University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Supriya Koul

Yoshiya Fujiwara

Yang Yang

Hiroshi Ogasa

Kun Liang

Fumika Fujisaki

A lithium (Li) secondary battery having a Li buffer layer compressed between a Li metal anode and an electrolyte of the battery cell and a porous structure positioned between the Li metal anode and a current collector of the battery cell. The Li buffer layer is effective in preventing uncontrollable dendrite growth. The porous structure layer is effective in guiding the location of the Li deposition, thereby reducing the volume changes of the Li anode during the charge and discharge cycles of the lithium secondary battery.

Lithium secondary battery and method of manufacture

Enabling the use of lithium metal as an anode electrode is a key for developing next generation energy storage device beyond current lithium ion battery technology. However, there are major obstacles that need to be overcome before it can be used in commercial applications; specifically, dendrite formation can short the cell, and electrolyte decomposition contributes to decreased battery lifetimes. Each obstacle can be overcome by coating a lithium metal anode with a liquid metal buffer that enables uniform deposition of lithium ions thereon, preventing dendritic growth and forming a stable solid electrolyte interface to separate the lithium metal anode from the electrolyte within a battery cell. The liquid metal buffer becomes a semi-liquid buffer when contributing to forming a solid electrolyte interface, and can regain its liquid state when the lithium ions flow to the cathode of the battery cell.

Liquid metal buffer layer for lithium batteries

Growing community of inventors

Orlando, FL, United States of America

Supriya Koul