Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a negative electrode material and methods of preparation and use relating thereto. The electrode material comprises a plurality of electroactive material particles, where each electroactive material particle includes an electroactive material core and an electronically conductive coating. The method includes contacting an electroactive material precursor including a plurality of electroactive material particles with a solution so as to form an electronically conductive coating on each of the electroactive material particles. The solution includes a solvent and one or more of copper fluoride (CuF2), titanium tetrafluoride (TiF3 or TiF4), iron fluoride (FeF3), nickel fluoride (NiF2), manganese fluoride (MnF2, MnF3, or MnF4), and vanadium fluoride (VF3, VF4, VF5). The electronically conductive coating includes a plurality of first regions and a plurality of second regions. The plurality of first regions include lithium fluoride.

Abstract: A composite electrode material may include a carbon-based matrix component and a silicon-based particulate component embedded in the carbon-based matrix component. The silicon-based particulate component may include a plurality of core-shell structures, with each core-shell structure including: a silicon core, an intermetallic layer overlying the core, and a graphitic shell surrounding the silicon core and the intermetallic layer. In a method of making the composite electrode material, a metal catalyst layer may be deposited on a plurality of silicon particles to form a plurality of precursor structures in particle form. The precursor structures may be dispersed in organic polymeric material to form a precursor electrode material, which may be heated in an inert environment to pyrolyze the organic polymeric material and transform the precursor electrode material into a composite electrode material.

Abstract: A method of making the sulfide-impregnated solid-state battery is provided. The method comprises providing a cell core that is constructed by cell unit. The cell core is partially sealed into the packaging such as the Al laminated film and metal can. The method further comprises introducing a sulfide solid-state electrolyte (S-SSE) precursor solution in the cell core, the S-SSE precursor solution comprises a sulfide solid electrolyte and a solvent. The method further comprises evaporating the solvent from the cell core to dry the cell core to solidify the sulfide-based solid-state electrolyte within the cell core and pressurizing the cell core to densify the solid sulfide-base electrolyte within the cell core. The cell core is then fully sealed.

Abstract: A battery and supercapacitor system of a vehicle includes a lithium ion battery (LIB) disposed within a housing. The LIB includes: an electrolyte including lithium; and first and second electrodes disposed in the electrolyte. A supercapacitor is disposed within the housing and includes: the electrolyte; and third and fourth electrodes disposed in the electrolyte.

Abstract: Methods of forming a lithium-based negative electrode assembly are provided. A surface of a metal current collector is treated with a reducing plasma gas so that after the treating, a treated surface of the metal current collector is formed that has a contact angle of less than or equal to about 10° and has less than or equal to about 5% metal oxides. The metal current collector may include a metal, such as copper, nickel, and iron. A lithium metal is applied to the treated surface of the metal current collector in an environment substantially free from oxidizing species. Lithium metal flows over and adheres to the treated surface to form a layer of lithium. The layer of lithium may be a thin layer having a thickness of ?about 1 ?m to ?about 75 ?m thus forming the lithium metal negative electrode assembly.

Abstract: Systems, methods and compositions to produce fine powders are described. These include forming a hypereutectic melt including a target material, a sacrificial-matrix material, and an impurity, rapidly cooling the hypereutectic melt to form a hypereutectic alloy having a first phase and a second phase, annealing the hypereutectic alloy to alter a morphology of the target material to thereby produce target particles, and removing the sacrificial matrix to thereby produce a fine powder of the target particles. The first phase is defined by the target material and the second phase is defined by the sacrificial-matrix material. The sacrificial-matrix material forms a sacrificial matrix having the target material dispersed therethrough.

Abstract: A method of making an electrode material for an electrode in an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions is provided, where a protective coating is applied to an electrode precursor material. The electrode precursor may be a silicon-containing composition. The protective coating is selected from the group consisting of: an oxide-based coating, a fluoride-based coating, and a nitride-based coating. The method also includes lithiating the electrode precursor material in a continuous process. The continuous process is conducted in a reactor having a first reaction chamber and a second reaction chamber to form a lithiated electrode material comprising the protective coating.

