HIGH CAPACITY BATTERIES AND COMPONENTS THEREOF

• US 20200136171A1
• Filed: 04/10/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2017
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: HHeLi, LLC
• Original Assignee: HHeLi, LLC
• Inventors: Johnson, Paige L.
• Application Number:
  US16/603,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20200136171A1
• 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 10/0567 characterised by the additives
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0025 Organic electrolyte
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0404 by coating on electrode collectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/1391 of electrodes based on mixed oxides or hydroxides, or on mixtures of oxides or hydroxides, e.g. LiCoOx
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/364 as mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/382 Lithium H01M4/405 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/48 of inorganic oxides or hydroxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/523 for non-aqueous cells H01M4/525 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/624 Electric conductive fillers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Described herein are high capacity electrochemical cells including a first electrode comprising a metal oxide, such as acidified metal oxide (“AMO”) materials, and a second electrode comprising lithium metal, where the metal oxide is present in the first electrode at less than 80 weight percent. Methods of making electrodes comprising a metal oxide and methods of making electrochemical cells are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A high capacity battery cell comprising:

a first electrode, wherein the first electrode comprises a metal oxide, a conductive material, and a binder, and wherein the metal oxide comprises less than 80 weight percent of the first electrode;

a second electrode including metallic lithium; and

an electrolyte positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode provide a primary capacity of between 3000 mAh/g of the metal oxide and 15000 mAh/g of the metal oxide.

2. The high capacity battery cell of claim 1, wherein the first electrode comprises a layered structure including a first set of layers comprising the conductive material a second set of layers comprising the metal oxide, and wherein the first set of layers and the second set of layers are provided in an alternating configuration.

3. The high capacity battery cell of claim 2, wherein the first set of layers comprises between 1 and 20 layers and wherein the second set of layers comprises between 1 and 20 layers.

4. The high capacity battery cell of claim 2, wherein the first set of layers and the second set of layers independently have thicknesses of between 1 μ

m and 50 μ

m.

5. The high capacity battery cell of claim 2, wherein the metal oxide comprises less than 90 weight percent of the second set of layers.

6. The high capacity battery cell of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide comprises between 5 and 15 weight percent of the first electrode, between 20 and 35 weight percent of the first electrode, or between 55 and 70 weight percent of the first electrode.

7. The high capacity battery cell of claim 1, wherein electrolyte comprises a solvent, a lithium salt, and an acidic species.

8. The high capacity battery cell of claim 7, wherein the acidic species is succinic anhydride or itaconic anhydride.

9. The high capacity battery cell of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide comprises an acidified metal oxide (AMO) nanomaterial.

10. The high capacity battery cell of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide comprises a lithium containing oxide, an aluminum oxide, a titanium oxide, a manganese oxide, an iron oxide, a zirconium oxide, an indium oxide, a tin oxide, an antimony oxide, a bismuth oxide, or any combination of these.

11. The high capacity battery cell of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide comprises and/or is surface functionalized by one or more electron withdrawing groups selected from Cl, Br, BO₃, SO₄, PO₄, NO₃, CH₃COO, C₂O₄, C₂H₂O₄, C₆H₈O₇, or C₆H₅O₇.

12. The high capacity battery cell of claim 1, wherein the conductive material comprises one or more of graphite, conductive carbon, carbon black, Ketjenblack, a conductive polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), polystyrene sulfonate (PSS), PEDOT:

PSS composite, polyaniline (PANT), or polypyrrole (PPY).

13. The high capacity battery cell of claim 1, exhibiting a primary capacity upon assembly of between 4000 mAh/g of metal oxide and 15000 mAh/g of metal oxide.

14. The high capacity battery cell of claim 1, exhibiting a secondary capacity of between 1000 mAh/g of metal oxide and 5000 mAh/g of metal oxide.

15. The high capacity battery cell of claim 1, exhibiting a life cycle of 100 to 1000 charge-discharge cycles without failure.

16. The high capacity battery cell of claim 1, exhibiting an open circuit voltage upon assembly of between 2 V and 4 V.

18. The high capacity battery cell of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide comprises an acidified metal oxide (AMO) nanomaterial, wherein the AMO nanomaterial comprises between 5 and 35 weight percent of the first electrode, wherein the AMO nanomaterial comprises 85-100% by weight of tin oxide and 0-15% by weight of iron oxide, wherein the AMO nanomaterial comprises and/or is surface functionalized by one or more electron withdrawing groups selected from Cl, Br, BO₃, SO₄, PO₄, NO₃, CH₃COO, C₂O₄, C₂H₂O₄, C₆H₈O₇, or C₆H₅O₇, wherein the conductive material comprises one or more of graphite, conductive carbon, carbon black, Ketjenblack, and conductive polymers, such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), polystyrene sulfonate (PSS), PEDOT:

PSS composite, polyaniline (PANI), or polypyrrole (PPY), wherein the second electrode comprises metallic lithium, wherein the high capacity battery cell exhibits a secondary capacity of between 1000 mAh/g and 5000 mAh/g of AMO nanomaterial, wherein the high capacity battery cell exhibits a life cycle of 100 to 1000 charge-discharge cycles without failure, and wherein the high capacity battery cell exhibits an open circuit voltage upon assembly of between 2 V and 4 V.

19. The high capacity battery cell of claim 18, wherein the first electrode comprises a layered structure including a first set of layers comprising the conductive material and a second set of layers comprising the AMO, wherein the first set of layers and the second set of layers are provided in an alternating configuration, wherein the first set of layers comprises between 1 and 20 layers and wherein the second set of layers comprises between 1 and 20 layers, wherein the first set of layers and the second set of layers independently have thicknesses of between 1 μ

m and 50 μ

m, wherein the AMO comprises between 25 and 35 weight percent of the second set of layers.

17. (canceled)

20. A method of making an electrode, comprising:

making a metal oxide;

forming a slurry using the metal oxide, a conductive material, a binder, and a solvent;

depositing a layer of the slurry over a current collector; and

evaporating at least a portion of the solvent to form an electrode layer comprising the metal oxide.

36. A method of making a high capacity battery cell, comprising:

making a metal oxide;

forming a first electrode according to the method of claim 20; and

positioning an electrolyte between the first electrode and a second electrode including metallic lithium.

21-35. -35. (canceled)

37-54. -54. (canceled)