Phosphazene compound-based elastic polymer-encapsulated anode particles for lithium batteries and method of manufacturing

1. A composite particulate for a lithium battery, wherein said composite particulate has a diameter from 10 nm to 50 μm and comprises one or more than one anode active material particles that are dispersed in a high-elasticity polymer matrix or encapsulated by a high-elasticity polymer shell, wherein said high-elasticity polymer matrix or shell has a recoverable elastic tensile strain no less than 5%, when measured without an additive or reinforcement dispersed therein, and a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10° S/cm at room temperature and wherein said high-elasticity polymer comprises a crosslinked polymer network of chains derived from a phosphazene compound, wherein an anode active material is selected from the group consisting of: (a) silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), phosphorus (P), bismuth (Bi), zinc (Zn), aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and cadmium (Cd); (b) alloys or intermetallic compounds of Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, Sb, Bi, Zn, Al, Ti, Ni, Co, or Cd with other elements; (c) oxides, carbides, nitrides, sulfides, phosphides, selenides, and tellurides of Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, Sb, Bi, Zn, Al, Ti, Fe, Ni, Co, V, or Cd, and their mixtures, composites, or lithium-containing composites; (d) salts and hydroxides of Sn; (e) lithium titanate, lithium manganate, lithium aluminate, lithium titanium niobium oxide, lithium-containing titanium oxide, lithium transition metal oxide, ZnCo 2 O 4 ; (f) carbon or graphite particles (g) prelithiated versions thereof; and (h) combinations thereof.

2. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein the phosphazene compound is synthesized from a precursor monomer, oligomer, or reactive polymer selected from Chemical formula 1, Chemical formula 2, Chemical formula 3, Chemical formula 4, or a combination thereof:

wherein R, R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from an organic group or an organometallic group.

3. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein said high-elasticity polymer contains a cross-linked network of a phosphazene compound crosslinked by a crosslinking agent to a degree of crosslinking that imparts an elastic tensile strain from 5% to 500%.

4. The composite particulate of claim 3 , wherein said crosslinking agent is selected from poly(diethanol)diacrylate, poly(ethyleneglycol)dimethacrylate, poly(diethanol) dimethylacrylate, poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate, N,N-methylene bisacrylamide, epichlorohydrin, 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether, tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, cinnamic acid, ferric chloride, aluminum sulfate octadecahydrate, diepoxy, dicarboxylic acid compound, poly (potassium 1-hydroxy acrylate) (PKHA), glycerol diglycidyl ether (GDE), ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDE), citric acid, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, a derivative compound of acrylic acid, a derivative compound of methacrylic acid, glycidyl functions, ‘,N’-Methylenebisacrylamide (MBAAm), Ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMAAm), isobornyl methacrylate, poly (acrylic acid) (PAA), methyl methacrylate, isobornyl acrylate, ethyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, n-Butyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, 2-Ethyl hexyl acrylate, n-Butyl acrylate, a diisocyanate, an urethane chain, a chemical derivative thereof, or a combination thereof.

5. The composite particulate of claim 3 , wherein the polyphosphazene is crosslinked by a crosslinking agent that comprises a compound having at least one reactive group selected from a phenylene group, a hydroxyl group, an amino group, an imino group, an amide group, an acrylic amide group, an amine group, an acrylic group, an acrylic ester group, or a mercapto group in the molecule.

6. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein said high-elasticity polymer matrix or shell further contains from 0.01% to 30% by weight of a graphite, graphene, or carbon material dispersed therein.

7. The composite particulate of claim 6 , wherein said graphite, graphene, or carbon material is selected from polymeric carbon, amorphous carbon, chemical vapor deposition carbon, coal tar pitch, petroleum pitch, meso-phase pitch, carbon black, coke, acetylene black, activated carbon, graphite particles, carbon particles, meso-phase microbeads, carbon or graphite fibers, carbon nanotubes, carbon nano-fibers, graphitic nano-fibers, graphene sheets, or a combination thereof and said graphite, graphene, or carbon material forms a 3D network of electron-conducting pathways that are in electronic contacts with said anode material particles.

8. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein said anode active material contains a prelithiated Si, prelithiated Ge, prelithiated Sn, prelithiated SnO x , prelithiated SiO x , prelithiated iron oxide, prelithiated V 2 O 5 , prelithiated V 3 O 8 , prelithiated Co 3 O 4 , prelithiated Ni 3 O 4 , or a combination thereof, wherein x=1 to 2.

9. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein said anode active material particles or the composite particulates, or both, are porous.

10. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein one or a plurality of said particles is coated with a layer of carbon or graphene disposed between said one or said plurality of particles and said high-elasticity polymer matrix.

11. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein said high-elasticity polymer has a lithium ion conductivity from 10 −6 S/cm to 10 −2 S/cm.

12. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein said composite particulate is further coated with or encapsulated by a shell of conducting material selected from carbon, graphene, a conducting polymer, a conducting composite, or a combination thereof.

13. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein said high-elasticity polymer matrix or shell further comprises from 0.1% to 50% by weight of a lithium ion-conducting additive dispersed therein.

14. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein said high-elasticity polymer forms a mixture or co-polymer with an elastomer selected from natural polyisoprene, synthetic polyisoprene, polybutadiene, chloroprene rubber, polychloroprene, butyl rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, polyacrylic rubber, silicone rubber, fluorosilicone rubber, perfluoroelastomers, polyether block amides, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate, thermoplastic elastomer, protein resilin, protein elastin, ethylene oxide-epichlorohydrin copolymer, polyurethane, urethane-urea copolymer, or a combination thereof.

15. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein said high-elasticity polymer contains a lithium ion-conducting additive dispersed therein wherein said lithium ion-conducting additive is selected from Li 2 CO 3 , Li 2 O, Li 2 C 2 O 4 , LiOH, LiX, ROCO 2 Li, HCOLi, ROLi, (ROCO 2 Li) 2 , (CH 2 OCO 2 Li) 2 , Li 2 S, Li x SO y , or a combination thereof, wherein X=F, Cl, I, or Br, R=a hydrocarbon group, 0<x≤1, 1≤y≤4.

16. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein said high-elasticity polymer further comprises a lithium ion-conducting additive dispersed therein and said additive is selected from lithium perchlorate (LiClO 4 ), lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF 6 ), lithium borofluoride (LiBF 4 ), lithium hexafluoroarsenide (LiAsF 6 ), lithium trifluoro-methanesulfonate (LiCF 3 SO 3 ), bis-trifluoromethyl sulfonylimide lithium (LiN(CF 3 SO 2 ) 2 ), lithium bis (oxalato) borate (LiBOB), lithium oxalyldifluoroborate (LiBF 2 C 2 O 4 ), lithium nitrate (LiNO 3 ), Li-fluoroalkyl-phosphate (LiPF 3 (CF 2 CF 3 ) 3 ), lithium bisperfluoro-ethylsulfonylimide (LiBETI), lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide, lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl) imide, lithium trifluoromethanesulfonimide (LiTFSI), an ionic liquid-based lithium salt, or a combination thereof.

17. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein the high-elasticity polymer forms a mixture or blend with a lithium ion-conducting polymer selected from poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO), Polypropylene oxide (PPO), poly (acrylonitrile) (PAN), poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF), Poly bis-methoxy ethoxyethoxide-phosphazene, Polyvinyl chloride, Polydimethylsiloxane, poly (vinylidene fluoride)-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP), a sulfonated derivative thereof, or a combination thereof.

18. The composite particulate of claim 1 , wherein an anode active material is lithiated to contain from 0.1% to 54.7% by weight of lithium.

19. An anode comprising multiple composite particulates as defined in claim 1 as an anode material.

20. A lithium battery comprising the anode of claim 19 , a cathode, and an electrolyte in ionic contact with said anode and said cathode.

21. The lithium battery of claim 20 , which is a lithium-ion battery, lithium metal battery, lithium-sulfur battery, lithium-selenium battery, or lithium-air battery.

22. The lithium battery of claim 20 , further including a porous separator that electrically isolates said anode from said cathode.

23. A method of manufacturing multiple composite particulates of claim 1 , said method comprising:

(a) Dispersing multiple particles of an anode active material in a precursor polymer solution to form a suspension wherein these particles are fully embedded or immersed in said precursor solution, which comprises at least a curing agent dissolved or dispersed in a reactive liquid medium that comprises a reactive phosphazene compound, in a form of monomer, oligomer or reactive polymer;

(b) operating a secondary particle-forming procedure to shape the suspension into multiple droplets and remove the liquid solvent from the droplets; and

(c) curing the reactive phosphazene compound to form said composite particulates wherein a particulate comprises one or a plurality of anode active material particles that are dispersed and embedded in a polymer matrix or encapsulated by a polymer shell.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein said secondary particle-forming procedure comprises a procedure selected from solution dipping, coating or casting on a solid substrate, pan-coating, air-suspension coating, centrifugal extrusion, vibration-nozzle encapsulation, spray-drying, coacervation-phase separation, interfacial polycondensation or interfacial cross-linking, in-situ polymerization, matrix polymerization, extrusion and palletization, or a combination thereof.

25. The method of claim 23 , wherein said suspension in step (a) further comprises an elastomer or its precursor, an electronically conductive polymer or its precursor, a lithium-ion conducting material, a reinforcement material, a foaming or blowing agent, or a combination thereof that is dispersed therein.

26. The method of claim 23 , wherein said anode active material particles, prior to step (a), are pre-coated with a layer of carbon, graphene, a conducting polymer, a conducting composite, or a combination thereof.

27. The method of claim 23 , wherein the reactive liquid medium further includes a non-aqueous liquid solvent.

28. A composite particulate for a lithium battery, wherein said composite particulate has a diameter from 10 nm to 50 μm and comprises one or more than one anode active material particles that are dispersed in a high-elasticity polymer matrix or encapsulated by a high-elasticity polymer shell, wherein said high-elasticity polymer matrix or shell has a recoverable elastic tensile strain no less than 5%, when measured without an additive or reinforcement dispersed therein, and a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10 −8 S/cm at room temperature and wherein said high-elasticity polymer comprises a crosslinked polymer network of chains derived from a phosphazene compound, wherein said high-elasticity polymer matrix comprises a polyphosphazene selected from the groups consisting of (a) linear polymers having the formula (N=PR 1 R 2 ) n , where R 1 and R 2 are organic; (b) cyclolinear and cyclomatrix polymers in which small phosphazene rings are connected together by organic chain units; (c) block copolymer, star, dendritic, or comb-type structures; and combinations thereof.