Yardney Technical Products, Inc.

Grant M Ehrlich

A negative electrode material is provided for a rechargeable lithium-ion electrochemical cell comprising an intimate mixture of finely-divided elemental nickel and tin particles characterized in that the total oxygen content of said material is less than about 6 percent by weight of the mixture. Preferably, the negative electrode material comprises from about 5 to 90 percent by weight nickel particles and from about 10 to 95 percent by weight tin particles, the nickel and tin particles being composed of discrete, non-spherical, smooth particles of a size ranging from about 1 to 10 micrometers and having a density which is greater than about 5 grams per milliter and a specific surface area of less than about 1 square meter per gram.

Negative electrode material for nonaqueous electrochemical cells

An anhydrous inorganic gel-polymer electrolyte is prepared using a non-aqueous sol-gel process. The inorganic gel-polymer is prepared by reacting a metal halide (SiCl ) and an alcohol (tert-butyl alcohol) in a diluent solution containing a lithium salt (lithium bisperfluoroethanesulfonimide) and at least one carbonate. The resulting porous silicon oxide network encapsulates the liquid electrolyte. The gel polymer electrolyte can serve as both a separator and an electrolyte in a Li-ion cell. The material is stable and has demonstrated minimal flammability. Lithium-ion electrochemical cells made with the inorganic gel-polymer electrolyte function similarly to Li-ion cells made with a liquid electrolyte. The cells have low capacity fade, 0.69%, and low irreversible capacity, 7.6%.

Inorganic gel-polymer electrolyte

A solid polymer electrolyte for an electrolytic cell is prepared by a sol-gel process in which an active metal ion conducting liquid electrolyte, e.g. a lithium-ion electrolyte, containing a salt which is stable in the presence of water, e.g. lithium bisperfluoroethanesulfonimide, LiN(SO C F ) , is admixed in aqueous solution with an alkoxide, e.g. silica alkoxide, to form a liquid precursor which is added to the electrolytic cell between the anode and cathode thereof and allowed to solidify in situ to form the solid electrolyte.

Method of fabricating an electrolytic cell employing a solid polymer electrolyte

A solid polymer electrolyte for an electrochemical cell is prepared by a sol-gel process in which an active metal ion conducting liquid electrolyte, e.g. a lithium-ion electrolyte, containing a salt which is stable in the presence of water, e.g. lithium bisperfluoroethanesulfonimide, LiN(SO,C,F,),, is admixed in aqueous solution with an alkoxide, e.g. silica alkoxide, to form a liquid precursor which is added to the electrochemical cell between the anode and cathode thereof and allowed to solidify in situ to form the solid electroyte.

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Stonington, CT, United States of America

Grant M Ehrlich