Anode-free primary battery and electrode assembly thereof
11626582 · 2023-04-11
Assignee
Inventors
- Bing-Joe Hwang (Taipei, TW)
- Wei-Nien Su (Taipei, TW)
- Chen-Jui Huang (Taipei, TW)
- Shi-Kai Jiang (Taipei, TW)
Cpc classification
Y02P70/50
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
H01M4/525
ELECTRICITY
H01M4/505
ELECTRICITY
Y02E60/10
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
International classification
H01M4/505
ELECTRICITY
H01M4/525
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
The disclosure provides a primary battery and an electrode assembly thereof. The electrode assembly includes a separator, a positive electrode, and a negative electrode current collector. The separator has a positive electrode side and a negative electrode side opposite to each other. The positive electrode is located at the positive electrode side of the separator, and the positive electrode includes a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode material. The negative electrode current collector is located at the negative electrode side of the separator. The electrode assembly does not include a negative electrode material before charging or activation.
Claims
1. An anode active material-free primary battery, comprising: an electrode assembly, comprising: a separator, having a positive electrode side and a negative electrode side opposite to each other; a positive electrode, located at the positive electrode side of the separator, and comprising a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode material; wherein, the positive electrode material comprises LiMnO.sub.2, LiMn.sub.2O.sub.4, LiCoO.sub.2, Li.sub.2Cr.sub.2O.sub.7, LiCrO.sub.4, LiNiO.sub.2, LiFeO.sub.2, LiNixCo.sub.1−xO.sub.2, LifePO.sub.4, LiMn.sub.0.5Ni.sub.0.5O.sub.2, LiMn.sub.1/3Ni.sub.1/3O.sub.2, Li[Ni.sub.x/2 Li.sub.(1−x)/3 Mn.sub.(2−x/2)/3 ]O.sub.2, Li.sub.2S or a combination thereof, x is greater than 0 and less than 1; a negative electrode current collector; located at the negative electrode side of the separator; and an electrolyte solution provided between the negative electrode current collector and the positive electrode current collector, wherein the electrode assembly is free from anode active material before charging or activation, wherein the electrolyte is a lithium salt solution comprising ethylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate as a second organic solvent and fluoroethylene carbonate as a first organic solvent with a volume ratio of the second organic solvent to the first organic solvent as 1:1; and the lithium salt solution further comprises LiPF.sub.6 as the lithium salt in a concentration of 2M.
2. The anode active material-free primary battery according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the positive electrode current collector or the negative electrode current collector comprises a metal foil or metal sponge.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
(17) The disclosure will be described more comprehensively below with reference to the drawings of the present embodiment. However, the disclosure may be also implemented in various forms, and shall not be limited to the embodiments described herein. For the sake of clarity, thicknesses of layers and regions in the drawings are enlarged. The same or similar reference numbers indicate the same or similar elements, and the following paragraphs will not repeat them one by one. In addition, the directional terms mentioned in the embodiments, such as: up, down, left, right, front, or back, etc. are only directions referring to the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for the purpose of explaining, but not intended to limit the disclosure.
(18) It will be understood that when an element is, for example, referred to as being “on” or “connected to” another element, it may be directly on or connected to the other element, or there is an intermediate element. When an element is referred to as being “directly on” or “directly connected to” another element, there is no intermediate element.
(19) The terms “about”, “approximately” or “substantially” as used herein include values mentioned and average values of specific values capable of being determined by those of ordinary skill in the art within an acceptable deviation range, and measurement discussed and a specific number (i.e., limitation to a measurement system) of measurement-related errors are considered. For example, “about” may be expressed within one or more standard deviations of the value. Furthermore, the terms “about”, “approximately” or “substantially” used herein may select a more acceptable deviation range or standard deviation according to optical properties, etching properties or other properties, and may not to apply one standard deviation to all the properties.
(20) The wording used herein is used only to illustrate exemplary embodiments, but not intended to limit the disclosure. In this case, a singular form includes a plural form unless otherwise explained in the context.
