Gm Global Technology Operations LLC

Brown University

Xingcheng Xiao

Mei Cai

Mark William Verbrugge

Gongshin Qi

Tao Xie

Ming Yang

Anil Kumar Sachdev

Ryan J Day

Wei Ping Li

Gayatri Vyas Dadheech

Hongliang Wang

Xingyi Yang

Ruomiao Wang

Hamid Ghavami Kia

Brian James Koch

John S Wang

Sherman H Zeng

Jing Gao

Qinglin Zhang

Weidong Zhou

Li Yang

Leonid Charles Lev

Yang T Cheng

Raghunathan K

Jin Liu

Jiagang Xu

Ping Liu

Xiaosong Huang

Zhongyi Liu

Meinan He

Meng Jiang

Michael J Lukitsch

Lei Wang

Jessica A Schroeder

Binsong Li

Michael P Balogh

John C Ulicny

Bob Ross Powell

Qiangfeng Xiao

Robert D Schmidt

Michael Kevin Carpenter

Wei Zeng

Zhe Li

Joel G Toner

Todd E Durocher

Mengyuan Chen

Nancy L Johnson

Alan L Browne

Nilesh D Mankame

Mahmoud H Abd Elhamid

Paul Edward Krajewski

Ion C Halalay

Dave G Rich

Anne M Dailly

Wayne Cai

William R Rodgers

James R Salvador

John Neal Owens

Ingrid A Rousseau

Scott E Parrish

Daniel J Wilson

Se Hyuck Oh

Thomas A Yersak

Jingmei Shen

Susan M Smyth

Yanyan Zhang

Paul F Spacher

Martin S Ruthkosky

Chen Zhou

Richard M Schreck

Peter Maxwell Sarosi

Curtis A Wong

Daniel R Baker

Simon Chin-Yu Tung

Yangbing Zeng

Peng Lu

Edgar M Storm

Vijay P Saharan

Dimitri A Podorashi

Bin Li

Prabjot Nanua

Thorsten Michler

Joseph A Hulway

Junghyun Kim

Nicholas P W Pieczonka

Julian R Sherborne

Yun Cai

Jean M Dasch

Huajian Gao

Kai Guo

Yifan Zhao

Michael A Lelli

Aijie Chen

Jung Hyun Kim

Presented are electrochemical devices with in-stack pressure sensors, methods for making/using such devices, and battery cells with electrode stacks having an electrode separator assembly with a piezoelectric layer for in-stack pressure sensing and dendrite cleaning. An electrochemical device, such as a lithium-class secondary battery cell for example, includes a device housing with an ion-conducting electrolyte located inside the device housing. A stack of working electrodes is also located inside the device housing, in electrochemical contact with the electrolyte. At least one electrode separator assembly is located inside the device housing, interposed between a neighboring pair of the working electrodes. The electrode separator assembly includes a pair of separator layers that transmit therethrough the ions of the electrolyte, and a piezoelectric layer that is interposed between the two separator layers. The piezoelectric layer outputs an electrical signal in response to deformation of one or both of the neighboring working electrodes.

Electrode separator with piezoelectric layer for in-stack pressure sensing and dendrite cleaning

Presented are electrochemical devices with in-stack reference electrodes, methods for making/using such devices, and battery cells with stacked electrodes segregated by electrode separator assemblies including thermal barriers and built-in reference electrodes. An electrochemical device, such as a lithium-class secondary battery cell, includes an insulated and sealed housing with an ion-conducting electrolyte located inside the housing. A stack of working electrodes is also located inside the device housing, in electrochemical contact with the electrolyte. At least one electrode separator assembly is located inside the device housing, interposed between a neighboring pair of (anode and cathode) working electrodes. The electrode separator assembly includes a separator layer fabricated with an electrically insulating material that is sufficiently porous to transmit therethrough the ions of the electrolyte. An electrically conductive current collector (CC) layer, a thermally insulating thermal barrier (TB) layer, and an active electrode reference electrode (RE) layer are attached to the separator layer.

Multifunctional electrode separator assemblies with built-in reference electrodes and thermal enhancements

An electrode assembly that includes an electroactive material layer and a protective layer disposed on or adjacent to the electroactive material layer is provided. The protective layer includes a carbonaceous matrix formed from a fluoropolymer, where lithium fluoride and a nitrate salt are distributed within the carbonaceous matrix. The protective layer further includes residual fluoropolymer and has a first surface adjacent to the electroactive material layer and a second surface opposite to the first surface. A first compositional gradient in the protective layer is defined from the first surface having a first amount of lithium fluoride that is greater than a second amount of lithium fluoride at the second surface, and a second compositional gradient in the protective layer is defined from the first surface having a first amount of residual fluoropolymer that is less than a second amount of residual fluoropolymer at the second surface.

Protective layers for lithium metal electrodes and methods of forming the same

A battery cell includes an anode, a cathode, a liquid electrolyte, and a battery cell case. The battery cell case is configured to house the anode, the cathode, and the liquid electrolyte and includes a case interior wall arranged proximate one of the anode and the cathode, a battery case ceiling, and a battery case floor catching and collecting the liquid electrolyte due to force of gravity. The case interior wall defines a pattern of surface tension varying between hydrophobic and hydrophilic along the case interior wall between the battery case floor and the battery cell ceiling. The pattern of surface tension thereby facilitates self-propulsion of the liquid electrolyte in opposition to the force of gravity and a predetermined distribution of the liquid electrolyte along the battery cell wall.

