Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Bar-ilan University

Raghunathan K

Mark William Verbrugge

Ion C Halalay

Xingcheng Xiao

Meng Jiang

Xingyi Yang

Brian James Koch

Lei Wang

Qinglin Zhang

Niccolo Jimenez

Timothy J Fuller

Anil Kumar Sachdev

Michael P Balogh

Kevin B Rober

Patrick Frost

Erik B Golm

Andrew Clay Bobel

Louis G Hector, Jr

Patricia M Laskowsky

Doron Aurbach

Shalom Luski

Shaomao Xu

Ramona Y Ying

John E Novak

Anjan Banerjee

Baruch Ziv

Teresa U Holiness-Stalling

Meixian Wang

A method of making a battery current collector foil includes heat treating a foil sheet and mechanically roughening the heat treated foil sheet to create a surface roughness of between 2-4 μm. The heat treating and mechanical roughening of the foil sheet provides improved coating adhesion. One of an anode and cathode coating is then applied to the roughened, heat treated, foil sheet.

Current collector patterning for enhanced adhesion

A charging module configured to charge a battery system of a vehicle includes a usage prediction module configured to predict usage of the vehicle subsequent to a charging event, a target state of charge (SOC) calculation module configured to determine a target SOC based on the predicted usage of the vehicle subsequent to the charging event, and a charging control module configured to selectively charge the battery system, based on the predicted usage of the vehicle subsequent to the charging event, to one of the target SOC and a limited SOC.

Customized charging protocols

A method of recycling a Lithium-ion battery includes removing a plurality cells from a container of the battery without dismantling the cells, removing an electrolyte from the cells, re-lithiating the cells using lithium as a source of re-lithiation, and packaging the re-lithiated cells in a new container to form a new battery.

Battery direct recycling

The present disclosure relates to a negative electrode material and methods of preparation and use relating thereto. The electrode material comprises a plurality of electroactive material particles, where each electroactive material particle includes an electroactive material core and an electronically conductive coating. The method includes contacting an electroactive material precursor including a plurality of electroactive material particles with a solution so as to form an electronically conductive coating on each of the electroactive material particles. The solution includes a solvent and one or more of copper fluoride (CuF), titanium tetrafluoride (TiFor TiF), iron fluoride (FeF), nickel fluoride (NiF), manganese fluoride (MnF, MnF, or MnF), and vanadium fluoride (VF, VF, VF). The electronically conductive coating includes a plurality of first regions and a plurality of second regions. The plurality of first regions include lithium fluoride. The plurality of second regions include one of copper, titanium, iron, nickel, manganese, and vanadium.

Electroactive particles having electronically conductive coatings

A method of making an electrode material for an electrode in an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions is provided, where a protective coating is applied to an electrode precursor material. The electrode precursor may be a silicon-containing composition. The protective coating is selected from the group consisting of: an oxide-based coating, a fluoride-based coating, and a nitride-based coating. The method also includes lithiating the electrode precursor material in a continuous process. The continuous process is conducted in a reactor having a first reaction chamber and a second reaction chamber to form a lithiated electrode material comprising the protective coating.

Manufacturing process of making negative electrodes for batteries

Lithiated electrodes, electrochemical cells including lithiated electrodes, and methods of making the same are provided. The method includes lithiating at least one electrode in an electrochemical cell by applying current across a first current collector of the at least one electrode to a second current collector of an auxiliary electrode. The electrochemical cell may be disposed within a battery packaging and the auxiliary electrode may be disposed within the battery packaging adjacent to an edge of the electrochemical cell. The at least one electrode may include a first electroactive layer disposed on or near one or more surfaces of the first current collector, and the auxiliary electrode may include a second electroactive layer disposed at or near one or more surfaces of the second current collector. The method may further include extracting the auxiliary electrode from the battery packaging and sealing the battery packaging, which includes the pre-lithiated electrochemical cell.

Methods for pre-lithiating lithium ion batteries

An electrochemical cell is provided herein as well as methods for preparing electrochemical cells. The electrochemical cell includes a negative electrode and a positive electrode. The negative electrode includes a prelithiated electroactive material including a lithium silicide. Lithium is present in the prelithiated electroactive material in an amount corresponding to greater than or equal to about 10% of a state of charge of the negative electrode. The electrochemical cell has a negative electrode capacity to positive electrode capacity for lithium (N/P) ratio of greater than or equal to about 1, and the electrochemical cell is capable of operating at an operating voltage of less than or equal to about 5 volts.

Silicon-containing electrochemical cells and methods of making the same

A lithium metal oxide (LMO) cathode includes a current collector having a length defining a first end and a second end, a width, and a first side and a second side, LMO active material applied to the first side and the second side of the current collector such that the LMO active material applied to each respective side of the current collector has an inner face contiguous with the current collector and an outer face, and a plurality of channels extending widthwise across the cathode within the LMO active material applied to the first and second sides. The LMO active material on each current collector side can have a thickness of about 100 &#x3bc;m to about 400 &#x3bc;m. The channels on the same side of the current collector can be spaced apart by 0.1 mm to 10 mm. The channels can have widths of 10 &#x3bc;m to 60 &#x3bc;m.

