an aliphatic carboxylic ester, a γ-lactone, an acyclic ether, a cyclic ether, or a mixture that includes one or more of these organic solvents.

14. A lithium ion battery that includes at least one electrochemical battery cell that comprises:
a negative electrode;
a positive electrode situated opposite the negative electrode; and
a physically cross-linked gel electrolyte disposed between confronting faces of the negative electrode and the positive electrode, the gel electrolyte comprising a block co-polymer host, poly(ethylene oxide) physically blended with the block co-polymer host, and a liquid electrolyte absorbed into the block co-polymer host and the physically blended poly(ethylene oxide), the block co-polymer host having one of the following chemical structures:

in which m ranges from 6 to 5000 and n ranges from 6 to 5000; or

in which y ranges from 6 to 5000 and n ranges from 6 to 5000.

15. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 14 , wherein the gel electrolyte has a thickness that ranges about 10 μm to about 100 μm.

16. The electrochemical battery cell set forth in claim 14 , wherein the liquid electrolyte comprises a lithium salt and an organic solvent, wherein the lithium salt comprises at least one of LiClO 4 , LiAlCl 4 , LiI, LiBr, LiSCN, LiBF 4 , LiB(C 6 H 5 ) 4 , LiAsF 6 , LiCF 3 SO 3 , LiN(CF 3 SO 2 ) 2 , LiPF 6 , and a mixture that includes one or more of these salts, and wherein the organic solvent comprises at least one of a cyclic carbonate, an acyclic carbonate, an aliphatic carboxylic ester, a γ-lactone, an acyclic ether, a cyclic ether, or a mixture that includes one or more of these organic solvents.

17. A physically cross-linked gel electrolyte for use in an electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery, the physically cross-linked gel electrolyte comprising:
a block co-polymer host that comprises poly(alkylene oxide) block units and physically cross-linkable block units, the poly(alkylene oxide) block units establishing soft domains and the physically cross-linkable block units interacting with one another to establish hard domains, and wherein the poly(alkylene oxide) block units have the chemical formula:

in which x ranges from 1 to 6;
poly(ethylene oxide) physically blended with the block co-polymer host; and
a liquid electrolyte absorbed into the block co-polymer host and the physically blended poly(ethylene oxide), the liquid electrolyte comprising a lithium salt and an organic solvent, wherein the soft domains have a greater affinity for liquid electrolyte absorption than the hard domains.

18. The physically cross-linked gel electrolyte set forth in claim 17 , wherein the physically cross-linkable block units are polyamide block units or poly(terephthalate)ester block units.

19. The physically cross-linked gel electrolyte set forth in claim 17 , wherein the gel electrolyte includes first and second opposed major faces shaped to engage spaced apart and confronting inner faces of a negative electrode and a positive electrode for an electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery, and wherein the first and second major faces define a thickness of the gel electrolyte that ranges from about 5 μm to about 200 μm.

20. The physically cross-linked gel electrolyte set forth in claim 17 , wherein the poly(alkylene oxide) block units have the chemical formula:

in which the sum of d and w ranges from 2 to 6.

Assignees

• Huang Xiaosong
• Gm Global Tech Operations Inc

Inventors

• Huang Xiaosong

Classifications

• Y02E60/122

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T10/7011

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M10/0565

  Polymeric materials, e.g. gel-type or solid-type · CPC title

• H01M2300/0085

  Immobilising or gelification of electrolyte · CPC title

• H01M10/0525 Primary

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