Active electrode materials and methods for making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9577251-B2
Application number	US-201414227289-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2014
Priority date	Mar 27, 2014
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

In an example of a method for making a silicon-based active electrode material, a silicon active material precursor is introduced into a carrier gas. Another active material precursor is introduced into the carrier gas prior to, simultaneously with or subsequent to the silicon active material precursor. The other active material precursor is selected from a tin active material precursor, an aluminum active material precursor, a graphene active material precursor, and combinations thereof. The carrier gas containing the precursors is exposed to plasma vaporization, and a material is formed. The material includes i) an alloy of phase separated silicon and tin and/or aluminum, or ii) a graphene layer having silicon nanoparticles and tin nanoparticles, aluminum nanoparticles, or combinations of tin and aluminum nanoparticles deposited on a surface thereof, or iii) a graphene layer having an alloy of phase separated silicon and tin, aluminum, or tin and aluminum deposited on a surface thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for making a silicon-based active electrode material, the method comprising:
introducing a silicon active material precursor to a carrier gas;
prior to, simultaneously with, or subsequent to the introduction of the silicon active material precursor to the carrier gas, introducing a graphene active material precursor to the carrier gas;
prior to, simultaneously with, or subsequent to the introduction of the silicon active material precursor to the carrier gas, introducing an other active material precursor to the carrier gas, the other active material precursor being selected from a group consisting of a tin active material precursor, an aluminum active material precursor, and combinations thereof; and
exposing the carrier gas containing any of the silicon active material precursor, the graphene active material precursor, the other active material precursor, or combinations thereof to plasma vaporization, thereby forming a material including a graphene layer having an alloy of phase separated i) silicon and ii) tin, aluminum, or tin and aluminum deposited on a surface thereof.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising depositing the material directly on a current collector.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the material is formed on a surface of a plasma vaporization system, and wherein the method further comprises:
collecting the material; and
mixing the material with a polymeric binder and a conductive carbon.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the silicon active material precursor is selected from a group consisting of 2,4,6,8,10-pentamethylcyclopentasiloxane, pentamethyldisilane, silicon tetrabromide, silicon tetrachloride, tetraethylsilane, 2,4,6,8-tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane, and combinations thereof.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the tin active material precursor is selected from a group consisting of Bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)amino]tin(II); Dibutyldiphenyltin Hexaphenylditin(IV); Tetraallyltin; Tetrakis(diethylamido)tin(IV); Tetrakis(dimethylamido)tin(IV); Tetramethyltin; Tetravinyltin; Tin(II) acetylacetonate; Tricyclohexyltin hydride; Trimethyl(phenylethynyl)tin; Trimethyl(phenyl)tin; Tin chloride; and combinations thereof.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the aluminum active material precursor is selected from a group consisting of Aluminum tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate), Triisobutylaluminum; Trimethylaluminum; Tris(dimethylamido)aluminum(III); and combinations thereof.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the graphene active material precursor is selected from a group consisting of a graphene powder, graphene oxide, and combinations thereof.

8. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the carrier gas includes a combination of argon gas and hydrogen gas.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the other active material precursor includes the combination of the tin active material precursor and the aluminum active material precursor.

10. A method for making a silicon-based active electrode material, the method comprising:
introducing a silicon active material precursor to a carrier gas;
prior to, simultaneously with, or subsequent to the introduction of the silicon active material precursor to the carrier gas, introducing an other active material precursor to the carrier gas, the other active material precursor including a combination of a graphene active material precursor, a tin active material precursor, and an aluminum active material precursor, or a combination of a tin active material precursor and an aluminum active material precursor; and
exposing the carrier gas containing any of the silicon active material precursor, the other active material precursor, or combinations thereof to plasma vaporization, thereby forming a material including i) an alloy of phase separated silicon, tin and aluminum, or ii) a graphene layer having silicon nanoparticles, tin nanoparticles, and aluminum nanoparticles deposited on a surface thereof, or iii) a graphene layer having an alloy of phase separated silicon, tin and aluminum deposited on a surface thereof;
wherein a ratio of the silicon active material precursor to the tin active material precursor ranges from about 2:8 to about 8:2, and wherein an amount of the aluminum active material precursor ranges from about 5 atomic % to about 20atomic %.

11. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein the alloy is of phase separated silicon, tin and aluminum, and wherein the method further comprises exposing the material including the alloy of phase separated silicon, tin and aluminum to air, thereby forming an oxide layer at a surface of the alloy.

12. A method for making a silicon-based active electrode material, the method comprising:
introducing a silicon active material precursor to a carrier gas;
prior to, simultaneously with, or subsequent to the introduction of the silicon active material precursor to the carrier gas, introducing an other active material precursor to the carrier gas, the other active material precursor including a tin active material precursor, an aluminum active material precursor, and a graphene active material precursor; and
exposing the carrier gas containing any of the silicon active material precursor, the other active material precursor, or combinations thereof to plasma vaporization, thereby forming a material including a graphene layer having an alloy of phase separated silicon, tin, and aluminum deposited on a surface thereof;
wherein:
the tin active material precursor is selected from a group consisting of Bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)amino]tin(II); Dibutyldiphenyltin Hexaphenylditin(IV); Tetraallyltin; Tetrakis(diethylamido)tin(IV); Tetrakis(dimethylamido)tin(IV); Tetramethyltin; Tetravinyltin; Tin(II) acetylacetonate; Tricyclohexyltin hydride; Trimethyl(phenylethynyl)tin; Trimethyl(phenyl)tin; Tin chloride; and combinations thereof;
the aluminum active material precursor is selected from a group consisting of Aluminum tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate), Triisobutylaluminum; Trimethylaluminum; Tris(dimethylamido)aluminum(III); and combinations thereof; and
the graphene active material precursor is selected from a group consisting of a graphene powder, graphene oxide, and combinations thereof.

13. The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising controlling a temperature of plasma during plasma vaporization, wherein the temperature ranges from about 500° C. to about 5000° C.

14. A negative electrode active material, comprising:
a graphene layer; and
an alloy of phase separated silicon and tin, an alloy of phase separated silicon and aluminum, or an alloy phase separated silicon, tin and aluminum deposited on a surface of the graphene layer.

15. The negative electrode active material as defined in claim 14 wherein a ratio of the alloy to the graphene layer ranges from about 4:1 to about 1:1.

16. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein:
the graphene active material precursor is graphene oxide; and
the exposing of the carrier gas containing any of the silicon active material precursor, the graphene active material precursor, the other active material precursor, or combinations thereof to plasma vaporization includes:
a first cycle of plasma vaporization during which the carrier gas containing the graphene active material precursor is exposed to a plasma flame to form the graphene layer; and
a second cycle of plasma vaporization during which the carrier gas containing the silicon active material precursor and the other active material precursor is exposed to the plasma flame t

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Xiao Xingcheng
• Cai Mei

Classifications

• Y02E60/122

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02P70/54

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M4/46

  Alloys based on magnesium or aluminium · CPC title

• H01M4/387

  Tin or alloys based on tin · CPC title

• H01M4/625

  Carbon or graphite · CPC title