Deposition of reactive metals with protection layer for high volume manufacturing
A method and apparatus for manufacturing a flexible layer stack, and to a flexible layer stack. Implementations of the present disclosure particularly relate to a method and apparatus for coating flexible substrates with a low melting temperature metal or metal alloy. In one implementation, a method is provided. The method includes delivering a transfer liquid to a quenching surface of a rotating casting drum. The method further includes forming a material layer stack over the rotating casting drum by delivering a molten metal or molten metal alloy toward the quenching surface of the rotating casting drum. The method further includes transferring the material layer stack from the rotating casting drum to a continuous flexible substrate, wherein the quenching surface of the rotating casting drum is cooled to a temperature at which the layers of the material layer stack solidify.
1. A method, comprising:
forming a molten material, the forming comprising:
delivering a porous material to a container operable to hold the porous material, wherein the container has a first connection and a second connection disposed on the container;
supplying power from a power source to the first connection and the second connection disposed on the container to heat the container by direct current; and
forming the molten material by heating the porous material by direct current to a temperature greater than 1,000 degrees Celsius;
delivering a transfer liquid to a curved quenching surface of a rotating casting drum;
forming a material layer stack over the curved quenching surface of the rotating casting drum and the transfer liquid, comprising:
forming a first layer on the transfer liquid;
forming a second layer on the first layer, wherein the first layer or the second layer is the molten material; and
transferring the material layer stack from the rotating casting drum to a continuous flexible substrate.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer is a surface protection film.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the surface protection film selected from LiF, BiTe 3 , Cu, Sn, LiNO 3 , sulfide, or a combination thereof.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the porous material is lithium.
5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising forming a third layer on the second layer.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the transfer liquid forms a peeling layer on the curved quenching surface of the rotating casting drum, wherein the first layer is a surface protection film, wherein the second layer is a metal or metal alloy layer, and wherein the third layer is an anode film.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the porous material is a mesh material, a powder, a pellet, or a metal foam.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer is the molten material and the second layer is a different molten material.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the container is constructed from a metal, a metal alloy, or a graphite material.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the container is constructed from molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten, nickel, steel and nickel-chromium, or nickel-chromium-iron alloys.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molten material is delivered toward the curved quenching surface of the rotating casting drum by a spraying process selected from subsonic spraying, electrostatic spraying, gas pressure spraying, thermal spraying, and plasma spraying.
12. A method, comprising:
forming a molten lithium metal, the forming comprising:
delivering a lithium metal to a container operable to hold the lithium metal, wherein the container has a first connection and a second connection disposed on the container;
supplying power to the first connection and the second connection disposed on the container from a power source; and
forming the molten lithium metal by heating the lithium metal by direct current to a temperature greater than 1,000 degrees Celsius;
forming a material layer stack over a curved quenching surface of a rotating casting drum, comprising:
forming a first layer on the curved quenching surface of the rotating casting drum; and
delivering the molten lithium metal onto the first layer; and
transferring the material layer stack from the rotating casting drum to a continuous flexible substrate.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the molten lithium metal is delivered toward the curved quenching surface of the rotating casting drum by a spraying process selected from subsonic spraying, electrostatic spraying, gas pressure spraying, thermal spraying, and plasma spraying.