Lithium-ion batteries with nanostructured electrodes and associated methods of making

• US 9,493,885 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Washington State University
• Original Assignee: Washington State University
• Inventors: Miller, Sarah, Norton, M. Grant, Sahaym, Uttara
• Primary Examiner(s): Levin, Naum B
• Application Number:
  US13/576,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20120313587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/02 Heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/10 Agitating of electrolytes; Moving of racks
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/12 Process control or regulation controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/14 Controlled addition of electrolyte components
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 3/30 of tin
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/18 Electroplating using modulated, pulsed or reversing current
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/34 Pretreatment of metallic surfaces to be electroplated
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/611 Smooth layers
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/617 Crystalline layers
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/627 Electroplating characterised by the visual appearance of the layers, e.g. colour, brightness or mat appearance
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/0614 Strips or foils
• 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 2004/027 Negative electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0452 from solutions
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0461 Electrochemical alloying
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/134 Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/1395 of electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/387 Tin or alloys based on tin
• 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 4/80 : Porous plates, e.g. sintered carriers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Several embodiments related to lithium-ion batteries having electrodes with nanostructures, compositions of such nanostructures, and associated methods of making such electrodes are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method for producing an anode suitable for a lithium-ion battery comprising preparing a surface of a substrate material and forming a plurality of conductive nanostructures on the surface of the substrate material via electrodeposition without using a template.

Claims

1. A lithium-ion battery comprising:

an electrolyte;

a cathode in contact with the electrolyte; and

an anode spaced apart from the cathode and in contact with the electrolyte, the anode including;

a substrate including a metallic material;

a nucleation layer grown on the substrate; and

a plurality of freestanding conductive nanostructures directly formed on the nucleation layer and covering 1% or more of a surface of the anode.

2. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1 wherein the plurality of freestanding conductive nanostructures include a plurality of nanoneedles.

3. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1 wherein the plurality of freestanding conductive nanostructures include a plurality of nanoneedles individually having a generally constant cross-sectional area or tapered along at least a portion of a length of the individual nanoneedles.

4. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1 wherein the plurality of freestanding conductive nanostructures include a plurality of tin (Sn) nanoneedles individually having a generally constant cross-sectional area or tapered along at least a portion of a length of the individual nanoneedles.

5. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1 wherein the plurality of freestanding conductive nanostructures include a plurality of tin (Sn) nanoneedles individually having a base and a tip, wherein the individual tin nanoneedles are about 2 μ

m to about 5 μ

m in length between the base and the tip, about 20 nm to about 50 nm in width at the tip, and about 50 nm to about 200 nm in width at the base.

6. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1 wherein the plurality of freestanding conductive nanostructures include one- and/or multi-dimensional nanostructures.

7. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1 wherein the plurality of freestanding conductive nanostructures include at least one of nanoneedles, nanowires, nanosprings, or nanofibers.

8. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1 wherein the plurality of freestanding conductive nanostructures include at least one of nanoneedles, nanowires, nanosprings, or nanofibers constructed from at least one of tin (Sn), palladium (Pd), a tin-copper alloy, a zinc-copper alloy, a tin-gold alloy, or a tin-silver alloy.

9. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of freestanding conductive nanostructures includes tin (Sn), and wherein the metallic material of the substrate includes copper.

10. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1 wherein the nucleation layer, on which the plurality of freestanding conductive nanostructures are directly formed, is a film.

11. The lithium-ion battery of claim 1 wherein the film has a thickness of about 1 μ

m to about 10 μ

m.