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(22) Referring to
(23) The separator S may have a positive electrode side CS and a negative electrode side AS opposite to each other. It should be understood that the “positive electrode side” used herein denotes a side, adjacent to the positive electrode CE, in the two opposite sides of the separator S. In the same way, the “negative electrode side” used herein denotes a side, adjacent to the negative electrode current collector AC, in the two opposite sides of the separator S. The separator S may include an insulating material. For example, the separator S may be polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), or a multilayer composite structure of the above materials, such as PE/PP/PE.
(24) The positive electrode CE may include a positive electrode current collector CC and a positive electrode material CM, and the positive electrode CE may be disposed at the positive electrode side CS of the separator S. In the present embodiment, the positive electrode material CM may be disposed between the positive electrode current collector CC and the separator S. The positive electrode material CM may include a lithium metal oxide, a phosphate compound, a Li contained redox compound and the like. For example, the positive electrode material CM (or referred to as a cathode material) may include LiMnO.sub.2, LiMn.sub.2O.sub.4, LiCoO.sub.2, Li.sub.2Cr.sub.2O.sub.7, Li.sub.2CrO.sub.4, LiNiO.sub.2, LiFeO.sub.2, LiNi.sub.xCo.sub.1-xO.sub.2, LiFePO.sub.4, LiMn.sub.0.5Ni.sub.0.5O.sub.2, LiMn.sub.1/3Co.sub.1/3Ni.sub.1/3O.sub.2, LiMc.sub.0.5Mn.sub.1.5O.sub.4, Li[Ni.sub.x/2Li.sub.(1-x)/3Mn.sub.(2-x/2)/3]O.sub.2, Li.sub.2S or a combination thereof, x is greater than 0 and less than 1, and Mc may be a divalent metal. In the present embodiment, the positive electrode current collector CC may include a metal foil, such as an aluminum foil. In some embodiments, the positive electrode material CM may be disposed on the positive electrode current collector CC by a coating method.
(25) The negative electrode current collector AC is disposed at the negative electrode side AS of the separator S. In the present embodiment, the negative electrode current collector AC may include a metal foil or metal sponge. That is, at least one of the negative electrode current collector AC and the positive electrode current collector CC may include the metal foil or metal sponge. The metal foil may be a copper foil or copper sponge, a nickel foil or nickel sponge, a high-conductivity stainless steel foil or sponge, and an aluminum foil. In some embodiments, other materials may further be modified on the metal foil of the negative electrode current collector AC, such as other metals (such as Au, Sn, Zn, Ag, or In) having materials different from that of the metal foil.
(26) In the present embodiment, the electrode assembly 10 for the primary battery does not include a negative electrode material (also referred to as an anode material), that is, no negative electrode material is provided between the separator S and the negative electrode current collector AC. Therefore, when the electrode assembly 10 of the present embodiment is applied to the primary battery, it may also be referred to as a negative electrode-free primary battery (or an anode-free primary battery). In the present embodiment, since the electrode assembly 10 for the primary battery does not include the negative electrode material, a space originally configured to hold the negative electrode material in the primary battery may be configured to receive more positive electrode material (or referred to as the cathode material) and/or electrolyte. Therefore, under the same volume, the negative electrode-free primary battery may provide a higher energy density.
(27) According to another aspect, since the negative electrode material usually includes a highly active metal, such as metal lithium or metal sodium, the negative electrode-free primary battery is safer and more stable in the manufacturing process and subsequent use or storage. In addition, the negative electrode-free primary battery may also omit common materials used for a negative electrode, such as graphite, silicon carbon, and tin.
(28) Referring to
(29) The electrolyte E may be provided between the negative electrode current collector AC and the positive electrode current collector CC. In the present embodiment, the electrolyte E may be provided between the negative electrode current collector AC and the separator S. The electrolyte E may include at least a lithium salt, a first organic solvent and a second organic solvent.
(30) In some embodiments, the first organic solvent and/or the second organic solvent may include other suitable solvents or additives, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the first organic solvent may be an mixture including solvents selected from fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), ethylene carbonate (EC), diethyl carbonate (DEC), ethylmethyl carbonate (EMC), and propylene carbonate (PC), and the second organic solvent may be an mixture including solvents selected from 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl-2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropyl ether (TTE), dimethoxyethane, bis(2-methoxyethyl) ether, triethylene glycol dimethyl ether, and tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether. The electrolyte E may exist in the primary battery 100 in a liquid, solid, or gel state, and the disclosure is not limited thereto.
