Patent Grant
12136702
Embodiments of the invention relate to compositions and chemical formulations of electrolytes for use in electrochemical energy devices, such as batteries and electrochemical capacitors. Devices using the compositions and methods of use of the compositions are also provided.
Electrochemical energy storage devices, such as batteries and double-layer capacitors, utilize an ion-conducting electrolyte solution to carry charge between the positive and negative electrodes. Typically, these electrolytes are a liquid at a standard room temperature of 293.15 K and at a standard pressure (approximately 1.01325 bar). The electrolyte solutions use a mixture of some amount of solvent, co-solvents, salt, and additional additives for improved device performance. There is often one primary solvent which is used to solubilize the salt, as well as additional co-solvents, which improve cell performance. For instance, a common electrolyte solvent might include ethylene carbonate for Li-ion battery cells, but additions of dimethyl carbonate, ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, acetonitrile, fluoroethylene carbonate, and vinyl carbonate among others might be used to improve the conductivity of the electrolyte or the cycle life of the cell. A liquefied gas electrolyte utilizes solvents and co-solvents that are gaseous at room temperature and standard pressure but may be used as an electrolyte solvent in the liquid phase. Identifying performance-enhancing co-solvents is important to improving the electrochemical performance of the liquefied gas electrolytes.
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to chemical formulations, electrolyte compositions, electrochemical devices using thereof, and methods of use thereof. Some disclosed embodiments relate to novel formulations for electrolytes comprising a liquefied gas solvent.
One embodiment relates to a rechargeable electrochemical device that includes: an ionically conducting electrolyte comprising one or more liquefied gas solvent(s), one or more salt(s), and one or more additive(s); a housing that encloses the ionically conducting electrolyte and structured to provide a pressurized condition to the liquefied gas solvent; and at least two conducting electrodes in contact with the ionically conducting electrolyte. The one or more solvents or co-solvents, when combined, may collectively also be referred to as the liquefied gas solvent. The one or more salts, when combined, may collectively also be referred to as the salt. The one or more additives, when combined, may collectively also be referred to as the additive. The solvent and the salt, when combined, may collectively also be referred to as the electrolyte. The solvent, the salt, and the additive, when combined may collectively also be referred to as the electrolyte.
In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent is capable of being placed under a compressive pressure equal to or greater than the liquefied gas solvent's vapor pressure at a temperature when the compressive pressure is applied, thereby keeping the liquefied gas solvent in a liquid phase. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent has a vapor pressure above an atmospheric pressure of 100 kPa at a room temperature of 293.15 K—i.e., standard pressure and temperature.
In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: dimethyl ether, methyl ethyl ether, fluoromethane, difluoromethane, trifluoromethane, fluoroethane, tetrafluoroethane, pentafluoroethane, 1,1-difluoroethane, 1,2-difluoroethane, 1,1,1-trifluoroethane, 1,1,2-trifluoroethane, 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethane, pentafluoroethane, chloromethane, chloroethane, thionyl fluoride, thionyl chloride fluoride, phosphoryl fluoride, phosphoryl chloride fluoride, sulfuryl fluoride, sulfuryl chloride fluoride, 1-fluoropropane, 2-fluoropropane, 1,1-difluoropropane, 1,2-difluoropropane, 2,2-fluoropropane, 1,1,1-trifluoropropane, 1,1,2-trifluoropropane, 1,2,2-trifluoropropane, fluoroethylene, cis-1,2-fluoroethylene, 1,1-fluoroethylene, 1-fluoropropylene, 2-propylene, chlorine, chloromethane, bromine, iodine, ammonia, methyl amine, dimethyl amine, trimethyl amine, molecular oxygen, molecular nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, methyl vinyl ether, difluoro ethylene, nitrous oxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon disulfide, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, methane, ethane, propane, n-butane, iso-butane, cyclopropane, cyclopropane, ethene, propene, butene, cyclobutene, acetylene, isomers thereof, and a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises fluoromethane, carbon dioxide, and n-butane. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises fluoromethane, difluoromethane, and propane. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises fluoromethane, difluoromethane, carbon dioxide, and iso-butane. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises difluoromethane, carbon dioxide, and propene. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises fluoromethane, dimethyl ether, carbon dioxide, and methane. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises dimethyl ether and n-butane.
In some embodiments, a component of the solvent may be liquid at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, such as pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, cycle heptane, cyclooctane, and isomers thereof.
Another embodiment relates to a rechargeable lithium battery. The rechargeable lithium battery may include an ionically conducting electrolyte. The ionically conducting electrolyte may comprise a liquefied gas solvent. The ionically conducting electrolyte may comprise one or more salt(s). In some embodiments, the ionically conducting electrolyte may further comprise one or more gas, liquid, or solid additives(s), selected from the group consisting of non-cyclic carbonate, cyclic carbonate, non-cyclic ether, cyclic ether, nitrile, phosphates, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the rechargeable lithium battery may also include a housing that encloses two conducting electrodes and the ionically conducting electrolyte. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent has a vapor pressure above an atmospheric pressure of 100 kPa at a room temperature of 293.15 K. In some such embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent may be capable of being placed under a compressive pressure equal to, or greater than, the liquefied gas solvent's vapor pressure at a temperature when the compressive pressure is applied, thereby keeping the liquefied gas solvent in a liquid phase.
