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US 2026/0158548 A1Published application
Fabricating a 3D Porous Metal-Foam Electrode
AssigneeCellMo Materials Innovation, Inc.
InventorsHyeji Park, Hyelim Choi, Heeman Choe
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims19
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, wherein the sintering comprises:
- presintering at a second temperature for X hours and then sintering at a third temperature, higher than the second temperature, for Y hours, where Y is greater than X, in a tube furnace under a 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, leaving pores in their places with physical attachment;
- constructing a porous metal foam by reducing and sintering the porous green-body, wherein the sintering comprises:
- presintering at a first temperature for X hours and then sintering at a second temperature, higher than the first temperature, for about Y hours, where Y is greater than X, in a tube furnace under a 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, wherein the sintering comprises:
- presintering at a third temperature and then sintering at a fourth temperature, higher than the fourth temperature, in a tube furnace under a 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
A method comprising:
- placing a mold on a copper rod into liquid nitrogen and pouring a titanium powder slurry in the mold;
- freezing the titanium powder slurry where titanium 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, leaving pores in their places with physical attachment, wherein the forming a porous green-body by drying the ice crystals of the frozen slurry comprises:
- sublimating the frozen titanium powder slurry in a freeze-dryer in a vacuum until the ice crystals are removed;
- constructing a porous titanium foam by reducing and sintering the porous green-body at a first temperature and then a second temperature under hydrogen atmosphere, wherein the second temperature is higher than the first temperature;
- cutting the porous titanium foam into a thin layer to apply it as an electrode in a lithium-ion battery;
- and
- coating the thin layer of porous titanium foam with a tin active material by using a deposition process.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.