Abstract:
A battery cell includes an electrode stack including a pair of an anode and a cathode and a separator. Operation of the battery cell causes gas or moisture to form. The battery cell further includes a stiff frame. The frame includes a hollow portion. The electrode stack is disposed within the hollow portion. The frame includes a portion of the frame that is porous or includes a gas diffusion membrane. The battery cell further includes an electrolyte disposed within the frame and in contact with the electrode stack and a functional material disposed within the battery cell and outside of the hollow portion. The functional material absorbs the gas/moisture. The portion of the frame that is porous or includes a gas diffusion membrane enables the gas/moisture to exit the hollow portion and come into contact with the functional material while maintaining the electrolyte within the frame.
Abstract:
Catastrophic capacity failure in Lithium Metal Battery (LMB) cells is preceded by an increase in battery resistance. At a fixed temperature, the onset of failure occurs at the same value of resistance across the cell(s). Various embodiments use this phenomenon as a prognostic for predicting when such a failure is likely to occur. In various aspects, a normalized resistance in a vehicle or other device may be detected and compensated for temperature differences. The compensated resistances, a threshold state of charge (SOC), and capacity differences may be used to predict capacity failure in remaining capacity or distance (e.g., miles), to identify failing LMB cells, and to send a prognostic alert.
Abstract:
Methods for fabricating electrodes include coating a current collector with a slurry to form a coated current collector. The slurry includes a dry fraction, including silicon particles, polymeric binders, and one or more types of naturally occurring carbonaceous filaments, and one or more solvents. The coated current collector is heat treated to produce the electrode having a layer of silicon-based host material. The one or more naturally occurring carbonaceous filaments can include animal fibers, chitin, alginate, cellulose, keratin, and chitosan, and can have an average length of 1 μm to 50 μm and an average diameter of 1 nm to 500 nm. The dry fraction can include 5 wt. % to 95 wt. % silicon particles, 0.1 wt. % to 15 wt. % polymeric binders, and 1 wt. % to 20 wt. % naturally occurring carbonaceous filaments. The method can include assembling a battery cell by disposing the electrode and a positive electrode in electrolyte.
Abstract:
A negative electrode material includes an active material. The active material includes a silicon core selected from the group consisting of Si, SiO2, SiOx (0
Abstract:
In an example of a method for enhancing the performance of a silicon-based negative electrode, the silicon-based negative electrode is pre-lithiated in an electrolyte including a lithium salt dissolved in a solvent mixture of dimethoxyethane (DME) and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC). The DME and FEC are present in a volume to volume ratio ranging from 10 to 1 to 1 to 10. The pre-lithiation forms a stable solid electrolyte interface layer on an exposed surface of the negative electrode.
Abstract:
An electrode for a lithium-based secondary electrochemical device includes a current collector. The current collector includes a substrate having a surface defining a plurality of pores therein, and a lithium powder disposed within each of the plurality of pores. In addition, the electrode includes a cured film disposed on the current collector and formed from an electrically-conductive material. A lithium-based secondary electrochemical device including the electrode, and a method of forming the electrode are also disclosed.
Abstract:
An anode for a rechargeable battery cell includes an electrode substrate and a current collector fixed to the electrode substrate. The anode also includes an active layer arranged on the current collector and having discrete first material sections and second material sections arranged in an alternating pattern. Each discrete material section is aligned perpendicular to the current collector. The active layer is configured to intercalate transient ions during charging of the battery cell and de-intercalate the transient ions during discharging of the battery cell. A method of manufacturing such an anode for a rechargeable battery cell is also considered.
Abstract:
A pressure control apparatus for a battery cell includes a housing in which the battery cell is positioned, and a cell plate movably positioned in the housing and separating an interior of the housing into a cell chamber having the battery cell therein, and a pressure chamber having a volume of pressurized fluid therein. The apparatus further includes a valve configured to allow a portion of the pressurized fluid to be removed from the pressure chamber when the pressure in the pressure chamber exceeds a threshold.
Abstract:
Aspects of the disclosure include a battery management system that actively limits the operational voltage of a cell to avoid a cell pressure surge in response to an indicator of battery cell degradation. An exemplary battery management system can include a memory, computer readable instructions, and one or more processors that perform operations that include: measuring a first cell pressure of a cell of the battery pack at a reference voltage and measuring a second cell pressure of the cell of the battery pack at the reference voltage. A moving average of cell pressure progression is determined from the first cell pressure and the second cell pressure. Responsive to the moving average of cell pressure progression exceeding a cell pressure progression threshold, the cell of the battery pack is identified as a degraded cell and an estimate of remaining cycles for the degraded cell is determined.
Abstract:
A negative electroactive material for use in a negative electrode of an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions is provided. The negative electroactive material includes a particle defining a core region that includes silicon, silicon-containing alloys, tin-containing alloys, and combinations thereof. A porous, elastomeric multilayer coating is disposed on a surface of the core region that includes a first carbonaceous layer and a second porous elastomeric layer. The second porous elastomeric layer includes siloxane and a plurality of electrically conductive particles. The multilayer coating is capable of reversibly elongating from a contracted state to an expanded state in at least one direction to minimize or prevent fracturing of the plurality of negative electroactive material particles during lithium ion cycling.