In an exemplary electrochemical device using a liquefied gas electrolyte composed of one or more liquefied gas components with any combination of one or more liquid components, one or more solid components, or one or more salt components, the electrodes are composed of any combination of two electrodes of the intercalation type, such as graphite, carbon, activated carbon, vanadium oxide, lithium titanate, titanium disulfide, molybdenum disulfide, lithium iron phosphate, lithium cobalt phosphate, lithium nickel phosphate, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium nickel manganese oxide, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, carbon, or chemical reaction electrode such as with chemicals of sulfur, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, thionyl fluoride, thionyl chloride fluoride, sulfuryl fluoride, sulfuryl chloride fluoride, or electrostatic electrodes using a high surface-area electrically conducting material such as activated carbon, carbon black, carbon nanotubes, graphene, or of a metallic electrode with lithium, sodium, magnesium, tin, aluminum, calcium, titanium zinc metal or metal alloy, including lithium, sodium, tin, magnesium, aluminum, calcium, titanium, zinc, or any combination thereof. These components may be combined with various binder polymer components, including polyvinylidene fluoride, carboxymethyl cellulose, styrene-butadiene rubber, or polytetrafluoroethylene in order to maintain structural integrity of the electrode.
In some embodiments, the additives are used in combination with a liquefied gas solvent and lithium-, sodium-, zinc-, calcium-, magnesium-, aluminum-, or titanium-based salts. Further, the one or more liquefied gas solvent solution(s) or electrolyte(s) may be combined with one or more salt(s), including one or more of: lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), lithium perchlorate (LiClO4), lithium hexafluoroarsenate (LiAsF6), lithium tetrachloroaluminate (LiAlCl4), lithium tetragaliumaluminate, lithium bis(oxalato)borate (LiBOB), lithium hexafluorostannate, lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (LiDFOB), lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI), lithium aluminum fluoride (LiAlF3), lithium nitrate (LiNO3), lithium chloroaluminate, lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF4), lithium tetrachloroaluminate, lithium difluorophosphate, lithium tetrafluoro(oxalato)phosphate, lithium difluorobis(oxalato)phosphate, lithium borate, lithium oxolate, lithium thiocyanate, lithium tetrachlorogallate, lithium chloride, lithium bromide, lithium iodide, lithium carbonate, lithium fluoride, lithium oxide, lithium hydroxide, lithium nitride, lithium super oxide, lithium azide, lithium deltate, di-lithium squarate, lithium croconate dihydrate, dilithium rhodizonate, lithium oxalate, di-lithium ketomalonate, lithium di-ketosuccinate or any corresponding salts with the positive charged lithium cation substituted for sodium or magnesium or any combinations thereof. Further useful salts include those with positively charged cations such as tetramethylammonium, tetraethylammonium, tetrapropylammonium, tetrabutylammonium, triethylmethylammonium ammonium, spiro-(1,1′)-bipyrrolidinium, 1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinium, and 1,1-diethylpyrrolidinium, N,N-diethyl-N-methyl-N(2-methoxyethyl)ammonium, N,N-Diethyl-N-methyl-N-propylammonium, N,N-dimethyl-N-ethyl-N-(3-methoxypropyl)ammonium, N,N-Dimethyl-N-ethyl-N-benzylAmmonium, N,N-Dimethyl-N-ethyl-N-phenylethylammonium, N-Ethyl-N,N-dimethyl-N-(2-methoxyethyl)ammonium, N-Tributyl-N-methylammonium, N-Trimethyl-N-hexylammonium, N-Trimethyl-N-butylammonium, N-Trimethyl-N-propylammonium, 1,3-Dimethylimidazolium, 1-(4-Sulfobutyl)-3-methylimidazolium, 1-Allyl-3H-imidazolium, 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium, 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium, 1-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium, 1-Octyl-3-methylimidazolium, 3-Methyl-1-propylimidazolium, H-3-Methylimidazolium, Trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium, N-Butyl-N-methylpiperidinium, N-Propyl-N-methylpiperidinium, 1-Butyl-1-Methylpyrrolidinium, 1-Methyl-1-(2-methoxyethyl)pyrrolidinium, 1-Methyl-1-(3-methoxypropyl)pyrrolidinium, 1-Methyl-1-octylpyrrolidinium, 1-Methyl-1-pentylpyrrolidinium, or N-methylpyrrolidinium paired with negatively charged anions such as acetate, bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide, bis(oxalate)borate, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, bromide, chloride, dicyanamide, diethyl phosphate, hexafluorophosphate, hydrogen sulfate, iodide, methanesulfonate, methyl-phophonate, tetrachloroaluminate, tetrafluoroborate, and trifluoromethanesulfonate. Alternative or additional embodiments described herein provide an electrolyte composition comprising one or more of the features of the foregoing description or of any description elsewhere herein.
A safe electrolyte comprising a liquefied gas solvent that will transition from a liquid state to a gas state (“gas off”) at a pressure of 100 kPa and a temperature of 293.15 K is disclosed. A first mixture is formed from a first electrolyte component (one or more solvents) mixed with a second electrolyte component (one or more hydrocarbon co-solvents). The addition of the second electrolyte component (1) lowers the vapor pressure of the first mixture by at least 10% as compared to the vapor pressure of the first component alone, when measured at 293.15 K, and (2) results in a vapor pressure of the first mixture above 100 kPa at a temperature of 293.15 K. The addition of the second electrolyte component may also lower the global warming potential (GWP) of the first mixture by at least 10% as compared to the GWP of the first component alone. The safe liquefied gas electrolyte is formed by mixing a third electrolyte component (one or more salts) to the first mixture. This safe liquefied gas electrolyte can then be used to manufacture an electrochemical energy storage device.
Alternative or additional embodiments described herein provide a method of using the electrolyte composition or device comprising one or more of the features of the foregoing description or of any description elsewhere herein.
