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US 12,759,044 B2Granted
Metallic foam anode coated with an active oxide material
AssigneeCellMo Materials Innovation, Inc.
InventorsHyeji Park, Hyelim Choi, Yumi Rho, Heeman Choe
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A three-dimensional metallic foam is fabricated with an active oxide material for use as an anode for lithium batteries. The porous metal foam, which can be fabricated by a freeze-casting process, is used as the anode current collector of the lithium battery. The porous metal foam can be heat-treated to form an active oxide material to form on the surface of the metal foam. The oxide material acts as the three-dimensional active material that reacts with lithium ions during charging and discharging.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- placing a mold on a copper rod into liquid nitrogen and pouring a cobalt metal slurry into the mold;
- freezing the cobalt metal slurry, wherein cobalt metal particles of the slurry are coupled to ice crystals;
- forming a green-body with directional pores by drying the frozen slurry at a temperature at or below freezing, leaving pores in their places with physical attachment;
- and
- constructing a porous metal foam by reducing and sintering the porous green-body at a temperature under an atmosphere comprising hydrogen, wherein the temperature for reducing and sintering is higher than the temperature for forming the green-body,
- during the freezing of the cobalt metal slurry, some cobalt oxide particles are formed, and the cobalt metal slurry comprises cobalt metal and cobalt oxide,
- the green-body comprises cobalt metal and cobalt oxide, and
- the reducing and sintering the porous green-body comprises
- reducing the porous green-body in a hydrogen atmosphere, wherein the cobalt oxide of the green-body is reduced to cobalt.
6 more elements
A method comprising:
- placing a mold on a copper rod into liquid nitrogen and pouring a cobalt oxide slurry into the mold;
- freezing the cobalt oxide slurry, wherein cobalt oxide particles of the slurry are coupled to ice crystals;
- forming a green-body with directional pores by drying the frozen slurry at a temperature at or below freezing, leaving pores in their places with physical attachment;
- and constructing a porous metal foam by reducing and sintering the porous green-body at a temperature under an atmosphere comprising hydrogen, wherein the temperature for reducing and sintering is higher than the temperature for forming the green-body, and the cobalt oxide slurry is based on 30 milliliters of deionized water comprising 7 volume percent cobalt oxide powder and 8 weight-percent polyvinyl alcohol binder, wherein during the freezing of the cobalt oxide slurry, some cobalt oxide particles are formed, and the cobalt oxide slurry comprises cobalt metal and cobalt oxide, the green-body comprises cobalt metal and cobalt oxide, and the reducing and sintering the porous green-body comprises reducing the cobalt oxide of the green-body to cobalt.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- placing a mold on a copper rod into liquid nitrogen and pouring a cobalt oxide slurry into the mold;
- freezing the cobalt oxide slurry, wherein during the freezing of the cobalt oxide slurry, some cobalt oxide particles are formed, the cobalt oxide slurry comprises cobalt metal and cobalt oxide, and cobalt oxide particles of the slurry are coupled to ice crystals;
- forming a green-body comprising cobalt oxide with directional pores by drying the frozen slurry at a temperature at or below freezing, leaving pores in their places with physical attachment;
- and constructing a porous metal foam by reducing and sintering the porous green-body at a temperature under an atmosphere comprising hydrogen, wherein the temperature for reducing and sintering is higher than the temperature for forming the green-body, and the cobalt oxide slurry comprises deionized water comprising 7 volume-percent cobalt oxide powder and a polyvinyl alcohol binder, wherein the reducing and sintering the porous green-body comprises reducing the porous green-body such that the cobalt oxide of the green-body is reduced to cobalt.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.