Improved safety and mechanical characterizations of thick lithium-ion battery electrodes structured with porous metal current collectors

Abstract Porous metal current collectors enable the fabrication of thick electrode structures with improved safety margins and unique mechanical properties. Interpenetrating phase composite LiCoO2 cathodes and graphite anodes with large active material loadings are formed using advanced slurry processing techniques with a submersible ultrasonic horn. Full cells with 600 μm thick electrodes demonstrate high aerial capacity of 16.7 mAh.cm−2, improving energy density by 22% with respect to volume versus reference cells using traditional laminate composite electrode stacks. External shorting and nail penetration testing show notably suppressed joule heating currents, limiting peak temperature accrued to just 25% of the reference. Shear testing and three-point bending of individual electrodes and stack assemblies elucidate the greater role of the binder phase in the mechanical response, and that extensive characteristics such as thickness can be more influential than the intensive properties of the materials. Optimization of electrode thicknesses to balance rate capability with abuse safety is discussed, and opportunities for multifunctional application as load-bearing structural components are considered. Improved battery safety characteristics are demonstrated by reorienting the inherent components of the cell, without altering the chemical make-up, emphasizing the profound influence of structural design.

[1]  F. Chang,et al.  Design of Multifunctional Structural Batteries with Health Monitoring Capabilities , 2016 .

[2]  Yang Shi,et al.  A multifunctional battery module design for electric vehicle , 2017 .

[3]  S. Joo,et al.  A metal foam as a current collector for high power and high capacity lithium iron phosphate batteries , 2014 .

[4]  Alex Bates,et al.  A review of lithium and non-lithium based solid state batteries , 2015 .

[5]  N. Rayess,et al.  Characterization of aluminum foam–polypropylene interpenetrating phase composites: Flexural test results , 2010 .

[6]  Elena Sherman,et al.  Design and fabrication of multifunctional structural batteries , 2009 .

[7]  S. Passerini,et al.  Polyurethane Binder for Aqueous Processing of Li-Ion Battery Electrodes , 2015 .

[8]  T. Yokoshima,et al.  The Potential for the Creation of a High Areal Capacity Lithium-Sulfur Battery Using a Metal Foam Current Collector , 2017 .

[9]  S. Joo,et al.  Ultra-thick Li-ion battery electrodes using different cell size of metal foam current collectors , 2015 .

[10]  Yancheng Zhang,et al.  Multifunctional structural lithium-ion battery for electric vehicles , 2017 .

[11]  P. Ramadass,et al.  Analysis of internal short-circuit in a lithium ion cell , 2009 .

[12]  M. Behm,et al.  Investigation of Short-Circuit Scenarios in a Lithium-Ion Battery Cell , 2012 .

[13]  Yu Qiao,et al.  Crashworthiness analysis of electric vehicle with energy-absorbing battery modules , 2017 .

[14]  Seungjun Lee,et al.  Debonding at the interface between active particles and PVDF binder in Li-ion batteries , 2016 .

[15]  L. Asp,et al.  Structural power composites , 2014 .

[16]  Edwin B. Gienger,et al.  Performance metrics for structural composites with electrochemical multifunctionality , 2015 .

[17]  Terrill B. Atwater,et al.  Man portable power needs of the 21st century: I. Applications for the dismounted soldier. II. Enhanced capabilities through the use of hybrid power sources , 2000 .

[18]  Yang Shi,et al.  Internal resistance and polarization dynamics of lithium-ion batteries upon internal shorting , 2018 .

[19]  R. Spotnitz,et al.  Abuse behavior of high-power, lithium-ion cells , 2003 .

[20]  Igor Luzinov,et al.  Toward efficient binders for Li-ion battery Si-based anodes: polyacrylic acid. , 2010, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[21]  N. Rayess,et al.  Modeling of the Mechanical Properties of a Polymer-metal Foam Hybrid , 2014 .

[22]  M. Verbrugge,et al.  Formulation and characterization of ultra-thick electrodes for high energy lithium-ion batteries employing tailored metal foams , 2011 .

[23]  Y. Wyser,et al.  Predicting and determining the bending stiffness of thin films and laminates , 2001 .

[24]  Daniel J. Noelle,et al.  Internal-short-mitigating current collector for lithium-ion battery , 2017 .