Thermal sprayed electrodes

• US 6,630,257 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2000
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: US Nanocorp, Inc. (The Nano Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: U.S. Nanocorp
• Inventors: Ye, Hui, Strock, Christopher, Xiao, Tongsan, Strutt, Peter R., Reisner, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bareford, Katherine A.
• Application Number:
  US09/485,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20020150694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 427/446, 427/450, 427/453, 427/455, 427/456, 427/217, 427/215, 106/287.32, 296/235, 204/242, 428/698, 313/355
• US Class Current: 428/698
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/00 Coating by spraying the coating material in the molten state, e.g. by flame, plasma or electric discharge build-up welding B23K, e.g. B23K5/18, B23K9/04
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/04 characterised by the coating material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/10 Oxides, borides, carbides, nitrides or silicides; Mixtures thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/11 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/005 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/04 Processes of manufacture in general
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0402 Methods of deposition of the material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0404 by coating on electrode collectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0419 involving spraying
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/8885 Sintering or firing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/40 Printed batteries , e.g. thin film batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A method for the synthesis of an electrode, and the resulting article therefrom, comprising coating an active material feedstock with an additive material suitable for preventing thermal decomposition of said feedstock during thermal spray, thermal spraying the coated feedstock onto a substrate for an electrode, thereby forming a coating on the substrate, thereby providing an electrode.

Claims

1. A method for synthesis of an electrode, comprising coating an active material sulfide feedstock with an additive material comprising cornstarch or elemental sulfur, wherein the additive material is suitable for preventing thermal decomposition of said feedstock during thermal spray;

and thermal spraying the coated feedstock onto a substrate for an electrode, thereby forming a coating on the substrate, to provide an electrode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the electrode is a thin film electrode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the substrate comprises titanium or aluminum or mixtures thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the active material feedstock is a metal sulfide.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the active material feedstock is titanium disulfide, copper sulfide, iron sulfide, iron disulfide, cobalt disulfide, molybdenum disulfide, tungsten sulfide, and mixtures thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein

the active material feedstock comprises pyrite.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein

the active material feedstock is nanostructured.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein

the electrode coating is nanostructured.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein

the active material feedstock is nanostructured.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein

the electrode coating is nanostructured.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein

the thermal spraying is carried out in an inert atmosphere.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein

the thermal spraying is carried out in an atmosphere comprising less than about 5% oxygen.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein

thermal spraying is by plasma gun.

14. An electrode manufactured by the method of claim 1.

15. The electrode of claim 14, wherein

the electrode is a thin film electrode.

16. The electrode of claim 14, wherein

the substrate comprises titanium or aluminum or mixtures thereof.

17. The electrode of claim 14, wherein the active material feedstock is metal sulfide.

18. The electrode of claim 14 wherein the active material feedstock is titanium disulfide, copper sulfide, iron sulfide, iron disulfide, cobalt disulfide, molybdenum disulfide, tungsten sulfide, and mixtures thereof.

19. The electrode of claim 14 wherein

the active material feedstock comprises pyrite.

20. The electrode of claim 19 wherein

the active material feedstock nanostuctured.

21. The electrode of claim 20 wherein

the electrode coating is nanostructured.

22. The electrode of claim 14 wherein

the active material feedstock is nanostructured.

23. The electrode of claim 22 wherein

the electrode coating is nanostructured.

24. The electrode of claim 14, wherein

the thermal spraying is carried in an inert atmosphere.

25. The electrode of claim 14, wherein

the thermal spraying is carried out in an atmosphere comprising less than about 5% oxygen.

26. The electrode of claim 14, wherein

thermal spraying is by plasma gun.