Nano silicon particulates and method to make them
AssigneeAdvano, Inc.
InventorsGregory Alan Marus, Meysam Shahami, Saheem Absar, Brandon Dang
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Abstract
Nanosized silicon or alloys thereof are formed by milling in solvents comprising at least one polar protic solvent (e.g., an alcohol) or polar aprotic solvent (e.g., a nitrile) where the average milling media size is at least about 5 times to 200 times larger than the initial average silicon particle size. The method more efficiently mills silicon and achieves smaller nanosized particles with less input power or time and stable dispersions in the absence of a surfactant allowing for the direct formation of secondary particles. The milled silicon particles are useful as electrodes in electrical devices such as batteries.
Claims28
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A composition comprising a stable dispersion comprised of particulates comprised of silicon having a chemisorbed nitrile dispersed in a solvent comprised of a polar protic solvent, polar a protic solvent or combination thereof and having a dielectric constant of at least 10, a petroleum pitch and phenolic resin dissolved in the solvent and in the absence of a surfactant.
A secondary particle comprised of particulates comprised of silicon having a chemisorbed aromatic nitrile and a specific surface area of at least 30 m2/g to 200 m2/g distributed within a resinous matrix comprised of a soft carbon forming material and a hard carbon forming material at a weight ratio of the soft carbon forming material/hard carbon forming material of 5/1 to 1/1.
A method of forming a secondary particle comprising,
- (i) mixing particulates comprised of silicon and a carbon forming material dissolved in a spray drying solvent comprise of a nitrile to form a spray drying slurry, wherein the carbon forming material is comprised of a soft carbon forming material and a hard carbon forming material,
- (ii) atomizing the spray drying slurry and removing the spray drying slurry to form the secondary particles.
A secondary particle comprised of particulates comprised of silicon embedded in a resin matrix comprised of a carbon forming material, the particulates comprised of silicon having a surface area of 30 m2/g to 200 m2/g and an amount of oxygen by weight percent to surface area by m2/g from 0.300 to about 0.100 and an aromatic chemisorbed nitrile.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.