Global Graphene Group, Inc.

Nanotek Instruments, Inc.

Honeycomb Battery Company

Nantek Instuments, Inc.

Hui He

Bor Z Jang

Aruna Zhamu

Baofei Pan

Yu-Sheng Su

Yanbo Wang

Qing Fang

Wei Xiong

Chueh Liu

Minjie Li

Lu Zhang

Yi-jun Lin

An electrolyte, comprising: (a) a polymer, which is a polymerization or crosslinking product of a reactive additive, wherein the reactive additive comprises at least one reactive polymer, reactive oligomer, or reactive monomer and a curing agent or initiator and wherein the reactive polymer, oligomer, or monomer comprises at least a reactive carboxylic and/or a hydroxyl group; (b) a lithium salt; and (c) an organic liquid solvent or ionic liquid. The polymer preferably comprises a cross-linked network of chains from poly(acrylic acid), poly(vinyl alcohol), polyethylene glycol, carboxymethyl cellulose, or a combination thereof. Also provided is a lithium battery comprising such an electrolyte.

Flame-resistant quasi-solid electrolyte for lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries and production method

The invention provides a method of improving the cycle-life of a lithium metal secondary battery. The method comprises implementing an anode-protecting layer between an anode active material layer and a porous separator/electrolyte, wherein the anode-protecting layer or cathode-protecting layer comprises a conductive sulfonated elastomer composite having from 0.01% to 40% by weight of a conductive reinforcement material and from 0.01% to 40% by weight of an electrochemically stable inorganic filler dispersed in a sulfonated elastomeric matrix material and the protecting layer has a thickness from 1 nm to 100 μm, a fully recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 500%, a lithium ion conductivity from 10S/cm to 5×10S/cm, and an electrical conductivity from 10S/cm to 100 S/cm when measured at room temperature.

Method of extending cycle-life of a lithium metal secondary battery

Provided is a method of producing one or a plurality of lithium cells, comprising: (a) providing at least a dry lithium cell, comprising a cathode, an anode, a porous separator, and a protective casing, wherein the dry cell is electrolyte-free or contains an initial amount of electrolyte less than a final desired amount; (b) injecting a liquid electrolyte into at least a dry cell to form at least a wet cell, wherein the liquid electrolyte comprises a lithium salt dissolved in a first liquid solvent having a first lithium salt concentration from 0.001 M to 3.0 M; (c) removing portion of the liquid solvent from at least a wet cell to obtain at least a lithium cell comprising a quasi-solid electrolyte having a final lithium salt concentration higher than first concentration and higher than 2.0 M; and (d) optionally sealing the protective housing to produce the lithium cell(s).

Method of producing a lithium battery cell containing a non-flammable quasi-solid electrolyte

A rechargeable lithium battery comprising an anode, a cathode, and a quasi-solid or solid-state electrolyte in ionic communication with the anode and the cathode, wherein the electrolyte comprises: (a) a polymer, which is a polymerization or crosslinking product of a reactive additive, wherein the reactive additive comprises at least one reactive polymer, reactive oligomer, or reactive monomer and a crosslinking agent or initiator; (b) a lithium salt; and (c) from 0% to 30% by weight or by volume of a non-aqueous liquid solvent, based on the total weight or volume of the polymer, the lithium salt, and the liquid solvent combined. This liquid solvent proportion is preferably <20%, more preferably <10% and most preferably <5% by weight or by volume. The cathode comprises particles of a cathode active material and the electrolyte is in physical contact with at least a majority of or substantially all of the cathode active material particles.

Quasi-solid and solid-state electrolyte for lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries and manufacturing method

A composite particulate for a lithium battery, wherein the composite particulate has a diameter from 10 nm to 50 μm and comprises one or more than one anode active material particles that are dispersed in a high-elasticity polymer matrix or encapsulated by a high-elasticity polymer shell, wherein said high-elasticity polymer matrix or shell has a recoverable elastic tensile strain no less than 5%, when measured without an additive or reinforcement dispersed therein, and a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10S/cm at room temperature and wherein said high-elasticity polymer comprises a crosslinked polymer network of chains from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), a substituted version thereof, or a derivative thereof.

