NICKEL-COPPER CLAD TABS FOR RECHARGEABLE BATTERY ELECTRODES AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING

• US 20100178559A1
• Filed: 01/14/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Imara Corporation
• Original Assignee: Imara Corporation
• Inventors: Tang, Yali, Tritenichenko, Eugene, Mao, Ou, Ghantous, Dania
• Application Number:
  US12/353,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20100178559A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/211
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/13 Electrodes for accumulators with non-aqueous electrolyte, e.g. for lithium-accumulators; Processes of manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/661 Metal or alloys, e.g. alloy coatings H01M4/669 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/667 in the form of layers, e.g. coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/70 characterised by shape or form
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/75 Wires, rods or strips
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49115 including coating or impregnating

Abstract

The invention provides nickel-copper clad tabs for rechargeable battery negative electrodes and methods of manufacturing thereof. Systems and methods for configuring tabs on a rechargeable battery may include a current collector comprising one or more collector foil and one or more tabs connected to the collector foil for conveying generated current from the current collector. The tabs may be configured to extract greater capacity from the battery electrodes so that the resulting battery may exhibit higher performance. The tabs may be configured so that a negative electrode tab may be clad with a nickel layer and a copper layer.

Claims

1. An electrode for use in a battery comprising:

a tab protruding at least partway from the electrode,

wherein the tab is clad with a copper tab layer and a nickel tab layer.

2. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the copper tab layer is between 0.025 mm and 0.150 mm thick.

3. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the nickel tab layer is between 0.005 mm and 0.100 mm thick.

4. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the copper tab layer is 0.075 mm thick.

5. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the nickel tab layer is 0.025 mm thick.

6. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the copper tab layer is substantially three times as thick as the nickel layer.

7. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the copper tab layer directly contacts the current collector foil.

8. The electrode of claim 1, further comprising:

a current collector foil; and

a coating covering at least a portion of a surface of the current collector foil.

9. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the nickel tab layer does not directly contact the current collector foil.

10. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the current collector foil is formed of copper.

11. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the tab is located at one end of the current collector foil.

12. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the tab is adjacent to at least one exposed region of the current collector foil without the coating.

13. A battery comprising:

a pair of current collector foils including a negative collector foil and a positive collector foil; and

at least one tab electrically connected to the negative collector foil,

wherein the tab is formed of a copper layer and nickel layer, and the copper layer directly contacts the negative collector foil.

14. The battery of claim 13 wherein the nickel layer does not directly contact the negative collector foil.

15. The battery of claim 13 wherein the pair of current collector foils is rolled into a jellyroll configuration.

16. The battery of claim 13 wherein a plurality of current collector foils as described are arranged in a stack.

17. The battery of claim 13 further comprising at least one separator between the current collector foils.

18. The battery of claim 13 wherein at least one of the collector foils further comprises at least one coating including an active material.

19. A battery comprising:

a first current collector foil and a second current collector foil; and

at least one tab electrically connected to the first current collector foil,

wherein the tab comprises a first layer directly contacting the first current collector foil and a second layer directly contacting the first layer, and the thickness of the first layer exceeds the thickness of the second layer.

20. The battery of claim 19 wherein the first layer includes copper and the second layer includes nickel.

21. The battery of claim 19 wherein the thickness of the first layer is three times the thickness of the second layer.

22. The battery of claim 19 wherein the battery is a rechargeable lithium ion battery.

23. The battery of claim 19 wherein the tab protrudes from the current collector foil.

24. A method of manufacturing a negative electrode for use in a battery comprising the following steps:

providing a current collector foil;

coating at least a portion of the surface of the current collector foil with an active material; and

electrically connecting a tab formed of a copper layer and a nickel layer to the current collector foil,

wherein the copper layer directly contacts the current collector foil.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the copper layer has a greater thickness than the nickel layer.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the nickel layer does not directly contact the current collector foil.

27. A method of manufacturing a battery comprising the following steps:

selecting a negative collector foil and a positive collector foil; and

selecting a negative electrode tab to be connected to the negative collector foil, with a copper layer with a thickness (t1) and a nickel layer with a thickness (t2),

wherein (t1) and (t2) are selected thicknesses to provide a customized total cell impedance for the battery.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein (t2)>

(t1).

29. The method of claim 27 wherein (t2)=3×

(t1).