Lithium-ion battery

• US 7,582,387 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Howard, William G., Scott, Erik R., Schmidt, Craig L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiner; Laura S
• Application Number:
  US10/979,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20060093918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: 429/231.1, 429/231.3, 429/231.95, 429/231.5, 429/233, 429/245, 429/218.1
• US Class Current: 429/231.95
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/378 Electrical supply
• 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 10/4235 Safety or regulating additives or arrangements in electrodes, separators or electrolyte H01M10/4242 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/131 Electrodes based on mixed oxides or hydroxides, or on mixtures of oxides or hydroxides, e.g. LiCoOx
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/362 Composites
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/382 Lithium H01M4/405 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/483 for non-aqueous cells H01M4/485 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/485 of mixed oxides or hydroxides for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiTi2O4 or LiTi2OxFy H01M4/505, H01M4/525 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/505 of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing manganese for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiMn2O4 or LiMn2OxFy
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/525 of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing iron, cobalt or nickel for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiNiO2, LiCoO2 or LiCoOxFy
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/5815 Sulfides
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/587 for inserting or intercalating light metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/661 Metal or alloys, e.g. alloy coatings H01M4/669 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A lithium-ion battery includes a positive electrode that includes a positive current collector, a first active material, and a second active material. The lithium-ion battery also includes a negative electrode comprising a negative current collector, a third active material, and a quantity of lithium in electrical contact with the negative current collector. The first active material, second active material, and third active materials are configured to allow doping and undoping of lithium ions, and the second active material exhibits charging and discharging capacity below a corrosion potential of the negative current collector and above a decomposition potential of the first active material.

Claims

1. A lithium-ion battery comprising:

a positive electrode comprising

a positive current collector,

a first active material, and

a second active material; and

a negative electrode comprising

a negative current collector,

a third active material, and

a quantity of lithium in electrical contact with the negative current collector;

wherein the first active material, second active material, and third active materials are configured to allow doping and undoping of lithium ions; and

wherein the quantity of lithium provides electrochemically cyclable lithium for the second active material of the positive electrode to allow the second active material to exhibit charging and discharging capacity below a corrosion potential of the negative current collector and above a decomposition potential of the first active material.

2. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the positive electrode and the negative electrode have a zero voltage potential below the corrosion potential of the negative current collector and above the decomposition potential of the first active material.

3. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the quantity of lithium is provided as finely divided lithium.

4. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the quantity of lithium is provided in the form of a lithium patch is coupled to the negative current collector.

5. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the quantity of lithium is configured to provide a lithium capacity for the negative electrode sufficient to at least compensate for irreversible loss of capacity of the negative electrode.

6. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the quantity of lithium is configured to provide a lithium capacity equal to the sum of the irreversible loss of capacity of the negative electrode and the capacity of the second active material.

7. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the negative current collector comprises copper.

8. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the negative current collector comprises a material selected from the group consisting of nickel, nickel alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys, titanium, titanium alloys, and combinations thereof.

9. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the first active material comprises lithium.

10. The lithium-ion battery of claim 9, wherein the first active material comprises LiCoO₂.

11. The lithium-ion battery of claim 9, wherein the first active material is selected from the group consisting of LiCo_1/3Mn_1/3Ni_1/3O₂, LiCo_0.2Mn_0.4Ni_0.4O₂, LiCo_0.8Mn_0.1Ni_0.1O₂;

LiNi_0.8Co_0.15Al_0.05O₂, LiNi<sub>(1−

x−

y)</sub>Co_yAl_xO₂, where x is between approximately 0.05 and 0.3 and y is between a approximately 0.1 and 0.3; and

LiCo_xNi<sub>(1−

x)</sub>O₂, where x is between approximately 0.05 and 0.8, and combinations thereof.

12. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the second active material does not include lithium.

13. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the second active material comprises V₆O₁₃.

14. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the second active material comprises LiMn₂O₄.

15. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the second active material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of V₂O₅, V₆O₁₃, LiMn₂O₄, Li₄Ti₅O₁₂, Li_xVO₂ (where x is between approximately 0 and 1), LiM_yMn₍₂₋

y)O₄ (where M is a metal and y is between approximately 0.05 and 0.4), V₃O₈, MoO₃, TiS₂, WO₂, MoO₂, RuO₂, and combinations thereof.

16. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the third active material is a carbonaceous material.

17. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the third active material comprises a lithium titanate material.

18. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the third active material comprises Li₄Ti₅O₁₂.

19. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, further comprising a polymeric separator provided intermediate the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

20. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the battery has a capacity between approximately 10 mAh and 1000 mAh.

21. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the battery has a capacity of approximately 300 mAh.

22. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1, wherein the negative electrode includes only a single active material in addition to the quantity of lithium.

23. The lithium-ion battery of claim 22, wherein the third active material comprises carbon.

24. The lithium-ion battery of claim 22, wherein the third active material is Li₄Ti₅O₁₂.

25. The lithium-ion battery of claim 22, wherein the quantity of lithium irreversibly donates lithium at a potential below that of the corrosion potential of the negative current collector.

26. A lithium-ion battery comprising:

a positive electrode comprising

a positive current collector,

a first active material, and

a second active material;

a negative electrode comprising

a negative current collector,

a third active material, and

a quantity of lithium provided in the form of a lithium patch in electrical contact with the negative current collector;

wherein the first active material, second active material, and third active materials are configured to allow doping and undoping of lithium ions; and

wherein the quantity of lithium provides electrochemically cyclable lithium for the second active material of the positive electrode to allow the second active material to exhibit charging and discharging capacity below a corrosion potential of the negative current collector and above a decomposition potential of the first active material.

27. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the positive electrode and the negative electrode have a zero voltage potential below the corrosion potential of the negative current collector and above the decomposition potential of the first active material.

28. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the lithium patch is configured to provide a lithium capacity for the negative electrode sufficient to at least compensate for irreversible loss of capacity of the negative electrode.

29. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the lithium patch is configured to provide a lithium capacity equal to the sum of the irreversible loss of capacity of the negative electrode and the capacity of the second active material.

30. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the negative current collector comprises copper.

31. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the first active material comprises lithium.

32. The lithium-ion battery of claim 31, wherein the first active material comprises LiCoO₂.

33. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the second active material does not include lithium.

34. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the second active material comprises V₆O₁₃.

35. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the second active material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of V₂O₅, V₆O₁₃, V₃O₈, MoO₃, TiS₂, WO₂, MoO₂, RuO₂, and combinations thereof.

36. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the third active material comprises a lithium titanate material.

37. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the third active material comprises Li₄Ti₅O₁₂.

38. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, further comprising a polymeric separator provided intermediate to the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

39. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the battery has a capacity between approximately 10 mAh and 1000 mAh.

40. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the battery has a capacity of approximately 300 mAh.

41. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the negative electrode includes only a single active material in addition to the lithium patch.

42. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the third active material is Li₄Ti₅O₁₂.

43. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the lithium patch irreversibly donates lithium to the negative current collector.

44. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the lithium patch is provided on a single side of the negative current collector.

45. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, further comprising a second lithium patch, wherein the lithium patch is provided on a first side of the negative current collector and the second lithium patch is provided on a second side of the negative current collector that is opposite to the first side.

46. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, further comprising multiple lithium patches provided on a side of the negative current collector.

47. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, further comprising multiple lithium patches provided on multiple sides of the negative current collector.

48. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the lithium patch is coupled to the negative current collector with a wire.

49. The lithium-ion battery of claim 48, wherein the lithium patch is provided within the battery apart from the negative current collector.

50. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the lithium patch is sized such that the lithium patch has a capacity of approximately five to twenty-five percent of a capacity of the negative electrode.

51. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the lithium patch is sized such that the lithium patch has a capacity of approximately five to twenty-five percent of a capacity of the positive electrode.

52. The lithium-ion battery of claim 26, wherein the lithium patch comprises a lithium-containing compound.

53. The lithium-ion battery of claim 52, wherein the lithium patch comprises a lithium-aluminum compound.

54. The lithium-ion battery of claim 52, wherein the lithium patch comprises a lithium-tin compound.

55. The lithium-ion battery of claim 52, wherein the lithium patch comprises a lithium-silicon compound.