Abstract: A method of making a negative electrode material for an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions is provided that includes centrifugally distributing a molten precursor comprising silicon and lithium by contacting the molten precursor with a rotating surface in a centrifugal atomizing reactor. The molten precursor is solidified to form a plurality of substantially round solid electroactive particles comprising an alloy of lithium and silicon and having a D50 diameter of less than or equal to about 20 micrometers. In certain variations, the negative electroactive material particles may further have one or more coatings disposed thereon, such as a carbonaceous coating and/or an oxide-based coating.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to electroactive materials for use in electrodes of lithium-ion electrochemical cells and methods of making the same, for example, methods for lithiating electroactive materials. A method of lithiating an electroactive material may include dispersing an electroactive material precursor within a room-temperature electrolyte that includes a lithium-based salt and contacting the electrolyte mixture and a lithium source so as to cause the lithium source to ionize and form lithium ions. The lithium ions may react with the electroactive material precursor to form a fully lithiated electroactive material (e.g., greater than 70% of total lithiation). The method further includes, in certain aspects, electrochemically discharging the fully lithiated electroactive material to form a lithiated electroactive material having an optimized lithiation state (e.g., less than or equal to about 40% of a first lithiation state of the fully lithiated electroactive material).

Abstract: Lithiated electrodes, electrochemical cells including lithiated electrodes, and methods of making the same are provided. The method includes lithiating at least one electrode in an electrochemical cell by applying current across a first current collector of the at least one electrode to a second current collector of an auxiliary electrode. The electrochemical cell may be disposed within a battery packaging and the auxiliary electrode may be disposed within the battery packaging adjacent to an edge of the electrochemical cell. The at least one electrode may include a first electroactive layer disposed on or near one or more surfaces of the first current collector, and the auxiliary electrode may include a second electroactive layer disposed at or near one or more surfaces of the second current collector. The method may further include extracting the auxiliary electrode from the battery packaging and sealing the battery packaging, which includes the pre-lithiated electrochemical cell.

Abstract: A capacitor-assisted electrode for an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions is provided. The capacitor-assisted electrode may include at least two electroactive materials disposed on one or more surfaces of a current collector. A first electroactive material of the at least two electroactive materials may have a first reversible specific capacity and forms a first electroactive material having a first press density. A second electroactive material of the at least two electroactive materials has a second reversible specific capacity and forms a second electroactive material having a second press density. The second reversible specific capacity may be different from the first reversible specific capacity. The second press density may be different from the first press density. One or more capacitor materials may be disposed on or intermingled with one or more of the at least two electroactive materials.

Abstract: Anodes, and battery cells utilizing the same, include silicon particles embedded within a copper matrix, wherein the anode includes 40 at. % to 75 at. % silicon. The anode can include about 21 at. % to about 67 at. % silicon particles. The copper matrix can include pure copper and/or one or more copper-silicon intermetallic phases. The copper matrix can further include one or more of nickel, gold, silver, beryllium, and zinc. The silicon particles embedded in the copper matrix can have an average particle diameter less than 10 ?m. The non-surfacial silicon particles embedded in the copper matrix can be at least 99 at. % pure. The anode can be a woven mesh of ribbons or a planar sheet.

Abstract: Methods of making negative electrode materials for an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions are provided. A surface of the electrode material formed of silicon, silicon-containing alloys, tin-containing alloys, or combinations thereof is treated with an oxidant at a first temperature of greater than or equal to about 100° C. to form a continuous intermediate layer comprising oxides. The method also includes pyrolyzing a carbon-containing precursor over the continuous intermediate layer at a second temperature of greater than or equal to about 600° C. to form a continuous carbon coating thereon. The intermediate layer oxides may be transformed to carbides. The continuous carbon coating comprises both graphitic carbon and amorphous carbon and may be a multilayered coating, where the inner layer predominantly includes amorphous carbon and the outer layer predominantly includes graphitic carbon.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a silicon-carbon composite electrode assembly for an electrochemical cell includes forming an electrode by pyrolyzing at least a portion of a polymer in an assembly to form pyrolyzed carbon. The assembly includes an electrode precursor in electrical contact with a current collector. The electrode precursor includes a polymer and an electroactive material. The electroactive material includes silicon. The current collector includes an electrically-conductive material. The pyrolyzing includes directing an energy stream toward a surface of the electrode precursor. The surface is disposed opposite the current collector. The silicon-carbon composite electrode assembly includes the electrode and the current collector. In certain variations, the energy stream includes a laser beam or a plasma jet. In certain aspects, the electrode defines a concentration gradient between a first surface and a second surface.

