Lithium ion battery and battery materials
In some embodiments, a lithium ion battery includes a first substrate, a cathode, a second substrate, an anode, and an electrolyte. The cathode is arranged on the first substrate and can contain a cathode mixture including Li x S y , wherein x is from 0 to 2 and y is from 1 to 8, and a first particulate carbon. The anode is arranged on the second substrate and can contain an anode mixture containing silicon particles, and a second particulate carbon. The electrolyte can contain a solvent and a lithium salt, and is arranged between the cathode and the anode. In some embodiments, the first particulate carbon or the second particulate carbon contains carbon aggregates comprising a plurality of carbon nanoparticles, each carbon nanoparticle comprising graphene. In some embodiments, the particulate carbon contains carbon meta particles with mesoporous structures.
1. A lithium ion battery, comprising:
a first substrate;
a cathode arranged on the first substrate, the cathode comprising:
a cathode mixture comprising:
Li x S y , wherein x is from 0 to 2 and y is from 1 to 8; and
a first particulate carbon;
a second substrate;
an anode arranged on the second substrate, the anode comprising:
an anode mixture comprising:
silicon particles; and
a second particulate carbon; and
an electrolyte arranged between the cathode and the anode, the electrolyte comprising:
a solvent; and
a lithium salt;
wherein:
the first particulate carbon or the second particulate carbon comprise:
carbon aggregates comprising a plurality of carbon nanoparticles, each carbon nanoparticle comprising graphene;
the graphene in the plurality of carbon nanoparticles comprises up to 15 layers;
a percentage of carbon to other elements, except hydrogen, in the carbon aggregates is greater than 99%;
a median size of the carbon aggregates comprising the carbon nanoparticles is from 0.1 microns to 50 microns;
a surface area of the carbon aggregates is from 10 m 2 /g to 300 m 2 /g, when measured via a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method with nitrogen as the adsorbate; and
the carbon aggregates, when compressed, have an electrical conductivity from 500 S/m to 20,000 S/m.
2. The lithium ion battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode further comprises a binder.
3. The lithium ion battery of claim 1 , wherein the anode further comprises graphene oxide.
4. The lithium ion battery of claim 1 , wherein the first particulate carbon or the second particulate carbon further comprise no seed particles.
5. The lithium ion battery of claim 1 , wherein the first particulate carbon or the second particulate carbon further comprise long chain carbon allotropes.
6. The lithium ion battery of claim 1 , wherein the first or the second substrate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: metal foil, carbon foam, metal foam, carbon paper, carbon fibers, carbon nanofibers, carbon cloth, particulate carbon, and combinations thereof.
7. The lithium ion battery of claim 1 , wherein the silicon particles comprise a material selected from the group consisting of elemental silicon, lithium-silicon, Li 22 Si 5 , Li 22-x Si 5-y (where x is from 0 to 21.9, and y is from 1 to 4.9), and Li 22-x Si 5-y-z M z (where x is from 0 to 21.9, y is from 1 to 4.9, and z is from 1 to 4.9; and M is S, Se, Sb, Sn, Ga, or As).
8. The lithium ion battery of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte further comprises a redox additive.
9. The lithium ion battery of claim 8 , wherein the redox additive comprises a metallocene comprising a transition metal selected from the group consisting of: a first d-block series transition metal, a second d-block series transition metal, and a third d-block series transition metal.
10. The lithium ion battery of claim 8 , wherein the redox additive comprises a metallocene comprising a transition metal selected from the group consisting of: iron, ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, rhenium and iridium.
11. The lithium ion battery of claim 1 , wherein the lithium ion battery has a battery capacity above 400 mAh per gram of Li 2 S after 100 cycles.
12. The lithium ion battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode or the anode do not contain a binder.
13. The lithium ion battery of claim 1 , wherein the first particulate carbon or the second particulate carbon further comprise mesoporous structures.
14. The lithium ion battery of claim 13 , wherein the mesoporous structures comprise a multimodal distribution of pore sizes comprising pores with sizes from 0.1 nm to 10 nm and pores with sizes from 10 nm to 100 nm.
