Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. Cupertino

Richard M Mank

Taisup Hwang

Ramesh C Bhardwaj

Hongli Dai

Mikyong Yoo

Lili Huang

Bookeun Oh

Vijayasekaran Boovaragavan

Bernd J Neudecker

Lin Ma

Richard Hung Minh Dinh

Daniel William Jarvis

Meng Chi Lee

Rishabh Bhargava

Julien Marcil

Steven D Sterz

Julian Malinski

George V Anastas

Alan A Ritchie

Shawn W Snyder

Soundararajan Manthiri

David M Demuro

John Raff

Tyler S Bushnell

William C Athas

J Douglas Field

Karl M Brown

P Jeffrey Ungar

Thomas Charles Greening

Ji-Guang Zhang

Christopher R Pasma

Wu Xu

Zuqin Liu

Yanfeng Chen

Charles W Werley

YooEup Hyung

Xiaolin Li

Qiuyan Li

Chongmin Wang

Sheba Devan

Xiaoyun Hu

Ran Yi

Korhan Demirkan

Thai T Ton

Hyea Kim

Sang Young Yoon

Andrew Basile

Rajankumar L Patel

Soundarajan Manthiri

Hyung-Seok Lim

Langli Luo

Yang He

David M DeMuro

Sunho Kang

Dennis M Foley

Energy storage devices, battery cells, and batteries may include a battery cell component that may be or include a ceramic layer produced by methods including admixing a ceramic with a water-soluble dispersant to form a first mixture. The methods may include admixing an organic polymeric dispersant with the first mixture to form a second mixture. The methods may include admixing a binder with the second mixture to form a slurry. The methods may also include depositing the slurry on a substrate.

Porous ceramic separator materials and formation processes

Energy storage devices, battery cells, and batteries may include a battery cell component produced by methods including depositing a first separator layer over an electrode material, where the first separator layer includes a ceramic material. The methods may include depositing a second separator layer over the first separator layer, where the second separator layer includes an adhesive material. The methods may also include drying the second separator layer to form the battery cell component.

Battery cell with multiple separator layers that include adhesive and ceramic material

An electrochemical cell has a cathode having a cathode current collector and a cathode active material, an anode having an anode current collector, lithium metal seed, and an anode cap on the lithium metal seed, a liquid electrolyte, a separator between the cathode active material and the anode active material, and a polymer electrolyte lamination layer bonding the anode to the separator. The polymer electrolyte lamination layer is formulated using a crosslinked polymer, a lithium salt, a plasticizer, and an anode additive. The anode cap and the polymer electrolyte lamination layer work together to produce densely plated lithium metal between the lithium metal seed and the anode cap with little or no external pressure.

Electrochemical cell design with lithium metal anode

Lithium-metal batteries with improved dimensional stability are presented along with methods of manufacture. The lithium-metal batteries incorporate an anode cell that reduces dimensional changes during charging and discharging. The anode cell includes a container having a first portion and a second portion to form an enclosed cavity. The first portion is electrically-conductive and chemically-stable to lithium metal. The second portion is permeable to lithium ions and chemically-stable to lithium metal. The anode cell also includes an anode comprising lithium metal and disposed within the cavity. The anode is in contact with the first portion and the second portion. The cavity is configured such that volumetric expansion and contraction of the anode during charging and discharging is accommodated entirely therein.

Lithium-metal batteries having improved dimensional stability and methods of manufacture

An electrochemical cell has a cathode having a cathode current collector and a cathode active material, an anode having an anode current collector and an anode active material comprising lithium metal, a liquid electrolyte, a separator between the cathode active material and the anode active material, and a polymer electrolyte lamination layer bonding the anode to the separator. The polymer electrolyte lamination layer is formulated using a crosslinked polymer, a lithium salt, a plasticizer, and an anode additive.