(31) The lithium salt may include at least one of LiPF.sub.6, LiBF.sub.4, LiClO.sub.4, LiAsF.sub.6, LiSbF.sub.6, LiAlCl.sub.4, LiGaCl.sub.4, LiNO.sub.3, LiC(SO.sub.2CF.sub.3).sub.3, LiN(SO.sub.2CF.sub.3).sub.2, LiSCN, LiO.sub.3SCF.sub.2CF.sub.3, LiC.sub.6F.sub.5SO.sub.3, LiO.sub.2CCF.sub.3, LiSO.sub.3F, LiB(C.sub.6H.sub.5).sub.4, LiCF.sub.3SO.sub.3 and LiDFOB. In the present embodiment, a concentration of the lithium salt may be within a range from 0.5 M to 4.2 M. In this way, the primary battery 100 may have good performance. For example, the primary battery 100 has good performance in the coulombic efficiency and the capacity retention.
(32) In the present embodiment, the first organic solvent may be different from the second organic solvent. For example, in some embodiments, the first organic solvent may include a fluorine-containing carbonate compound, and the second organic solvent may include a carbonate compound, so that the primary battery 100 may have good performance. The fluorine-containing carbonate compound may be, for example, fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC). The carbonate compound may be, for example, ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate (DEC), propyl acetate (PA), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), ethylmethyl carbonate (EMC), propylene carbonate (PC) or other fluoride-free carbonate compounds. For example, the first organic solvent may include the FEC, and the second organic solvent may include at least one of the EC and the DEC. In the present embodiment, the first organic solvent may be the FEC, and the second organic solvent may be the EC and the DEC. In the present embodiment, a volume ratio (v/v %) of the first organic solvent to the second organic solvent in the electrolyte E is about 4:1 to 1:4. For example, the volume ratio (v/v %) of the first organic solvent to the second organic solvent in the electrolyte E may be about 1:1.
(33) In some other embodiments, the first organic solvent may include a fluorine-containing carbonate compound, and the second organic solvent may include an ether compound, so that the primary battery 100 may have good performance. The fluorine-containing carbonate compound may be, for example, FEC. The ether compound may be, for example, 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl-2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropyl ether (TTE) or 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl-2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl ether (TPE). In some embodiments, the first organic solvent may be the FEC, and the second organic solvent may be the TTE or TPE, and a volume ratio (v/v %) of the first organic solvent to the second organic solvent in the electrolyte E may be about 1:4 to 4:1. For example, the volume ratio (v/v %) of the first organic solvent to the second organic solvent in the electrolyte E may be about 3:7. In some other embodiments, the first organic solvent may include FEC, and the second organic solvent may include TTE and DMC, and the volume ratio (v/v %) of FEC, TTE, and DMC may be about 3:2:5.
(34) In the present embodiment, the primary battery 100 does not include a negative electrode material, that is, no negative electrode material will be provided between the separator S and the negative electrode current collector AC, so that the primary battery 100 of the present embodiment may also be referred to as a negative electrode-free primary battery. In this way, a space originally configured to hold the negative electrode material in the primary battery may be configured to receive more positive electrode material (or referred to as a cathode material) and electrolyte. Therefore, under the same volume, the negative electrode-free primary battery may provide a higher energy density.
(35) According to another aspect, since the negative electrode material usually includes a highly active metal, such as metal lithium or metal sodium, the negative electrode-free primary battery is safer and more stable in the manufacturing process and subsequent use or storage. In addition, the negative electrode-free primary battery may also omit common materials used for a negative electrode, such as graphite, silicon carbon, and tin.
(36) In addition, in the present embodiment, since the primary battery 100 does not include the negative electrode material (i.e., the primary battery 100 does not have a negative electrode active substance), it needs to be charged and activated before use. In this way, a storage time of the primary battery 100 may be prolonged. A user or a seller may charge and activate the primary battery before use or delivery, so that an electric quantity of the battery is difficulty affected by the storage time. In some embodiments, the primary battery 100 can be activated by applying a low current (e.g., 0.1 mA/cm.sup.2) to conduct a slow-charge and a chemical conversion reaction, and then the primary battery 100 can be used after standing for several hours. In some embodiments, the electrode assembly 10 of the primary battery 100 may be free from the negative electrode material before charging or activation.
