High-capacity rechargeable battery stacks containing a spalled cathode material

• US 10,622,636 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• 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): Eoff, Anca
• Application Number:
  US15/721,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20190103612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• 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 2004/021 Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2004/028 Positive electrodes
• 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 4/136 Electrodes based on inorganic compounds other than oxides or hydroxides, e.g. sulfides, selenides, tellurides, halogenides or LiCoFy
• 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 4/5825 Oxygenated metallic salts or polyanionic structures, e.g. borates, phosphates, silicates, olivines
• 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

High-capacity (i.e., a capacity of 50 mAh/gm or greater) and high-performance rechargeable batteries are provided that contain a rechargeable battery stack that includes a spalled material structure that includes a cathode material layer that is attached to a stressor material. The cathode material may include a single crystalline that is devoid of polymeric binders. The stressor material serves as a cathode current collector of the rechargeable battery stack.

Claims

1. A rechargeable battery stack comprising:

a cathode current collector that is composed of a metal stressor material and having finger portions that are separated by a spalling barrier material portion;

a single crystalline cathode material layer portion located on physically exposed surfaces of each finger portion of the cathode current collector, wherein each single crystalline cathode material layer portion has outermost sidewalls that are vertically aligned to outermost sidewalls of one of the finger portions of the cathode current collector;

an electrolyte located on physically exposed surfaces including the outermost sidewalls of each single crystalline cathode material layer portion and a physically exposed surface of each spalling barrier material portion;

an anode located on a physically exposed surface of the electrolyte; and

an anode current collector located on a physically exposed surface of the anode.

2. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte is in a liquid state and wherein a separator separates a first region of the electrolyte from a second region of the electrolyte.

3. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 1, wherein the single crystalline cathode material layer portion has a thickness of greater than 5 μ

m and less than 100 μ

m.

4. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 1, wherein the single crystalline cathode material layer portion is devoid of a polymeric binder material.

5. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 1, wherein the single crystalline cathode material layer portion is a lithiated material.

6. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 5, wherein the lithiated material comprises lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO₂), lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO₂), lithium manganese oxide (LiMn₂O₄), lithium cobalt manganese oxide (LiCoMnO₄), a lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LiNi_xMn_yCo_zO₂), lithium vanadium pentoxide (LiV₂O₅) or lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄).

7. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte is a solid- or gel-type electrolyte.

8. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 1, further comprising a material stack of, from bottom to top, a corrosion inhibitor layer and an adhesion layer located between the single crystalline cathode material layer portion and the metal stressor material.

9. The rechargeable battery stack of claim 1, wherein the rechargeable battery has a capacity of 50 mAh/gm or greater.