Patent Application
20210184247
The present invention relates to advanced battery technology, and more particularly, to an advanced battery technology that uses isotopically pure 6lithium (6Li).
Lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries use lithium mined from the Earth. The lithium mined from the Earth has natural abundance lithium, which is only between 3-8% 6Li. It should be noted that there are two stable isotopes of lithium—6Li and 7Li—with 7Li having an extra neutron compared to 6Li. Conventional Li-ion batteries use the natural abundance lithium, which is a mixture of 6Li and 7Li, but whose properties are primarily that of 7Li. These conventional Li-ion batteries are limited in discharge power and cycling life compared to 6Li batteries. The less massive 6Li ions enable faster charge transport (increased power), higher ionic diffusion (better low temperature performance) and less electrode stress (longer life) then compared to natural abundance lithium batteries.
Accordingly, an improved battery technology that uses isotopically pure or enriched 6Li may be more beneficial.
Certain embodiments of the present invention may provide solutions to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully identified, appreciated, or solved by current advanced battery technologies. For example, some embodiments of the present invention pertain to advanced battery technology that uses isotopically pure 6Li. For example, some embodiments increase the power of a Li-ion battery as well as increase the cycle life of the battery.
In an embodiment, a battery may include electrolyte salt and electrode material fabricated from isotopically pure or otherwise enriched in 6Li to increase power and life of the battery.
In another embodiment, an isotopically pure battery or battery enriched in 6Li is configured to increase round trip energy efficiency of storage, increase usable power of the 6Li battery, and reduce wear and mechanical degradation on the 6Li.
In yet another embodiment, a battery enriched in isotopically 6Li is configured to increase round trip energy efficiency of storage, increase usable power of the 6Li battery, and reduce wear and mechanical degradation on the 6Li.
In order that the advantages of certain embodiments of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. While it should be understood that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:
Some embodiments generally pertain to an isotopically pure or isotopically enriched 6Li-ion battery. Lithium has been shown to demonstrate the kinetic isotope effect in both diffusion transport in liquid electrolytes as well as in solid state electrolytes. This effect means that transport of the less massive 6Li ion is faster than for the more massive 7Li ion.
Additionally, 6Li has been shown to be preferentially intercalated into battery materials as compared to 7Li, causing less strain and fatigue on the battery material during cycling. The effect increases the round trip energy efficiency of storage, increases the usable power of a 6Li battery, and reduces the wear or mechanical degradation on the battery and battery materials from operation.
In certain embodiments, the battery uses electrolyte salts and electrode materials fabricated using isotopically pure or isotopically enriched 6Li precursors as opposed to natural abundance Li. In nature, the fraction of Li as 6Li varies from 3-8%. These natural sources have varying isotopic abundances, specifically due to the kinetic isotope effect in nature enriching sources in 6Li.
Li-ion batteries are the key driving technology for electric vehicles. They are also key components in the personal electronics industry. The use of 6Li in battery technology will increase both the power and cycle life of any Li-ion batteries where it used.
Since 6Li is less massive than 7Li, 6Li is transported more quickly through ion conducting materials in solid state batteries. The diffusion flux of lithium through a medium (electrolyte or solid electrode) is partially dependent on lithium's diffusivity, which is inversely proportional to species mass. Although other aspects can affect diffusive flux in a lithium ion battery, such as concentration and electric field (Nernst-Planck equation), with all other things being equal, the decreased ion mass of 6Li results in a higher ionic flux as compared to that of 7Li. Thus, the diffusion of the charge carrying species, 6Li, will be higher than a comparable 7Li ion.
The cathode, when synthesized, may be composed of materials using 6Li. In
As briefly discussed above, state of the art lithium ion battery designs use natural abundance lithium, a mix of lithium-6 and lithium-7, but predominantly lithium-7, to the point where the physical and electrochemical properties of the battery are determined by the lithium-7 components. The small amount of 6Li present in natural abundance lithium materials means that the electrochemical properties of batteries made using natural abundance lithium will be that of the dominant 7Li. The electrochemical properties are ensemble properties, and all effects are proportional to the individual lithium populations. Use of the 6Li isotope can apply to both conventional and novel lithium ion battery manufacturing. Conventional manufacturing of a lithium-6 based lithium ion battery may encompass prismatic assembly or cylindrically rolled assembly of cathode, anode, and separator with introduction of a liquid electrolyte. These materials can contain isotopically pure or enriched 6Li, but otherwise use conventional battery assembly and design features and processes. This novel lithium ion battery assembly may also encompass evaporation of lithium-6 metal onto a current collector, physical vapor deposition of lithium-6-based ceramic solid electrolytes or cathode materials, or chemical vapor deposition or UV curing of lithium-6-based solid polymer electrolytes.
Battery 200A using a mixture of lithium-6 and lithium-7 will have properties based on the proportional mix of the two species. As shown in
It will be readily understood that the components of various embodiments of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention, as represented in the attached figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the invention.
The features, structures, or characteristics of the invention described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. For example, reference throughout this specification to “certain embodiments,” “some embodiments,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in certain embodiments,” “in some embodiment,” “in other embodiments,” or similar language throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
It should be noted that reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.
Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.
One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the invention as discussed above may be practiced with steps in a different order, and/or with hardware elements in configurations which are different than those which are disclosed. Therefore, although the invention has been described based upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention. In order to determine the metes and bounds of the invention, therefore, reference should be made to the appended claims.
