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Lithium sulphide battery and method of producing the same

a lithium-sulphide battery and lithium sulphide technology, applied in the field of electrochemical power engineering, can solve the problems of limiting the commercialization of lithium-sulphur batteries, moderate cycle life, and the present applicant has not been able to find specific examples of lithium-sulphur batteries in the available literature, so as to increase the cycling depth of lithium-sulphur batteries, reduce the length of lithium polysulphide chains, and improve the cycle life of lithium-sulphur batteries

Inactive Publication Date: 2010-08-05
OXIS ENERGY
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]Investigations made by the present applicant have shown that the cycle life of lithium-sulphur batteries with liquid cathodes could be improved by using graphite as the negative electrode. But in this case a source of lithium ions is needed. Solutions of long-chain polysulphides (Li2Sn where n≧8) are normally used as liquid sulphur cathodes. In such molecules, eight or more atoms of sulphur are due to one ion of lithium. Accordingly the cycling depth of lithium-sulphur batteries with liquid cathodes will be low and is determined by the length of the polysulphide chain. Reducing the length of the lithium polysulphide chains will increase the cycling depth of lithium-sulphur batteries with a liquid cathode based on lithium sulphides. However, the shorter the chain lengths of the lithium polysulphides, the lower their solubility in an aprotic electrolyte system, and hence the energy output of the liquid sulphide cathode is decreased.

Problems solved by technology

However, the present applicant has not been able to find specific examples of intercalation electrodes for lithium-sulphur batteries in the available literature.
One of the disadvantages of lithium-sulphur batteries (limiting their commercialization) is a moderate cycle life caused by a low cycling efficiency of the lithium electrode.
The use of protective coatings significantly improves the cycling of the lithium electrode but still does not provide a sufficiently long cycle life for many commercial applications.
However, lithium sulphide and disulphide are poorly soluble in aprotic electrolyte systems, and are thus electrochemically non-active.
In particular, the prior art does not disclose a cell in which a mixture of lithium sulphide and sulphur in an aprotic electrolyte is coated onto or applied to the cathode and in which a permeable separator or membrane is then placed over the coating.

Method used

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  • Lithium sulphide battery and method of producing the same
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Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

example 1

[0052]Lithium sulphide, 98% (Sigma-Aldrich, UK) and sublimated sulphur, 99.5% (Fisher Scientific, UK) were ground at a mass ratio of 90:10 in a high speed mill (Microtron MB550) for 15 to 20 minutes in an atmosphere of dry argon (moisture content 20-25 ppm). The ground mixture of lithium sulphide and sulphur was placed into a flask and an electrolyte was added to the flask. A 1M solution of lithium trifluoromethanesulphonate (available from 3M Corporation, St. Paul, Minn.) in sulfolane (99.8%, standard for GC available from Sigma-Aldrich, UK) was used as the electrolyte. The liquid to solid mass ratio was 10:1. The content of the flask was mixed for 24 hours by means of a magnetic stirrer at room temperature. The liquid phase was separated from the non-dissolved solid phase by filtration. Then the sulphur in the form of sulphides and the total sulphur content were analysed. The content of the total sulphur in the initial electrolyte was also analysed and taken into account.

The Analy...

example 2

[0057]The solution of polysulphides in electrolyte was prepared as described in the Example 1 (1M solution of lithium trifluoromethanesulphonate in sulpholane) and the total amount of sulphur and sulphide was chemically analyzed. The mass ratio of Li2S:S was 50:50.

The Analysis Results:

[0058]

The total sulphur content in the initial25.8 ± 0.1electrolyte, % by massThe total sulphur content in the electrolyte31.8 ± 0.1after the reaction with the mixture of thesulphur and lithium sulphide, %The content of sulphide sulphur in electrolyte0.96 ± 0.05after the reaction with the mixture of sulphurand lithium sulphide, %

[0059]The content and the composition of lithium polysulphides in the electrolyte after the reaction of lithium sulphide with sulphur were calculated based on the analysis results.

Calculation Results:

[0060]Polysulphide composition: Li2S6,25

[0061]Concentration: 0.96%

example 3

[0062]The solution of polysulphides in electrolyte was prepared as described in the Example 1 (1M solution of lithium trifluoromethanesulphonate in sulpholane) and the amount of sulphur and sulphide sulphur was chemically analysed. The mass ratio of Li2S:S was 10:90.

The Analysis Results:

[0063]

The total sulphur content in the initial25.8 ± 0.1electrolyte, % by massThe total sulphur content in electrolyte29.9after the reaction with the mixture of sulphurand lithium sulphide, %The content of sulphide sulphur in electrolyte0.7after the reaction with the mixture of thesulphur and lithium sulphide, %

[0064]The composition of lithium polysulphides in the electrolyte after the reaction of lithium sulphide with sulphur and the concentration of lithium polysulphide in electrolyte were calculated based on the analysis results.

Calculation Results:

[0065]Polysulphide composition: Li2S5,86

[0066]Concentration: 0.7%

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Abstract

A chemical source of electrical energy may include a positive electrode (cathode) made of an electrically conductive material, a mixture of lithium sulphide and sulphur, a permeable separator or membrane, and a negative electrode (anode) made of an electrically conductive material or a material that is able reversibly to intercalate lithium ions, wherein an aprotic electrolyte comprising at least one lithium salt in at least one solvent is provided between the electrodes.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION DATA[0001]This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 386,113, filed on Mar. 22, 2006, entitled “LITHIUM SULPHIDE BATTERY AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME”, issued on Apr. 13, 2010 as U.S. Pat. No. 7,695,861, which in turn claims priority to prior provisional application No. 60 / 664,592, filed on Mar. 24, 2005, entitled “LITHIUM SULPHIDE BATTERY AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME”, and in addition prior UK patent application number 0505790.6 filed on Mar. 22, 2005, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present invention relates to electrochemical power engineering, and in particular to chemical sources of electrical energy (batteries) comprising a negative electrode (anode) utilizing the oxidation-reduction pair Li+ / Li0, a positive electrode (cathode) utilizing the oxidation-reduction pair S0 / S−2, and a non-aqueous aprotic electrolyte. Embodiments of the invention also relate to the...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): H01M10/26H01M10/00H01M4/02H01M10/052H01M4/04H01M4/136H01M4/1397H01M4/58H01M10/0568H01M10/0569H01M10/058H01M10/36
CPCH01M4/0404Y10T29/49115H01M4/1397H01M4/38H01M4/581H01M4/661H01M4/663H01M4/96H01M8/0656H01M10/052H01M10/0568H01M10/0569H01M10/058H01M10/3909H01M10/3918H01M2004/021Y02E60/122Y02E60/50Y10T29/4911H01M4/136Y02P70/50Y02E60/10H01M10/05H01M4/58
Inventor KOLOSNITSYN, VLADIMIRKARASEVA, ELENA
Owner OXIS ENERGY
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