Reference is made herein to some specific examples of the present invention, including any best modes contemplated by the inventor for carrying out the invention. Examples of these specific embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying figures. While the invention is described in conjunction with these specific embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to the described or illustrated embodiments. To the contrary, they are intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Particular example embodiments of the present invention may be implemented without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, process operations well-known to persons of skill in the art have not been described in detail so as not to obscure unnecessarily the present invention. Various techniques and mechanisms of the present invention will sometimes be described in singular form for clarity. However, it should be noted that some embodiments include multiple iterations of a technique or multiple mechanisms, unless noted otherwise. Similarly, various steps of the methods shown and described herein are not necessarily performed in the order indicated, or performed at all, in certain embodiments. Accordingly, some implementations of the methods discussed herein may include more or fewer steps than those shown or described. Further, the techniques and mechanisms of the present invention will sometimes describe a connection, relationship or communication between two or more entities. It should be noted that a connection or relationship between entities does not necessarily mean a direct, unimpeded connection, as a variety of other entities or processes may reside or occur between any two entities. Consequently, an indicated connection does not necessarily mean a direct, unimpeded connection, unless otherwise noted.
Electrochemical energy storage devices, such as batteries and double layer capacitors, utilize an ion-conducting electrolyte solution to carry charge between positive and negative electrodes. Typically, these electrolytes are a liquid at a standard room temperature of 293.15 K and standard pressure (approximately 1.01325 bar). The electrolyte solutions use a mixture of some amount of solvent, co-solvents, one or more salts, and one or more additional additives for improved device performance. There is often one primary solvent, which is used to solubilize the salt, as well as additional co-solvents, which improve cell performance. For instance, a common electrolyte solvent might include ethylene carbonate for Li-ion battery cells, but additions of dimethyl carbonate, ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, acetonitrile, fluoroethylene carbonate, and vinyl carbonate among others might be used to improve conductivity of the electrolyte or cycle life of the cell. Liquefied gas electrolytes utilize solvents and co-solvents that are gaseous at room temperature and standard pressure but may be used as an electrolyte solvent in the liquid phase, either by decreasing the temperature or by holding the solvent under its own vapor pressure. Identifying performance-enhancing co-solvents is important to improving the electrochemical performance of the liquefied gas electrolytes.
Liquefied gas electrolytes may use fluoromethane or difluoromethane as a primary solvent to solubilize salts in electrochemical devices such as lithium batteries or electrochemical capacitors. However, these solvents typically have high vapor pressures and high global warming potentials (GWP). For instance, at a room temperature of 293.15 K, the vapor pressure of fluoromethane and difluoromethane is around 493 and 214 psi, respectively. The GWP (global warming potential, a multiple of carbon dioxides global warming potential) of fluoromethane and difluoromethane is around 92 and 675, respectively. It would be beneficial to operate an electrochemical device cell having a lower pressure, a lower GWP, or both. A lower pressure would lower the mechanical packaging burden by using thinner metal housings to place the cell and to contain the liquefied gas electrolyte. A lower GWP would be more environmentally friendly.
Ideally, liquefied gas electrolytes would use co-solvents that, in addition to lowering pressure, lowering GWP, or both, would be chemically beneficial to the performance of the cell. Often co-solvents which are beneficial in forming solid electrolyte interphases (SEI) on either the anode or cathode, are identified. However, chemically inert co-solvents would also be beneficial in that they lower the chemical reactions within the cell between electrolyte and electrodes that may degrade cell performance.
Because of the high reactivity of lithium metal, the material is difficult to use as an anode in high-energy lithium battery cells. Though lithium metal has a high capacity to weight ratio, it suffers from a high rate of reactivity with the electrolyte. During cell cycling, the SEI layer on the surface of lithium metal may crack and expose fresh lithium metal, which will react with the electrolyte, lowering the efficiency of the cell and reducing the cycle life. It would be beneficial to have an electrolyte whose solvent has lower reactivity with lithium metal to increase cell efficiency and cycle life. Similar to lithium, sodium, zinc, magnesium, aluminum, and potassium or their alloys may all be used inside a battery as electrode and would benefit from a lower-reacting electrolyte solvent.
Some chemically inert co-solvents may include hydrocarbon solvents. Hydrocarbon solvents have very low electrochemical reactivity and are stable. These hydrocarbon solvents may include methane, ethane, propane, n-butane, iso-butane, cyclopropane, cyclopropane, ethene, propene, butene, cyclobutene, cyclobutene, acetylene, pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, cycloheptane, cyclooctane, isomers thereof, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises fluoromethane, carbon dioxide, and n-butane. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises fluoromethane, difluoromethane, and propane. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises fluoromethane, difluoromethane, carbon dioxide, and iso-butane. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises difluoromethane, carbon dioxide, and propene. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises fluoromethane, dimethyl ether, carbon dioxide, and methane. In some embodiments, the liquefied gas solvent comprises dimethyl ether and n-butane.
Because of their low chemical reactivity, highly reactive alkali or alkaline metals, such as sodium and lithium metal are often transported in hydrocarbon solvents or mineral oil, which is a mixture of long-chained hydrocarbon solvents. Other highly reactive compounds such as butyl lithium are also stored in hydrocarbon solvents such as hexanes.
Hydrocarbon solvents that may be used in liquefied gas electrolytes may include saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbons. This may include alkanes, alkenes, or alkylenes. This may further include hydrocarbons that are gaseous or non-gaseous at a standard room temperature of 293.15 K and standard pressure (approximately 1.01325 bar).
The use of hydrocarbon solvents in liquefied gas electrolytes may improve electrolyte properties, such as lower vapor pressure, lower GWP, and higher chemical stability. This is because many of the hydrocarbon liquefied gas solvents have vapor pressures lower than other liquefied gas solvents (ex., fluoromethane, carbon dioxide). Further, hydrocarbon solvents have GWPs close to zero, which may substantially lower the GWP of the full electrolyte. Lastly, adding hydrocarbon solvents to the electrolyte will help improve the chemical stability of the full electrolyte solution by lowering the reactivity of the more chemically active species in the electrolyte.
