This technology is a method to protect the lithium in lithium-based negative electrodes from air and moisture during the battery fabrication process.
In traditional lithium-ion batteries, the lithium is stored only in the positive electrode and not in the negative electrode, which limits performance. Developing a lithiated negative electrode offers several benefits, such as increasing the energy density of a full battery by 10-500%. However, lithiated anodes are not air or moisture-stable, making them incompatible with standard fabrication processes and highlighting the need for a method to protect lithiated anodes from ambient conditions during the fabrication process.
This technology is a method for lithiating anodes that is compatible with ambient air and moisture conditions. A polymer coating containing electron-conducting particles is deposited onto a lithium film, which protects the lithium from air and moisture. The air-stable negative electrode material is then deposited onto the polymer coated lithium film. This anode is then assembled into a battery with the cathode and electrolyte material. Once assembled, the electrolyte material dissolves the protective polymer coating, allowing the lithium to react with the negative electrode resulting in a lithiated anode. As such, this technology offers a simple, scalable method to generate high-capacity lithium batteries that is compatible with the standard battery fabrication process.
This technology has been validated using graphite and silicon nanoparticle anodes.
IR CU16191, CU17212
Licensing Contact: Dovina Qu