Back to results
US 9,105,905 B2Granted
Anode material having a uniform metal-semiconductor alloy layer
AssigneeEnovix Corporation
InventorsMurali Ramasubramanian, Robert M. Spotnitz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeEnovix Corporation
InventorsMurali Ramasubramanian, Robert M. Spotnitz
Estimating the term…
The present invention relates to methods for producing anode materials for use in nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries. In the present invention, a metal-semiconductor alloy layer is formed on an anode material by contacting a portion of the anode material with a solution containing metals ions and a dissolution component. When the anode material is contacted with the solution, the dissolution component dissolves a part of the semiconductor material in the anode material and deposit the metal on the anode material. After deposition, the anode material and metal are annealed to form a uniform metal-semiconductor alloy layer. The anode material of the present invention can be in a monolithic form or a particle form. When the anode material is in a particle form, the particulate anode material can be further shaped and sintered to agglomerate the particulate anode material.
A secondary battery comprising an anode, a cathode and a non-aqueous electrolyte, the anode comprising a monolithic porous mass of a sintered particulate material wherein the particulate material comprises a semiconductor material core and a metal-semiconductor alloy layer thereon and has a diameter of about 0.001 micrometers to 100 micrometers, the volume of the metal-semiconductor alloy layer is about 0.1% to 5% of the total particle volume and the metal-semiconductor alloy layer provides adhesion and cohesion of the particles in the porous mass.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.