A123 Systems LLC

Quantumscape Battery, Inc.

Quantumscape Corporation

Larry Beck

Chuanjing Xu

Tim Holme

Yang Li

Niall Donnelly

Sriram Rangarajan Iyer

Lei Cheng

Oleh Karpenko

Cheng-Chieh Chao

Will Hudson

Zhong-You Joe Shi

William H Gardner

Maha Hammoud

Gengfu Xu

Jennifer Wilson

Liya Wang

Anthony Edward Pullen

Young-Il Jang

Aram Yang

Tiffany Ho

Kevin Du

Mahrokh Soltani

Phillip Sholtes

Thomas Arnold

Set forth herein are processes for making and using electrolytes (also known as catholytes when the electrolytes are mixed with cathode active materials) for a positive electrode of an electrochemical cell. The catholytes include additives that prevent surface fluorination of lithium-stuffed garnet solid-state separators in contact with the positive electrode. Also set forth herein are electrochemical devices which include the catholytes in addition to a lithium-stuffed garnet solid-state electrolyte separator.

Electrochemical cells with catholyte additives and lithium-stuffed garnet separators

The instant disclosure sets forth multiphase lithium-stuffed garnet electrolytes having secondary phase inclusions, wherein these secondary phase inclusions are material(s) which is/are not a cubic phase lithium-stuffed garnet but which is/are entrapped or enclosed within a lithium-stuffed garnet. When the secondary phase inclusions described herein are included in a lithium-stuffed garnet at 30-0.1 volume %, the inclusions stabilize the multiphase matrix and allow for improved sintering of the lithium-stuffed garnet. The electrolytes described herein, which include lithium-stuffed garnet with secondary phase inclusions, have an improved sinterability and density compared to phase pure cubic lithium-stuffed garnet having the formula LiLaZrO.

Lithium-stuffed garnet electrolytes with secondary phase inclusions

An LFP electrode material is provided which has improved impedance, power during cold cranking, rate capacity retention, charge transfer resistance over the current LFP based cathode materials. The electrode material comprises crystalline primary particles and secondary particles, where the primary particle is formed from a plate-shaped single-phase spheniscidite precursor and a lithium source. The LFP includes an LFP phase behavior where the LFP phase behavior includes an extended solid-solution range.

High power electrode materials

Set forth herein are positive electrode active material compositions, e.g., lithium-rich nickel manganese cobalt oxides. The lithium-rich nickel manganese cobalt oxides set forth herein are characterized, in some examples, by an expanded unit cell which maximizes the uniform distribution of transition metals in the crystalline oxide. Also set forth herein are positive electrode thin films including lithium-rich nickel manganese cobalt oxide materials. Disclosed herein are novel and inventive methods of making and using lithium-rich nickel manganese cobalt oxide materials for lithium rechargeable batteries. Also disclosed herein are novel electrochemical devices which incorporate these materials.

Lithium rich nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LR-NMC)

High-purity crystalline ferric phosphate material with desirable characteristics for use in synthesis of nano-sized LFP cathode material are described. The ferric phosphate dihydrate material has as disclosed herein has a molar ratio of phosphorous to iron is from about 1.001 to about 1.05, a surface area of from about 25 m/g to about 65 m/g, and is substantially free of metallic or magnetic impurities. Methods of synthesizing high-purity crystalline ferric phosphate material with desirable characteristics for use in synthesis of nano-sized LFP cathode material are also described. In some embodiments, one or more magnetic traps are used during the reaction process and/or after the formation of the final product to remove magnetic impurities. In some embodiments, a synthetic method of ferric phosphate using multiple steps is described, wherein the intermediate of the synthesis is isolated and purified to improve the purity of the ferric phosphate material. In some embodiments, an iron compound is added to an aqueous solution of phosphoric acid. The solution pH and temperature are controlled to ensure the complete dissolution of the iron compound. The desired iron phosphate crystalline material can be obtained with high purity and high crystalline phase purity by controlling the pH and temperature of the solution.

Ferric phosphate and methods of preparation thereof

Improved positive electrode material and methods for making the same are described. Lithium-iron-manganese phosphate materials, doped with one or more dopant Co, Ni, V, and Nb, and methods for making the same are described. The improved positive electrode material of the present invention is capable of exhibiting improved energy density and/or specific capacity for use in wide range of applications. In certain embodiments, energy density of greater than 340 mWh/g is possible.

Mixed metal olivine electrode materials for lithium ion batteries having improved specific capacity and energy density

A positive electrode material is provided including an electroactive material having one or more phases comprising lithium (Li), an electroactive metal (M), and phosphate (PO), wherein in the fully lithiated state, the overall composition has a ratio of Li:M ranging from greater than about 1.0 to about 1.3, a ratio of (PO):M ranging from about 1.0 to about 1.132, M is one or more metals selected from the group consisting of Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni, and at least one phase includes an olivine lithium electroactive metal phosphate. In some instances, a composite cathode material including an electroactive olivine transition metal phosphate and a lithium and phosphate rich secondary phase is disclosed for use in a lithium ion battery.

Mixed metal olivine electrode materials for lithium ion batteries

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Larry Beck