Silicon-based solid electrolyte for rechargeable battery
The present application discloses s an electrochemical cell (battery) comprising a hydrogen storage negative electrode (anode), a positive electrode (cathode) and a solid proton-conducting electrolyte in contact with the electrodes. The solid proton-conducting electrolyte comprises a silicon material which comprises at least 35 at % silicon.
1. A rechargeable electrochemical cell comprising 1) an anode; 2) a cathode; and 3) a solid electrolyte material comprising a silicon material wherein:
the silicon material is at least 35 at % silicon, the silicon material is amorphous silicon or polycrystalline silicon and the amorphous silicon or polycrystalline silicon is saturated to remove dangling bonds,
said solid electrolyte disposed between the cathode and anode.
2. The rechargeable electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the solid electrolyte does not further comprise a liquid or gel.
3. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the solid electrolyte is electrically insulating and capable of conducting or transporting protons from the cathode to the anode while the cell is charging and from the anode to the cathode while cell is discharging.
4. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the solid electrolyte has an electrical resistivity >10 k Ωcm.
5. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the silicon material is saturated with atoms selected from the group consisting of H, Li, F, N, B and C.
6. The electrochemical cell according to claim 5 , wherein the silicon material is saturated with H Li, or F atoms.
7. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the solid electrolyte is a thin film ranging in thickness from 1 to 50 microns.
8. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein anode or the cathode is deposited on the solid electrolyte or the solid electrolyte is deposited on the anode or cathode by chemical vapor deposition, enhanced chemical vapor deposition techniques (PECVD), precipitation from solution or sol gel process.
9. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the anode comprises a metal hydride or alloy of a metal hydride.
10. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the anode is a material capable of reversibly storing hydrogen with a potential lower than −0.5 V vs. a standard hydrogen reference electrode.
11. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the anode is silicon based, carbon based, germanium based or tin based or any mixture thereof, for instance p-type silicon, n-type silicon, or graphite.
12. The electrochemical cell according to claim 11 , wherein the anode is silicon-based.
13. The electrochemical cell according to claim 12 , wherein the silicon-based anode comprises >27 wt. % silicon and the wt. % is based on the total weight of the anode.
14. The electrochemical cell according to claim 12 , wherein the anode is silicon and is a p-type, n-type silicon or hydrogenated silicon.
15. The electrochemical cell according to claim 14 , wherein the anode is p-type or n-type silicon and doped with an atom selected from the group consisting of alumina, phosphine, boron and mixtures thereof.
16. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the cathode is an active material selected from the group consisting of transition metals, transition metal oxides, transition metal hydroxides, transition metal oxide/hydroxide and transition metal fluorides.
17. The electrochemical cell according to claim 16 wherein the cathode further comprises one or more binders, polymeric binders, conductive additives, proton conductive additives, protic and aprotic ionic liquids.
18. The electrochemical cell according to claim 16 , wherein the cathode active material is an oxide/hydroxide of transition metal capable of changing oxidation state in a voltage window of 0.1 to 3.0 V vs. a standard hydrogen reference electrode.
19. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1 wherein the anode is comprised in a film in adherence to a substrate, for example a substrate selected from metal, glass, inorganics and plastic or the cathode is comprised in a film in adherence to a substrate, for example a substrate selected from metal, glass, inorganics and plastic.
20. A battery comprising the electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the battery further includes an electrically conductive bottom and top battery terminal layers adjacent to the anode and cathode.
21. The battery according to claim 20 , wherein the battery is a solid state battery.
22. The battery of claim 20 , wherein the electrically conductive bottom and top battery terminal layers are independently formed from an electrically conductive metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, nickel, copper and alloys, mixtures or composites thereof.
23. The battery of claim 22 , wherein the electrically conductive bottom and top battery terminal layers are formed from aluminum.
24. The battery according to claim 20 , wherein the battery comprises more than one electrochemical cell.
25. The battery according to claim 24 , wherein the battery comprising a stack of electrochemical cells and is a bipolar design.
26. A method of forming an electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the cell is formed comprising the step of incorporating a solid electrolyte between the cathode and the anode.