Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

University of California

Fang Dai

Mei Cai

Li Yang

Shuru Chen

Anne M Dailly

Qiangfeng Xiao

Hongliang Wang

Mahmoud H Abd Elhamid

Meinan He

Mark William Verbrugge

Jingmei Shen

Robert M Lapierre

Derek F Lahr

Rashmi Prasad

Michael P Balogh

Anthony M Coppola

Wayne Cai

Yunfeng Lu

Sherman H Zeng

Tao Wang

Michelle H Wiebenga

Ryan Gergely

Biqiong Wang

Ruchira Dharmasena

Keegan Adair

Timothy J Fuller

Gayatri Vyas Dadheech

Shifang Li

James R Salvador

Robert D Schmidt

Meng Jiang

Yue Fan

Thomas A Yersak

Martin S Ruthkosky

Qinglin Zhang

Peng Lu

Jinming Liu

Yingnan Dong

Li Shen

Fang Liu

Tengjiao Qi

Mohammed Bahauddin

Fan Xu

Addis Fuhr

Sanaz Ketabi

Insun Yoon

A system for assessing a characteristic of a reference electrode assembly for an electrochemical cell that cycle lithium ions includes a controller and a test cell assembly. The test cell assembly includes a metal case electrically coupled to the controller and a test cell disposed within the metal case. The test cell includes a lithium metal layer and a separator assembly. The separator assembly includes a separator layer, a current collector layer deposited on the separator layer, and optionally an electroactive layer deposited on the separator layer such that the electroactive layer at least partially overlaps the current collector layer. The current collector layer is in direct physical contact with an electroactive layer and is electrically isolated from the lithium metal layer by the separator layer.

Systems and methods for assessing reference electrode assemblies for electrochemical cells

Methods for forming sulfur polyacrylonitrile are provide. In certain variations, the method includes contacting sulfur and polyacrylonitrile to form an admixture, sealing a container holding the admixture, heating the admixture to a first temperature venting the container holding the admixture to release gases generated during the heating of the admixture to the first temperature, re-sealing the container holding the admixture, and heating the admixture to a second temperature. In other variations, the method includes contacting sulfur and polyacrylonitrile to form an admixture, heating the admixture to a first temperature, sealing a container holding the admixture, and heating the admixture to a second temperature. The second temperature is greater than the first temperature.

Method for preparing sulfur-polyacrylonitrile (SPAN)

A system for coating a separator for a battery includes a separator feed and collection assembly configured to dispense the separator, a coating distribution device configured to flow a coating material toward the separator, and an electric field generator configured to generate an electric field in a gap between the coating distribution device and the separator.

Method of using an electric field for roll-to-roll separator coating

An electrode component for an electrochemical cell is provided herein. The electrode component includes a current collector having a first surface, a metal oxide layer disposed on the first surface of the current collector, and a lithium-containing layer bonded to the first surface of the current collector. The metal oxide layer includes a plurality of features. A method for manufacturing such an electrode component is also provided herein. The method includes directing a laser beam toward the first surface of the current collector in the presence of oxygen to form the metal oxide layer on the first surface and applying the lithium-containing layer to the metal oxide layer thereby bonding the lithium-containing layer with the current collector.

Electrode components with laser induced surface modified current collectors and methods of making the same

A system for measuring a thickness of a coating arranged on an anode substrate includes an optical measurement system configured to transmit a light signal having a known first polarization toward the anode substrate through the coating such that the light signal is reflected from the surface of the anode substrate, a detection module positioned to receive the reflected light signal and configured to determine a second polarization of the reflected light signal that is different from the first polarization and measure a polarization difference between the first polarization and the second polarization, and a measurement module configured to receive the measured polarization difference, calculate the thickness of the coating based on the measured polarization difference, and generate an output based on the calculated thickness.

Contactless method for polymer coating thickness measurement

The present disclosure provides an electrolyte system for an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions. The electrolyte system may include an aliphatic fluorinated disulfonimide lithium salt in a mixture of organic solvents. The mixture of organic solvents may include a first solvent and a second solvent. The first solvent may include an ether solvent, a carbonate solvent, or a mixture of ether and carbonate solvents. The second solvent may include a fluorinated ether. A molar ratio of the aliphatic fluorinated disulfonimide lithium salt to the first solvent may be greater than or equal to about 1:1.2 to less than or equal to about 1:2. A molar ratio of the first solvent to the second solvent may be greater than or equal to about 1:1 to less than or equal to about 1:4.

