Tabless Lithium-Ion Battery With Ceramic Electrode Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium-ion batteries with low impedance and no tabs are prone to thermal runaway and safety accidents due to internal short circuits, and the conventional separator membrane contributes to increased internal resistance and limited cycle life.
Innovation Solution
A lithium-ion battery design without a separator membrane, utilizing a ceramic coating on the electrodes to prevent direct short circuits and enhance safety, with a ceramic coating replacing the traditional separator membrane, improving thermal stability and cycle life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separator membrane is used to isolate electrodes, then safety is improved by preventing short circuits, but internal resistance increases and cycle life is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the separator membrane from the battery structure entirely. Instead of using a separate separator component, the invention relies on the ceramic coating on the electrodes themselves to provide isolation and safety functions, eliminating the source of internal resistance and energy loss associated with separator membranes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies a ceramic coating material to the electrode surfaces. This composite structure combines the conductive electrode material with the insulating ceramic layer, creating a surface that simultaneously enables electron conduction within the electrode while preventing electron passage between electrodes, thereby providing safety without the resistance penalty of traditional separators
2Reliability
If organic polymer separator membrane is used, then electrode isolation is achieved, but thermal stability deteriorates due to melting and carbonization under abnormal conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the isolation layer from organic polymer to inorganic ceramic coating. This fundamental material parameter change transforms the thermal properties from heat-sensitive (prone to melting and carbonization) to heat-resistant, enabling the electrode isolation function to be maintained even under high-temperature abnormal conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The ceramic coating creates a composite electrode structure where the inorganic ceramic layer provides thermal stability and isolation functionality, replacing the thermally vulnerable organic polymer separator while maintaining effective electrode isolation through the coating's inherent insulating properties
3Ease of operation
If tabs are included in battery design, then electrical connection is facilitated, but internal impedance increases and structure becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the tabs from the battery structure entirely. The invention achieves electrical connection through alternative means (such as direct electrode contact with current collectors or other connection methods) that eliminate the tab component, thereby removing the source of additional internal impedance and structural complexity associated with tabs
4Reliability
If ceramic coating thickness is increased to improve safety, then thermal stability is enhanced, but volumetric specific energy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the ceramic coating thickness parameter to achieve the minimum effective thickness that provides adequate safety and thermal stability. By precisely controlling this parameter, the invention balances the competing requirements of safety (requiring sufficient coating thickness) and energy density (requiring minimal coating thickness to maximize active material volume)
Solution Approach 2:
The ceramic coating is applied selectively on the electrode surfaces where it is most needed for safety and isolation functions. This localized application ensures that the coating provides maximum protective effect with minimum material usage, preserving volumetric specific energy by avoiding unnecessary coating in areas where it would not provide additional benefit
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 ceramic coating enhances safety performance, increases volumetric specific energy, and extends the cycle life of the battery by preventing thermal runaway and reducing internal resistance.
Implementation Method 1
a ceramic coating on the electrode can replace the battery separator membrane in the conventional sense, and the electrode with the ceramic coating can be directly assembled into a battery without the presence of the separator membrane, preventing the direct short circuit between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode
Implementation Method 2
the cycle life and the thermal stability of the lithium-ion battery can be improved by using the electrode coating instead of the battery separator membrane
Implementation Method 3
the internal resistance of the lithium-ion battery, and with the aging of the separator membrane, the internal leakage current of the lithium-ion battery also increases significantly
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an lithium-ion battery comprising a cathode electrode, an anode electrode, electrolyte and a housing, wherein the cathode electrode includes a cathode collector and a cathode active material coated thereon, the anode electrode includes an anode collector and an anode active material coated thereon, wherein the cathode electrode and the anode electrode face each other, and at least one of surfaces of the cathode electrode and the anode electrode that face each other has an electrode ceramic coating, and wherein the lithium-ion battery does not comprise a tab. The ceramic coating can replace the battery separator membrane in the conventional sense, and can improve the cycle life and the thermal stability of the lithium-ion battery. Thus, the design of the lithium-ion battery without tabs is more feasible.