Lithium secondary cell with high charge and discharge rate capability

1. A method of charging a lithium secondary cell, comprising:

(a) providing a lithium secondary cell, comprising:

a lithium-containing positive electrode in electronic contact with a positive electrode current collector, said current collector in electrical connection with an external circuit;

a negative electrode in electronic contact with a negative electrode current collector, said current collector in electrical connection with an external circuit;

a separator positioned between and in ionic contact with the cathode and the anode; and

an electrolyte in ionic contact with the positive and negative electrodes,

wherein the charge capacity per unit area of the positive and negative electrodes each are at least 0.75 mA-h/cm 2 ; and

wherein the total area specific impedance for the cell and the relative area specific impedances for the positive and negative electrodes are such that, during charging at greater than or equal to 4C, the negative electrode potential is above the potential of metallic lithium; and

(b) charging the cell at a C-rate of at least 4C, wherein at least 95% state of charge is obtained in less than 15 minutes.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising charging the cell at a C-rate of 10C, wherein at least 90% state of charge is obtained in less than 6 minutes.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the area specific impedance of the total cell is localized predominantly at the positive electrode.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising charging the cell at a C-rate of 20C, wherein at least 80% state of charge is obtained in less than 3 minutes.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the current capacity per unit area of the positive and negative electrodes each are at least 1.0 mA-h/cm 2 .

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the charge capacity per unit area of the positive and negative electrodes each are at least 1.5 mA-h/cm 2 .

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the total area specific impedance for the cell is less than about 20 Ω-cm 2 , and wherein the positive electrode has an area specific impedance r 1 and the negative electrode has an area specific impedance r 2 , and wherein the ratio of r 1 to r 2 is at least about 10.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the total area specific impedance for the cell is less than about 16 Ω-cm 2 and wherein the ratio of r 1 to r 2 is at least about 7.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the total area specific impedance for the cell is less than about 14 Ω-cm 2 and wherein the ratio of r 1 to r 2 is at least about 6.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the total area specific impedance for the cell is less than about 12 Ω-cm 2 and wherein the ratio of r 1 to r 2 is at least about 5.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the total area specific impedance for the cell is less than about 10 Ω-cm 2 and wherein the ratio of r 1 to r 2 is at least about 4.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the total area specific impedance for the cell is less than about 8 Ω-cm 2 and wherein the ratio of r 1 to r 2 is at least about 3.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell, wherein the current capacity per unit area of the positive and negative electrodes each are at least 1 .5 mA-h/cm 2 .

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the total area specific impedance for the cell is less than about 16 Ω-cm 2 .

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell, wherein the total area specific impedance for the cell is less than about 14 Ω-cm 2 .

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the total area specific impedance for the cell is less than about 12 Ω-cm 2 .

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the total area specific impedance for the cell is less than about 10 Ω-cm 2 .

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the negative electrode has an area specific impedance, r 2 , of less than or equal to about 3.0 Ω-cm 2 .

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the negative electrode has an area specific impedance, r 2 , of less than or equal to about 2.5 Ω-cm 2 .

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the negative electrode has an area specific impedance, r 2 , of less than or equal to about 2.0 Ω-cm 2 .

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the negative electrode has an area specific impedance, r 2 , of less than or equal to about 1.5 Ω-cm 2 .

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the positive electrode has a charge and discharge capacity measured at a C-rate of 10C that is greater than 90% of the nominal capacity measured at a C-rate of 1/10C.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the conductivity of the positive electrode does not increase more than a factor of 2 over the state of charge.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the conductivity of the positive electrode does not increase more than a factor of 5 over the state of charge.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein an electroactive material of the positive electrode comprises a lithium transition metal phosphate.

26. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the transition metal of the lithium transition metal phosphate comprises one or more of vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel.

27. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the lithium transition metal phosphate is of the formula (Li 1-x Z x )MPO 4 , where M is one or more of vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel, and Z is one or more of titanium, zirconium, niobium, aluminum, or magnesium, and x ranges from about 0.005 to about 0.05.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein Z is selected from the group consisting of zirconium and niobium.

29. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the positive electrode has a specific surface area of greater than about 10 m 2 /g.

30. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the positive electrode has a specific surface area of greater than about 15 m 2 /g.

31. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the positive electrode has a specific surface area of greater than about 20 m 2 /g.

32. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the positive electrode has a specific surface area of greater than about 30 m 2 /g.

33. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the position electrode has pore volume in the range of about 40% to about 70% by volume.

34. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the positive electrode has thickness in the range of about 50 μm to about 125 μm.

35. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the negative electrode comprises carbon.

36. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the negative electrode comprises graphitic carbon.

37. The method of claim 35 , wherein the carbon is selected from the group consisting of graphite, spheroidal graphite, mesocarbon microbeads and carbon fibers.

38. The method of claim 35 , wherein the carbon has an average particle size of less than about 25 μm.

39. The method of claim 35 , wherein the carbon has an average particle size of less than about 15 μm.

40. The method of claim 35 , wherein the carbon has an average particle size of less than about 10 μm.

41. The method of claim 35 , wherein the carbon has an average particle size of less than about 6 μn.

42. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the negative electrode has pore volume in the range of about 20 and 40% by volume.

43. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a lithium secondary cell comprises providing a cell wherein the negative electrode has thickness in the range of about 20 μm to about 75 μm.

44. The method of claim 35 , wherein the carbon has a fast diffusion direction parallel to the long dimension of the particle with a dimension less than 6*(diffusion coefficient of fast direction/diffusion coefficient of MCMB) 0.5 and a thickness less than about 75 microns and a porosity greater than 25%.

45. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cell is charged at an overpotential.

46. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cell is charged at a potential near the oxidation potential of the electrolyte.

47. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cell is charged to about 90% state of charge within about 12 minutes, and wherein the cell charged and discharged with a capacity loss of less than about 0.1 % per cycle.

48. The method of claim 46 , wherein the cell is charged and discharged with a capacity loss of less than about 0.05% per cycle.

49. A method of charging a lithium secondary cell, comprising:

(a) providing a lithium secondary cell, comprising:

a lithium-containing positive electrode having a thickness in the range of about 50 μm to about 125 μm in electronic contact with a positive electrode current collector, said current collector in electrical connection with an external circuit;

a negative electrode having a thickness in the range of about 20 μm to about 75 μm in electronic contact with a negative electrode current collector, said current collector in electrical connection with an external circuit;

a separator positioned between and in ionic contact with the cathode and the anode; and

an electrolyte in ionic contact with the positive and negative electrodes,

wherein the total area specific impedance for the cell and the relative area specific impedances for the positive and negative electrodes are such that, during charging at greater than or equal to 4C, the negative electrode potential is above the potential of metallic lithium; and

(b) charging the cell at a C-rate of at least 4C, wherein at least 95% state of charge is obtained in less than 15 minutes.

50. The method of claim 49 , comprising charging the cell at a C-rate of 10C, wherein at least 90% state of charge is obtained in less than 6 minutes.

51. The method of claim 49 , comprising charging the cell at a C-rate of 20C, wherein at least 80% state of charge is obtained in less than 3 minutes.

52. The method of claim 49 , wherein the cell is charged at an overpotential.

53. The method of claim 49 , wherein the cell is charged at a potential near the oxidation potential of the electrolyte.

54. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cell is charged to about 90% state of charge within about 12 minutes, and wherein the cell charged and discharged with a capacity loss of less than about 0.1% per cycle.

55. The method of claim 2 , wherein the cell is charged and discharged with a capacity loss of less than about 0.05% per cycle.