Elemental metal and carbon mixtures for energy storage devices

• US 10,461,319 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2017
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Maxwell Technologies Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Duong, Hieu Minh, Mitchell, Porter, Saidi, Mohammed-Yazid
• Primary Examiner(s): Eggerding, Alix E
• Application Number:
  US15/435,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20170244098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/42 Powders or particles, e.g. composition thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/50 specially adapted for lithium-ion capacitors, e.g. for lithium-doping or for intercalation
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/52 Separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/86 specially adapted for electrodes carbonisation or activation of carbon for the manufacture of electrodes H01G11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• 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 4/133 Electrodes based on carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/134 Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/1393 of electrodes based on carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx
• 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 4/382 Lithium H01M4/405 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/587 for inserting or intercalating light metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/623 fluorinated polymers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An energy storage device can include a first electrode, a second electrode and a separator between the first electrode and the second electrode wherein the first electrode or the second electrode includes elemental lithium metal and carbon particles. A method for fabricating an energy storage device can include forming a first electrode and a second electrode, and inserting a separator between the first electrode and the second electrode, where forming the first electrode or the second electrode can include combining elemental lithium metal and a plurality of carbon particles.

Claims

1. An energy storage device comprising:

a first electrode;

a second electrode; and

a separator between the first electrode and the second electrode,

wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode comprises carbon particles, elemental metal and a fibrillizable binder;

wherein the carbon particles comprise porous carbon particles, each porous carbon particle having a plurality of pores, wherein at least some of the plurality of pores receive at least some elemental metal;

wherein the porous carbon particles comprise a particle size distribution D50 value of about 1 μ

m to about 20 μ

m; and

wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is substantially free of solvent residue.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the porous carbon particles comprise activated carbon.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the porous carbon particles comprise hierarchically structured carbon.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the porous carbon particles comprise mesoporous carbon.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the SEI layer covers exposed portions of the elemental metal that are below the exterior surface of the corresponding porous carbon particle.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer covering exposed portions of the elemental metal.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the carbon particles comprise graphite particles.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode comprises an anode.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the anode is an anode of a lithium ion battery or lithium ion capacitor.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the elemental metal comprises elemental lithium metal particles.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the fibrillizable binder comprises at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), perfluoropolyolefin, polypropylene, a polyethylene, and co-polymers thereof.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the elemental metal comprises about 1 wt % to about 5 wt % of the at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pores occupy about 10% to about 80% of the volume of the porous carbon particle.

14. A method for fabricating an energy storage device, comprising:

combining elemental lithium metal, a plurality of carbon particles and a fibrillizable binder to form an electrode film mixture; and

forming an electrode film from the electrode film mixture,

wherein the electrode film is substantially free of solvent residue,

wherein the plurality of carbon particles comprises a plurality of porous carbon particles, each porous carbon particle comprising a plurality of pores, and

wherein the plurality of porous carbon particles comprise a particle size distribution D50 value of about 1 μ

m to about 20 μ

m.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

forming a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode comprise the electrode film and a current collector; and

inserting a separator between the first electrode and the second electrode.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of porous carbon particles comprises at least one of activated carbon and hierarchically structured carbon.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein combining the elemental lithium metal and the plurality of carbon particles comprises mixing the elemental lithium metal and the plurality of porous carbon particles such that at least some of the plurality of pores receive at least some elemental lithium metal.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising forming a solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer over exposed portions of the elemental lithium metal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein forming the SEI layer comprises covering exposed portions of the elemental lithium metal that is below the exterior surface of the corresponding porous carbon particle.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein forming the SEI layer comprises exposing the exposed portions of the elemental lithium metal to an electrolyte solvent vapor.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein exposing the exposed portions of the elemental lithium to an electrolyte solvent vapor comprise exposing the exposed portions of the elemental lithium to a carbonate vapor.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein mixing reduces the size of the elemental lithium metal to form elemental lithium metal particles.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein mixing melts at least a portion of the elemental lithium metal to form a molten elemental lithium metal.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein mixing coats at least some of the plurality of carbon particles with the molten elemental lithium metal.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the electrode film comprises fibrillizing the electrode film mixture.

26. An energy storage device comprising:

a first electrode;

a second electrode; and

a separator between the first electrode and the second electrode,

wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode comprises carbon particles, elemental metal and a fibrillizable binder;

wherein the elemental metal comprises about 1 wt % to about 5 wt % of the at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode; and

wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is substantially free of solvent residue.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the porous carbon particles comprise activated carbon.

28. The device of claim 26, wherein the porous carbon particles comprise hierarchically structured carbon.

29. The device of claim 26, wherein the porous carbon particles comprise mesoporous carbon.

30. The device of claim 26, wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode comprises an anode, and wherein the anode is an anode of a lithium ion battery.

31. A method for fabricating an energy storage device, comprising:

combining elemental lithium metal, a plurality of carbon particles and a fibrillizable binder to form an electrode film mixture; and

forming an electrode film from the electrode film mixture,

wherein the electrode film is substantially free of solvent residue, and

wherein the elemental lithium metal comprises about 1 wt % to about 5 wt % of the electrode film.