Laser CVD Microneedle Electrode Coating for Battery Safety
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrochemical cell electrode manufacturing methods, such as slurry coating, result in loose particles and increased risks of short-circuits and fire hazards due to dendrite growth, and fail to provide uniform coating and high energy density.
Innovation Solution
A method involving pulsed laser ablation and laser chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to form microneedles on electrode substrates, which increases the surface area and chemically bonds active metal compounds uniformly, reducing loose particles and enhancing energy density.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If slurry coating is used for electrode manufacturing, then the coating process is simple and fast, but the coating is non-uniform and produces loose particles that increase short-circuit and fire hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical slurry coating process with a laser-based process (laser ablation followed by laser CVD). The laser provides precise, localized material removal and deposition, eliminating the mechanical spreading and drying steps that cause non-uniform coating and particle loosening. This substitution maintains high productivity while dramatically improving coating uniformity and adhesion, thereby reducing short-circuit risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the coating process by using laser energy to control material deposition. By adjusting laser pulse duration, energy density, and scanning speed, the process achieves uniform, chemically-bonded coatings. The laser parameters are optimized to ensure complete bonding of active metal compounds to the substrate, eliminating loose particles that would otherwise create safety hazards.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional coating methods are used, then the manufacturing cost is low, but the energy density is not maximized due to non-uniform coating
Solution Approach 1:
The laser-based process enables precise local control of coating quality. The laser can be focused on specific regions to create uniformly distributed microneedles and ensure complete coverage of active metal compounds only where needed. This localized precision maximizes the quantity of active material per unit area (energy density) while maintaining cost-effectiveness by avoiding unnecessary material deposition and reducing waste.
3Area of moving object
If laser ablation is used to form microneedles, then the surface area increases, but the process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two separate processes (laser ablation to form microneedles, and laser CVD to deposit active metal compounds) into a single integrated laser processing system. The same laser source performs both material removal and material deposition in sequence, eliminating the need for separate equipment and reducing overall process complexity. This merging approach successfully increases the active surface area through microneedle formation while keeping the manufacturing process manageable.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method provides a higher energy density electrochemical cell with reduced risk of short-circuits and fire hazards by increasing the active surface area and ensuring a uniform, chemically bonded coating, while also reducing manufacturing costs and cycle time.
Implementation Method 1
the same laser simultaneously ablates substrate material at a substrate surface
Implementation Method 2
sufficiently heats the substrate material to react with one or more gaseous substances
Implementation Method 3
react with one or more gaseous substances in a controlled environment to form a solid reaction product
Implementation Method 4
laser chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to form microneedles on electrode substrates
Data Source
AI summary
An ultra-short pulse laser physically and/or chemically modifies a substrate surface. A laser ablation process is configured to form raised surface features on the substrate. The laser also functions as the energy source in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. The laser delivers energy to the substrate with parameters such as pulse energy, size, duration, and spacing sufficient to simultaneously vaporize substrate material and cause the substrate material to react with a controlled environment that includes constituents of a desired coating composition. A battery electrode having a face with microneedle features coated with an active metal compound can be produced by the process. The active metal compound is a lithium-containing compound in a lithium-ion battery.