# US 2025/0096232 A1 · Lithium metal battery

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- Number: US 2025/0096232 A1
- Document ID: US20250096232A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/962,293
- Filed: 2024-11-27
- Published: 2025-03-20
- Earliest claimed: 2023-08-25
- Assignees: Pure Lithium Corporation; The Research Foundation for The State University of New York
- Applicants: Pure Lithium Corporation; The Research Foundation for The State University of New York
- Inventors: Emilie Bodoin; Donald R. Sadoway; M. Stanley Whittingham; Krystal J. Lee; Carrie Siu; Fengxia Xin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250096232A1

## CPC

- H01M 4/134: Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys
- H01M 4/0471: {involving thermal treatment, e.g. firing, sintering, backing particulate active material, thermal decomposition, pyrolysis}
- H01M 4/136: Electrodes based on inorganic compounds other than oxides or hydroxides, e.g. sulfides, selenides, tellurides, halogenides or LiCoFy
- H01M 4/366: {as layered products}
- H01M 4/5825: {Oxygenated metallic salts or polyanionic structures, e.g. borates, phosphates, silicates, olivines}
- H01M 4/625: {Carbon or graphite}
- H01M 10/052: Li-accumulators
- H01M 10/0525: Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
- H01M 2004/027: {Negative electrodes}
- H01M 2004/028: {Positive electrodes}
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides a lithium metal battery having a negative electrode that comprises a substantially pure lithium metal and a positive electrode that comprises the epsilon polymorph of vanadyl phosphate (ε-VOPO4). The lithium metal can have less than five ppm of non-metallic elements by mass. The ε-VOPO4 can be made from solvothermally synthesized H2VOPO4, and be optimized to reversibly intercalate two Li-ions to reach full theoretical capacity with a coulombic efficiency of 98%. This material can adopt a stable 3D tunnel structure and can extract two Li-ions per vanadium ion, giving a theoretical capacity of 305 mAh/g, with an upper charge/discharge plateau at around 4.0 V, and one lower at around 2.5 V. The ε-VOPO4 particles may be modified with niobium (Nb) to improve the cycling stability.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An energy storage device comprising:
a negative electrode comprising a layer of lithium metal with an impurity level of less than about 100 parts-per-million (ppm) by mass; and
a positive electrode comprising a plurality of ε-VOPO4 particles modified with niobium, wherein the positive electrode has a specific capacity of at least 260 mAh/g.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the layer of lithium metal has a purity level greater than about 90%.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The energy storage device of claim 2, wherein the impurity level is based at least in part on an amount of one or more non-metallic elements.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The energy storage device of claim 3, wherein the one or more non-metallic elements comprises nitrogen or oxygen.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The energy storage device of claim 2, wherein the impurity level is based at least in part on an amount of one or more metallic elements.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The energy storage device of claim 5, wherein the one or more metallic elements comprises magnesium or aluminum.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The energy storage device of claim 6, wherein the layer of lithium metal comprises less than 0.1 wt % or at % of one or more non-conductive impurities.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The energy storage device of claim 7, wherein the layer of lithium metal comprises less than one (1) non-lithium crystalline subsurface structure per mm3.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the positive electrode is configured to maintain the specific capacity for at least 100 charge/discharge cycles between 1.6 and 4.5 Volts at a charge/discharge rate of at least C/10.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the niobium is coated on the plurality of ε-VOPO4 particles.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The energy storage device of claim 10, wherein the niobium has a thickness of about 1 nm to about 100 nm.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The energy storage device of claim 10, wherein the niobium is coated on the plurality of ε-VOPO4 particles to reduce electrolyte penetration into the positive electrode.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The energy storage device of claim 10, wherein the niobium is coated on the plurality of ε-VOPO4 particles to reduce side reactions between an electrolyte and the positive electrode.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The energy storage device of claim 10, wherein the niobium is coated on the plurality of ε-VOPO4 particles to reduce interparticle stress in the positive electrode.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein a concentration of the niobium in the positive electrode is at least 1.0 mol %.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ε-VOPO4 particles modified with the niobium exhibits reduced interparticle cracking.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the specific capacity of the positive electrode is at least 275 mAh/g at a discharge rate of C/10.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ε-VOPO4 particles modified with the niobium are sintered.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the positive electrode comprises at least graphene or a carbon nanotube.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The energy storage device of claim 19, wherein the positive electrode comprises the graphene and a binder material on a current collector substrate.

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the positive electrode has a current-voltage profile which displays peaks representing a dual-lithium ion exchange per transition metal ion of at least about 90%.