Metal deposition methods for forming bimetallic structures, batteries incorporating bipolar current collectors made therefrom, and applications thereof

A method of forming a bipolar current collector for a battery, the method comprising:

• depositing a first conductive material selected from the group consisting of:
• copper, nickel, aluminum, graphene, alloys, and combinations thereof on a first portion of a first surface of a flexible substrate to form a first coating and depositing a second conductive material distinct from the first conductive material that is selected from the group consisting of:
• nickel, copper, graphene, alloys, and combinations thereof on a second portion of the first surface to form a second coating, wherein the flexible substrate comprises one or more polymeric materials selected from the group consisting of:
• polyester, polypropylene, polyimide, and combinations thereof and the first portion and the second portion are distinct regions of the first surface;
• and
• folding the flexible substrate so that the first portion of the first surface is exposed and defines a first side, a folded region, and the second portion of the first surface is exposed and defines a second side, wherein the first side defines a first current collector having a first polarity and the second side defines a second current collector having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity so as to form a bipolar current collector.

A method of forming a bimetallic current collector, the method comprising:

• depositing an electrically conductive metal on a surface comprising aluminum to form a continuous metal coating by an electrolytic deposition process carried out in a liquid medium, wherein the electrically conductive metal is selected from the group consisting of:
• copper, nickel, and combinations thereof, and the liquid medium comprises water and either:
• (i) a copper-containing compound selected from the group consisting of:
• copper sulfates, copper chlorites, copper cyanide, copper tetraethylenepetamine, ammoniacal copper sulfate, copper pyrophosphate, ammoniacal copper chloride, ammoniacal copper benzenetricarboxylate MOF (Cu-BTC) solution, ammoniacal NOTT-116 solution, ammoniacal copper NOTT-100 solution, ammoniacal copper MOF74 solution, and combinations thereof, or
• (ii) a nickel-containing compound selected from the group consisting of:
• nickel sulfate, nickel chloride, nickel fluoroborate, and combinations thereof,
• wherein the copper-containing compound is present in the liquid medium at greater than or equal to about 40 to less than or equal to about 250 g/L or the nickel-containing compound is present in the liquid medium at greater than or equal to about 150 g/L to less than or equal to about 300 g/L and the electrolytic deposition is carried out at a current density of greater than or equal to about 0.005 A/cm2 to less than or equal to about 0.5 A/cm2 and a temperature of the liquid medium is greater than or equal to about 20° C. to less than or equal to about 60° C., so as to form the bimetallic current collector having an average thickness of less than or equal to about 10 micrometers.