Methods for solid electrolyte interphase formation and anode pre-lithiation of lithium ion capacitors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9711297-B2
Application number	US-201414258784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2014
Priority date	Apr 23, 2013
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A method of pre-doping an anode of an energy storage device can include immersing the anode and a dopant source in an electrolyte, and coupling a substantially constant current between the anode and the dopant source. A method of pre-doping an anode of an energy storage device can include immersing the anode and a dopant source in an electrolyte, and coupling a substantially constant voltage across the anode and the dopant source. An energy storage device can include an anode having a lithium ion pre-doping level of about 60% to about 90%.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of pre-doping an anode of an energy storage device, the method comprising:
immersing the anode and a dopant source in an electrolyte, wherein the dopant source comprises a source for lithium ions; and
coupling a substantially constant current between the anode and the dopant source;
wherein the coupling comprises coupling the substantially constant current between the anode and the dopant source for a duration of time to achieve a potential difference between the anode and the dopant source of 0.01 Volts (V) to 0.4 V.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy storage device comprises a lithium ion capacitor.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coupling comprises coupling the substantially constant current between the anode and the dopant source for a duration of time to achieve an anode pre-doping level of 60% to 90%.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein coupling the substantially constant current between the anode and the dopant source comprises coupling a current source supplying a substantially constant current corresponding to a current C-rate of C/72 to C/144.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a substantially homogeneous solid-electrolyte interphase layer adjacent the anode, wherein the solid-electrolyte interphase layer is substantially undisturbed subsequent to its formation.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the dopant source from the electrolyte subsequent to coupling the substantially constant current across the anode and the dopant source.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising immersing a cathode in the electrolyte, wherein immersing the dopant source comprises immersing the dopant source to a side of the anode opposite that facing the cathode.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing a formation step subsequent to coupling the substantially constant current across the anode and the dopant source.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein performing the formation step comprises applying a substantially constant voltage of 2 Volts (V) to 4.2V between the anode and the dopant source.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein performing the formation step comprises applying the substantially constant voltage of 2 Volts (V) to 4.2V between the anode and the dopant source for a duration of 5 hours to 75 hours.

11. A method of pre-doping an anode of an energy storage device, the method comprising:
immersing the anode and a dopant source in an electrolyte, wherein the dopant source comprises a source for lithium ions; and
coupling a substantially constant voltage across the anode and the dopant source;
wherein coupling the substantially constant voltage across the anode and the dopant source comprises coupling a voltage source supplying a substantially constant voltage of 0.01 Volts (V) to 0.4V.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the energy storage device comprises a lithium ion.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein coupling the substantially constant voltage across the anode and the dopant source comprises coupling the substantially constant voltage for a duration of time to achieve an anode lithium ion pre-doping level of 60% to 90%.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising performing a formation step subsequent to coupling the substantially constant voltage across the anode and the dopant source.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein performing the formation step comprises applying a substantially constant voltage of 2 Volts (V) to 4.2V between the anode and the dopant source.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein performing the formation step comprises applying the substantially constant voltage of 2 Volts (V) to 4.2V between the anode and the dopant source for a duration of 5 hours to 75 hours.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising forming a substantially homogeneous solid-electrolyte interphase layer adjacent the anode, wherein the solid-electrolyte interphase layer is substantially undisturbed subsequent to its formation.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising removing the dopant source subsequent to coupling the substantially constant voltage across the anode and the dopant source.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising immersing a cathode in the electrolyte, wherein immersing the dopant source comprises immersing the dopant source to a side of the anode opposite that facing the cathode.

20. A method of pre-doping an anode of an energy storage device, the method comprising:
immersing the anode and a dopant source in an electrolyte, wherein the dopant source comprises a source for lithium ions; and
coupling a substantially constant current between the anode and the dopant source;
wherein coupling the substantially constant current between the anode and the dopant source comprises coupling a current source supplying a substantially constant current corresponding to a current C-rate of C/72 to C/144.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the energy storage device comprises a lithium ion capacitor.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein the coupling comprises coupling the substantially constant current between the anode and the dopant source for a duration of time to achieve an anode pre-doping level of 60% to 90%.

23. The method of claim 20 , further comprising forming a substantially homogeneous solid-electrolyte interphase layer adjacent the anode, wherein the solid-electrolyte interphase layer is substantially undisturbed subsequent to its formation.

24. The method of claim 20 , further comprising removing the dopant source from the electrolyte subsequent to coupling the substantially constant current across the anode and the dopant source.

25. The method of claim 20 , further comprising immersing a cathode in the electrolyte, wherein immersing the dopant source comprises immersing the dopant source to a side of the anode opposite that facing the cathode.

26. The method of claim 20 , further comprising performing a formation step subsequent to coupling the substantially constant current across the anode and the dopant source.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein performing the formation step comprises applying a substantially constant voltage of 2 Volts (V) to 4.2V between the anode and the dopant source.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein performing the formation step comprises applying the substantially constant voltage of 2 Volts (V) to 4.2V between the anode and the dopant source for a duration of 5 hours to 75 hours.

Assignees

• Maxwell Lab

Inventors

• Raman Santhanam
• Xi Xiaomei
• Ye Xiang-Rong

Classifications

• H01M6/5005

  Auxiliary electrodes · CPC title

• H01G11/50 Primary

  specially adapted for lithium-ion capacitors, e.g. for lithium-doping or for intercalation · CPC title

• H01M4/587

  for inserting or intercalating light metals · CPC title

• H01M4/133

  Electrodes based on carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx · CPC title

• H01M4/0459

  Electrochemical doping, intercalation, occlusion or alloying · CPC title