Enevate Corporation

Rahul R Kamath

Benjamin Yong Park

Monika Chhorng

David J Lee

Ian Russell Browne

Liwen Ji

Younes Ansari

Xiaohua Liu

Jeff Swoyer

Sung Won Choi

Fred Bonhomme

Sanjaya D Perera

Qian Huang

Heidi Leighette Anderson

Frederic C Bonhomme

Qing Zhang

The disclosure herein pertains to a pressure regulation system for use in a silicon dominate anode lithium-ion cell. The pressure regulation system regulates a lifetime pressure on the lithium-ion cell in order to correct for capacity loss and mechanical failure due the expansion of silicon during operation. The pressure regulation system along with a housing maintains a certain pressure range on the lithium-ion cells during the cycling and the operational life of the energy storage device.

Pressure regulation system for silicon dominant anode lithium-ion cell

Systems and methods utilizing aqueous-based polymer binders for silicon-dominant anodes containing pyrolyzed carbon may include an electrode coating layer on a current collector, where the electrode coating layer is formed from silicon and a water soluble polymer and may comprise one or more additional materials. The electrode coating layer may include more than 70% silicon and the anode may be in a lithium ion battery.

Silicon dominant anodes containing pyrolyzed carbon

Systems and methods are provided for a reaction barrier between an electrode active material and a current collector. An electrode may comprise an active material, a metal foil, and a polymer. The polymer (such as polyamide-imide (PAI)) may be configured to provide a carbonized barrier between the active material and the metal foil after pyrolysis.

Reaction barrier between electrode active material and current collector

Systems and methods for batteries comprising a cathode, an electrolyte, and an anode, wherein sacrificial salts and prelithiation reagents are added to the cathode as functional additives for electrochemical prelithiation.

Sacrificial salts in Li-rich, defect anti-fluorite compounds in cathodes for prelithiation in lithium ion batteries

In some embodiments, an electrode can include a current collector, a composite material in electrical communication with the current collector, and at least one phase configured to adhere the composite material to the current collector. The current collector can include one or more layers of metal, and the composite material can include electrochemically active material. The at least one phase can include a compound of the metal and the electrochemically active material. In some embodiments, a composite material can include electrochemically active material. The composite material can also include at least one phase configured to bind electrochemically active particles of the electrochemically active material together. The at least one phase can include a compound of metal and the electrochemically active material.

Binding agents for electrochemically active materials and methods of forming the same

Systems and methods are provided for carbon additives for direct coating of silicon-dominant anodes. An example composition for use in directly coated anodes may include a silicon-dominated anode active material, a carbon-based binder, and a carbon-based additive, with the composition being configured for low-temperature pyrolysis. The low-temperature pyrolysis may be conducted at <600° C. An anode may be formed using a direct coating process of the composition on a current collector. The anode active material yields silicon constituting between 86% and 97% of weight of the formed anode after pyrolysis. The carbon-based additive yields carbon constituting between 2% and 6% of weight of the formed anode after pyrolysis.

Lower pyrolysis temperature binder for silicon-dominant anodes

Systems and methods are provided for carbon additives for direct coating of silicon-dominant anodes. An example composition for use in directly coated anodes may include a silicon-dominated anode active material, a carbon-based binder, and a carbon-based additive, with the composition being configured for low-temperature pyrolysis. The low-temperature pyrolysis may be conducted at &#x3c;600&#xb0; C. An anode may be formed using a direct coating process of the composition on a current collector. The anode active material yields silicon constituting between 86% and 97% of weight of the formed anode after pyrolysis. The carbon-based additive yields carbon constituting between 2% and 6% of weight of the formed anode after pyrolysis.

Methods of preparing an electrode material can include providing silicon particles, forming a mixture comprising the silicon particles dispersed in a solvent, and forming a suspension by adding metal alkoxide or metal aryloxide to the mixture. The methods can also include evaporating the solvent in the suspension to form metal alkoxide or metal aryloxide coated silicon particles. The methods can further include heating the coated silicon particles to form metal oxide coated silicon particles.

Methods of preparing an electrode material with metal alkoxide or metal aryloxide

Methods of forming a composite material film can include providing a layer comprising a carbon precursor and silicon particles on a sacrificial substrate. The methods can also include pyrolysing the carbon precursor to convert the precursor into one or more types of carbon phases to form the composite material film, whereby the sacrificial substrate has a char yield of about 10% or less.

Sacrificial substrates for silicon-carbon composite materials

Systems and methods utilizing aqueous-based polymer binders for silicon-dominant anodes may include an electrode coating layer on a current collector, where the electrode coating layer is formed from silicon and an aqueous-based suspension-solution binder composition comprising a water soluble (aqueous-based) polymer as part of a multi-component binder composition that also contains an water insoluble polymer. The electrode coating layer may include more than 70% silicon and the anode may be in a lithium ion battery.

Aqueous-based solid polymer suspensions in a polymer solution as a binder for Si dominant anodes

Methods of forming a composite material film can include providing a mixture comprising a precursor and silane-treated silicon particles. The methods can also include pyrolysing the mixture to convert the precursor into one or more carbon phases to form the composite material film with the silicon particles distributed throughout the composite material film.

Modified silicon particles for silicon-carbon composite electrodes

Systems and methods are provided for heat treatment of whole cell structures. A battery may be formed based on applying of heat treatment to a whole cell composition that includes, at least, both anode material and cathode material, such that the anode material and the cathode material are heat treated at the same time. The heat treatment may include pyrolysis. The whole cell composition, and the corresponding cell formed based thereon, may include solid state electrolyte.

Growing community of inventors

Irvine, CA, United States of America

Rahul R Kamath