Patents Examined by Ula C. Ruddock
  • Patent number: 11757151
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a cathode material for a lithium-air battery and a method of manufacturing a cathode using the same. The cathode material of the present invention includes a solvent component and thus includes an electrolyte in a small amount compared to a conventional cathode material, thereby reducing the weight of a cathode manufactured using the cathode material, ultimately increasing the energy density of a lithium-air battery including the cathode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, Seoul National University R&DB Foundation
    Inventors: Sam Ick Son, Young Joon Bae, Hyeok Jun Park, Ki Suk Kang, Young Min Ko, Sung Kwan Park
  • Patent number: 11749825
    Abstract: In an aspect, an electrochemical cell comprises: a positive electrode; a negative electrode; and a solid state electrolyte in ionic communication with the positive electrode and the negative electrode; wherein: the electrolyte is characterized by formula (FX1): MPS3 (FX1); wherein M is one or more metal cations and optionally metal cation vacancies; and wherein at least one of said one or more metal cations is a divalent cation; the electrolyte is characterized by a divalent ion conductivity; and the electrolyte is electrically insulating. The solid state electrolyte is optionally not an electrocatalyst material or does not function as an electrocatalyst in the electrochemical cell during operation (e.g., charging and/or discharging) of the electrochemical cell. The solid state electrolyte is optionally not an electrode or does not function as an electrode in the electrochemical cell during operation (e.g., charging and/or discharging) of the electrochemical cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Kimberly A. Robb, Andrew J. Martinolich
  • Patent number: 11749834
    Abstract: A lithium ion-conductive solid electrolyte including a freestanding inorganic vitreous sheet of sulfide-based lithium ion conducting glass is capable of high performance in a lithium metal battery. Such an electrolyte is also manufacturable, and readily adaptable for battery cell and cell component manufacture, in a cost-effective, scalable manner using an automated machine based system, apparatus and methods based on inline spectrophotometry to assess and inspect the quality of such vitreous solid electrolyte sheets and associated components. Suitable manufacturing methods can involve providing a sulfur precursor, providing a boron precursor material having lithium as a second constituent, combining the sulfur and boron precursor materials to form a precursor mixture, melting the mixture, and cooling the melt to form a solid lithium ion conducting glass. The glass may have a Li+ conductivity of at least 10?5 S/cm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: PolyPlus Battery Company
    Inventors: Steven J. Visco, Yevgeniy S. Nimon, Bruce D. Katz, Vitaliy Nimon
  • Patent number: 11742544
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a battery module, comprising: a plurality of batteries stacked in a length direction L of the battery module; and an end plate located at an end of the plurality of batteries in the length direction L. The end plate is provided with at least one end plate mounting hole, and each of the at least one end plate mounting holes extends along a height direction H of the battery module. The end plate includes an inner wall and an external wall that are disposed opposite to each other in the length direction L, and an axis of each of the at least one end plate mounting holes includes a first distance L1 from the inner wall and a second distance L2 from the external wall. The first distance L1 is greater than the second distance L2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited
    Inventors: Sien Chen, Shoujiang Xu, Chunyan Feng
  • Patent number: 11742539
    Abstract: Systems and methods for a battery pack are disclosed. A battery pack tab cooling system is disclosed that includes a pouch cell comprising a first tab and a second tab. The battery pack tab cooling system also includes an enclosure configured to contain a cooling material. The first tab and the second tab extend from the pouch cell into the enclosure and are in contact with the cooling material. A method of manufacturing a battery pack that includes forming the battery pack, the battery pack comprising and cooling the at least one of the first tab and the second tab to cool the pouch cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Romeo Power, Inc.
