Claims
- 1. An electrochemical cell comprising:
(a) a solid lithium anode; (b) a solid cathode comprising an electroactive sulfur-containing material; and (c) a non-aqueous electrolyte interposed between said anode and said cathode wherein said electrolyte comprises:
(i) one or more lithium salts; (ii) one or more non-aqueous solvents; and (iii) one or more capacity-enhancing reactive components; wherein said capacity-enhancing reactive components comprise an electron transfer mediator of the formula: 20wherein: R4 is the same or different at each occurrence and is selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or substituted derivatives thereof; E is the same or different at each occurrence and is selected from the group consisting of O, NR5, and S; where R5 is alkyl, aryl, or substituted derivatives thereof; a is an integer from 0 to 1; and r is an integer from 2 to 5.
- 2. The cell of claim 1, wherein said electron transfer mediator is present in the amount of 0.2% to 25% by weight of said electrolyte.
- 3. The cell of claim 1, wherein said electron transfer mediator has an oxidation-reduction potential less than 2.2 V.
- 4. The cell of claim 1, wherein said electron transfer mediator has an oxidation-reduction potential in the range of 1.5 V to about 2.0 V.
- 5. The cell of claim 1, wherein said one or more capacity-enhancing reactive components increase the discharge capacity of the first charge-discharge cycle of said cell by greater than 10%.
- 6. The cell of claim 1, wherein said one or more capacity-enhancing reactive components increase the total discharge capacities of 30 charge-discharge cycles of said cell by greater than 10%.
- 7. The cell of claim 1, wherein said one or more capacity-enhancing reactive components increase the total discharge capacities of 30 charge-discharge cycles of said cell by greater than 30%.
- 8. The cell of claim 1, wherein said one or more non-aqueous solvents are selected from the group consisting of ethers, cyclic ethers, polyethers, dioxolanes, sulfones, and sulfolanes.
- 9. The cell of claim 1, wherein said one or more lithium salts are selected from the group consisting of LiBr, LiI, LiSCN, LiBF4, LiPF6, LiAsF6, LiSO3CF3, LiN(SO2CF3)2, LiC(SO2CF3)3, (LiSx)zR, and Li2Sx, where x is an integer from 1 to 20, z is an integer from 1 to 3, and R is an organic group.
- 10. The cell of claim 1, wherein said electroactive sulfur-containing material comprises elemental sulfur.
- 11. The cell of claim 1, wherein said electroactive sulfur-containing material, in its oxidized state, comprises one or more polysulfide moieties, —Sm—, where m is an integer equal to or greater than 3.
- 12. The cell of claim 1, wherein said electroactive sulfur-containing material, in its oxidized state, comprises one or more polysulfide moieties, —Sm31, where m is an integer equal to or greater than 3.
- 13. The cell of claim 1, wherein said electroactive sulfur-containing material, in its oxidized state, comprises one or more polysulfide moieties, Sm2−, where m is an integer equal to or greater than 3.
- 14. The cell of claim 1, wherein said electroactive sulfur-containing material, in its oxidized state, is of the general formula
- 15. The cell of claim 1, wherein said electroactive sulfur-containing material comprises greater than 50% by weight of sulfur.
- 16. The cell of claim 1, wherein said electroactive sulfur-containing material comprises greater than 75% by weight of sulfur.
- 17. The cell of claim 1, wherein said electroactive sulfur-containing material comprises greater than 90% by weight of sulfur.
- 18. The cell of claim 1, wherein said lithium anode is selected from the group consisting of lithium metal, lithium-aluminum alloys, lithium-tin alloys, lithium-intercalated carbons, and lithium-intercalated graphites.
- 19. The cell of claim 1, wherein said cell has an energy density greater than 1000 Wh/Kg.
- 20. The cell of claim 1, wherein said cell has an energy density greater than 1200 Wh/Kg.
- 21. The cell of claim 1, wherein said cell has an energy density greater than 1500 Wh/Kg.
- 22. The cell of claim 1, wherein said cell is a secondary electrochemical cell.
- 23. The cell of claim 1, wherein said cell is a primary electrochemical cell.
- 24. A method of making an electrochemical cell comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a solid lithium anode; (b) providing a solid cathode comprising an electroactive sulfur-containing material; and (c) interposing a non-aqueous electrolyte between said anode and said cathode, wherein said electrolyte comprises:
(i) one or more lithium salts; (ii) one or more non-aqueous solvents; and (iii) one or more capacity-enhancing reactive components; wherein said capacity-enhancing reactive components comprise an electron tranfer mediator of the formula: 21wherein: R4 is the same or different at each occurrence and is selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or substituted derivatives thereof; E is the same or different at each occurrence and is selected from the group consisting of O, NR5, and S, where R5 is alkyl, aryl, or substituted derivatives thereof; a is an integer from 0 to 1; and r is an integer from 2 to 5.
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/165,368, filed Nov. 12, 1999, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60165368 |
Nov 1999 |
US |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09709242 |
Nov 2000 |
US |
Child |
10390516 |
Mar 2003 |
US |