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US 12,689,021 B2Granted
Expanded bulk silicon anode material
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorBret Hylton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for making an electrode involves forming a molten salt, attaching a negative terminal of a direct current power source to a silicon blank and a positive terminal of the direct current power source to a sacrificial electrode or a container for the molten salt. The method further involves submerging the silicon blank in the molten salt such that an electrolytic reaction drives alkali metal ions into the lattice of the silicon blank.
Claims14
A method of forming an electrode, the method comprising:
- while concurrently applying negative potential to a bulk silicon blank and positive potential to a sacrificial electrode or a container holding a molten salt, comprising sodium hydroxide or lithium hydroxide, at a temperature of at least 500 degrees C., submerging for a predetermined period of time the bulk silicon blank and sacrificial electrode in the molten salt such that an electrolytic reaction of the molten salt with the bulk silicon blank drives sodium ions or lithium ions from the molten salt into a lattice of the bulk silicon blank resulting in formation of an anode and ductile deformation thereof;
- and
- after the predetermined period of time, removing the anode from the molten salt to cool the anode.
A method of forming an electrode, the method comprising:
- heating sodium hydroxide or lithium hydroxide to at least 500 degrees C. to form a molten salt;
- attaching a negative terminal of a direct current power source to a silicon wafer and attaching a positive terminal of the direct current power source to a sacrificial electrode or the molten salt;
- lowering the silicon wafer, with the negative and positive terminals attached, into the molten salt to drive sodium ions or lithium ions into a lattice of the silicon wafer resulting in formation of an ion laden anode;
- and
- after the ion laden anode achieves maximum holding capacity, raising the ion laden anode out of the molten salt to cool the ion laden anode.
2 more elements
A method of forming an electrode, the method comprising:
- preparing a molten salt by heating an alkali metal hydroxide to a temperature of at least 500 degrees C.;
- concurrently applying a negative potential to a bulk silicon blank and positive potential to a sacrificial electrode or container holding the molten salt;
- and
- immersing the silicon blank and sacrificial electrode in the molten salt to initiate an electrolytic reaction driving alkali metal ions from the molten salt into a lattice of the bulk silicon blank resulting in formation of an ion laden anode.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.