    Inventors: Cecilia Qian Wang King, Zonghao Liu, Prahit Dubey, Robert Wesley Thibault, Abdul-Kader El Srouji
  • Patent number: 11742509
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a system and method for energy generation from salinity gradients using asymmetrically porous electrodes. In certain embodiments, an energy generation system includes at least one pair of asymmetrically porous electrodes positioned within a chamber in selective fluidic communication with a freshwater source (e.g., a river) and a saltwater source (e.g., an ocean). Asymmetry between a first average percent volume per unit pore-width of a first electrode and a second average percent volume per unit pore-width of a second electrode creates differing interfacial potentials between the first electrode and the second electrode when such electrodes are immersed in freshwater and saltwater. By cyclically immersing the electrodes in freshwater and saltwater, energy is harvested from Gibbs free energy from mixing saltwater and freshwater. Such a system does not require a membrane or an external charge source. Methods of generating energy using asymmetrically porous electrodes are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: University of Hawaii
    Inventors: Tianwei Ma, Jian Yu
  • Patent number: 11742516
    Abstract: A solid electrolyte-cathode assembly including a plurality of cathode layers spaced apart from each other in a first direction, and an electrolyte layer including an amorphous solid electrolyte and a crystalline solid electrolyte including a plurality of crystalline solid electrolyte particles, wherein the amorphous solid electrolyte is on a surface of a cathode layer of the plurality of cathode layers and the crystalline solid electrolyte is within the amorphous solid electrolyte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sungjin Lim, Huisu Jeong, Jin S. Heo, Kyounghwan Kim, Mokwon Kim, Hwiyeol Park
  • Patent number: 11742508
    Abstract: A reforming element for a molten carbonate fuel cell stack and corresponding methods are provided that can reduce or minimize temperature differences within the fuel cell stack when operating the fuel cell stack with enhanced CO2 utilization. The reforming element can include at least one surface with a reforming catalyst deposited on the surface. A difference between the minimum and maximum reforming catalyst density and/or activity on a first portion of the at least one surface can be 20% to 75%, with the highest catalyst densities and/or activities being in proximity to the side of the fuel cell stack corresponding to at least one of the anode inlet and the cathode inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignees: EXXONMOBIL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING COMPANY, FUELCELL ENERGY, INC.
    Inventors: Everett J. O'Neal, Lu Han, Carla S. Pereira, Rodrigo F. Blanco Gutierrez, Timothy M. Healy, Carl A. Willman, Hossein Ghezel-Ayagh, Frank J. Dobek, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11742526
    Abstract: Provided is a rechargeable battery including an electrode assembly comprising an electrode assembly body and an electrode tab protruding from the electrode assembly body, and a connecting member comprising a guiding plate and a first connecting plate connected to the guiding plate. The guiding plate extends in a width direction and the first connecting plate extends away from a plate surface of the guiding plate along the width direction or extends toward the plate surface of the guiding plate along the width direction. The electrode tab has a stacked multi-layer structure, the electrode tab protrudes from a portion of an end surface of the electrode assembly body in a longitudinal direction at a side of a split of the electrode assembly body perpendicular to the width direction, and the electrode tab is bent with respect to a longitudinal direction and is connected to the first connecting plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED
    Inventors: Chengyou Xing, Zhijun Guo, Peng Wang, Taosheng Zhu, Yulian Zheng
  • Patent number: 11735724
    Abstract: A negative electrode is provided herein as well as methods for preparing negative electrodes and electrochemical cells including the negative electrode. The negative electrode includes a first electroactive material, an electrically conductive material, and a polymeric binder. The first electroactive material includes silicon-containing particles having an average particle diameter of at least about 1 ?m, and the electrically conductive material includes graphene nanoplatelets. The polymeric binder includes a polyimide, a polyamide, polyacrylonitrile, polyacrylic acid, a salt of polyacrylic acid, polyacrylamide, polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethyl cellulose, or a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Nicole Ellison, Xiaosong Huang, Lei Wang, Xingyi Yang
  • Patent number: 11735794
    Abstract: A method for connecting an energy storage module to a module support, in particular a cooling element, The energy storage module is fastened on the module support by multiple connecting screws, which are each screwed into threaded bores provided on the module support. A gap is provided between the bottom of the energy storage module and the bottom of the module support, into which a thermally-conductive compound is introduced, which is distributed to fill the gap due to a reduction of the gap width when the energy storage module is screwed down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Oliver Schieler, Martin Simon
  • Patent number: 11735743
    Abstract: A power storage device includes: a plurality of bipolar electrodes being stacked, each of the plurality of bipolar electrodes including a collector having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, a positive electrode layer provided on the first surface, and a negative electrode layer provided on the second surface; a first resin member provided on at least one surface of the first surface and the second surface in at least a portion of an outer peripheral portion of the collector; and a second resin member provided on the first resin member and supporting the outer peripheral portion of the collector via the first resin member. The respective first resin members for the bipolar electrodes adjacent to each other in a stacking direction of the plurality of bipolar electrodes are connected to each other by a welded portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Shinya Okuda, Satoshi Endo
  • Patent number: 11728467
