High volume manufacturing of alloy anodes for Li-ion battery
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to flexible substrate fabrication. In particular, embodiments described herein relate to methods for flexible substrate fabrication which can be used to improve the life of lithium-ion batteries. In one or more embodiments, a method of fabricating alloy anodes includes forming an alloy anode using a planar flow melt spinning process including solidifying a molten material over a quenching surface of a rotating casting drum and performing a pre-lithiation surface treatment on the alloy anode.
1 . A method of fabricating alloy anodes, comprising:
forming an alloy anode using a planar flow melt spinning process comprising:
providing a transfer liquid to a quenching surface of a rotating casting drum;
forming a first protection layer by providing a protection layer fluid or vapor over the transfer liquid on the quenching surface of the rotating casting drum, and
solidifying a molten material over the first protection layer on the quenching surface of the rotating casting drum; and
performing a surface treatment on the alloy anode.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the alloy anode comprises silicon, tin, aluminum, titanium, carbon, iron, copper, alloys thereof, or any combination thereof.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the alloy anode is at least 95% amorphous by volume.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising creating engineered porosity in the alloy anode.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein creating engineered porosity comprises forming a plurality of pores, one or more trenches, or a combination thereof in the alloy anode.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of pores are laser drilled into the alloy anode.
7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising depositing a second protection layer on the alloy anode.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the second protection layer comprises one or more of lithium fluoride, carbon, silver, bismuth, zinc, antimony, aluminum, silver oxide, bismuth oxide, zinc oxide, antimony oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, lithium silicon oxide, or any combination thereof.
9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising laminating the alloy anode onto a metallic current collector.
10 . A method of fabricating alloy anodes, comprising:
forming an alloy anode comprising lithium using a planar flow melt spinning process comprising:
providing a transfer liquid to a quenching surface of a rotating casting drum;
forming a first protection layer by providing a protection layer fluid or vapor over the transfer liquid on the quenching surface of the rotating casting drum, and
solidifying a molten material over the first protection layer on the quenching surface of the rotating casting drum; and
depositing a second protection layer on the alloy anode.
11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising creating engineered porosity on the alloy anode.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein creating engineered porosity comprises performing a laser drilling treatment to form a plurality of pores, one or more trenches, or a combination thereof in the alloy anode.
13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the second protection layer comprises one or more of lithium fluoride, carbon, silver, bismuth, zinc, antimony, aluminum, silver oxide, bismuth oxide, zinc oxide, antimony oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, lithium silicon oxide, or any combination thereof.
14 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising laminating the alloy anode onto a metallic current collector.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein laminating the alloy anode occurs prior to depositing the second protection layer.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein laminating the alloy anode occurs subsequent to depositing the second protection layer.
17 . A method of fabricating alloy anodes, comprising:
providing a transfer liquid to a quenching surface of a rotating casting drum;
forming a first protection layer by providing a protection layer fluid or vapor over the transfer liquid on the quenching surface of the rotating casting drum;
forming an alloy anode using a planar flow melt spinning process over the first protection layer;
creating engineered porosity in the alloy anode through laser drilling;
performing a pre-lithiation surface treatment;
depositing a second protection layer on the alloy anode; and
laminating the alloy anode onto a current collector.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the alloy anode comprises silicon, tin, aluminum, titanium, carbon, iron, copper, alloys thereof, or any combination thereof.
19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein creating engineered porosity comprises forming a plurality of pores, one or more trenches, or a combination thereof in the alloy anode.
20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the first protection layer comprises one or more of lithium fluoride, carbon, silver, bismuth, zinc, antimony, aluminum, silver oxide, bismuth oxide, zinc oxide, antimony oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, lithium silicon oxide, or any combination thereof.