High-performance rechargeable batteries having a spalled and textured cathode layer

• US 10,601,033 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Yun Seog, Bedell, Stephen W., de Souza, Joel P., Sadana, Devendra K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Godo, Olatunji A
• Application Number:
  US15/721,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20190103626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/00 Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/04 Construction or manufacture in general H01M10/058, H01M10/12, H01M10/28, H01M10/38 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0468 Compression means for stacks of electrodes and separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0481 Compression means other than compression means for stacks of electrodes and separators
• 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 10/0564 the electrolyte being constituted of organic materials only
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/058 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0585 of accumulators having only flat construction elements, i.e. flat positive electrodes, flat negative electrodes and flat separators
• 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 4/13 Electrodes for accumulators with non-aqueous electrolyte, e.g. for lithium-accumulators; Processes of manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/139 Processes of manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/366 as layered products
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/62 Selection of inactive substances as ingredients for active masses, e.g. binders, fillers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/628 Inhibitors, e.g. gassing inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/70 characterised by shape or form
• 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 high-capacity and a high-performance rechargeable battery is provided by forming a rechargeable battery stack that includes a spalled material structure that includes a spalled cathode material layer that has at least one textured surface and a stressor layer that has at least one textured surface. The stressor layer serves as a cathode current collector of the rechargeable battery stack. The at least one textured surface of the spalled cathode material layer forms a large interface area between the cathode and electrolyte which is formed above the spalled cathode material layer. The large interface area between the cathode and the electrolyte reduces interface resistance within the rechargeable battery stack.

Claims

1. A method of forming a rechargeable battery stack, the method comprising:

providing a cathode material substrate having a first textured surface and a non-textured surface opposite the first textured surface of the cathode material substrate;

forming a stressor layer on the first textured surface of the cathode material substrate, wherein the stressor layer has a textured bottom surface and a textured top surface; and

performing a spalling process to remove a spalled cathode material layer from the cathode material substrate, wherein the spalled cathode material layer is attached to the stressor layer and includes the first textured surface and a second textured surface that is opposite the first textured surface and wherein the spalling process comprises forming a crack in the cathode material substrate at a located between the first textured surface of the cathode material substrate and the non-textured surface of the cathode material substrate, and fracturing the cathode material substrate at the crack.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming an electrolyte and an anode current collector above the second textured surface of the spalled cathode material layer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising forming an anode between the electrolyte and the anode current collector, wherein forming the anode comprises deposition or charging/recharging.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the electrolyte is in a liquid state and wherein a separator is formed separating a first region of the electrolyte from a second region of the electrolyte.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the electrolyte is in a solid-state, a liquid state or a gel state, and is conformal with the spalled cathode material layer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cathode material substrate is composed of a single crystalline cathode material or a polycrystalline cathode material.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the stressor layer is a metal which serves as a cathode current collector of the battery material stack, and the stressor layer has a first textured surface and a second textured surface that is opposite the first textured surface.

8. A method of forming a rechargeable battery stack, the method comprising:

providing a stressor layer on a cathode material substrate, wherein the stressor layer and the cathode material substrate both having a non-textured bottom surface and a non-textured top surface that is opposite the non-textured bottom surface;

texturing, after the providing the stressor layer on the cathode material substrate, the non-textured top surface of the stressor layer; and

performing a spalling process to remove a spalled cathode material layer from the cathode material substrate, wherein the spalled cathode material layer has a textured surface and a non-textured surface that is opposite the textured surface, the non-textured surface of the spalled cathode material layer is attached to the non-textured bottom surface of the stressor layer and wherein the spalling process comprises forming a crack in the cathode material substrate at a located between the non-textured bottom surface of the cathode material substrate and the non-textured top surface of the cathode material substrate, and fracturing the cathode material substrate at the crack.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising forming an electrolyte and an anode current collector above the textured surface of the spalled cathode material layer.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising forming an anode between the electrolyte and the anode current collector, wherein forming the anode comprises deposition or charging/recharging.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the electrolyte is in a liquid state and wherein a separator is formed separating a first region of the electrolyte from a second region of the electrolyte.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the electrolyte is in a solid-state, a liquid state or a gel state, and is conformal with the spalled cathode material layer.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the cathode material substrate is composed of a single crystalline cathode material or a polycrystalline cathode material.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the stressor layer is a metal which serves as a cathode current collector of the battery material stack.

15. A rechargeable battery stack comprising:

a cathode current collector that is composed of a metal stressor material and having a textured bottom surface and an entirely non-textured top surface that is opposite the textured bottom surface;

a spalled cathode material layer having a top textured surface and and an entirely non-textured bottom surface opposite the top textured surface of the spalled cathode material layer, wherein the non-textured bottom surface of the spalled cathode material layer forms an interface with the non-textured top surface of the cathode current collector;

an electrolyte located on the textured top surface of the spalled cathode material layer;

an anode located on the electrolyte; and

an anode current collector located on the anode.

16. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 15, wherein the electrolyte is in a liquid state and wherein a separator is present that separates a first region of the electrolyte from a second region of the electrolyte.

17. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 15, wherein the spalled cathode material layer is composed of a single crystalline cathode material.

18. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 15, wherein the spalled cathode material layer is composed of a polycrystalline crystalline cathode material.

19. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 15, wherein an interface between the cathode current collector and the spalled cathode material is entirely planar.

20. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 15, wherein the spalled cathode material layer has a thickness of greater than 5 μ

m and less than 100 μ

m.

21. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 15, wherein the spalled cathode material layer is composed of a material that is devoid of any polymeric binder material.