US 8,895,189 B2Granted

Surface-mediated cells with high power density and high energy density

AssigneeNanotek Instruments, Inc.

InventorsAruna Zhamu, Guorong Chen, Xiqing Wang, Bor Z. Jang, Yanbo Wang, Qing Fang

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Abstract

A surface-mediated cell (SMC) comprising: (a) a cathode comprising a carbon-based cathode active material having a surface area to capture or store lithium thereon; (b) an anode comprising an anode current collector alone, or combined anode current collector and anode active material; (c) a porous separator disposed between the anode and the cathode; (d) a lithium-containing electrolyte, wherein the anode and/or cathode active material has a specific surface area no less than 100 m2/g in direct physical contact with the electrolyte to receive lithium ions therefrom or to provide lithium ions thereto; and (e) a lithium source disposed in at least one of the two electrodes when the cell is made, and the cell has an open-circuit voltage (OCV) of at least 0.8 volts; wherein the cell operates between a lower voltage limit lower than the OCV and an upper limit of between 3.8 and 4.5 volts.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A surface-mediated, lithium ion-exchanging cell (SMC) comprising:

(a) A positive electrode (cathode) comprising a carbon-based cathode active material having a surface area to capture and store lithium thereon, wherein the cathode active material has an electrode thickness greater than 5 μm;
and wherein said cathode active material or anode active material is selected from:
(A) porous disordered carbon material selected from a soft carbon, hard carbon, polymeric carbon or carbonized resin, meso-phase carbon, coke, carbonized pitch, activated carbon, or partially graphitized carbon;
(B) graphene material selected from a single-layer sheet or multi-layer platelet of graphene, graphene oxide having less than 5% by weight oxygen, graphene fluoride, hydrogenated graphene, nitrogenated graphene, boron-doped graphene, nitrogen-doped graphene, functionalized graphene, or reduced graphene oxide;
(C) exfoliated graphite;
(D) meso-porous carbon;
(E) carbon aerogel or carbon foam, or a combination thereof;
(b) A negative electrode (anode) comprising an anode current collector alone, or combined anode current collector and anode active material having a surface area to capture or store lithium thereon;
(c) A porous separator disposed between the anode and the cathode;
(d) A lithium-containing electrolyte in physical contact with the two electrodes, wherein said anode active material and/or said cathode active material has a specific surface area no less than 100 m2/g which is in direct physical contact with said electrolyte to receive lithium ions therefrom or to provide lithium ions thereto and at least said cathode has a specific surface area no less than 100 m2/g which is in direct physical contact with said electrolyte;
and
(e) A lithium source disposed in at least one of the two electrodes or pre-lithiated into or onto said anode when the cell is made, and the cell has an open-circuit voltage (OCV) of at least 0.8 volts prior to a first charge or discharge cycle of the cell;
wherein said cell operates between a lower voltage limit and an upper voltage limit wherein the lower voltage limit is lower than said OCV and the upper voltage limit is between 3.8 volts and 4.5 volts.

10 more elements

A surface-mediated, lithium ion-exchanging cell (SMC) comprising:

(A) A positive electrode (cathode) comprising a carbon-based cathode active material having a surface area to capture or store lithium thereon, wherein the cathode active material is selected from:
(a) porous disordered carbon material selected from a soft carbon, hard carbon, polymeric carbon or carbonized resin, meso-phase carbon, coke, carbonized pitch, activated carbon, or partially graphitized carbon;
(b) graphene material selected from a single-layer sheet or multi-layer platelet of graphene, graphene oxide having less than 5% by weight oxygen, graphene fluoride, hydrogenated graphene, nitrogenated graphene, boron-doped graphene, nitrogen-doped graphene, functionalized graphene, or reduced graphene oxide;
(c) exfoliated graphite;
(d) meso-porous carbon;
(e) carbon aerogel or carbon foam, or a combination thereof;
(B) A negative electrode (anode) comprising an anode current collector alone or a combination of an anode current collector and an anode active material having a surface area to capture or store lithium thereon;
(C) A porous separator disposed between the anode and the cathode;
(D) A lithium-containing electrolyte in physical contact with the two electrodes, wherein said anode active material and/or said cathode active material has a specific surface area of no less than 100 m2/g which is in direct physical contact with said electrolyte to receive lithium ions therefrom or to provide lithium ions thereto;
and
(E) A lithium source disposed in at least one of the two electrodes or pre-lithiated into said anode when the cell is made, and the cell has an open-circuit voltage (OCV) of at least 0.8 volts prior to a first charge or discharge cycle of the cell;
wherein said cell operates between a lower voltage limit and an upper voltage limit wherein said lithium source provides an amount of lithium sufficient for said anode to retain a non-zero lithium content when said cell is discharged to the lower voltage limit.

9 more elements

A surface-mediated, lithium ion-exchanging cell (SMC) comprising:

(A) A positive electrode (cathode) comprising a carbon-based cathode active material having a non-functionalized surface area to capture or store lithium thereon, wherein said cathode active material or anode active material is selected from:
(a) porous disordered carbon material selected from a soft carbon, hard carbon, polymeric carbon or carbonized resin, meso-phase carbon, coke, carbonized pitch, activated carbon, or partially graphitized carbon;
(b) graphene material selected from a single-layer sheet or multi-layer platelet of graphene, graphene oxide having less than 5% by weight oxygen, graphene fluoride, hydrogenated graphene, nitrogenated graphene, boron-doped graphene, nitrogen-doped graphene, functionalized graphene, or reduced graphene oxide;
(c) exfoliated graphite;
(d) meso-porous carbon;
(e) carbon aerogel or carbon foam, or a combination thereof;
(B) A negative electrode (anode) comprising an anode current collector alone or a combination of an anode current collector and an anode active material having a surface area to capture or store lithium thereon;
(C) A porous separator disposed between the anode and the cathode;
(D) A lithium-containing ionic liquid electrolyte in physical contact with the two electrodes, wherein said anode active material and/or said cathode active material has a specific surface area no less than 100 m2/g which is in direct physical contact with said electrolyte to receive lithium ions therefrom or to provide lithium ions thereto;
and
(E) A lithium source disposed in at least one of the two electrodes or pre-lithiated into or onto said anode when the cell is made, and the cell has an open-circuit voltage (OCV) of at least 0.8 volts prior to a first charge or discharge cycle of the cell;
wherein said cell operates between a lower voltage limit and an upper voltage limit wherein said lithium source provides an amount of lithium sufficient for said anode to retain a non-zero lithium content when said cell is discharged to the lower voltage limit.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/385,105Filed 3 Feb 2012
Published: US 2013/0202945 A18 Aug 2013
Granted: 25 Nov 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

H01M 4/587
Carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx: for inserting or intercalating light metals
B82Y 30/00
Nanotechnology for materials or surface science
H01G 11/50
Characterised by their material: specially adapted for lithium-ion capacitors, e.g. for lithium-doping or for intercalation
H01M 10/052
Accumulators with non-aqueous electrolyte: li-accumulators