Li-ion battery and battery active components on metal wire

• US 9,559,380 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2014
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kalptree Energy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kalptree Energy, Inc.
• Inventors: Upadhyaya, Deepak
• Primary Examiner(s): Walls, Cynthia K
• Application Number:
  US14/557,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20150093621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0422 Cells or battery with cylindrical casing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/049 Processes for forming or storing electrodes in the battery container
• 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 10/058 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0587 of accumulators having only wound construction elements, i.e. wound positive electrodes, wound negative electrodes and wound separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2004/021 Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2004/022 Electrodes made of one single microscopic fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0404 by coating on electrode collectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0428 Chemical vapour deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0471 involving thermal treatment, e.g. firing, sintering, backing particulate active material, thermal decomposition, pyrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/133 Electrodes based on carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/134 Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/1393 of electrodes based on carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/1395 of electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/366 as layered products
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/386 Silicon or alloys based on silicon
• 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: H01M 4/75 Wires, rods or strips
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A battery on a conductive metal wire and components of a battery on a conductive metal wire of circular cross section diameter of 5-500 micrometers and methods of making the battery and battery components are disclosed. In one embodiment, the battery features a porous anode or cathode layer which assist with ion exchange in batteries. Methods of forming the porous anode or cathode layer include deposition of an inert gas or hydrogen enriched carbon or silicon layer on a heated metal wire followed by annealing of the inert gas or hydrogen enriched carbon silicon layer. Energy storage devices having bundles of batteries on wires are also disclosed as are other energy storage devices.

Claims

1. A method of forming an electrode assembly comprising:

heating a conductive metal wire having a circular cross section and length to diameter aspect ratio larger than 100;

1;

concentrically nucleating and concentrically growing either an inert gas or hydrogen enriched carbon or silicon layer on the metal wire to form an electrode layer having a circular cross section; and

annealing the inert gas or hydrogen enriched carbon or silicon layer and the metal wire current collector, wherein annealing creates pores in the electrode layer, the pores providing an enlarged area for ion exchange in a battery.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising concentrically nucleating and concentrically growing a cathode material layer on the inert gas or hydrogen enriched carbon or silicon layer to form a cathode layer before annealing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrode layer is an anode layer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein annealing comprises vacuum annealing.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising hydrogen etching oxide of the metal wire before depositing the inert gas or hydrogen enriched carbon or silicon layer.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising resistively heating the conductive metal wire.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an argon enriched carbon layer is concentrically nucleated and concentrically grown on the wire and further comprising depositing a hydrogen enriched silicon layer on the enriched carbon layer after annealing the argon enriched carbon layer.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising depositing a carbon coating stress compliant layer on the hydrogen enriched silicon layer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a hydrogen enriched silicon layer is concentrically nucleated and concentrically grown on the metal wire and further comprising depositing an argon enriched carbon layer on the hydrogen enriched silicon layer after annealing the hydrogen enriched silicon layer.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the inert gas or hydrogen enriched carbon or silicon layer is grown having a percentage of hydrogen ranging from 10% to 80%.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the inert gas or hydrogen enriched carbon or silicon layer is grown having a percentage of argon ranging from 10% to 80%.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising depositing a silicon adhesion layer before depositing the inert gas or hydrogen enriched carbon or silicon layer.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising introducing a desired amount of cooling gas, including hydrogen or helium, into each deposition chamber of a reactor through which the conductive metal wire is moving thereby controlling reactor chamber temperature.