Electrodes including support filament with collar stop
View Patent ↗An electrode including structures configured to prevent an intercalation layer from detaching from the electrode and/or a structure configured to create a region on the electrode having a lower concentration of intercalation material. The electrode includes a support filament on which the intercalation layer is disposed. The support filament optionally has nano-scale dimensions.
1. An electrode comprising:
a substrate;
a support filament coupled to the substrate, the support filament including a nano-filament;
an intercalation layer including a donor acceptor material configured to receive a reactant of an electrochemical reaction, the donor acceptor material being disposed along the length of the support filament, a thickness of the intercalation layer being less than a length of the support filament;
a region of the intercalation layer proximate to the substrate and including a lower amount of donor acceptor material relative to a region of the intercalation layer distal to the substrate; and,
a collar stop disposed along the length of the support filament and configured to generate the region of the intercalation layer including a lower amount of the donor acceptor material.
2. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the support filament includes a carbon nano-tube or a carbon nano-fiber, or a nano-wire.
3. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the intercalation layer includes silicon, tin or germanium.
4. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the amount of intercalation material, in weight per unit area of support filament, in the region of the intercalation layer including a lower amount of donor acceptor includes less than 75% of the donor acceptor material in the region distal to the substrate.
5. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the amount of intercalation material, in weight per unit area of support filament, in the region of the intercalation layer including a lower amount of donor acceptor includes less than 50% of the donor acceptor material in the region distal to the substrate.
6. The electrode of claim 1 , further comprising a support collar configured to prevent the intercalation layer from separating from the support filament.
7. The electrode of claim 1 , further comprising a support cap configured to prevent the intercalation layer from separating from the support filament.
8. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the intercalation layer is p+ or n+ doped.
9. The electrode of claim 1 , further comprising a seed layer disposed between the substrate and the support filament and configured to couple the support filament to the substrate.
10. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the support filament includes more than one support collar.
11. The electrode of claim 1 , further comprising a carbide layer, an oxide layer or a nitride layer on a surface of the intercalation layer.
12. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the intercalation layer includes a metal.
13. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein a surface of the intercalation layer is passivated.
14. A battery comprising:
a first electrode; and
a second electrode comprising
a substrate,
a support filament coupled to the substrate, the support filament including a nano-filament,
an intercalation layer configured to receive a reactant of an electrochemical reaction, the intercalation layer being disposed on the support filament, and a collar stop configured for creating regions of the intercalation layer having different thicknesses along the length of the support filament.
15. The battery claim 14 , wherein second electrode is configured to operate as an anode.
16. The battery of claim 14 , further comprising means for preventing the intercalation layer from sliding off of the support filament.
17. The battery of claim 14 , further comprising means for increasing the conductivity of the intercalation layer.
18. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the support filament includes a carbon nano-tube or a carbon nano-fiber.
19. The electrode of claim 12 , where in the metal is selected to increase the conductivity of the intercalation layer.
20. The electrode of claim 6 , wherein the support collar has a conical or triangular cross section.
21. The electrode of claim 6 , wherein the support collar has a tapered shape.
22. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the intercalation layer includes a metal and an oxide.
23. The battery of claim 14 , further comprising more than one support collar configured for creating regions of different thicknesses of the intercalation layer.
24. A battery comprising:
a first electrode; and
a second electrode comprising
a substrate,
support filaments grown from initiation sites on the substrate, the support filaments including nano-filaments and more than one support collar, wherein a ratio between a height of the support filaments above the substrate and an average separation between the support filament initiation sites is 5:1 or greater; and
an intercalation layer configured to receive a reactant of an electrochemical reaction, the intercalation layer being disposed on the support filament.
25. The battery of claim 24 , wherein the intercalation layer includes a metal and an oxide.
26. The battery of claim 24 , wherein the intercalation layer includes silicon.
27. The battery of claim 24 , wherein the intercalation layer includes silicon, a metal and an oxide.
28. The battery of claim 24 , wherein the more than one support collar are configured to generate regions along the support filament having different thicknesses of intercalation layer.
29. The battery of claim 24 , wherein the more than one support collar are configured to support attachment of the intercalation layer to the support filament.
30. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the support filament comprises a multi-walled carbon nanotube.
31. The battery of claim 24 , wherein the ratio between the height of the support filaments above the substrate and the average separation between the support filament initiation sites is 10:1 or greater.
32. The electrode of claim 1 , further comprising a support collar disposed along the length of the support filament where in the support collar has a support collar height that is less than or equal to 50 nanometers.
33. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the support filament includes regions that are at least 2.5% thicker than other regions of the support filament.
34. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the intercalation layer is less than half an average separation distance between adjacent support filaments.
35. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the support filament is one of a plurality of aligned support filaments.
36. The battery of claim 14 , wherein the intercalation layer has a deposited thickness, perpendicular to the length of the support filament, of less than or equal to 4 micrometers.