Lowering the pressure of the liquefied gas electrolyte can be beneficial from a mechanical design point of view. When an electrolyte has too high of a vapor pressure, the cell housing may need thicker walls to support the pressure, since the thicker walls impart an added strength onto the cell housing. The cell housing will require the thicker walls to ensure good sealing and no leakage during the life of the cell. Having thicker walls will, in turn entail less desirable characteristics as well, such as added volume, mass, and cost to the cell. Alternatively, stronger metals might be used with thinner walls, such as stainless steel and titanium, but at an added cost to the cell. Thus, lowering the vapor pressure of the electrolyte can have beneficial properties. The less stringent requirements on the mechanical cell housings may be achieved with a reduced vapor pressure of the liquefied gas electrolyte having a vapor pressure around 100 kPa, or more desirably, a vapor pressure between 100 kPa and 100 MPa, or more desirably 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 MPa at a room temperature of 293.15 K.
It has been found that having a pressurized electrolyte system can also be beneficial to the electrochemical device for several reasons. During standard manufacturing with a liquid-based electrolyte, a cell is first put into a vacuum state, followed by liquid electrolyte injection into the cell, followed by several hours of waiting for the cell to completely wet on all electrode and separator surfaces. Often, the cell undergoes a first electrolyte injection step, followed by a wait time to allow for electrolyte wetting, followed by a second electrolyte injection step to ensure full wettability. Until full wetting takes place, the cell is not ready to be charged. Moreover, a cell that is not fully wetted is a leading cause of scrap rate in the manufacturing process, which necessitates a higher cost of cells. With a pressurized liquefied gas electrolyte, the cell is rapidly wetted due to the high pressure of the electrolyte penetrating all surfaces of the electrodes and separator. This wetting process takes place in seconds, as opposed to hours, reducing manufacturing time and cost. Further, this allows for higher confidence in a fully wetted cell and reduces scrap rate, thus reducing overall cost of the cell manufacturing. The wetting process can be enhanced by using pressurized electrolytes having a vapor pressure around 100 kPa, or more desirably a vapor pressure between 100 kPa and 100 MPa, or more desirably around 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 MPa at a room temperature of 293.15 K.
Another beneficial property of having a pressurized electrolyte is reduced risk of safety hazards from physical or electrical cell abuse. In common Li-ion battery cells, it is normal to see thermal runaway reactions under physical or electrical abuse such as over temperature, over charge, crush, nail penetration, or short circuit events. This is due to exothermic reactions within the cell that may be triggered at relatively low temperatures, ex. around +100° C. This “thermal runaway onset temperature” triggers these additional exothermic reactions, which can then drive a cell to catch fire and explode, causing a serious safety and health concern. Moreover, the heat generated from one cell may also propagate to an adjacent cell and trigger that cell to also go into thermal runaway and create a thermal propagation event across the battery pack. The flammable liquid electrolyte is generally the critical component driving these thermal runaway reactions. Once the cell warms up to the auto-combustion temperature of the electrolyte, explosive reactions may occur. Moreover, a short-circuited cell requires both an electrical and ionic pathway between the anode and cathode. The electrolyte carries the ions within the cell, and thus contributes to cell short circuit.
In contrast, a pressurized liquefied gas electrolyte system carries the safety advantage in that under physical or electrical abuse, the cell may warm up to a pre-determined venting temperature, at which time the cell is allowed to vent the pressurized liquefied gas solvent or liquefied gas electrolyte to atmosphere, leaving behind a “dry cell” without any flammable or ionically conducting electrolyte. Once vented, the cell is allowed to fail safely without any thermal runaway reactions occurring. For example, under over temperature conditions, the cell might be warmed up to +240° C. Before reaching the +200° C. temperature, the cell may cross a vent temperature, at which point the vapor pressure of the liquefied gas electrolyte within the cell reaches a pressure high enough to cause a vent engineered on the cell to open and to release pressure and the electrolyte material. A vent temperature, ex., +80° C., below the thermal runaway temperature, ex. +100° C. is ideal, so that the flammable electrolyte may vent away from the cell prior to any thermal runaway reactions occurring, thereby allowing the cell to fail safely even at temperatures as high as +240 C. Similarly, a cell may be overcharged, and during the overcharge event warms up. When the cell reaches the vent temperature, the liquefied gas electrolyte will be released from the cell, and the cell will fail safely. Similarly, during a short-circuit event, the cell may warm up rapidly due to the high discharge current. When the cell warms to the vent temperature, the liquefied gas electrolyte may be allowed to vent from the cell, and the cell can fail safely rather than go into thermal runaway. A cell using the liquefied gas electrolyte may also fail safely without a temperature-triggered vent. For example, during a crush or a projectile penetration event, the cell housing may fracture and allow the pressurized liquefied gas electrolyte to vent from the cell to atmosphere through the fractured housing while maintaining a cell temperature close to a room temperature of about 293.15K. When a conventional liquid electrolyte is used in the cell, there is a high probability that the cell can short-circuit during a crush or projectile penetration event and overheat causing the cell to go into thermal runaway. With the liquefied gas electrolyte (including those that have a vapor pressure over 100 kPa at a room temperature of about 293.15K), the venting or gassing off of the electrolyte to the atmosphere through a fractured cell housing allows the cell to fail safely regardless of a potential short-circuit event.