Abstract: Methods for fabricating electrodes include coating a current collector with a slurry to form a coated current collector. The slurry includes a dry fraction, including silicon particles, polymeric binders, and one or more types of naturally occurring carbonaceous filaments, and one or more solvents. The coated current collector is heat treated to produce the electrode having a layer of silicon-based host material. The one or more naturally occurring carbonaceous filaments can include animal fibers, chitin, alginate, cellulose, keratin, and chitosan, and can have an average length of 1 ?m to 50 ?m and an average diameter of 1 nm to 500 nm. The dry fraction can include 5 wt. % to 95 wt. % silicon particles, 0.1 wt. % to 15 wt. % polymeric binders, and 1 wt. % to 20 wt. % naturally occurring carbonaceous filaments. The method can include assembling a battery cell by disposing the electrode and a positive electrode in electrolyte.

Abstract: Methods of forming a plurality of axial geometry carbon structures (e.g., carbon nanotubes or carbon fibers) in situ in an electrode of an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions are provided. Electroactive particles that undergo volumetric expansion are mixed with a polymer precursor and a plurality of catalytic nanoparticles comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of: iron, nickel, cobalt, alloys, and combinations thereof to form a substantially homogeneous slurry. The slurry is applied to a substrate and then heated in an environment having a temperature of ?about 1000° C. and in certain aspects, ?about 895° C. to pyrolyze the polymer precursor. The plurality of catalytic nanoparticles facilitates in situ precipitation of carbon to grow a plurality of axial geometry carbon structures. After the heating, the electrode includes an electrically conductive carbonaceous porous network comprising the plurality of electroactive particles and the plurality of axial geometry carbon structures.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods of compensation for capacity loss resulting from cycle-induced lithium consumption in an electrochemical cell including at least one electrode. Such methods may include adding a lithiation additive to the at least one electrode so as to create a lithium source. The lithium source compensates for cycle-induced lithiation loss such that the electrochemical cell having the lithiation additive experiences total capacity losses of less than or equal to about 5% of an initial capacity prior to cycling of lithium. The lithiation additive includes a lithium silicate represented by the formula LiuHr, where Hr=Liy-uSiOz and where 0?y?3.75 and 0?z?2 and u is a useable portion of y, 0?u?y. The lithium source may include z/4 Li4SiO4 and LimSi, where 0?m?4.4.

Abstract: A bipolar capacitor-assisted solid-state battery is disclosed that includes a plurality of electrochemical battery unit cells, each of which includes a negative electrode, a positive electrode, and a lithium ion-conductive electrolyte-containing separator disposed between the negative electrode and the positive electrode. The lithium ion-conductive electrolyte-containing separator of each electrochemical battery unit cell comprises a solid-state electrolyte material, and, additionally, at least one negative electrode of the electrochemical battery unit cells or at least one positive electrode of the electrochemical battery unit cells includes a capacitor material. The bipolar capacitor-assisted solid-state battery further includes a bipolar current collector disposed between a negative electrode of one electrochemical battery unit cell and a positive electrode of an adjacent electrochemical battery unit cell.

Abstract: A method of making the sulfide-impregnated solid-state battery is provided. The method comprises providing a cell core that is constructed by cell unit. The cell core is partially sealed into the packaging such as the Al laminated film and metal can. The method further comprises introducing a sulfide solid-state electrolyte (S-SSE) precursor solution in the cell core, the S-SSE precursor solution comprises a sulfide solid electrolyte and a solvent. The method further comprises evaporating the solvent from the cell core to dry the cell core to solidify the sulfide-based solid-state electrolyte within the cell core and pressurizing the cell core to densify the solid sulfide-base electrolyte within the cell core. The cell core is then fully sealed.

Abstract: A sulfide-impregnated solid-state battery is provided. The battery comprises a cell core constructed by basic cell units. Each unit comprises a positive electrode comprising a cathode layer and a positive meshed current collector comprising a conductive material which is further coated by oxide-based solid-state electrolyte. The cell unit further comprises a negative electrode comprising an anode layer and a negative meshed current collector comprising a conductive material which is further coated by oxide-based solid-state electrolyte. The positive and negative electrodes are stacked together to form the cell unit. The two coated oxide-based solid electrolyte layers are disposed between the positive and negative electrode as dual separators. Such a cell unit may be repeated or connected in parallel or bipolar stacking to form the cell core to achieve a desired battery voltage, power and energy. The cell core comprises a sulfide-based solid-state electrolyte dispersed in the pore structures of cell core.