All-solid-state battery electrolyte overflow design
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Solution Overview
Problem
All-solid-state batteries using inorganic solid electrolytes face limitations in achieving high energy density and stability due to bulky and heavy electrolyte membranes, which can lead to short circuits when made thin, and existing manufacturing processes are complex and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
The battery design involves alternately stacking units with solid electrolyte layers having a larger area than the units, with specific thickness and distance relationships to prevent short circuits and optimize energy density, and a simplified manufacturing process that includes pressurizing a cell assembly with a solid electrolyte layer having a release film to reduce material usage and enhance stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the electrolyte membrane is made thin to reduce bulkiness and weight, then energy density is improved, but short circuit between electrodes may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the solid electrolyte layer beyond the plane of the electrodes in the lateral dimension, creating an overflow configuration. This dimensional extension allows the electrolyte to provide vertical separation between electrodes while the lateral overflow provides horizontal protection against short circuits at electrode edges, thus achieving both thinness for high energy density and sufficient separation for short circuit prevention
Solution Approach 2:
The solid electrolyte layer is designed to overflow the electrode edges during the assembly process, creating a protective barrier before the battery is fully assembled and sealed. This preliminary positioning of the electrolyte ensures that when electrodes are stacked, the electrolyte is already in place to prevent short circuits, eliminating the need for post-assembly adjustments
2Reliability
If solid electrolyte layers are used between positive and negative electrodes to ensure safety and stability, then reliability is improved, but the battery becomes bulky and heavy, reducing energy density
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a thin film configuration for the solid electrolyte layer, optimizing its thickness to provide necessary ionic conductivity and mechanical separation without excessive bulk. The thin film approach maintains the stability and safety benefits of solid electrolytes while minimizing the volume and weight contribution, thereby improving energy density
Solution Approach 2:
The patent integrates the solid electrolyte layer directly into the electrode stacking structure, merging the separator function with the ionic conduction function. By combining these functions into a single integrated component rather than using separate elements, the design eliminates redundant materials and reduces overall battery bulk while maintaining reliability
3Reliability
If the solid electrolyte layer area is increased to prevent short circuits, then short circuit prevention is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the battery structure into modular units with electrodes and electrolyte layers stacked in a repeating pattern. This segmentation allows for standardized manufacturing of individual layers that can be assembled through simple stacking, reducing overall manufacturing complexity despite the extended electrolyte area
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of cutting the solid electrolyte layer to match the exact electrode dimensions, the patent inverts the approach by allowing the electrolyte layer to be larger and extending beyond the electrodes. This reversal simplifies the manufacturing process by eliminating precise cutting and positioning requirements, as the overflow configuration is achieved through simple layer stacking
Data Source
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AI summary
In manufacturing an all-solid-state battery, a cell assembly is pressurized rather than pressurizing each cell unit, and the structure of the battery is simplified by using a reduced number of first electrode current collectors and second electrode current collectors. In particular, the all-solid-state battery includes: first units each including a first electrode current collector and a first electrode active material layer provided on each of opposite surfaces of the first electrode current collector; second units each including a second electrode current collector and a second electrode active material layer provided on each of opposite surfaces of the second electrode current collector; and a solid electrolyte layer disposed between a corresponding first unit and a corresponding second unit.