In all scenarios, it is highly desirable to have rapid venting of all the liquefied gas electrolyte from the cell under a physical, thermal or electrical abuse condition to minimize the liklihood of any thermal runaway event. To lower the time that it takes for the liquefied gas electrolyte to vent from the cell, a higher vapor pressure electrolyte is desirable. Too low of a vapor pressure electrolyte, and the electrolyte may not vent from the cell rapidly enough to prevent thermal runaway or the electrolyte from reaching auto-ignition and causing a fire hazard. Further, upon venting, the cell may lower in temperature due to the heat of evaporation caused by the liquefied gas phase changing from a liquid to a gaseous state. If the cell drops in temperature sufficiently, it may lower the vapor pressure enough such that the venting of the electrolyte from the cell stops, potentially creating an additional hazard. Thus, it is desirable that the liquefied gas electrolyte have a vapor pressure sufficient to vent from the cell rapidly. This vapor pressure of the electrolyte can thus be around 100 kPa, or more desirably, a vapor pressure between 100 kPa and 100 MPa, or more desirably around 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 MPa at a room temperature of 293.15 K. It should be understood that the cell may vent the entire contents of the liquefied gas electrolyte containing any gaseous, liquid, or solid components, or just the liquefied gas solvent and liquid components, or just the liquefied gas solvent components, or any combination of partial components from the cell. Even a partial venting of the electrolyte can results in a cell failing safely under physical, thermal, or electrical abuse conditions.
There are benefits to both a reduced vapor pressure electrolyte and an increased vapor pressure electrolyte. A reduced vapor pressure liquefied gas electrolyte can lower mechanical housing requirements and allow for a lower mass, lower volume, and lower cost cell. A higher vapor pressure liquefied gas electrolyte improves cell wettability during manufacturing, reducing manufacturing time, cost, and scrap rate as well as improving cell safety under physical, thermal or electrical abuse, such as during an over temperature, over charge, crush, nail penetration, or short circuit event. Thus, it is through careful experimentation that a liquefied gas electrolyte may be optimized to have an ideal vapor pressure that is neither too high nor too low for optimized cell performance. This experimentation might start with a liquefied gas solvent, such as dimethyl ether, methyl ethyl ether, fluoromethane, difluoromethane, trifluoromethane, fluoroethane, tetrafluoroethane, pentafluoroethane, 1,1-difluoroethane, 1,2-difluoroethane, 1,1,1-trifluoroethane, 1,1,2-trifluoroethane, 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethane, pentafluoroethane, chloromethane, chloroethane, thionyl fluoride, thionyl chloride fluoride, phosphoryl fluoride, phosphoryl chloride fluoride, sulfuryl fluoride, sulfuryl chloride fluoride, 1-fluoropropane, 2-fluoropropane, 1,1-difluoropropane, 1,2-difluoropropane, 2,2-fluoropropane, 1,1,1-trifluoropropane, 1,1,2-trifluoropropane, 1,2,2-trifluoropropane, fluoroethylene, cis-1,2-fluoroethylene, 1,1-fluoroethylene, 1-fluoropropylene, 2-propylene, chlorine, chloromethane, bromine, iodine, ammonia, methyl amine, dimethyl amine, trimethyl amine, molecular oxygen, molecular nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, methyl vinyl ether, difluoro ethylene, nitrous oxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon disulfide, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen, and isomers thereof, and combinations thereof, and with the addition of a hydrocarbon solvent to lower or increase the vapor pressure to optimize the cell performance. The addition of the hydrocarbon solvent may modify the liquefied gas electrolyte vapor pressure to achieve a vapor pressure of around 100 kPa, or more desirably, a vapor pressure between 100 kPa and 100 MPa, or more desirably around 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 MPa at a room temperature of 293.15 K. This might equate to a vapor pressure increase or decrease of 0.1% to 99.9% at any temperature from 1 K to 1000 K of the liquefied gas electrolyte. More desirably, the increase or decrease of the liquefied electrolyte vapor pressure might be around 0.1, 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 59, 60, 61, 65, 70, 75, 80, 90, 95, 99, or 99.9% at a room temperature of 293.15 K.
Hydrocarbons are an ideal material to use since they impart improved chemical stability to the electrolyte and are relatively cheap. However, it is noted that addition of any hydrocarbon to the liquefied gas electrolyte will always impart some defree of flammability to the liquefied gas electrolyte system. This often leads to a less desirable lower flash point (the lowest temperature at which a material's vapor may ignite) of the electrolyte due to the generally low flash point of hydrocarbons. Even with the lower flash point with addition of these hydrocarbons to the liquefied gas electrolyte, the improved characteristics, such as improved safety, manufacturability, performance, lower GWP, etc., discussed above impart highly desirable aspects which are desired in the industry today.
The mass ratio of the hydrocarbon solvent to the liquefied gas electrolyte solvent may be anywhere from 0.01 part in a hundred to 99.99 parts in a hundred by mass or by molar ratio when compared to the rest of the electrolyte. It is only through considerable experimentation the ratio of solvent, hydrocarbon co-solvent, salt, and one or more additives can be found in order to enhance solubility, minimize phase separation, maximize conductivity, and maximize cell performance. The addition of the hydrocarbon solvent may also benefit the electrolyte through lowering the vapor pressure or lowering the GWP while maintaining the same cell performance as an electrolyte without the addition of a hydrocarbon solvent.
