Li-ion battery cathode materials with over-discharge protection

1. A lithium-ion battery having over-discharge protection, comprising:

an anode comprising copper and at least a Z amount of an electrochemically active anode material comprising graphite and a first lithiation capacity of 350 mAh/g, said anode having an anode irreversible capacity loss of 10% during a first charge of the lithium-ion battery and further comprising an anode current collector, the anode comprising a layer of anode electroactive material on a current collector to form the anode current collector; and

a cathode comprising a W amount, which is less than the Z amount, of a first electrochemically active cathode material, and having a first delithiation capacity R, characterized by the formula:

x Li 2 MnO 3 .(1 −x )LiMn a Ni b Co c O 2 ,

wherein 0<x<1 and a+b+c=1, and x, a, b, and c are selected to provide a cathode irreversible capacity loss during the first charge of the lithium-ion battery that is greater than or equal to the anode irreversible capacity loss, and where the cathode further comprises a T amount, which is greater than the Z amount, of a second electrochemically active cathode material characterized by the formula:

LiFePO 4 ,

wherein the cathode possesses a voltage step less than 2 V versus Li, and wherein the cathode has a voltage plateau that lies below an oxidizing potential of the anode current collector and where the voltage plateau is between 1 V and 2 V versus Li between 280 and 350 mAh/g, and

wherein XZ≥(UW+RT), wherein X is an anode first lithiation capacity per unit mass, U is a cathode first delithiation capacity per unit mass, and wherein XZ represents an anode first lithiation capacity per unit area, and UW+RT represents a cathode first delithiation capacity per unit area.

2. The battery of claim 1 , wherein x is in a range of about 0.4 to about 0.6.

3. The battery of claim 1 , wherein c is zero.

4. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode comprises one or more layers of first and second cathode electroactive materials on a current collector.

5. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode further includes carbon black, acetylene black, vapor grown fiber carbon, and fullerenic carbon nanotubes.

6. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the anode current collector comprises copper.

7. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode further comprises an electrically conducting component.

8. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemically active anode material is selected from the group consisting of a carbon material comprising one or more of spheroidal natural graphite, mesocarbon microbeads, and mesophase carbon fibers.

9. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the second electrochemically active cathode material further includes one or more electroactive materials selected from the group consisting of LiCoO 2 , LiMn 2 O 4 , LiFePO 4 , Li(Mn)PO 4 , Li(Mn,Ni,Co)O 2 , and Li(Ni,Co,Al)O 2 , and olivine structure compound LiMPO 4 , where M is one or more of V, Cr, Mn, Co, and Ni, in which the compound is optionally doped at the Li, M, or O-sites.

10. A cathode and an anode for a lithium-ion battery, comprising:

Z g/cm 2 of an electrochemically active anode material including graphite, the anode further comprising a first lithiation capacity of X with Y % first irreversible capacity loss; and

the cathode comprising W g/cm 2 of an electrochemically active cathode material, wherein W is less than Z, and where the cathode further comprises a first delithiation capacity of U with V % first irreversible capacity loss; wherein

the lithium-ion battery comprising the cathode and the anode so constituted exhibits (i) a predetermined amount of irreversible capacity loss during a first charge of the lithium-ion battery and (ii) possesses a voltage step below 2 V versus lithium to prevent reaching an oxidizing potential of an anode current collector in an over-discharge condition, the anode current collector at least partially formed via a layer of the electrochemically active anode material on copper;

the electrochemically active cathode material is selected from the group consisting of 0.41 Li 2 MnO 3 0.59 LiNi 0.38 Co 0.22 Mn 0.40 O 2 and 0.5 Li 2 MnO 3 0.5 LiNi 0.44 CO 0.25 Mn 0.31 O 2 ; and

a voltage plateau of the cathode lies below the oxidizing potential of the anode current collector and where the voltage plateau is between about 1 V and 2 V versus lithium.

11. A method of making a lithium battery having over-discharge protection, comprising:

providing an anode having a first lithiation capacity of X with Y % first irreversible capacity loss with Z g/cm 2 of an electrochemically active anode material comprising graphite and having an anode current collector comprising copper;

providing a cathode having a first delithiation capacity of U with V % first irreversible capacity loss with W g/cm 2 of a first electrochemically active cathode material, the cathode further comprising where the first electrochemically active cathode material is mixed with a second cathode active material with first delithiation capacity R with S % irreversible capacity loss with T g/cm 2 active material loading, and where XZ is greater than or equal to (UW+RT), and where (UVW+RST)/100 is greater than or equal to XYZ/100, and where W<Z<T, and a voltage plateau of less than 2.0 V versus Li, wherein the voltage plateau lies below an oxidizing potential of the negative current collector and where the voltage plateau is between about 1 V and 2 V versus Li, wherein the first cathode irreversible capacity loss is greater than or equal to the first anode irreversible capacity loss, wherein XZ≥UW, wherein XZ represents an anode first lithiation capacity per unit area and UW represents a cathode first delithiation capacity per unit area, and wherein the first electrochemically active cathode material comprises:

x Li 2 MnO 3 .(1 −x )LiMn a Ni b Co c O 2 ,

wherein 0<x<1 and a+b+c=1, and x, a, b, and c are selected to provide the first cathode irreversible capacity loss during a first charge of the lithium battery that is greater than or equal to the first anode irreversible capacity loss, wherein U is determined by x, a, b, and c, wherein V increases as x increases, and wherein the second electrochemically active cathode material comprises:

LiMPO 4 , where M is selected from V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni; and

assembling the anode and cathode into the lithium battery.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the cathode comprises one or more layers of the first and second electrochemically active cathode materials on a current collector.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the anode comprises a layer of electrochemically active anode material on a current collector to form the anode current collector.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the cathode further comprises conductive diluents present in a range of 1 to 5% by weight of a total solid composition of the cathode.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the cathode further comprises an electrically conducting component.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the electrochemically active anode material is selected from the group consisting of a carbon material and an alloy of silicon and/or tin and combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second electrochemically active cathode material comprises one or more electroactive materials selected from the group consisting of LiCoO 2 , LiMn 2 O 4 , LiFePO 4 , Li(Fe,Mn)PO 4 , Li(Mn,Ni,Co)O 2 , and Li(Ni,Co,Al)O 2 , and olivine structure compound LiMPO 4 , where M is one or more of V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni, in which the compound is optionally doped at the Li, M, or O-sites.