15. A method to produce a lithium ion battery comprising:
i) assembling a cathode comprising the steps of:
providing a first substrate;
arranging on the first substrate a cathode mixture comprising:
Li x S y , wherein x is from 0 to 2 and y is from 1 to 8; and
a first particulate carbon;
ii) assembling an anode comprising the steps of:
providing a second substrate;
arranging on the second substrate an anode mixture comprising:
silicon particles; and
a second particulate carbon;
iii) formulating an electrolyte comprising the steps of:
providing a solvent;
providing a lithium salt; and
combining the solvent and the lithium salt; and
iv) arranging the electrolyte between the anode and the cathode;
wherein:
the first particulate carbon or the second particulate carbon comprise:
carbon aggregates comprising a plurality of carbon nanoparticles, each carbon nanoparticle comprising graphene;
the graphene in the plurality of carbon nanoparticles comprises up to 15 layers;
a ratio percentage of carbon to other elements, except hydrogen, in the carbon aggregates is greater than 99%;
a median size of the carbon aggregates comprising the carbon nanoparticles is from 0.1 microns to 50 microns;
a surface area of the carbon aggregates is from 10 m 2 /g to 300 m 2 /g, when measured via a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method with nitrogen as the adsorbate; and
the carbon aggregates, when compressed, have an electrical conductivity from 500 S/m to 20,000 S/m.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the cathode or the anode further comprises a binder.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the cathode further comprises a binder.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the anode further comprises graphene oxide.
19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first particulate carbon or the second particulate carbon further comprise no seed particles.
20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first particulate carbon or the second particulate carbon further comprise long chain carbon allotropes.
21. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first or the second substrate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: metal foil, carbon foam, metal foam, carbon paper, carbon fibers, carbon nanofibers, carbon cloth, particulate carbon, and combinations thereof.
22. The method of claim 15 , wherein the silicon particles comprise a material selected from the group consisting of: elemental silicon, lithium-silicon, Li 22 Si 5 , Li 22-x Si 5-y (where x is from 0 to 21.9, and y is from 1 to 4.9), and Li 22-x Si 5-y-z M z (where x is from 0 to 21.9, y is from 1 to 4.9, and z is from 1 to 4.9; and M is S, Se, Sb, Sn, Ga, or As).
23. The method of claim 15 , wherein the electrolyte further comprises a redox additive.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the redox additive comprises a metallocene comprising a transition metal selected from the group consisting of: a first d-block series transition metal, a second d-block series transition metal, and a third d-block series transition metal.
25. The method of claim 23 , wherein the redox additive comprises a metallocene comprising a transition metal selected from the group consisting of: iron, ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, rhenium and iridium.
26. The method of claim 15 , wherein a capacity of the lithium ion battery is above 400 mAh per gram of Li 2 S after 100 cycles.
27. The method of claim 15 , further comprising a separator arranged between the anode and the cathode, wherein the separator is a polymer mat and comprises a polysulfide repelling agent.
28. The method of claim 27 , wherein:
the polymer mat is extruded, spun, woven, electro spun, or cast; and
the separator further comprises a redox mediator containing a metallocene.
29. The method of claim 15 , wherein the arranging the cathode mixture on the first substrate further comprises:
forming the cathode mixture into a first slurry;
depositing the first slurry onto the first substrate; and
drying the first slurry to form the cathode.
30. The method of claim 29 , wherein:
multiple layers of the first slurry are deposited on the first substrate; and
each layer is fully or partially dried before a next layer is deposited.
31. The method of claim 15 , wherein the arranging of the anode mixture on the second substrate further comprises:
forming the anode mixture into a second slurry;
depositing the second slurry onto the second substrate; and
drying the second slurry to form the anode.
32. The method of claim 31 , wherein:
multiple layers of the second slurry are deposited on the second substrate; and
each layer is fully or partially dried before a next layer is deposited.
33. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first particulate carbon or the second particulate carbon further comprise mesoporous structures.
34. The method of claim 33 , wherein the mesoporous structures further comprise a multimodal distribution of pore sizes comprising pores with sizes from 0.1 nm to 10 nm and pores with sizes from 10 nm to 100 nm.
35. A lithium ion battery comprising:
an anode comprising:
carbon meta particles comprising mesoporous structures;
an electroactive electrode material comprising silicon; and
a metal current collector;
wherein:
the carbon meta particles further comprise:
3D interconnected networks of electronically conducting segments surrounded by open, porous cellular channels populated with pre-activated graphene fingers; and
open channels for liquid ion conduction and/or shuttling.
36. A lithium ion battery comprising:
a cathode comprising:
carbon meta particles comprising mesoporous structures;
an electroactive electrode material comprising elemental sulfur or Li 2 S; and
a metal current collector.
wherein:
the carbon meta particles further comprise:
3D interconnected networks of electronically conducting segments surrounded by open, porous cellular channels populated with pre-activated graphene fingers; and
open channels for liquid ion conduction and/or shuttling.
37. A method of forming a lithium ion battery electrode comprising:
forming carbon meta particles in a microwave reactor; and
depositing the carbon meta particles onto an electrically conducting current collector substrate;
wherein the carbon meta particles comprise electroactive electrode materials within a network of 3D mesoporous structures.
38. The method of claim 37 , wherein:
the electroactive electrode materials are incorporated into the carbon meta particles during formation within the microwave reactor.
39. The method of claim 37 , wherein:
the electroactive electrode materials are incorporated into the carbon meta particles in one or more post-reactor processes.