Composition of SI/C electro active material

• US 10,388,948 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2013
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK On Company Limited (SK Innovation Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nexeon Limited
• Inventors: Abdelsalam, Mamdouh Elsayed, Coowar, Fazil
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeng, Lingwen R
• Application Number:
  US14/371,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20150044571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,394 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/32 Specific surface area
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/36 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/28 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0404 by coating on electrode collectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/134 Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/1395 of electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/364 as mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/366 as layered products
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/386 Silicon or alloys based on silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/583 Carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/587 for inserting or intercalating light metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/625 Carbon or graphite
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/00 Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A composition comprising a first particulate electroactive material, a particulate graphite material and a binder, wherein at least 50% of the total volume of each said particulate materials is made up of particles having a particle size D₅₀ and wherein a ratio of electroactive material D₅₀ particle size:graphite D₅₀ particle size is up to 4.5:1.

Claims

1. A composition comprising a first particulate electroactive material, 0.5-6 wt % of a particulate graphite material and a binder, wherein 50% of the total volume of each of the first particulate electroactive material and the particulate graphite material is made up of particles having a measured spherical equivalent volume diameter equal to or less than a particle size D₅₀ and wherein a ratio of D₅₀ particle size of the first particulate electroactive material:

D₅₀ particle size of the particulate graphite material is at least 2;

1 and no more than 4.5;

1,

wherein the first particulate electroactive material comprises silicon-comprising particles, and wherein the particulate graphite material comprises graphite flakes wherein (i) both a length and a width of the graphite flakes are each independently on average at least 5 times a thickness of the flakes, and/or (ii) the thickness of the flakes is less than 1 micron.

2. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the first particulate electroactive material comprises silicon-comprising structured particles having a particle core and electroactive pillars extending from the particle core.

3. The composition according to claim 2, wherein the electroactive pillars are silicon-comprising pillars.

4. The composition according to claim 3, wherein the silicon-comprising particles consist essentially of n- or p-doped silicon and wherein the pillars are integral with the core.

5. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the first particulate electroactive material is provided in an amount of at least 50 wt % of the composition.

6. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition comprises at least one elongate nanostructure material.

7. The composition according to claim 6, wherein the composition comprises at least two elongate nanostructure materials.

8. The composition according to claim 7, wherein a first elongate nanostructure:

second elongate nanostructure weight ratio is in a range of 2.5;

1 to 20;

1.

9. The composition according to claim 7, wherein each of the elongate nanostructure materials has an aspect ratio of at least 50.

10. The composition according to claim 7, wherein the first and second elongate nanostructure materials are each independently selected from carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibres.

11. The composition according to claim 6, wherein the elongate nanostructure materials are carbon and is provided in a total amount in a range of 2-25 weight % of the composition.

12. The composition according to claim 6, wherein the at least one elongate nanostructure material has a functionalised surface.

13. The composition according to claim 1, wherein a crystallite length Lc of the particulate graphite material is at least 50 nm.

14. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises carbon black.

15. A metal-ion battery comprising an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte between the anode and the cathode wherein the anode comprises a composition comprising:

a first particulate electroactive material;

0.5-6 wt % of a particulate graphite material; and

a binder,

wherein 50% of the total volume of each of the first particulate electroactive material and the particulate graphite material is made up of particles having a measured spherical equivalent volume diameter equal to or less than a particle size D₅₀ and wherein a ratio of D₅₀ particle size of the first particulate electroactive material;

D₅₀ particle size of the particulate graphite material is at least 2;

1 and no more than 4.5;

1,

wherein the first particulate electroactive material comprises silicon-comprising particles, and wherein the particulate graphite material comprises graphite flakes wherein (i) both a length and a width of the graphite flakes are each independently on average at least 5 times a thickness of the flakes, and/or (ii) the thickness of the flakes is less than 1 micron.

16. A method of forming a metal-ion battery, the metal ion battery comprising an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte between the anode and the cathode, the method comprising steps of:

forming an anode by depositing a slurry onto a conductive material, the slurry comprising a composition comprising;

a first particulate electroactive material,

0.5-6 wt % of a particulate graphite material, and

a binder,

wherein 50% of the total volume of each of the first particulate electroactive material and the particulate graphite material is made up of particles having a measured spherical equivalent volume diameter equal to or less than a particle size D₅₀ and wherein a ratio of D₅₀ particle size of the first particulate electroactive material;

D₅₀ particle size of the particulate graphite material is at least 2;

1 and no more than 4.5;

1,

wherein the first particulate electroactive material comprises silicon-comprising particles, and wherein the particulate graphite material comprises graphite flakes wherein (i) both a length and a width of the graphite flakes are each independently on average at least 5 times a thickness of the flakes, and/or (ii) the thickness of the flakes is less than 1 micron; and

evaporating the at least one solvent.

17. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the first particulate electroactive material comprises porous silicon-comprising particles.

18. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the first particulate electroactive material comprises macroporous silicon-comprising particles.

19. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the first particulate electroactive material comprises silicon-comprising particles with a smallest dimension of less than 1 μ

m.

20. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the first particulate electroactive material comprises silicon-comprising particles with a largest dimension of no more than 100 μ

m.

21. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the particulate graphite material has D₅₀ particle size of less than 50 μ

m.

22. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the particulate graphite material is graphene-based particles comprising a plurality of stacked graphene sheets.

23. The composition according to claim 2, wherein the electroactive pillars are silicon-comprising nanowires.

24. The composition according to claim 6, wherein the first elongate nanostructure has a mean average diameter of at least 100 nm.

25. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the ratio is in a range of 2:

1-4;

1.

26. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the ratio is in a range of 3:

1-4;

1.

27. The composition according to claim 7, wherein the second elongate carbon nanostructure material has a mean average diameter of no more than 90 nm.

28. The composition according to claim 7, wherein the second elongate carbon nanostructure material has a mean average diameter in the range of 40-90 nm.

29. The composition according to claim 7, wherein the first carbon elongate nanostructure material is a carbon nanofibre and the second elongate carbon nanostructure material is a carbon nanotube.

30. The composition according to claim 1, wherein a crystallite length Lc of the particulate graphite material is at least 100 nm.

31. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the particulate graphite material has a BET of at least 10 m²/g.

32. The composition according to claim 14, wherein the carbon black is provided in an amount of at least 0.5 weight % of the composition and less than 10 wt % of the composition.

33. The composition according to claim 14, wherein the carbon black is provided in an amount of at least 0.5 weight % of the composition and less than 4 wt % of the composition.

34. The composition according to claim 6, wherein the at least one elongate nanostructure material has a surface functionalised with a nitrogen-containing group or an oxygen containing group.

35. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the first particulate electroactive material comprises silicon-comprising structured particles selected from the group consisting of (i) particles having a core and pillars extending from the core and (ii) particles having pores on the particle surface or pores throughout the particle volume.

36. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the particulate graphite material has a BET of no more than 100 m²/g.