Porous Lithium Electrode for Dendrite Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium secondary batteries face issues with lithium dendrite growth due to uneven electron distribution and protective membranes peeling off during charge and discharge, leading to potential short circuits.
Innovation Solution
A lithium secondary battery design featuring a porous metallic current collector with lithium metal inserted into its pores and a protective membrane made of specific polymers, ensuring uniform electron distribution and preventing membrane peeling, thereby inhibiting dendrite growth and maintaining safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective membrane is coated on the lithium surface to prevent dendrite formation, then dendrite growth is inhibited, but the protective membrane peels off during charge and discharge cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a porous current collector with controlled porosity (30-80%) that allows the protective membrane to penetrate and anchor within the pore structure. This creates a mechanically interlocked configuration where the membrane cannot peel off during volume changes, while still maintaining its dendrite-preventing function on the lithium surface
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure combining the porous current collector, protective membrane, and lithium alloy material. The composite design allows each component to contribute its strengths: the porous collector provides mechanical anchoring, the membrane provides dendrite protection, and the lithium alloy provides stable electrochemical performance
2Device complexity
If lithium foil is attached on a planar current collector to form a lithium electrode, then the electrode structure is simple, but electron density becomes un-uniform and lithium dendrites are formed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the planar current collector with a porous structure that provides three-dimensional electron distribution pathways. The porous architecture allows electrons to distribute uniformly throughout the electrode volume, preventing localized electron accumulation that leads to dendrite formation, while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional planar current collector to a three-dimensional porous structure. This dimensional change enables uniform electron distribution throughout the electrode volume rather than on a flat surface, eliminating the electron density gradients that cause dendrite growth
3Productivity
If the contact surface between lithium metal and current collector is increased to improve performance, then battery performance improves, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The porous current collector inherently provides large surface area within a compact structure. The three-dimensional pore network creates extensive contact between lithium metal and current collector without requiring complex external configurations, achieving high performance while maintaining manufacturing simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent embeds lithium metal within the porous structure of the current collector, creating a nested configuration where lithium fills the pore spaces. This nesting approach maximizes contact surface area within the available volume without adding external structural complexity
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 design enhances contact surface area between lithium and the current collector, prevents lithium dendrite growth, and maintains the protective membrane integrity during charge/discharge cycles, improving battery safety and extending cycle life without short circuits.
Implementation Method 1
lithium metal inserted into pores present in the metallic current collector
Implementation Method 2
protective membrane for lithium ion conduction, the protective membrane being formed on at least one surface of the electrode composite
Implementation Method 3
electrons transfer through the current collector into the lithium foil to make a unidirectional flow
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a lithium electrode, comprising an electrode composite comprising a porous metallic current collector, and lithium metal inserted into pores present in the metallic current collector; and a protective membrane for lithium ion conduction, the protective membrane being formed on at least one surface of the electrode composite. The lithium electrode according to the present disclosure can increase contact surface between lithium metal and a current collector to improve the performances of a lithium secondary battery, and can exhibit uniform electron distribution therein to prevent the growth of lithium dendrites during the operation of a lithium secondary battery, thereby improving the safety of a lithium secondary battery. Furthermore, even though the lithium electrode is coated with a protective membrane for lithium ion conduction on the surface thereof, the protective membrane can be prevented from being peeled off during the charge and discharge of a lithium secondary battery.