Elastic network polymer-encapsulated anode particles for lithium batteries and method of manufacturing

Provided is highly elastic polymer composite binder composition for use in an anode or cathode of a lithium battery, the composition comprising a polymerizing or cross-linking liquid precursor and a 0.01%-50% by weight of a conductive reinforcement material dispersed in the liquid precursor, wherein the liquid precursor is capable of chemically bonding to an anode active material or cathode active material in the lithium battery upon completion of polymerization or cross-linking reactions to form a high-elasticity polymer and the resulting high-elasticity polymer has a recoverable tensile strain from 5% to 700% when measured without the conductive reinforcement dispersed in the polymer.

Elastic polymer composite binder for lithium battery and method of manufacturing

Provided is an anode active material layer for a lithium battery. The anode active material layer comprises multiple anode active material particles and an optional conductive additive that are bonded together by a binder comprising a high-elasticity polymer having a recoverable or elastic tensile strain no less than 5% when measured without an additive or reinforcement in the polymer. The high-elasticity polymer contains a cross-linked network of polymer chains. The anode active material preferably has a specific lithium storage capacity greater than 372 mAh/g (e.g. Si, Ge, Sn, SnO, CoO, etc.).

Polymer binder for lithium battery and method of manufacturing

A rechargeable lithium cell comprising: (a) a cathode having a cathode active material and a first electrolyte in ionic contact with the cathode active material; (b) an anode having an anode current collector but no anode active material and having no lithium metal when the cell is made; (c) an optional porous separator electronically separating the anode and the cathode; and (d) a second electrolyte, comprising a polymer electrolyte in ionic contact with the first electrolyte, wherein the polymer electrolyte is disposed substantially between the anode and the cathode, between the separator and the cathode, and/or between the separator and the anode. The polymer electrolyte substantially does not permeate into the anode or the cathode. Also provided is a method of preparing or operating such an anode-less lithium cell.

Flame-resistant quasi-solid hybrid electrolyte for safe anode-less lithium batteries and production method

Provided is apparatus for introducing a quasi-solid electrolyte into one or a plurality of lithium battery cells, the apparatus comprising: (a) a cell-holding device to hold one or a plurality of lithium battery cells and is in a working relation to a liquid electrolyte-filling device that injects a liquid electrolyte into the battery cells, wherein the liquid electrolyte comprises a lithium salt dissolved in a first liquid solvent having a first lithium salt concentration from 0.001 M to 3.0 M (mole/L); and (b) a solvent vapor-removing device in a working relation to the cell-holding device, wherein the vapor-removing device comprises a pumping device to move solvent vapors away from the battery cells so that the electrolyte has a final lithium salt concentration higher than the first concentration and higher than 2.0 M. Also provided is a method of operating the apparatus.

Method and apparatus for forming a non- flammable quasi-solid electrolyte in a lithium battery

An electrochemical battery cell comprising an anode having a primary anode active material, a cathode, and an ion-conducting electrolyte, wherein the cell has an initial output voltage, Vi, measured at 10% depth of discharge (DoD), selected from a range from 0.3 volts to 0.8 volts, and a final output voltage Vf measured at a DoD no greater than 90%, wherein a voltage variation, (Vi&#x2212;Vf)/Vi, is no greater than &#xb1;10% and the specific capacity between Vi and Vf is no less than 100 mAh/g or 200 mAh/cmbased on the cathode active material weight or volume, and wherein the primary anode active material is selected from lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), titanium (Ti), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), vanadium (V), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), a mixture thereof, an alloy thereof, or a combination thereof.

Battery having a low output voltage

A lithium secondary battery comprising a cathode, an anode, and an elastic polymer protective layer disposed between the cathode and the anode, and a working electrolyte, wherein the elastic polymer protective layer comprises a high-elasticity polymer having a thickness from 50 nm to 100 &#x3bc;m, a lithium ion conductivity from 10S/cm to 5&#xd7;10S/cm at room temperature, and a fully recoverable tensile elastic strain from 2% to 1,000% when measured without any additive or filler dispersed therein and wherein the high-elasticity polymer comprises a crosslinked polymer network of chains derived from at least one multi-functional monomer or oligomer selected from an acrylate, polyether, polyurethane acrylate, tetraethylene glycol diacrylate, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, or di(trimethylolpropane) tetraacrylate, wherein a multi-functional monomer or oligomer comprises at least three reactive functional groups.