Battery cell enclosure with anti-gravity electrolyte distribution

A method to create a battery cell is provided. The method includes, within a vacuum or an inert atmosphere, utilizing an etching process to remove a passivation layer from a primary surface of a solid electrolyte. The method further includes applying a surface coating to the primary surface. The method further includes, within the battery cell, disposing the solid electrolyte including the surface coating between an anode and a cathode.

Method for reduced interfacial impedance in a solid-state battery cell

An electrolyte composition for electrochemical cells including a silicon-containing electrode is provided herein as well as electrochemical cells including the electrolyte composition. The electrolyte composition includes a lithium salt, fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), a linear carbonate, vinylene carbonate, and a fluorosilane additive. The FEC and the linear carbonate are present in the electrolyte composition in a ratio of about 1:3 v/v to about 1:9 v/v.

Electrolyte for electrochemical cells with a silicon-containing electrode

Methods of making functional particles, such as functional lithium ion-exchanged zeolite particles and functional electrode particles for electrochemical cells are provided as well as electrochemical cells including such particles. A method includes combining a solution including (NH)POwith lithium ion-exchanged zeolite particles to form a first mixture. The method further includes adding a polymeric binder and a lithium salt to the first mixture to form a first slurry including the functional lithium ion-exchanged zeolite particles comprising LiPO.

Processes for preparing functional particles for use in electrochemical cells and electrochemical cells including said functional particles

A system for inspecting a battery component includes a heating device configured to heat a surface of the battery component to a selected temperature, an optical-visible imaging device configured to take an optical image of the surface, a thermal imaging device configured to take a thermal image of the surface, and a processor configured to acquire the optical image and the thermal image. The processor is configured to correlate the thermal image with the optical image, identify a feature of interest in at least one of the optical image and the thermal image, determine a geometric characteristic and a temperature characteristic associated with the feature of interest, and determine whether the feature of interest is a defect based on the geometric characteristic and the temperature characteristic.

Battery component inspection based on optical and thermal imaging

A thermal barrier component for an electrochemical cell according to various aspects of the present disclosure includes a functional material. The functional material includes at least one of a hydrate of a metal carbonate and a hydrate of a metal phosphate. The functional material is configured to release water vapor at a first temperature of greater than or equal to about 100° C. and decompose to release a gaseous fire retardant at a second temperature of greater than or equal to about 300° C. Another thermal barrier component according to various aspects of the present disclosure includes a hydrate and a fire retardant. The hydrate is configured to release water in an amount greater than or equal to about 1 kg at a first temperature of greater than or equal to about 100° C. The fire retardant is configured to decompose at a second temperature of greater than or equal to about 300° C.

Thermal barrier components including hydrates for mitigating thermal runaway in batteries

A thermal barrier component for an electrochemical cell (e.g., a battery) includes a mat, a functional material, and a polymer binder. The mat includes a porous matrix. The functional material is in pores of the porous matrix. The functional material includes an oxide. In certain aspects, the functional material may be a composite material. The polymer binder is in contact with the porous matrix and the functional material. At least one of the porous matrix, the functional material, and the polymer binder is configured to serve as an intumescent carbon source. The oxide is configured to catalyze thermal degradation of the intumescent carbon source to form intumescent carbon at a first temperature. The first temperature is greater than or equal to about 300° C. The thermal barrier component is configured to mitigate thermal runaway in an electrochemical cell. The thermal barrier component may include one or more layers.

Thermal barrier component for mitigating thermal runaway in batteries

A negative electrode for a secondary lithium battery is provided herein, as well as a method for assembling a secondary lithium battery including the negative electrode. The negative electrode includes a current collector having a first side and an opposite second side. A first negative electrode layer is disposed on the first side of the current collector and a second negative electrode layer is disposed on the second side of the current collector. A lithium metal layer is disposed (i) between the first and second negative electrode layers or (ii) on a major facing surface of the first or second negative electrode layer. An electrolyte infiltrates the first and second negative electrode layers and is in contact with the lithium metal layer. The electrolyte establishes a lithium ion transport path between the lithium metal layer and at least one of the first or second negative electrode layers.

Negative electrodes for secondary lithium batteries and methods of making the same

An electrode for an electrochemical cell is provided. The electrode includes a carbon membrane having a first face and an opposing second face, wherein at least a portion of the carbon membrane is modified to include an elevated number of nucleation sites for lithium relative to the carbon membrane when unmodified.

Electrode architecture for fast charging

A battery cell includes an inner plastic layer, an outer plastic layer, and a middle metal layer. The inner and outer plastic layers extends along at least three of sides of the battery cell. The middle metal layer is disposed between the inner and outer plastic layers. The middle metal layer extends along the at least three sides of the battery cell and projects from at least a fourth side of the battery cell to form at least one heat dissipation tab. The at least one heat dissipation tab is configured to transfer heat to at least one cooling plate through thermal conduction. The fourth side of the battery cell connects two of the at least three sides to one another.

Battery cell, battery pack, and method of making the same incorporating features that accelerate heat dissipation, improve uniformity of heat distribution, and reduce size

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 reforming a negative electrode layer of a secondary lithium battery may include execution of a reforming cycle that reforms a major facing surface of the negative electrode layer by eliminating at least a portion of a lithium dendrite or other lithium-containing surface irregularity that has formed on the major facing surface of the negative electrode layer.

Surface reforming of negative electrode layers

Growing community of inventors

Troy, MI, United States of America

Xingcheng Xiao