Adding a non-polar solvent, such as a hydrocarbon, into an electrolyte can lower the overall solubility of the electrolyte. Several studies were conducted to determine which hydrocarbons and in what percent can be added to an electrolyte to optimize salt solubility. Other parameters, such as phase separation (where there is clear separation in a high-density and low-density regions in the fluid), vapor pressure, and GWP are recorded in Table 1. Stainless-steel cells with glass windows were assembled containing various electrolytes, allowing for the study of salt solubility in various electrolyte formulations. Table 1 below presents the observed solubility for various electrolyte formulations at 293.15K. As expected, due to the non-polar nature of hydrocarbon solvents lithium salts have difficulty solubilizing even with enhancing additives. However, when used as a co-solvent in a mixture containing fluoromethane, difluoromethane, or both fluoromethane and difluoromethane salt solubility is enhanced. It has previously been noted that phase separation can occur in various combinations of liquefied gas electrolytes indicative of poor miscibility of the salt, additive, and solvent system. These solubility experiments highlight that carful control of the salt solvation structure is key to creating an electrolyte mixture with high salt solubility and no phase separation. In doing so, the ratio of hydrocarbon solvent can be tuned and demonstrated from 0.01 to 99.99 percent of the solvent mixture. Table 1 uses 1M of salt as standard for purposes of a fixed salt concentration; however, high or lower concentrations have been carefully explored, and salt solubilities from 0.001 to 5M have been observed with varying results. However, it was noted that under no concentration of salt was salt seen to be soluble in any solvent comprised of only one or more hydrocarbon solvents. Further, with mixtures of a solvent comprised of only one or more hydrocarbon-based solvents and liquid additives to improve salt solubility, it was consistently observed that there was no salt solubility, or there was strong phase separation. Further, with mixtures of a solvent comprised of only one or more hydrocarbon-based solvents and salt and with or without liquid additives to improve salt solubility, it was consistently observed there was no lowering of the vapor pressure relative to the vapor pressure of the the pure solvent comprised of only one or more hydrocarbon solvent.
Because of the high reactivity of lithium metal, lithium metal is difficult to use as an anode in high energy lithium battery cells. To demonstrate the advantage of including chemically inert co-solvents such as hydrocarbon solvents, Li metal was stored in various solvent and electrolyte mixtures for 24 hours and visually inspected for deleterious side reactions. Similar to liquid hydrocarbon analogues (i.e. hexane), lithium metal can be stored in liquefied gas hydrocarbon solvents and liquefied gas-based electrolytes including hydrocarbons as a co-solvent without any deleterious side reactions. Observations of lithium metal after soaking in various solvents and electrolytes at 293.15K for 24 hours is shown in Table 2.
In an exemplary electrochemical device using a liquefied gas electrolyte composed of one or more liquefied gas components with any combination of one or more liquid components, one or more solid components, or one or more salt components, the electrodes are composed of any combination of two electrodes of intercalation type such as graphite, carbon, activated carbon, lithium titanate, titanium disulfide, molybdenum disulfide, lithium iron phosphate, lithium cobalt phosphate, lithium nickel phosphate, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium nickel manganese oxide, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide or chemical reaction electrode such as with chemicals of sulfur, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, thionyl fluoride, thionyl chloride fluoride, sulfuryl fluoride, sulfuryl chloride fluoride or of a metallic electrode with lithium, sodium, magnesium, tin, aluminum, zinc metal or metal alloy including lithium, sodium, tin, magnesium, aluminum, zinc, or any combination thereof. These components may be combined with various binder polymer components, including polyvinylidene fluoride, carboxymethyl cellulose, styrene-butadiene rubber, or polytetrafluoroethylene in order to maintain structural integrity of the electrode.
Further, the one or more liquefied gas solvent solution or electrolyte may be combined with one or more salts, including one or more of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), lithium perchlorate (LiClO4), lithium hexafluoroarsenate (LiAsF6), lithium tetrachloroaluminate (LiAlCl4), lithium tetragaliumaluminate, lithium bis(oxalato)borate (LiBOB), lithium hexafluorostannate, lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (LiDFOB), lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI), lithium aluminum fluoride (LiAlF3), lithium nitrate (LiNO3), lithium chloroaluminate, lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF4), lithium tetrachloroaluminate, lithium difluorophosphate, lithium tetrafluoro(oxalato)phosphate, lithium difluorobis(oxalato)phosphate, lithium borate, lithium oxolate, lithium thiocyanate, lithium tetrachlorogallate, lithium chloride, lithium bromide, lithium iodide, lithium carbonate, lithium fluoride, lithium oxide, lithium hydroxide, lithium nitride, lithium super oxide, lithium azide, lithium deltate, di-lithium squarate, lithium croconate dihydrate, dilithium rhodizonate, lithium oxalate, di-lithium ketomalonate, lithium di-ketosuccinate or any corresponding salts with the positive charged lithium cation substituted for sodium or magnesium or any combinations thereof. Further useful salts include those with positively charged cations such as tetramethylammonium, tetraethylammonium, tetrapropylammonium, tetrabutylammonium, triethylmethylammonium ammonium, spiro-(1,1′)-bipyrrolidinium, 1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinium, and 1,1-diethylpyrrolidinium, N,N-diethyl-N-methyl-N(2methoxyethyl)ammonium, N,N-Diethyl-N-methyl-N-propylammonium, N,N-dimethyl-N-ethyl-N-(3-methoxypropyl)ammonium, N,N-Dimethyl-N-ethyl-N-benzylAmmonium, N,N-Dimethyl-N-ethyl-N-phenylethylammonium, N-Ethyl-N,N-dimethyl-N-(2-methoxyethyl)ammonium, N-Tributyl-N-methylammonium, N-Trimethyl-N-hexylammonium, N-Trimethyl-N-butylammonium, N-Trimethyl-N-propylammonium, 1,3-Dimethylimidazolium, 1-(4-Sulfobutyl)-3-methylimidazolium, 1-Allyl-3H-imidazolium, 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium, 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium, 1-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium, 1-Octyl-3-methylimidazolium, 3-Methyl-1-propylimidazolium, H-3-Methylimidazolium, Trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium, N-Butyl-N-methylpiperidinium, N-Propyl-N-methylpiperidinium, 1-Butyl-1-Methylpyrrolidinium, 1-Methyl-1-(2-methoxyethyl)pyrrolidinium, 1-Methyl-1-(3-methoxypropyl)pyrrolidinium, 1-Methyl-1-octylpyrrolidinium, 1-Methyl-1-pentylpyrrolidinium, or N-methylpyrrolidinium paired with negatively charged anions such as acetate, bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide, bis(oxalate)borate, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, bromide, chloride, dicyanamide, diethyl phosphate, hexafluorophosphate, hydrogen sulfate, iodide, methanesulfonate, methyl-phophonate, tetrachloroaluminate, tetrafluoroborate, and trifluoromethanesulfonate.
