DEVICES AND METHODS COMPRISING SUPERCAPACITOR-EMULATING FAST-CHARGING BATTERIES

• US 20180212439A1
• Filed: 03/25/2018
• Published: 07/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: StoreDot Ltd.
• Original Assignee: StoreDot Ltd.
• Inventors: ARONOV, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 10,873,200 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/134 Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/366 as layered products
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/38 of elements or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/386 Silicon or alloys based on silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/387 Tin or alloys based on tin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Methods and supercapacitor-emulating fast-charging batteries are provided. Methods comprise configuring a fast-charging battery to emulate a supercapacitor with given specifications by operating the fast-charging battery only within a partial operation range which is defined according to the given specifications of the supercapacitor and is smaller than 20%, possibly 5% or 1%, of a full operation range of the fast-charging battery. Devices are provided, which comprise control circuitry and a modified fast-charging lithium ion battery having Si, Ge and/or Sn-based anode active material and designed to operate at 5 C at least and within a range of 5% at most around a working point of between 60-80% lithiation of the Si, Ge and/or Sn-based anode active material, wherein the control circuitry is configured to maintain a state of charge (SOC) of the battery within the operation range around the working point.

Claims

1. A device comprising control circuitry and a modified fast-charging lithium ion battery having Si, Ge and/or Sn-based anode active material and designed to operate at 5 C at least and within an operation range of 5% at most around a working point of between 60-80% lithiation of the Si, Ge and/or Sn-based anode active material, wherein the control circuitry is configured to maintain a state of charge (SOC) of the battery within the operation range around the working point.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the anode active material is configured to enable operation of the modified fast-charging lithium ion battery only around the working point and within the operation range.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein an anode of the modified fast-charging lithium ion battery comprises mechanical barriers configured to prevent full expansion of the anode material upon lithiation.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the mechanical barriers are configured to enable 80% or less of the full expansion of the anode material upon lithiation.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the anode material comprises composite anode material particles having shell structures which are smaller than a full expansion volume of cores of the composite anode material particles.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein a cathode of the modified fast-charging lithium ion battery has a capacity of 80% or less than the anode.

7. The device of claim 1, configured to operate at a voltage level of at least 3V, and have a leakage current smaller than 0.1% of a respective maximal continuous current.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to emulate a super capacitor and the control circuitry is configured to maintain the state of charge (SOC) of the battery within the operation range around the working point according to specific parameters of the emulated supercapacitor.

8. A method comprising:

configuring a fast-charging battery, having Si, Ge and/or Sn-based anode active material and operating at least at 5 C charging rate, to emulate a supercapacitor with given specifications by selecting parameters of the fast-charging battery in accordance with the given specifications; and

operating the fast-charging battery within an operation range of 5% at most around a working point of between 60-80% lithiation of the Si, Ge and/or Sn-based anode active material.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the given specifications comprise at least one dimension of the supercapacitor, and the method further comprises configuring a charging/discharging rate of the fast-charging battery to provide a given operation current.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the given specification comprises a given operation current of the supercapacitor, and the method further comprises configuring at least one of:

at least one dimension and a charging/discharging rate the fast-charging battery to provide the given operation current.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising configuring control circuitry of the fast-charging battery to operate the fast-charging battery only within the partial operation range.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the fast-charging battery is a lithium ion battery having a metalloid-based anode comprising Si, Ge and/or Sn-based anode active material.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the fast-charging battery is a lithium ion battery configured to operate at 50 C charging rate.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising selecting the working point within an optimal operation window of the fast-charging battery as a highly lithiated point to reduce relative expansion of anode material particles during operation.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising optimizing an anode configuration of the fast-charging battery under assumption of operation only around the selected working point and within the operation range.

16. A fast-charging lithium ion battery having Si, Ge and/or Sn-based anode active material and operating at least at 5 C charging rate, only within an operation range of 5% at most around a working point of between 60-80% lithiation of the Si, Ge and/or Sn-based anode active material.

17. The fast-charging lithium ion battery of claim 16, which is modified to enable operation thereof only around the working point and within the operation range, wherein an anode of the battery comprises mechanical barriers configured to prevent full expansion of the anode material upon lithiation.

18. The fast-charging lithium ion battery of claim 17, wherein the mechanical barriers are configured to enable 80% or less of the full expansion of the anode material upon lithiation.

19. The fast-charging lithium ion battery of claim 18, wherein the anode material comprises composite anode material particles having shell structures which are smaller than a full expansion volume of cores of the composite anode material particles.

20. The fast-charging lithium ion battery of claim 16, wherein a cathode thereof has a capacity of 80% or less than an anode thereof.