(37) Features of the disclosure will be described more specifically below with reference to Embodiments 1 to 3 and Comparative Example 1. Although the following Embodiments 1 to 3 are described, the used materials, their quantities and ratios, processing details, processing flow, and the like may be appropriately changed without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the disclosure should not be interpreted restrictively by Embodiments 1 to 3 described below. In addition, it should be noted that although a battery of the present embodiment is a primary battery, an electrochemical analysis carried out in the following experiments will still test the performance of the battery in one cycle and multiple cycles, so as to obtain a complete analysis result.
Embodiment 1
(38) Firstly, LiPF.sub.6 was dissolved with EC/DEC serving as a solvent to form a LiPF.sub.6 solution. Next, the above-mentioned LiPF.sub.6 solution was diluted with FEC at a volume ratio of 1:1 to prepare an electrolyte solution of LiPF.sub.6 at a concentration of 1 M. In
Embodiment 2
(39) Firstly, LiPF.sub.6 was dissolved with EC/DEC serving as a solvent to form a LiPF.sub.6 solution. Next, the above-mentioned LiPF.sub.6 solution was diluted with FEC at a volume ratio of 1:1 to prepare an electrolyte solution of LiPF.sub.6 at a concentration of 2 M. In
Embodiment 3
(40) LiPF.sub.6 was dissolved with FEC/TTE serving as a solvent to form an electrolyte solution of LiPF.sub.6 at a concentration of 1 M, and a volume ratio of the FEC to the TTE was 3:7. In
Comparative Example 1
(41) LiPF.sub.6 was dissolved with EC/DEC serving as a solvent to form an electrolyte solution of LiPF.sub.6 at a concentration of 1 M, and a volume ratio of the EC to the DEC was 1:1. In
(42) Experiment 1
(43) A half battery electrochemical test was carried out by taking electrolyte solutions of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 as an electrolyte solution of the negative electrode-free primary battery. The negative electrode current collector was a copper foil, so the negative electrode-free primary battery may be expressed as a half battery (Li∥Cu). Test results are shown in
(44) It may be known from the results shown in
(45) It may be seen from the results shown in
(46) Experiment 2
(47) A full battery electrochemical test was carried out by taking the electrolyte solutions of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 as an electrolyte solution of the negative electrode-free primary battery. The negative electrode current collector was a copper foil, and the positive electrode current collector was Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides (NMC), so the negative electrode-free primary battery may be expressed as a full battery (Cu∥NMC). Test results are shown in
(48) It may be seen from the results shown in
(49) Experiment 3
(50) In the above Experiment 2, after the primary battery underwent 5 charge/discharge cycles, in a completely discharged state, surface morphology analysis was carried out on the negative electrode current collector (i.e., a copper foil). Results are shown in
(51) It may be seen from the results shown in
(52) Experiment 4
(53) An alternating current impedance test was carried out by taking the electrolyte solutions of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 as an electrolyte solution of the negative electrode-free primary battery. Test results are shown in
(54) It may be seen from the results shown in
(55) Experiment 5
(56) A half battery electrochemical test was carried out by taking the electrolyte solution of Embodiment 3 as an electrolyte solution of the negative electrode-free primary battery. The negative electrode current collector was a copper foil, so the negative electrode-free primary battery may be expressed as a half battery (Li∥Cu). Test results are shown in
(57) It may be seen from the results shown in
(58) Experiment 6
(59) A full battery electrochemical test was carried out by taking the electrolyte solutions of Embodiment 3 (denoted as FEC/TTE in the figure) and Comparative Example 1 (denoted as EC/DEC in the figure) as an electrolyte solution of the negative electrode-free primary battery. The negative electrode current collector was a copper foil, and the positive electrode current collector was NMC, so the negative electrode-free primary battery may be expressed as a full battery (Cu∥NMC). Test results are shown in
(60) It may be seen from the results shown in
(61) Based on the above, in the disclosure, since the electrode assembly for the primary battery does not include the negative electrode material, a space originally configured to hold the negative electrode material in the primary battery can be configured to receive more positive electrode material (or referred to as a cathode material) and electrolyte. Therefore, under the same volume, the primary battery can provide a higher energy density.