Polymer electrolyte lamination layer for lithium metal battery

Methods and systems for detecting and compensating for expansion of rechargeable batteries over time. An expansion detector may be coupled to or positioned proximate a rechargeable battery to monitor for expansion thereof. After expansion exceeding a selected threshold is detected, the expansion detector may report the expansion to an associated processing unit. The processing unit may undertake to arrest further rechargeable battery expansion by modifying or changing one or more characteristics of charging and/or discharging circuitry coupled to the rechargeable battery. For example, the processing unit may charge the rechargeable battery at a lower rate or with reduced voltage after detecting expansion.

Methods for determining and controlling battery expansion

A battery assembly can be formed on a base layer provided on a substrate, with a thin film battery stack including an anode layer, a cathode layer, and an electrolyte layer between the anode and cathode layers. The thin film battery stack can be attached to a pattern film layer with holes for electrical connection to the anode and cathode layers.

Thin film pattern layer battery systems

Cell stacks are presented that include binders for wet and dry lamination processes. The cell stacks, when laminated, produce battery cells (or portions thereof). The cell stacks include a cathode having a cathode active material disposed on a cathode current collector. The cell stacks also include an anode having an anode active material disposed on an anode current collector. The anode is oriented towards the cathode such that the anode active material faces the cathode active material. A separator is disposed between the cathode active material and the anode active material and comprising a binder comprising a PVdF-HFP copolymer. In certain instances, an electrolyte fluid is in contact with the separator. Methods of laminating the cell stacks are also presented.

Binders for wet and dry lamination of battery cells

An anode active material comprises a silicon-carbon secondary particle comprising a composite having an exterior conformal carbon coating and formed of type I primary particles. Each type I primary particle comprises a core particle of interconnected silicon, the interconnected silicon formed of nano-sized silicon particles each connected to at least one other particle, inner pores internal to the core particle and defined by the interconnected silicon, an internal carbon coating on internal wall surfaces of the inner pores and a conformal carbon coating on the core particle.

Interconnected silicon porous structure for anode active material

An outer cover of a pouch-style battery includes a nanoceramic coating. Constructing an outer cover including a nanoceramic coating may include forming a malleable layer, applying a sealing layer to an inside surface of the malleable layer, and applying the nanoceramic layer to an outside surface of the malleable layer. Fabricating an outer cover including a nanoceramic coating may further include applying a protective film to an outside surface of the outer cover, which may be removed shortly before or after installation of a battery cell for which the outer cover is manufactured. Fabricating an outer cover including a nanoceramic coating may also include applying one or more adhesive layers, for example an adhesive layer between the malleable layer and the sealing layer. An outer cover including a nanoceramic coating may be sealed around a battery-active-material assembly to form a pouch-style battery cell.

Battery pouch including nanoceramic coating

A battery assembly includes a battery cell with leads extending from the battery and a circuit including a substrate and contacts that extend from the substrate. The leads are coupled to the contacts by mechanical or adhesive bonds located on sections of the contacts extending from the substrate. In various implementations, the circuit may include a variety of different components coupled to the substrate. Such components may be operable to perform a variety of functions such as regulating, monitoring, controlling, and/or otherwise managing the battery cell. Such components may include one or more battery management units, safety circuits, capacity gauges, and/or other components.

Coupling tolerance accommodating contacts or leads for batteries

The disclosed embodiments provide a battery cell which includes a set of jelly rolls enclosed in a pouch. Each jelly roll includes layers which are wound together, including a cathode with an active coating, a separator, and an anode with an active coating. The battery cell also includes a first set of conductive tabs and a second set of conductive tabs. Each of the first set of conductive tabs is coupled to the cathode of one of the jelly rolls, and each of the second set of conductive tabs is coupled to the anode of one of the jelly rolls. At least one of the first set and one of the second set of conductive tabs extend through seals in the pouch to provide terminals for the battery cell.

Battery with multiple jelly rolls in a single pouch

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Richard M Mank