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US 12,275,067 B2Granted
Fabrication of three-dimensional porous electrode
AssigneeCellMo Materials Innovation, Inc.
InventorsHyeji Park, Hyelim Choi, Heeman Choe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrode for the use of an advanced lithium battery is fabricated using three-dimensionally structured metal foam coated with an active material. The metal foam is porous metal foam that can be used as an anode current collector of a lithium-ion battery and is coated with an anode active material, such as tin, through a sonication-assisted electroless plating method. Additionally, the coated metal foam is heat-treated at an appropriate temperature in order to improve the integrity of the coating layer and hence, the cyclic performance of the lithium-ion battery.
Claims16
A method comprising:
- placing a mold on a copper rod into liquid nitrogen and pouring a metal slurry in the mold;
- freezing the metal slurry where metal particles are piled up and physically attached between growing ice crystals;
- forming a porous green-body by drying the ice crystals of the frozen slurry at a first temperature, leaving pores in their places with physical attachment;
- constructing a porous metal foam by reducing and sintering the porous green-body at a second high temperature under hydrogen atmosphere, wherein the second temperature is higher than the first temperature, and the sintering comprises:
- presintering at from about 200 degrees Celsius to about 250 degrees Celsius for about 3 hours to about 5 hours and then sintering at from about 700 degrees Celsius to about 900 degrees Celsius from about 12 hours to about 16 hours in a tube furnace under from an about 4-percent to an about 6-percent hydrogen mixture gas;
- and
- cutting the porous metal foam into a form of a thin layer to apply it as an electrode in a lithium-ion battery.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- placing a mold on a copper rod into liquid nitrogen and pouring a metal slurry in the mold;
- freezing the metal slurry where metal particles are piled up and physically attached between growing ice crystals;
- forming a porous green-body by drying the ice crystals of the frozen slurry at a first temperature, leaving pores in their places with physical attachment;
- constructing a porous metal foam by reducing and sintering the porous green-body at a second temperature under hydrogen atmosphere, wherein the second temperature is higher than the first temperature, and the sintering comprises:
- presintering at from about 200 degrees Celsius to about 250 degrees Celsius for about 3 hours to about 5 hours and then sintering at from about 700 degrees Celsius to about 900 degrees Celsius from about 12 hours to about 16 hours in a tube furnace under from an about 4-percent to an about 6-percent hydrogen mixture gas;
- cutting the porous metal foam into a thin layer to apply it as an electrode in a lithium-ion battery;
- and
- coating the thin layer of porous metal foam with a tin active material by using a deposition process.
5 more elements
A method comprising:
- placing a mold on a copper rod into liquid nitrogen and pouring a metal or metal oxide slurry in the mold;
- at a first temperature, freezing the metal or metal oxide slurry where metal or metal oxide particles are piled up and physically attached between growing ice crystals;
- forming a porous green-body by drying the ice crystals of the frozen slurry at a second temperature and reduced pressure, leaving pores in their places with physical attachment, wherein the second temperature is lower than the first temperature;
- constructing a porous metal foam by reducing and sintering the porous green-body at a third temperature under hydrogen atmosphere, wherein the third temperature is higher than the first and second temperatures, and the sintering comprises:
- presintering at from about 200 degrees Celsius to about 250 degrees Celsius for about 3 hours to about 5 hours and then sintering at from about 700 degrees Celsius to about 900 degrees Celsius from about 12 hours to about 16 hours in a tube furnace under from an about 4-percent to an about 6-percent hydrogen mixture gas;
- cutting the porous metal foam into a form of a thin layer to apply it as an electrode in a lithium-ion battery;
- and
- coating the thin layer of porous metal foam with a tin active material.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.