Monolithic All-Solid-State Battery Manufacturing Process
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing all-solid-state lithium ion batteries face challenges in achieving dense, non-porous electrode and electrolyte layers with optimal adhesion, leading to high internal resistance and limitations in producing three-dimensional, monolithic battery structures without damaging metallic substrates due to high temperature sintering.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the deposition of dense anode and cathode layers on conductive substrates, followed by a dense solid electrolyte layer, with a bonding material to promote contact and assembly through heat treatment and mechanical compression, allowing for the creation of a monolithic, entirely solid battery with multiple elementary cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sintering techniques with heat treatments are used to improve adhesion and reduce porosity, then electrode and electrolyte layer quality improves, but substrate damage occurs due to excessively high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by depositing a protective coating layer on the metallic substrate before depositing the electrode and electrolyte materials. This protective layer acts as a barrier that prevents substrate damage during subsequent sintering processes, allowing heat treatments to be performed at temperatures that would otherwise damage the aluminum substrate. The protective coating enables the sintering step to proceed without causing oxidation or thermal damage to the current collector.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective coating layer serves as an intermediary between the metallic substrate and the electrode/electrolyte materials. This intermediate layer mediates the interaction during sintering, protecting the substrate from direct exposure to high temperatures while still allowing the necessary thermal energy to densify the ceramic materials. The coating acts as a buffer that decouples the substrate from the harsh thermal conditions required for high-quality solid-state battery fabrication.
2Ease of manufacture
If high-pressure mechanical compaction is used to manufacture all-solid-state battery assemblies, then manufacturing simplicity improves, but porosity increases leading to high internal resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from purely mechanical compaction to a combined thermal-mechanical process. By introducing heat treatment as an additional parameter, the patent enables densification of the electrode and electrolyte layers without requiring excessively high mechanical pressures. The thermal energy activates atomic diffusion and rearrangement, allowing the materials to achieve high density at more manageable compression levels, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and manufacturing precision.
3Power
If electrode layers are made thin to avoid power loss, then power delivery improves, but energy capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by creating a multi-layer structure consisting of alternating electrode and electrolyte layers. This composite architecture allows for optimized thickness of each individual layer while maintaining overall battery performance. The solid-state electrolyte layers provide ionic conductivity pathways that enable thinner electrode designs without proportionally reducing energy capacity, as the composite structure maintains electrical continuity and ionic transport efficiency across the battery assembly.
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
This method enables the production of compact, high-energy-density, three-dimensional batteries with reduced risk of internal short-circuiting and thermal damage, achieving improved power delivery and stability by maintaining the battery's structural integrity and electrical continuity.
Implementation Method 1
a heat treatment and/or mechanical compression is carried out, promoting contact between said two face-on-face stacked layers
Implementation Method 2
a heat treatment and/or mechanical compression is carried out, promoting contact between said two face-on-face stacked layers
Implementation Method 3
Various vacuum deposition techniques have been used to fabricate thin-film microbatteries. In particular, physical vapor deposition (PVD) is currently the most widely used technology for manufacturing high-quality, non-porous electrodes and electrolytes
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(d)
Figure 1(e)~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a process for manufacturing all-solid-state batteries, said batteries comprising at least one dense layer containing anode materials ("anode layer") at least one dense layer containing solid electrolyte materials ("electrolyte layer"), and at least one dense layer containing cathode materials ("cathode layer"), in order to obtain an all-solid-state battery consisting of an assembly of a plurality of elementary cells.