Replacing a portion of fluoromethane in a battery cell with a hydrocarbon co-solvent, such as propane, would have a beneficial effect on the cell such as having lower vapor pressure and GWP, as shown in
GWP is measured as CO2 equivalents per mass (CO2 eq/kg). Addition of one or more hydrocarbon solvents with low or zero GWP to the first electrolyte mixture with a higher GWP will lower the overall GWP of the final mixture by dilution of the GWP over a larger mass of final electrolyte. The lower GWP effect can be fine-tuned by adjusting the amount of hydrocarbon co-solvent or by changing the type of hydrocarbon co-solvent used. Other hydrocarbon co-solvents that may be used include: methane, ethane, propane, n-butane, iso-butane, cyclopropane, cyclopropane, ethene, propene, butene, cyclobutane, cyclobutene, acetylene, pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, cycloheptane, cyclooctane, isomers thereof, and a combination thereof. Preferably the amount and type of hydrocarbon solvent used lowers the GWP of the mixture (i.e. solvent plus co-solvent) by at least 10% compared to the GWP of the solvent without the hydrocarbon co-solvent.
The improvement in lowering the vapor pressure increases across the operational temperature range of the electrochemical energy storage device, which significantly reduces the pressure requirement for the cell housing. Thicker cell walls are less desirable because they add volume, mass, and cost to the cell. Alternatively, stronger metals might be used with thinner walls, such as stainless steel and titanium, but at an added cost to the cell. Thus, lowering the vapor pressure of the electrolyte across the operational temperatures, as shown in
The use of propane instead of fluoromethane improves stability of lithium metal in the electrolyte solution, as shown in Table 2. This is further shown in lithium metal plating-stripping tests conducted to determine the relative stability of the electrolyte with lithium metal. A battery coin cell composed of a lithium metal anode and a stainless-steel counter-electrode were built and used to test lithium metal plating and stripping. The cell was used to plate 4.0 mAh/cm2 lithium metal onto the stainless-steel working electrode at a current of 0.5 mA/cm2. Subsequently 0.5 mAh/cm2 of lithium metal was stripped and plated at a current of 0.5 mA/cm2 for 50 cycles. Finally, the remaining lithium metal was stripped to a high-voltage cutoff of 1.0V to determine the average lithium plating and stripping cycle efficiency. These test results are shown in
Electrolytic conductivity measurements were conducted on various electrolytes with and without hydrocarbon solvents. The electrolyte solutions containing hydrocarbon co-solvents demonstrate similar electrolytic conductivity to the fluoromethane- and difluoromethane-dominant electrolyte, as shown in
A battery coin cell composed of a lithium metal anode, a graphite cathode, and varying electrolytes is compared in
A battery coin cell using a lithium metal anode, a lithium-nickel-manganese oxide (NMC622) cathode, and an electrolyte composed of 1.0M LiTFSI and 2.0M trimethyl phosphate in 90 parts by mole fluoromethane, and 10 parts by mole carbon dioxide was constructed. Performance is shown in
A battery coin cell composed of a lithium metal anode, a lithium-nickel-manganese oxide (NMC622) cathode, and an electrolyte composed of 1.0M LiTFSI and 2.0M trimethyl phosphate in 80 parts by mole fluoromethane, 10 parts by mole iso-butane, and 10 parts by mole carbon dioxide. This electrolyte solution has a GWP of 93 and pressure of 486 psi at 293.15K. The cell was cycled to 4.2V at various rates of C/10, C/5, C/3, C/2, 1C, and 2C rate for 5 cycles at each rate. Cell performance is shown in
A battery coin cell composed of a lithium metal anode, a lithium-nickel-manganese oxide (NMC622) cathode, and an electrolyte composed of 1.0M LiTFSI and 2.0M trimethyl phosphate in 80 parts by mole fluoromethane, 10 parts by mole n-butane, and 10 parts by mole carbon dioxide. This electrolyte solution has a GWP of 93 and pressure of 484 psi at 293.15K. The cell was cycled to 4.2V at various rates of C/10, C/5, C/3, C/2, 1C, and 2C rate for 5 cycles at each rate. Cell performance is shown in
A battery coin cell composed of a lithium metal anode, a lithium-nickel-manganese oxide (NMC622) cathode, and an electrolyte composed of 1.0M LiTFSI and 2.0M trimethyl phosphate in 70 parts by mole difluoromethane, 20 parts by mole n-butane, and 10 parts by mole carbon dioxide. This electrolyte solution has a GWP of 475 and pressure of 246 psi at 293.15K. The cell was cycled to 4.2V at various rates of C/10, C/5, C/3, C/2, 1C, and 2C rate for 5 cycles at each rate. Cell performance is shown in
A battery coin cell composed of a lithium metal anode, a lithium-nickel-manganese oxide (NMC622) cathode, and an electrolyte composed of 1.0M LiTFSI and 2.0M triethyl phosphate in 40 parts by mole fluoromethane, 50 parts by mole propane, and 10 parts by mole carbon dioxide. This electrolyte solution has a GWP of 48 and pressure of 345 psi at 293.15K. The cell was cycled to 4.2V at various rates of C/10, C/5, C/3, C/2, 1C, and 2C rate for 5 cycles at each rate. Cell performance is shown in
A battery coin cell composed of a lithium metal anode, a lithium-nickel-manganese oxide (NMC622) cathode, and an electrolyte composed of 1.0M LiTFSI and 2.0M triethyl phosphate in 40 parts by mole fluoromethane, 50 parts by mole propene, and 10 parts by mole carbon dioxide. This electrolyte solution has a GWP of 47 and pressure of 357 psi at 293.15K. The cell was cycled to 4.2V at various rates of C/10, C/5, C/3, C/2, 1C, and 2C rate for 5 cycles at each rate. Cell performance is shown in