Electrolytes for electrochemical cells

A thermal insulation component according to various aspects of the present disclosure includes a matrix, a crosslinking precursor, and a crosslinking initiator. The matrix includes a thermal insulation material having a thermal conductivity of less than or equal to about 5 W/mK. The crosslinking precursor is embedded in the matrix. The crosslinking precursor includes at least one of an acrylate functional group or a methacrylate functional group. The crosslinking initiator is embedded in the matrix. The crosslinking initiator is configured to decompose to initiate crosslinking of the crosslinking precursor. In certain aspects, the present disclosure also provides an electronics assembly including an electronic component and a thermal insulation material in thermal communication with the electronic component. In certain aspects, the present disclosure also provides methods of manufacturing the thermal insulation component.

Thermal insulation components and methods of manufacturing thermal insulation components

The present technology relates to gel electrolytes for using in lithium-ion electrochemical cells and methods of forming the same. For example, the method may include adding one or more gelation reagents to an electrochemical cell including one or more liquid electrolyte precursors. The one or more gelation reagents include one or more initiators and one or more crosslinking agents. Each of the one or more initiators may be one of a thermal initiator and an actinic/electron beam initiator. Each of the one or more crosslinking agents may be one of a tridentate alkane and a tetradentate alkane having one or more substitutes including a terminal group represented by: 

Gelation reagent for forming gel electrolyte and methods relating thereto

In a method of manufacturing an electrochemical cell, a porous or non-porous metal substrate may be provided. A precursor solution may be applied to a surface of the metal substrate. The precursor solution may comprise a chalcogen donor compound dissolved in a solvent. The precursor solution may be applied to the surface of the metal substrate such that the chalcogen donor compound reacts with the metal substrate and forms a conformal metal chalcogenide layer on the surface of the metal substrate. A conformal lithium metal layer may be formed on the surface of the metal substrate over the metal chalcogenide layer.

Method of manufacturing an electrochemical cell

In an embodiment, a metal-organic framework electrolyte layer, can comprise a plurality of metal-organic frameworks having a porous structure and comprising a solvated salt absorbed in the porous structure; and a polymer. The MOF electrolyte layer can have at least one of a density of less than or equal to 0.3 g/cmor a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 500 to 4,000 m/g. A lithium metal battery can comprise the metal-organic framework electrolyte layer.

MOF based composite electrolyte for lithium metal batteries

A battery electric vehicle includes a high voltage rechargeable energy storage system (RESS). The RESS includes several battery modules reconfigurable among parallel and series arrangements. During reconfiguration transitions, a low voltage battery services low voltage loads of the battery electric vehicle. The low voltage battery is preconditioned in advance of reconfigurations.

Battery electric vehicle energy storage system and method

A method for coating a separator for a battery includes creating an electrostatic field and disposing a substrate material within the electrostatic field. The method further includes applying a coating material to the substrate material in a presence of the electrostatic field and drying the coating material upon the substrate material.

Method for coating a separator for a battery

The present disclosure relates to sulfur-containing electrodes and methods for forming the same. For example, the method may include disposing an electroactive material on or near a current collector to form an electroactive material layer having a first porosity and applying pressure and heat to the electroactive material layer so that the electroactive material layer has a second porosity. The first porosity is greater than the second porosity. The electroactive material may include a plurality of electroactive material particles and one or more salt additives. The method may further include contacting the electroactive material layer and an electrolyte such that the electrolyte dissolves the plurality of one or more salt particles so that the electroactive material layer has a third porosity. The third porosity may be greater than the second porosity and less than the first porosity.

Method for forming sulfur-containing electrode using salt additive

A porous carbon material includes a hierarchical porous structure including a primary microporous structure and at least one of a secondary mesoporous structure and a secondary macroporous structure. The porous carbon material is formed by combining a halogenated-hydrocarbon, an aprotic hydrocarbon solvent, and a reductant to initiate a reaction that forms intermediate particles having a microporous framework; and subjecting the intermediate particles to a heat treatment at a heat treatment temperature ranging from about 300&#xb0; C. to less than 1,500&#xb0; C. for a heat treatment time period ranging from about 20 minutes to about 10 hours to thereby form the porous carbon material. The aprotic hydrocarbon solvent is selected from the group consisting of toluene, hexane, cyclohexane, and combinations thereof.

Microporous and hierarchical porous carbon

An electrochemical cell comprising an alkali metal negative electrode layer physically and chemically bonded to a surface of a negative electrode current collector via an intermediate metal chalcogenide layer. The intermediate metal chalcogenide layer may comprise a metal oxide, a metal sulfide, a metal selenide, or a combination thereof. The intermediate metal chalcogenide layer may be formed on the surface of the negative electrode current collector by exposing the surface to a chalcogen or a chalcogen donor compound. Then, the alkali metal negative electrode layer may be formed on the surface of the negative electrode current collector over the intermediate metal chalcogenide layer by contacting at least a portion of the metal chalcogenide layer with a source of sodium or potassium to form a layer of sodium or potassium on the surface of the negative electrode current collector over the metal chalcogenide layer.

Electrochemical cell and method of manufacturing

Growing community of inventors

Troy, MI, United States of America

Fang Dai