Blended Li-Ion Battery Anodes to Raise Capacity Without Lithium Plating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery technologies face challenges in achieving high energy storage capacity while ensuring safety and longevity, with oxide-based anodes providing relatively high specific capacity but risking lithium plating, and metal-based anodes leading to rapid degradation and short life cycles.
Innovation Solution
A blended anode material comprising a metal oxide, such as AlNb11O29 or Li4Ti5O12, combined with a metal like Sn or Sb, which can be synthesized and used in a slurry form to create a Li-ion battery anode, allowing for a specific capacity ranging from 200 to 600 mAh/g and improved safety by avoiding lithium plating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If oxide-based anodes are used, then specific capacity is improved, but lithium plating occurs causing safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite anode material consisting of metal oxide particles (such as AlNb11O29 or Li4Ti5O12) combined with metal particles (such as Sn or Sb). This composite structure allows the metal oxide component to provide high specific capacity while the metal component prevents lithium plating, thus resolving the contradiction between capacity and safety.
2Quantity of substance
If metal-based anodes are used, then specific capacity is improved, but rapid degradation occurs leading to short life cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The composite anode combines metal oxide particles with high capacity but poor stability with metal particles that offer good stability but lower capacity. The metal oxide component (AlNb11O29 or Li4Ti5O12) provides structural stability and long cycle life, while the metal component (Sn or Sb) contributes high specific capacity, thus resolving the contradiction between capacity and reliability.
3Quantity of substance
If blended anode material is used, then specific capacity reaches 500 mAh/g, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The anode material is segmented into distinct metal oxide particles and metal particles that are mixed together. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for its specific function (capacity or stability) while simplifying the manufacturing process, as the components can be separately synthesized and then combined in a slurry formulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the size ratio between metal oxide particles and metal particles, with metal particles having a smaller size than metal oxide particles. This parameter change improves the blending efficiency and electrical contact between components, enhancing performance while maintaining manufacturability through controlled particle size distribution.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a battery anode compound including a metal oxide and a metal. Also disclosed herein is a method of providing a battery anode compound comprising synthesizing AlNb11O29 and combining AlNb11O29 and a metal. A Li-ion battery anode compound is also disclosed that includes a slurry comprising up to 70% AlNb11O29, up to 70% Li4Ti5O12, and up to 70% of a metal, wherein the metal is any one of Sb or Sn.