THIN-FILM BATTERIES WITH SOFT AND HARD ELECTROLYTE LAYERS AND METHOD

• US 20070015060A1
• Filed: 07/17/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cymbet Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cymbet Corporation
• Inventors: Klaassen, Jody
• Granted Patent: US 7,931,989 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/309
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/122 Ionic conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/056 characterised by the materials used as electrolytes, e.g. mixed inorganic/organic electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0562 Solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0565 Polymeric materials, e.g. gel-type or solid-type
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/058 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0068 inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0085 Immobilising or gelification of electrolyte
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0094 in the form of layered products, e.g. coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/382 Lithium H01M4/405 takes precedence
• 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 6/185 with oxides, hydroxides or oxysalts as solid electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/187 Solid electrolyte characterised by the 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49115 including coating or impregnating

Abstract

A method and apparatus for making thin-film batteries having composite multi-layered electrolytes with soft electrolyte between hard electrolyte covering the negative and/or positive electrode, and the resulting batteries. In some embodiments, foil-core cathode sheets each having a cathode material (e.g., LiCoO₂) covered by a hard electrolyte on both sides, and foil-core anode sheets having an anode material (e.g., lithium metal) covered by a hard electrolyte on both sides, are laminated using a soft (e.g., polymer gel) electrolyte sandwiched between alternating cathode and anode sheets. A hard glass-like electrolyte layer obtains a smooth hard positive-electrode lithium-metal layer upon charging, but when very thin, have randomly spaced pinholes/defects. When the hard layers are formed on both the positive and negative electrodes, one electrode'"'"'s dendrite-short-causing defects on are not aligned with the other electrode'"'"'s defects. The soft electrolyte layer both conducts ions across the gap between hard electrolyte layers and fills pinholes.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a battery cell having a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte structure therebetween, wherein the electrolyte structure includes a soft electrolyte layer and at least one hard electrolyte layer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte structure includes a hard electrolyte layer on the negative electrode, and the soft electrolyte layer is sandwiched between the positive electrode and the hard electrolyte layer on the negative electrode.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes a polyphosphazene and a lithium salt.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes MEEP and a lithium salt.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an encapsulating material surrounding the battery cell; and

one or more electrical leads connecting from the battery cell to an exterior of the encapsulating material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an electronic device; and

a housing holding the electrical device, wherein the battery cell is within the housing and supplies power to the electronic device.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a battery cell having a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte structure therebetween, wherein the electrolyte structure includes a hard electrolyte layer on the positive electrode and a hard electrolyte layer on the negative electrode, and the soft electrolyte layer is sandwiched between the hard electrolyte layer on the positive electrode and the hard electrolyte layer on the negative electrode.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes a polyphosphazene.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the hard electrolyte layer on the positive electrode includes LiPON and the hard electrolyte layer on the negative electrode includes LiPON.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes a polyphosphazene.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes MEEP.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

an encapsulating material surrounding the battery cell; and

one or more electrical leads connecting from the battery cell to an exterior of the encapsulating material.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

an electronic device; and

a housing holding the electrical device, wherein the battery cell is within the housing and supplies power to the electronic device.

14. A method comprising:

providing a positive electrode component;

providing a negative electrode component;

coating at least the negative electrode component with a hard electrolyte layer; and

forming a battery cell using the positive electrode component, the negative electrode component that is coated with the hard electrolyte layer, and a soft electrolyte layer in between.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

coating the positive electrode component with a hard electrolyte layer, wherein an electrolyte structure of the battery cell includes the hard electrolyte layer on the negative electrode, the hard electrolyte layer on the positive electrode, and the soft electrolyte layer that is sandwiched between the hard electrolyte layer on the positive electrode and the hard electrolyte layer on the negative electrode.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes a polyphosphazene and a lithium salt.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes MEEP and a lithium salt.

18. A method comprising:

providing a positive electrode component;

providing a negative electrode component;

coating the negative electrode component with a hard electrolyte layer;

coating the positive electrode component with a hard electrolyte layer; and

forming a battery cell using the positive electrode component that is coated with the hard electrolyte layer, the negative electrode component that is coated with the hard electrolyte layer, and a soft electrolyte layer in between.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the hard electrolyte layer on the positive electrode includes LiPON and the hard electrolyte layer on the negative electrode includes LiPON.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes a polyphosphazene and a lithium salt.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes a gel.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the soft electrolyte layer includes a polyvinylidene difluoride, propylene carbonate, and a lithium salt.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a positive electrode component coated with a hard electrolyte layer;

a negative electrode component coated with a hard electrolyte layer; and

electrolyte means for connecting the hard electrolyte layer on the negative electrode component to the hard electrolyte layer on the positive electrode component to form a battery cell.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the means for connecting further includes:

means for fixing defects in one or more of the hard electrolyte layers.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the hard electrolyte layer on the positive electrode includes LiPON and the hard electrolyte layer on the negative electrode includes LiPON.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for connecting includes a polyphosphazene and a lithium salt.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the means for connecting includes MEEP.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

an encapsulating material surrounding the battery cell; and

one or more electrical leads connecting from the battery cell to an exterior of the encapsulating material.

29. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

an electronic device;

wherein the battery cell supplies power to at least a portion of the electronic device.