Three-dimensional (3D) porous electrode architecture for a microbattery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9406938-B2
Application number	US-201214235338-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2012
Priority date	Jul 29, 2011
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A three-dimensional porous electrode architecture for a microbattery includes a substrate having first and second conductive patterns disposed thereon where the first and second conductive patterns are electrically isolated from each other, a three-dimensional porous cathode disposed on the first conductive pattern, and a three-dimensional porous anode disposed on the second conductive pattern. The porous cathode includes a first conductive scaffold conformally coated with a layer of a cathode active material and having a porosity defined by a network of interconnected pores, where the first conductive scaffold has a lateral size and shape defined by the first conductive pattern and porous side walls oriented substantially perpendicular to the substrate. The porous anode includes a second conductive scaffold conformally coated with a layer of an anode active material and having a porosity defined by a network of interconnected pores.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of fabricating a three-dimensional porous electrode architecture for a microbattery, the method comprising:
providing a surface comprising a first conductive pattern and a second conductive pattern thereon, the first and second conductive patterns being electrically isolated from each other;
forming a lattice structure on the surface;
infiltrating interstices of the lattice structure with a first conductive material and a second conductive material, the first and second conductive materials propagating through the interstices in a direction away from the surface to reach a predetermined thickness, where the first conductive material spans an area of the surface overlaid by the first conductive pattern and the second conductive material spans an area of the surface overlaid by the second conductive pattern;
removing the lattice structure to form a network of interconnected voids in each of the first and second conductive materials, thereby forming three-dimensional first and second conductive scaffolds, each conductive scaffold having the predetermined thickness and a lateral size and shape defined by the respective conductive pattern;
conformally depositing an anode active material on the second conductive scaffold to form a porous anode; and
after depositing the anode active material, conformally depositing a cathode active material on the first conductive scaffold to form a porous cathode, and
lithiating the porous cathode,
thereby forming a three-dimensional battery electrode architecture.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cathode active material is MnOOH and the anode active material is selected from the group consisting of C, Li, Si, SnO 2 , and a Ni—Sn alloy.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first conductive scaffold is covered with a removable protective layer prior to conformally depositing the anode active material.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first conductive scaffold and the second conductive scaffold is covered with a removable protective layer prior to conformal deposition of one of the cathode active material and the anode active material.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the removable protective layer comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of photoresist and polyacrylonitrile.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the porous anode and the porous cathode are spaced apart on the substrate by a separation distance of about 60 microns or less.

7. The method of claim 1 , where each of the first and second conductive pattern has a maximum lateral dimension of between about 5 microns and about 500 microns.

8. A method of fabricating a three-dimensional porous electrode architecture for a microbattery, the method comprising:
providing a surface comprising a first conductive pattern and a second conductive pattern thereon, the first and second conductive patterns being electrically isolated from each other;
forming a lattice structure on the surface;
infiltrating interstices of the lattice structure with a first conductive material and a second conductive material, the first and second conductive materials propagating through the interstices in a direction away from the surface to reach a predetermined thickness, where the first conductive material spans an area of the surface overlaid by the first conductive pattern and the second conductive material spans an area of the surface overlaid by the second conductive pattern;
removing the lattice structure to form a network of interconnected voids in each of the first and second conductive materials, thereby forming three-dimensional first and second conductive scaffolds, each conductive scaffold having the predetermined thickness and a lateral size and shape defined by the respective conductive pattern;
conformally depositing an anode active material on the second conductive scaffold to form a porous anode; and
conformally depositing a cathode active material on the first conductive scaffold to form a porous cathode, thereby forming a three-dimensional battery electrode architecture,
wherein, after removing the lattice structure and prior to conformally depositing one of the cathode active material and the anode active material, a removable protective layer is applied to at least one of the first conductive scaffold and the second conductive scaffold.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the removable protective layer comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of photoresist and polyacrylonitrile.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the anode active material is conformally deposited before the cathode active material is conformally deposited.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein, prior to conformally depositing the anode active material, the removable protective layer is applied to the first conductive scaffold.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the cathode active material is MnOOH and the anode active material is selected from the group consisting of C, Li, Si, SnO 2 , and a Ni—Sn alloy.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the cathode active material is conformally deposited before the anode active material is conformally deposited.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein, after conformally depositing the cathode active material and prior to conformally depositing the anode active material, the removable protective layer is applied to the first conductive scaffold, the removable protective layer thereby covering the porous cathode.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cathode active material is selected from NiOOH and MnO 2 and the anode is Zn.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein, prior to conformally depositing the cathode active material, the second conductive scaffold is covered with a removable protective layer.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising, after conformally depositing the cathode active material and before conformally depositing the anode active material:
removing the removable protective layer from the second conductive scaffold, and
covering the porous cathode with a removable protective coating.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the cathode active material is MnOOH and the anode active material is selected from Si and SnO 2 .

19. The method of claim 8 , wherein the porous anode and the porous cathode are spaced apart on the substrate by a separation distance of about 60 microns or less.

20. The method of claim 8 , where each of the first and second conductive patterns has a maximum lateral dimension of between about 5 microns and about 500 microns.

Assignees

• King William P
• Braun Paul V
• Pikul James H
• Univ Illinois

Inventors

• King William P
• Braun Paul V
• Pikul James H

Classifications

• H01M4/0404 Primary

  by coating on electrode collectors · CPC title

• H01M6/40

  Printed batteries {, e.g. thin film batteries} · CPC title

• H01M4/78 Primary

  Shapes other than plane or cylindrical, e.g. helical · CPC title

• H01M4/08

  Processes of manufacture · CPC title