Thick, flexible cathodes for lithium-ion batteries

An electrode heat treatment device and associated method for fabricating an electrode are described, and include forming a workpiece, including coating a current collector with a slurry. The workpiece is placed on a first spool, and the first spool including the workpiece is placed in a sealable chamber, wherein the sealable chamber includes the first spool, a heat exchange work space, and a second spool. An inert environment is created in the sealable chamber. The workpiece is subjected to a multi-step continuous heat treatment operation in the inert environment, wherein the multi-step continuous heat treatment operation includes continuously transferring the workpiece through the heat exchange work space between the first spool and the second spool and controlling the heat exchange work space to an elevated temperature.

Method and apparatus for pyrolyzing an electrode

A negative electroactive material for use in a negative electrode of an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions is provided. The negative electroactive material includes a particle defining a core region that includes silicon, silicon-containing alloys, tin-containing alloys, and combinations thereof. A porous, elastomeric multilayer coating is disposed on a surface of the core region that includes a first carbonaceous layer and a second porous elastomeric layer. The second porous elastomeric layer includes siloxane and a plurality of electrically conductive particles. The multilayer coating is capable of reversibly elongating from a contracted state to an expanded state in at least one direction to minimize or prevent fracturing of the plurality of negative electroactive material particles during lithium ion cycling.

Multilayer siloxane coatings for silicon negative electrode materials for lithium ion batteries

Methods for fabricating electrodes include coating a current collector with a slurry to form a coated current collector. The slurry includes a dry fraction, including silicon particles, polymeric binders, and one or more types of naturally occurring carbonaceous filaments, and one or more solvents. The coated current collector is heat treated to produce the electrode having a layer of silicon-based host material. The one or more naturally occurring carbonaceous filaments can include animal fibers, chitin, alginate, cellulose, keratin, and chitosan, and can have an average length of 1 &#x3bc;m to 50 &#x3bc;m and an average diameter of 1 nm to 500 nm. The dry fraction can include 5 wt. % to 95 wt. % silicon particles, 0.1 wt. % to 15 wt. % polymeric binders, and 1 wt. % to 20 wt. % naturally occurring carbonaceous filaments. The method can include assembling a battery cell by disposing the electrode and a positive electrode in electrolyte.

Methods for fabricating silicon-based electrodes comprising naturally occurring carbonaceous filaments and battery cells utilizing the same

A battery control system for a vehicle includes a battery state estimator configured to obtain a battery cell open circuit voltage (OCV) of a battery in response to a charging system charging the battery to a maximum charging voltage. The system includes a negative voltage determination module configured to determine a negative OCV of the battery based on the obtained cell or battery OCV. The system includes a voltage shift determination module configured to identify a difference between the negative OCV of the battery and a previous negative OCV of the battery. The system also includes a charge voltage module configured to selectively reduce the maximum charging voltage to a reduced maximum charging voltage based on the difference and transmit the reduced maximum charging voltage to the charging system. The charging system is instructed to charge the battery such that the battery does not exceed the reduced maximum charging voltage.

Detection and mitigation of rapid capacity loss for aging batteries

A method of forming an electrode includes attaching a tab to a collector to form a pre-tabbed current collector; disposing the pre-tabbed current collector onto a non-stick substrate to form a workpiece; and casting a slurry onto the workpiece to form a film. The slurry includes an active material component, one or more carbon additives, and at least one of a filamentary copper additive and a dendritic copper additive. The method includes drying the film at a first temperature to form a dried film; curing the dried film under pressure at a second higher temperature to form a cured film; removing the cured film from the non-stick substrate to form a precursor film; and carbonizing and annealing the precursor film at a third higher temperature. Carbonizing forms a three-dimensional electrically-conductive network and annealing forms a second contiguous network of copper connected to the active material component to form the electrode.

Negative electrode for a lithium-ion electrochemical cell and method of forming same

Methods of scavenging acid in a lithium-ion electrochemical cell are provided. An electrolyte solution that contains an acid or is capable of forming the acid is contacted with a polymer comprising a nitrogen-containing acid-trapping moiety selected from the group consisting of: an amine group, a pyridine group, and combinations thereof. The nitrogen-containing acid-trapping moiety scavenges acidic species present in the electrolyte solution by participating in a Lewis acid-base neutralization reaction. The electrolyte solution comprises a lithium salt and one or more solvents and is contained in the electrochemical cell that further comprises a first electrode, a second electrode having an opposite polarity from the first electrode, and a porous separator. Lithium ions can be cycled through the separator and electrolyte solution from the first electrode to the second electrode, where acid generated during the cycling is scavenged by the polymer comprising a nitrogen-containing acid-trapping moiety.

Acid-scavenging functional separators for power performance of lithium ion electrochemical cells

Evaluation of a DC power source can include communication with a voltmeter that is arranged to monitor electrical potential across positive and negative electrodes. The method includes determining a full-cell open-circuit voltage ('OCV'), an associated positive half-cell OCV, and an associated negative half-cell OCV at a start-of-life point of the DC power source. A lithium balance model is executed to determine a plurality of beginning states associated with an electrode alignment of the DC power source. An in-use state for the full-cell OCV is determined. An optimization routine is executed employing the lithium balance model to determine in-use states associated with the electrode alignment of the DC power source based upon the in-use state for the full-cell OCV and the beginning states associated with electrode alignment. A negative-to-positive ('N/P') ratio is determined based upon the in-use states, and battery life is evaluated based upon the N/P ratio.

Growing community of inventors

Troy, MI, United States of America

Raghunathan K