Cathode material for lithium—oxygen battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9450278-B2
Application number	US-201213722925-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2012
Priority date	Dec 20, 2012
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

A lithium-oxygen battery may include an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte between, and in contact with, the anode and the cathode. The anode may include lithium and/or a lithium alloy. In some examples, the cathode defines a surface that is predominantly metal oxide with an electron conductivity of at least 10 −1 Siemens per centimeter. In some examples, the cathode defines a surface in contact with oxygen, and includes ruthenium oxide. In some examples, the cathode defines a surface that is substantially covered by ruthenium oxide and is in contact with oxygen.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lithium-oxygen battery comprising:
an anode comprising lithium;
a cathode defining a surface in contact with oxygen, wherein the cathode comprises ruthenium oxide, wherein the cathode is covered by ruthenium oxide over more than 50% of its surface, wherein the cathode is substantially free of carbon; and
a non-aqueous electrolyte between, and in contact with, both the anode and the cathode.

2. The lithium-oxygen battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode further comprises at least one additional electrically conductive metal oxide.

3. The lithium-oxygen battery of claim 2 , wherein the at least one additional electrically conductive metal oxide comprises at least one of a titania suboxide (TiO 2-x ), WO 2 , SrRuO 3 , CrO 2 , MoO 2 , RhO 2 , TcO 2 , ReO 2 , and IrO 2 .

4. The lithium-oxygen battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode further comprises an electrically conductive current collector, and wherein the ruthenium oxide is attached to a surface of the conductive current collector.

5. The lithium-oxygen battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode defines a porous structure.

6. A method comprising:
forming a cathode comprising ruthenium oxide, wherein the cathode is covered by ruthenium oxide over more than 50% of its surface, and wherein the cathode is substantially free of carbon;
forming an anode comprising lithium; and
assembling the cathode and the anode with a non-aqueous electrolyte to form a lithium-oxygen battery, wherein the non-aqueous electrolyte is between, and in contact with, both the anode and the cathode.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein forming the cathode comprising ruthenium oxide comprises forming a cathode comprising ruthenium oxide and at least one of a titania suboxide (TiO 2-x ), WO 2 , SrRuO 3 , CrO 2 , MoO 2 , RhO 2 , TcO 2 , ReO 2 , and IrO 2 .

Assignees

• IBM
• Volkswagen Ag
• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Kim Ho-Cheol
• Mccloskey Bryan D
• Scheffler Rouven
• Speidel Angela-Kristina
• Swanson Sally A
• Wallraff Gregory M

Classifications

• H01M4/8673

  Electrically conductive fillers · CPC title

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title

• H01M4/8652

  as mixture · CPC title

• H01M4/92

  Metals of platinum group (H01M4/94 {, H01M4/9058} take precedence) · CPC title

• Y02T10/7011

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic