Separators for three-dimensional batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9991490-B2
Application number	US-201414207808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

An electrode structure for use in an energy storage device, the electrode structure comprising a population of electrodes, a population of counter-electrodes and an electrically insulating material layer separating members of the electrode population from members of the counter-electrode population, each member of the electrode population having a longitudinal axis A E that is surrounded by the electrically insulating separator layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrode structure comprising a population of electrodes comprising an electrode active material layer and a population of counter-electrodes comprising a counter-electrode active material layer wherein
the population of electrodes is arranged in alternating sequence with the population of counter-electrodes along a first direction,
each member of the electrode population has a bottom, a top, a length L E , a width W E , a height H E , and a longitudinal axis A E extending from the bottom to the top of each such member and in a direction that is transverse to the first direction, the length L E of each member of the electrode population being measured in the direction of its longitudinal axis A E , the width W E of each member of the electrode population being measured in the first direction, and the height H E of each member of the electrode population being measured in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A E of each such member and the first direction, the ratio of L E to each of W E and H E of each member of the electrode population being at least 5:1, respectively, the ratio of H E to W E for each member of the electrode population being between 0.4:1 and 1000:1, respectively,
the longitudinal axis A E of each member of the population of electrodes is surrounded by an electrically insulating separator layer comprising a microporous separator material, such that the microporous separator material of the electrically insulating separator layer surrounds all surfaces of the member about the longitudinal axis A E , and
the microporous separator material comprises a particulate material and a binder, and has a void fraction of at least 20 vol %.

2. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein between members of the electrode population and members of the counter-electrode population the microporous separator material constitutes at least 70 vol % of the electrically insulating separator material layer.

3. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein the microporous separator material surrounds the longitudinal axis A E of each member of electrode population.

4. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein the microporous separator material surrounds the longitudinal axis A E of each member of electrode population for at least 70% of the length L E of each member of the electrode population.

5. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein the microporous separator material surrounds the longitudinal axis A E of each member of electrode population and the top of each member of the electrode population.

6. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein the electrically insulating separator layer comprises the microporous separator material and a second electrically insulating material.

7. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein each of the electrode and counter-electrode populations comprise at least 50 members.

8. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein L E has a value in the range of about 10 mm and about 250 mm,
W E has a value in the range of about 0.01 mm and 2.5 mm, and
H E has a value in the range of about 0.05 mm to about 10 mm.

9. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein the ratio of L E to each of W E and H E for each member of the electrode population is at least 10:1, respectively.

10. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein a cross-section of each member of the electrode population has a perimeter P E and the ratio of L E to P E for each member of the electrode population is at least 1.25:1, respectively.

11. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein each member of the counter-electrode population comprises a bottom, a top, a length L CE , a width W CE , a height H CE , and a longitudinal axis A CE extending from the bottom to the top of each such member and in a direction that is transverse to the first direction, the length L CE of each member of the electrode population being measured in the direction of its longitudinal axis A CE , the width W CE of each member of the electrode population being measured in the first direction, and the height H CE of each member of the electrode population being measured in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A CE of each such member and the first direction, the ratio of L CE to each of W CE and H CE of each member of the electrode population being at least 5:1, respectively, the ratio of H CE to W CE for each member of the electrode population being between 0.4:1 and 1000:1, respectively.

12. The electrode structure of claim 11 wherein L CE has a value in the range of about 10 mm and about 250 mm,
W CE has a value in the range of about 0.01 mm and 2.5 mm, and
H CE has a value in the range of about 0.05 mm to about 10 mm.

13. The electrode structure of claim 11 wherein the ratio of L CE to each of W CE and H CE for each member of the electrode population is at least 10:1, respectively.

14. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein a cross-section of each member of the counter-electrode population has a perimeter P CE and the ratio of L CE to P CE for each member of the counter-electrode population is at least 1.25:1, respectively.

15. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein each member of the population of electrodes further comprises an electrode backbone.

16. The electrode structure of claim 15 wherein for each member of the population of electrodes, the electrode current collector layer comprises an ionically permeable conductor material and is located between the electrode active material and the microporous separator material and the electrode active material is between the electrode current collector layer and the electrode backbone.

17. The electrode structure of claim 16 wherein for each member of the population of electrodes, the electrode current collector layer has an electrical conductance and an ionic conductance for carrier ions and the ratio of the electrical conductance of the electrode current collector layer to the ionic conductance of the electrode current collector layer for carrier ions is at least 1,000:1, respectively, when there is an applied current to store energy in the electrode structure or an applied load to discharge the electrode structure.

18. The electrode structure of claim 16 wherein the electrode current collector layer and the electrode active material layer have an electrical conductance and the ratio of the electrical conductance of the electrode current collector layer to the electrical conductance of the electrode active material layer is at least 100:1, respectively, for each member of the population of electrodes.

19. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein each member of the population of electrodes further comprises a supplemental electrode current collector layer having a length that is at least 60% of the length L E-C of the electrode current collector layer comprised by each such member and a conductance that is at least 200% of the conductance of the electrode current collector layer comprised by each such member.

20. The electrode structure electrode of claim 1 wherein the electrode structure further comprises an electrode substrate having a surface to which each member of the electrode population is directly attached.

21. The electrode structure of claim 1 wherein the electrode structure further comprises an electrode substrate having a surface to which each member of the electrode population is directly attached and a counter-electrode substrate having a surface to

Assignees

• Ramasubramanian Murali
• Armstrong Michael
• Brusca Brian E
• Dioumaev Vladimir
• Koblmiller Gunther A
• Lahiri Ashok
• Lauchlan Laurie J
• Rust Iii Harrold J
• Shah Nirav S
• Spotnitz Robert M
• Wilcox James D
• Enovix Corp

Inventors

• Ramasubramanian Murali
• Armstrong Michael
• Brusca Brian E
• Dioumaev Vladimir
• Koblmiller Gunther A
• Lahiri Ashok
• Lauchlan Laurie J
• Rust Iii Harrold J
• Shah Nirav S
• Spotnitz Robert M
• Wilcox James D

Classifications

• H01M2004/021

  Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area · CPC title

• H01M10/0585

  of accumulators having only flat construction elements, i.e. flat positive electrodes, flat negative electrodes and flat separators · CPC title

• H01M4/134

  Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys · CPC title

• H01M10/0472

  Vertically superposed cells with vertically disposed plates · CPC title

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title