High-elasticity polymer for lithium metal protection, lithium secondary battery and manufacturing method

A method of producing a powder mass for a lithium battery, the method comprising: (a) providing a solution containing a sulfonated elastomer dissolved in a solvent or a precursor in a liquid form or dissolved in a solvent; (b) dispersing a plurality of particles of a cathode active material in the solution to form a slurry; and (c) dispensing the slurry and removing the solvent and/or polymerizing/curing the precursor to form the powder mass, wherein the powder mass comprises multiple particulates and at least a particulate comprises one or a plurality of particles of a cathode active material being encapsulated by a thin layer of sulfonated elastomer having a thickness from 1 nm to 10 &#x3bc;m, a fully recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 800%, and a lithium ion conductivity from 10S/cm to 5&#xd7;10S/cm at room temperature.

Method of producing protected particles of cathode active materials for lithium batteries

Provided is a lithium secondary battery comprising a cathode, an anode, and an electrolyte or separator-electrolyte assembly disposed between the cathode and the anode, wherein the anode comprises: (a) An anode current collector, initially having no lithium or lithium alloy as an anode active material when the battery is made and prior to a charge or discharge operation; and (b) a thin layer of a high-elasticity polymer in ionic contact with the electrolyte and having a recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 700%, a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10S/cm, and a thickness from 0.5 nm to 100 &#x3bc;m. Preferably, the high-elasticity polymer contains a cross-linked network of polymer chains having an ether linkage, nitrile-derived linkage, benzo peroxide-derived linkage, ethylene oxide linkage, propylene oxide linkage, vinyl alcohol linkage, cyano-resin linkage, triacrylate monomer-derived linkage, tetraacrylate monomer-derived linkage, or a combination thereof in the cross-linked network of polymer chains.

Lithium-protecting polymer layer for an anode-less lithium metal secondary battery and manufacturing method

A graphene foam-protected selenium cathode layer for an alkali metal-selenium cell, comprising: (a) a sheet or a roll of solid graphene foam composed of multiple pores and pore walls containing graphene sheets, wherein the graphene sheets contain a pristine graphene material having less than 0.01% by weight of non-carbon elements or a non-pristine graphene material having 0.01% to 20% by weight of non-carbon elements, wherein said non-pristine graphene is selected from graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, graphene fluoride, graphene chloride, graphene bromide, graphene iodide, hydrogenated graphene, nitrogenated graphene, boron-doped graphene, nitrogen-doped graphene, chemically functionalized graphene, or a combination thereof, wherein the graphene sheets are interconnected or chemically merged together without an adhesive resin; and (b) selenium coating or particles residing in the pores or bonded to the pore walls of the solid graphene foam.

Alkali metal-selenium secondary battery containing a graphene foam-protected selenium cathode

Provided is a lithium secondary battery containing an anode, a cathode, a porous separator/electrolyte element disposed between the anode and the cathode, and a cathode-protecting layer bonded or adhered to the cathode, wherein the cathode-protecting layer comprises a lithium ion-conducting polymer matrix or binder and inorganic material particles that are dispersed in or chemically bonded by the polymer matrix or binder and wherein the cathode-protecting layer has a thickness from 10 nm to 100 &#x3bc;m and the polymer matrix or binder has a lithium-ion conductivity from 10S/cm to 5&#xd7;10S/cm. Additionally or alternatively, there can be a similarly configured anode-protecting layer adhered to the anode. Such an electrode-protecting layer prevents massive internal shorting from occurring even when the porous separator gets melted, contracted, or collapsed under extreme temperature conditions induced by, for instance, dendrite or nail penetration.

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Dayton, OH, United States of America

Hui He