Method of preparing an anode for a Li-ion battery

• US 9,406,927 B1
• Filed: 02/04/2016
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: StoreDot Ltd.
• Original Assignee: StoreDot Ltd.
• Inventors: Burshtain, Doron, Damtov, Yaniv, Aronov, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khanh Tuan
• Application Number:
  US15/015,765
• Time in Patent Office: 180 Days
• Field of Search: 252/182.1, 252/516
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 4/0471 involving thermal treatment, e.g. firing, sintering, backing particulate active material, thermal decomposition, pyrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/1395 of electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/622 being polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/624 Electric conductive fillers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/625 Carbon or graphite
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A method of preparing an anode for a Li-ion Battery comprises mixing metal particles containing at least one of Ge, Sn and Si particles with carbon particles to form a mixture, and deoxidizing the metal particles by heating the mixture in a vacuum atmosphere in a range of 10⁻³ to 10⁻⁶ mbar for 60-100 hours at a temperature in a range of 150 to 350° C. to form a deoxidized mixture, the deoxidation improves the Li ion absorption performance of the anode.

Claims

1. A method of preparing an anode for a Li-ion battery, comprising:

mixing metal particles with carbon particles to form a mixture, wherein the metal particles comprises at least one of;

Ge, Sn and Si;

deoxidizing the metal particles in the mixture by heating the mixture in a vacuum atmosphere in a range of 10<sup>−

3</sup> to 10<sup>−

6</sup> mbar for 60-100 hours at a temperature in a range of 150 to 350°

C. to form a deoxidized mixture;

adding a binder material to the deoxidized mixture; and

consolidating the deoxidized mixture and binder material to form an anode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein mixing includes milling the metal particles and carbon particles in a ball mill.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding B₄C particles to the metal particles and carbon particles prior to mixing.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding WC particles to the deoxidized mixture.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding conductive additives to the deoxidized mixture.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mixture is held in a stainless steel container during deoxidation of the metal particles.

7. The method of claim 6, including removing evolved CO from the container during deoxidation of the metal particles.