Navitas Systems, LLC

Nissan North America, Inc.

Other

Peter Aurora

Pu Zhang

Michael R Wixom

Taehee Han

Nagappan Ramaswamy

Rameshwar Yadav

Kenzo Oshihara

Gregory DiLeo

Ellazar Niangar

Xiaoguang Hao

Iftikhar Ahmad

Clayton R DeCamillis

Andrew Cardin

Michael L Hampton

William O Hicks

James E Webb, Jr

Provided are electrodes that may be used in electrochemical cells that incorporate relatively high loading of active material while also demonstrating excellent adhesion, resistance to mechanical breakdown, and also offer improved capacity retention, particularly at discharge rates of C/2 or greater.

High loading electrodes

Provided are processes to form microporous silicon useful as an active material in an electrode of an electrochemical cell the processes including subjecting a mixture of silicon oxide and a metal reducing agent, optionally aluminum, to mechanical milling to form mechanically activated silicon oxide/aluminum, thermally treating the silicon oxide/aluminum to reduce the silicon oxide and form Si/AlO, and removing at least a portion of the alumina from the Si to form a microporous silicon. The resulting electrochemically active microporous silicon is also provided with residual alumina present at 15% by weight or less that demonstrates excellent cycle life and safety.

Processes to fabricate porous silicon and its use as feedstock for secondary battery electrodes

Provided are electrochemically active materials capable of absorbing and desorbing an ion suitable for use in secondary cells. The provided materials include a core consisting of a plurality of silicon particulates of a particle size less than 1 micrometer, the particulates intermixed with and surrounded by a silicon metal alloy composite, and an electrochemically active buffering shell layer enveloping at least a portion of the core such that the resulting electrochemically active material has an overall particle size with a maximum linear dimension of greater than one micrometer.

Core-shell electrochemically active particles with modified microstructure and use for secondary battery electrodes

Provided are electrodes that may be used in electrochemical cells that incorporate relatively high loading of active material while also demonstrating excellent adhesion, resistance to mechanical breakdown, and also offer improved capacity retention, particularly at discharge rates of C/72 or greater.

An apparatus for processing battery electrodes includes: a microwave applicator cavity with slots on opposite ends to allow a continuous sheet to move through the cavity in a first direction; a processing chamber constructed of microwave-transparent material, disposed within the applicator cavity and surrounding the continuous sheet, the processing chamber having slots to allow the continuous sheet to pass through it; a microwave power supply to deliver power to the applicator cavity; a source of heated gas providing a controlled gas flow through the processing chamber in a direction opposite the first direction; and, at least one non-contacting temperature measuring device positioned to measure a surface temperature at a selected location on the continuous sheet as it passes through the processing chamber. The apparatus is particularly suited for removing polar solvents from porous electrode coatings. A related method is also disclosed.

Apparatus and method for processing battery electrodes

Provided are methods and apparatus for charging a lithium sulfur (Li&#x2014;S) battery. The Li&#x2014;S battery has at least one unit cell comprising a lithium-containing anode and a sulfur-containing cathode with an electrolyte layer there between. One method provides controlled application of voltage pulses at the beginning of the charging process. An application period is initiated after a discharge cycle of the Li&#x2014;S battery is complete. During the application period, voltage pulses are provided to the Li&#x2014;S battery. The voltage pulses are less than a constant current charging voltage. Constant current charging is initiated after the application period has elapsed.

Lithium sulfur battery pulse charging method and pulse waveform

An anode active material for a lithium-ion battery cell comprises low density silicon. The anode active material is provided in an anode for a lithium-ion battery. Also disclosed are methods of making the anode active material.

High capacity, dimensionally stable anode from low-bulk density amorphous silicon for lithium-ion batteries

A cathode for a lithium-sulfur battery cell includes positive active material comprising sulfur and carbon coated onto an electrode substrate and gold nanoparticles affixed to the positive active material and configured to direct growth and deposition of lithium sulfide. A lithium ion battery cell, battery stack and method of making the cathodes are also provided.

Lithium sulfur battery having cathode with nucleation agents

Methods and apparatus are provided for discharging a Li&#x2014;S battery having at least one battery unit comprising a lithium-containing anode and a sulfur-containing cathode with an electrolyte layer there between. One method comprises electrochemically surface treating the sulfur-containing cathode during discharge of the battery. A method of electrochemically surface treating a cathode of a lithium-sulfide battery comprises applying at least one oxidative voltage pulse during a pulse application period while the lithium-sulfur battery discharges and controlling pulse characteristics during the pulse application period, the pulse characteristics configured to affect a morphology of lithium sulfide forming on the sulfur-containing cathode during discharge.

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Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Peter Aurora