    Abstract: A major object is to provide a method of producing a cathode active material having a high average discharge potential, and a high degree of stability at high potential. The method includes: a step of preparing a Na-doped precursor of making a sodium-containing transition metal oxide having the P2 structure belonging to a space group of P63/mmc; and an ion exchange step of substituting lithium for at least part of sodium contained in the sodium-containing transition metal oxide by the ion exchange method, wherein in the ion exchange step, at least lithium iodide is used as a Li ion source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Issei Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 11728489
    Abstract: The present invention provides a three-dimensional current collector used in a metal secondary battery and the preparation method of said current collector. Said current collector is a three-dimensional porous hollow carbon fiber current collector which has both porous structure and hollow structure and is used to load metal anode, so that lithium dendrites growth can be suppressed and the Coulombic efficiency can be improved. Said current collector is intertwined by micrometer-sized hollow carbon fibers with the diameter of 1 to 50 ?m, the wall thick of 0.5 to 6 ?m, and the pore volume of 0.005 to 0.05 cm3 cm?2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
    Inventors: Yuguo Guo, Lin Liu, Yaxia Yin, Lijun Wan
  • Patent number: 11728501
    Abstract: A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte layer; a base electrode formed on one side of the electrolyte layer; and a catalyst electrode formed on the other side of the electrolyte layer to be apart from the base electrode with the electrolyte layer interposed therebetween. The catalyst electrode includes: a first electrode portion that covers a part of the electrolyte layer; and a second electrode portion that covers a part of a surface of the first electrode portion to form an electrode portion interface in contact with the first electrode portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH AND BUSINESS, SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Ji Hwan An, Jeong Woo Shin, Sung Je Lee, Seong Kook Oh, Jin Geun Yu
  • Patent number: 11728523
    Abstract: An improved high energy density rechargeable (HEDR) battery with an anode energy layer, a cathode energy layer, a separator between the anode and cathode energy layers for preventing internal discharge thereof, and at least one current collector for transferring electrons to and from either the anode or cathode energy layer, includes a resistive layer interposed between the separator and one of the current collectors for limiting the rate of internal discharge through the failed separator in the event of separator failure. The resistive layer has a fixed resistivity at temperatures between a preferred temperature range and an upper temperature safety limit for operating the battery. The resistive layer serves to avoid temperatures in excess of the upper temperature safety limit in the event of separator failure in the battery, and a fixed resistivity of the resistive layer is greater than the internal resistivity of either energy layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: American Lithium Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Jiang Fan, Dengguo Wu
  • Patent number: 11728470
    Abstract: A negative electrode for an electrochemical cell of a secondary lithium metal battery is manufactured by a method in which a precursor solution is applied to a major surface of a lithium metal substrate to form a precursor coating thereon. The precursor solution includes an organophosphate, a nonpolar organic solvent, and a lithium-containing inorganic ionic compound dissolved therein. At least a portion of the nonpolar organic solvent is removed from the precursor coating to form a protective interfacial layer on the major surface of the lithium metal substrate. The protective interfacial layer exhibits a composite structure including a carbon-based matrix component and a lithium-containing dispersed component. The lithium-containing dispersed component is embedded in the carbon-based matrix component and includes a plurality of lithium-containing inorganic ionic compounds, e.g., lithium phosphate (Li3PO4) and lithium nitrate (LiNO3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Xingcheng Xiao, Mengyuan Chen, Qinglin Zhang, Mei Cai
  • Patent number: 11728516
    Abstract: A battery including a first electrode layer, a solid electrolyte layer on the first electrode layer, a second electrode layer which is located on the solid electrolyte layer and which is a counter electrode layer of the first electrode layer, and a space portion, wherein a first thickness portion is located on the first active material layer, the second thickness portion is located on the first electrode layer, the second active material layer is located at a position which faces the first thickness portion and which does not face the first active material layer via the second thickness portion, the second collector extends to the position facing the second thickness portion and a region provided with the second active material layer, the second thickness portion is in contact with the second electrode layer, and the space portion is surrounded by the second electrode layer and the second thickness portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuyoshi Honda
  • Patent number: 11721833
    Abstract: A method of producing a lithium ion secondary battery disclosed here, includes a process of preparing an electrode body which includes a positive electrode and a negative electrode and in which the negative electrode contains a negative electrode material containing graphite having open pores and SiO2 disposed in the open pores; a process of producing a battery assembly including the electrode body and a non-aqueous electrolytic solution containing LiPF6 with a concentration of 1 mol/L or more; a process of initially charging the battery assembly; and a process of performing an aging treatment on the initially charged battery assembly in an environment of a temperature of 50° C. or higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroto Asano, Shinsuke Matsuhara
  • Patent number: 11721809
    Abstract: Additives for energy storage devices comprising compounds containing one or more silicate and/or organosilicon moieties are disclosed. The energy storage device comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, where at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is a Si-based electrode, a separator between the first electrode and the second electrode, and an electrolyte composition. Compounds containing silicate and/or organosilicon moieties may serve as additives to the first electrode, the second electrode and/or the electrolyte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Enevate Corporation
    Inventors: Liwen Ji, Benjamin Park