Lithium Surface Treatment via Abrasive Blasting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for cleaning and structuring lithium surfaces in secondary galvanic cells are inefficient, leading to high internal resistance and reduced battery performance due to the use of chemical etching and solvent residues, and existing physical methods are complex or not fully effective in removing passivation layers.
Innovation Solution
A surface treatment method using a blasting medium to remove part of the lithium surface, achieving high purity and structured surfaces without chemical solvents, which enhances charging and discharging efficiency and cycle stability by removing impurities and passivation layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chemical etching processes using solvents are used to clean lithium surfaces, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but solvent consumption increases and solvent residues remain on the surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical cleaning methods with a mechanical cleaning method using a blasting agent. The blasting agent is accelerated and impacts the lithium surface to remove surface species and passivation layers physically, eliminating the need for chemical solvents and their associated consumption and residue problems while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
2Reliability
If chemical conversion processes are used to replace native films, then surface functionality is improved, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex chemical conversion processes with a simple mechanical blasting process. The blasting method achieves surface structuring and cleaning in a single step without requiring multiple chemical treatment stages, thereby reducing process complexity while maintaining or improving surface functionality for lithium deposition and dissolution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the problematic native passivation layer and surface species through mechanical blasting, creating a fresh, functional surface. This approach eliminates the need for complex chemical conversion processes that would otherwise be required to achieve similar surface functionality.
3Ease of manufacture
If mechanical cleaning methods are used in lithium recycling, then chemical process steps are avoided, but cleaning and structuring require separate operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines cleaning and structuring functions into a single blasting operation. The blasting agent simultaneously removes surface contaminants and creates beneficial surface morphology, eliminating the need for separate cleaning and structuring process steps while avoiding wet-chemical processes.
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 improves the charging and discharging efficiency and cycle stability of secondary galvanic elements by achieving high purity and structured surfaces, reducing internal resistance, and integrating cleaning and structuring in a single process step without chemical usage.
Implementation Method 1
the blasting agent being accelerated in the direction of the surface to be treated and striking the surface to be treated, and the impact of the blasting agent on the surface to be treated removes at least part of the surface to be treated
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for the surface treatment of metal substrates and metal alloy substrates for a negative electrode of a secondary galvanic cell. In the method, at least one surface to be treated, made of a material selected from the group consisting of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, aluminum, and alloys thereof, is blasted with an abrasive. The abrasive is accelerated towards the surface to be treated and impacts it. This impact removes at least a portion of the surface. In this way, cleaning and/or structuring of the surface can be achieved.Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a metal substrate or metal alloy substrate with at least one treated surface which has been treated with the method according to the invention, and to a secondary galvanic element which comprises such a metal substrate or metal alloy substrate.