A battery coin cell composed of a lithium metal anode, a lithium-nickel-manganese oxide (NMC622) cathode, and an electrolyte composed of 1.0M LiTFSI and 2.0M triethyl phosphate in 35 parts by mole difluoromethane, 60 parts by mole propane, and 5 parts by mole carbon dioxide. This electrolyte solution has a GWP of 239 and pressure of 195 psi at 293.15K. The cell was cycled to 4.2V at various rates of C/10, C/5, C/3, C/2, 1C, and 2C rate for 5 cycles at each rate. Cell performance is shown in
The vapor pressure of several liquefied gas electrolytes was measured with varying amounts of salt. In the findings of
A cell was constructed with a graphite anode and a NMC622 cathode and tested under a thermal ramp test. Temperature was increased at a rate of 5° C. per minute. Voltage and temperature data of the cell are shown in
A 2-Ah cell was constructed with a graphite anode and a NMC622 cathode and liquefied gas electrolyte and tested in an overcharge test. The cell was charged at a rate of 2 A, and the voltage and temperature of the cell were observed, with the data shown in
A 2-Ah cell was constructed with a graphite anode and a NMC622 cathode and liquefied gas electrolyte and tested under a crush test while the cell was held at a full voltage of 4.2 V. The cell was crushed with a 18 mm-diameter cylindrical impactor at a rate of 1 mm per minute into the center of the cell. The cell temperature and voltage were observed, and the data is shown in
A method of constructing a electrochemical energy storage device with a safe liquefied gas electrolyte that will gas off at 100 kPa at a temperature of 293.15 K is shown in
In an exemplary electrochemical device constructed by this method, the electrodes are composed of any combination of two electrodes such as carbons like graphite, graphene, graphene oxide, carbon, activated carbon, or silicon, lithium titanate, titanium disulfide, molybdenum disulfide, lithium iron phosphate, lithium cobalt phosphate, lithium nickel phosphate, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium nickel manganese oxide, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide or chemical reaction electrodes such as with chemicals of sulfur, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, thionyl fluoride, thionyl chloride fluoride, sulfuryl fluoride, sulfuryl chloride fluoride, or of a metallic electrode with lithium, sodium, zinc, aluminum, magnesium, calcium metal or an alloy of these metals or any combination thereof. The electrodes may further include various binder polymer components including polyvinylidene fluoride, carboxymethyl cellulose, styrene-butadiene rubber, or polytetrafluoroethylene in order to maintain structural integrity of the electrode. This method can be used to manufacture a battery or a capacitor.
Although exemplary embodiments and applications of the invention have been described herein including as described above and shown in the included example Figures, there is no intention that the invention be limited to these exemplary embodiments and applications or to the manner in which the exemplary embodiments and applications operate or are described herein. Indeed, many variation and modifications to the exemplary embodiments are possible, as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. The invention may include any device, structure, method, or functionality, as long as the resulting device, system or method falls within the scope of one of the claims that are allowed by the patent office based on this or any related patent application.
This application claim priority as a continuation of PCT US22/31594 filed on May 31, 2022 which claims priority to U.S. application 63/195,592, filed on Jun. 1, 2021. The entire contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference. This application is also related to the applications and patents, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety: U.S. Pat. No. 10,608,284 issued on Mar. 31, 2020; U.S. Pat. No. 10,988,143 issued on May 4, 2021; U.S. Pat. No. 10,784,532 issued on Sep. 22, 2020; PCT/US19/032413 filed on May 15, 2019; PCT/US20/26086 filed on Apr. 1, 2020; U.S. Pat. No. 11,088,396 issued on Aug. 10, 2021; U.S. Pat. No. 11,049,668 issued on Jun. 29, 2021; U.S. Pat. No. 10,873,070 issued on Dec. 22, 2020; U.S. application Ser. No. 16/666,155 filed on Oct. 28, 2019; U.S. application Ser. No. 17/326,093 filed on May 20, 2021; U.S. Application 63/306,396 filed on Feb. 3, 2022; and U.S. Application 63/328,480 filed on Apr. 7, 2022.
This invention was made with U.S. government support under grant 1831087 awarded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The U.S. government has certain rights in the invention.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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| 20160261005 | Rustomji et al. | Sep 2016 | A1 |
| 20180375156 | Zhamu et al. | Dec 2018 | A1 |
| 20200067130 | Rustomji et al. | Feb 2020 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
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| 2020163879 | Aug 2020 | WO |
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| International Search Report for PCT/US2022/031594 dated Nov. 3, 2022 (18 pages). |
| Davies et al. A Safer, Wide-Temperature Liquefied Gas Electrolyte Based on 1-4 Difluoromethane, Journal of Power Sources, vol. 493, Mar. 3, 2021 (8 pages). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20240120543 A1 | Apr 2024 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63195592 | Jun 2021 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/US2022/031594 | May 2022 | WO |
| Child | 18383255 | US |
