Enevate Corporation

Fred Bonhomme

Benjamin Yong Park

Giulia Canton

David J Lee

Ian Russell Browne

Kirk Shockley

Rahul R Kamath

Sung Won Choi

Monika Chhorng

Heidi Leighette Anderson

Jill Renee Pestana

Jose Vega

Systems and methods are provided for high volume roll-to-roll transfer lamination of electrodes for silicon-dominant anode cells.

Transfer lamination of electrodes in silicon-dominant anode cells

Systems and methods for silicon dominant lithium-ion cells with controlled lithiation of silicon may include a cathode, an electrolyte, and an anode. The anode may include silicon lithiated at a level after discharge that is configured to be above a minimum threshold level, where the minimum threshold lithiation is 3% silicon lithiation. The lithiation level of the silicon after charging the battery may range between 30% and 95% silicon lithiation, between 30% and 75% silicon lithiation, between 30% and 65% silicon lithiation, or between 30% and 50% silicon lithiation. The lithiation level of the silicon after discharging the battery may range between 3% and 50% silicon lithiation, between 3% and 30% silicon lithiation, or between 3% and 10% silicon lithiation. The minimum threshold level may be a lithiation level below which a cycle life of the battery degrades. The electrolyte may include a liquid, solid, or gel.

Method and system for silicon dominant lithium-ion cells with controlled lithiation of silicon

Systems and methods are provided for high volume roll-to-roll direct coating of electrodes for silicon-dominant anode cells. A slurry that includes silicon particles and a binder material may be applied to a current collector film, and the slurry may be processed to form a precursor composite film coated on the current collector film. The current collector film with the coated precursor composite film may be rolled into a precursor composite roll. A heat treatment may be applied to the current collector film with the coated precursor composite film in an environment including nitrogen gas, to convert the coated precursor composite film to a pyrolyzed composite film coated on the current collector film. The heat treatment may include applying the heat treatment to the precursor composite roll in whole and/or applying the heat treatment to the current collector film with the coated precursor composite film as it is continuously fed.

Direct coating of electrodes in silicon-dominant anode cells

Systems and methods are provided for a reaction barrier between an electrode active material and a current collector. An electrode may comprise an active material, a metal foil, and a polymer. The polymer (such as polyamide-imide (PAI)) may be configured to provide a carbonized barrier between the active material and the metal foil after pyrolysis.

Reaction barrier between electrode active material and current collector

Systems and methods for anisotropic expansion of silicon-dominant anodes may include a cathode, an electrolyte, and an anode, where the anode may include a current collector and an active material on the current collector. An expansion of the anode during operation may be configured by a roughness and/or thickness of the current collector, a metal used for the current collector, and/or a lamination process that adheres the active material to the current collector. The expansion of the anode may be more anisotropic for thicker current collectors. A thicker current collector may be 10 μm thick or greater. The expansion of the anode may be more anisotropic for more rigid materials used for the current collector. A more rigid current collector may include nickel and a less rigid current collector may include copper. The expansion of the anode may be more anisotropic for a rougher surface current collector.

Anisotropic expansion of silicon-dominant anodes

Systems and methods for continuous lamination of battery electrodes may include a cathode, an electrolyte, and an anode, where the anode includes a current collector, a cathode, an electrolyte, and an anode, the anode comprising a polymeric adhesive layer coated onto the current collector, and an active material coated onto the polymeric adhesive layer such that the polymeric adhesive layer is arranged between the active material and the current collector, wherein the anode is subjected to a heat treatment to induce pyrolysis after application of the polymeric adhesive layer to the current collector and application of the active material to the polymeric adhesive layer, the heat being applied to the anode at a temperature between 500 and 850 degrees C.

Method and system for continuous lamination of battery electrodes

Systems and methods for anisotropic expansion of silicon-dominant anodes may include a cathode, an electrolyte, and an anode, where the anode may include a current collector and an active material on the current collector. An expansion of the anode during operation may be configured by a thickness of the current collector. The expansion of the anode may be more anisotropic for thicker current collectors. A thicker current collector may be 10 &#x3bc;m thick or greater. The expansion of the anode may be more anisotropic for more rigid materials used for the current collector. A more rigid current collector may include nickel and a less rigid current collector may include copper. The expansion of the anode may be more anisotropic for a rougher surface current collector.

Systems and methods for silicon-dominant lithium-ion cells with controlled utilization of silicon may include a cathode, an electrolyte, and an anode, where the anode has an active material comprising more than 50% silicon. The battery may be charged by lithiating silicon while not lithiating carbon. The active material may comprise more than 70% silicon. A voltage of the anode during discharge of the battery may remain above a minimum voltage at which silicon can be lithiated. The anode may have a specific capacity of greater than 3000 mAh/g. The battery may have a specific capacity of greater than 1000 mAh/g. The anode may have a greater than 90% initial Coulombic efficiency and may be polymer binder free. The battery may be charged at a 10C rate or higher. The battery may be charged at temperatures below freezing without lithium plating. The electrolyte may comprise a liquid, solid, or gel.

Method and system for silicon-dominant lithium-ion cells with controlled utilization of silicon

Systems and methods for anisotropic expansion of silicon-dominant anodes may include a cathode, an electrolyte, and an anode, where the anode may include a current collector and an active material on the current collector. An expansion of the anode during operation may be configured by a metal used for the current collector, and/or a lamination process that adheres the active material to the current collector. The expansion of the anode may be more anisotropic for thicker current collectors. A thicker current collector may be 10 &#x3bc;m thick or greater. The expansion of the anode may be more anisotropic for more rigid materials used for the current collector. A more rigid current collector may include nickel and a less rigid current collector may include copper. The expansion of the anode may be more anisotropic for a rougher surface current collector.

Systems and methods are provided for high volume roll-to-roll direct coating of electrodes for silicon-dominant anode cells and may include applying a slurry to a current collector film, the slurry comprising silicon particles and a binder material; drying the slurry to form a precursor composite film; rolling the current collector film into a precursor composite roll; and applying a heat treatment to the precursor composite film and the current collector film in a nitrogen gas environment, wherein the heat treatment is configured for converting the precursor composite film to a pyrolyzed composite film. The heat treatment may include one or both of: applying the heat treatment to a roll comprising the precursor composite roll in whole; and applying the heat treatment to the current collector film as it is continuously fed from the precursor composite roll.

Systems and methods for configuring anisotropic expansion of silicon-dominant anodes using particle size may include a cathode, an electrolyte, and an anode, where the anode may include a current collector and an active material on the current collector. An expansion of the anode during operation may be configured by utilizing a predetermined particle size distribution of silicon particles in the active material. The expansion of the anode may be greater for smaller particle size distributions, which may range from 1 to 10 &#x3bc;m. The expansion of the anode may be smaller for a rougher surface active material, which may be configured by utilizing larger particle size distributions that may range from 5 to 25 &#x3bc;m. The expansion may be configured to be more anisotropic using more rigid materials for the current collector, where a more rigid current collector may comprise nickel and a less rigid current collector may comprise copper.

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Lake Forest, CA, United States of America

Fred Bonhomme