Honeycomb Battery Company

Provided is a composite thin film current collector for a battery or supercapacitor, the thin film comprising graphene sheets dispersed in or bonded by an electron-conducting polymer network (also referred to as conducting network polymer, crosslinked polymer, or hydrogel polymer) wherein the composite thin film has a thickness from 2 nm to 500 μm and an electrical conductivity from 10 −4 to 10 4 S/cm and wherein the graphene sheets occupy from 10% to 99% by weight and the polymer network from 1% to 90% by weight of the total composite weight.

Provided is a method of producing a non-flammable quasi-solid electrolyte for a lithium battery, the method comprising (A) dissolving a lithium salt in a first liquid solvent to obtain a mixture having a first concentration of lithium salt less than 3.0 M (mole/L), but greater than 0.001M; and (B) removing a portion of the first liquid solvent to obtain the quasi-solid electrolyte having a final lithium salt concentration higher than the first concentration so that the electrolyte exhibits a vapor pressure less than 0.01 kPa when measured at 20° C., a vapor pressure less than 60% of the vapor pressure of the first liquid solvent alone, a flash point at least 20 degrees Celsius higher than a flash point of the first liquid solvent alone, a flash point higher than 150° C., or no detectable flash point.

A sulfur cathode (and production process) for an alkali metal-sulfur cell, comprising: (i) a cathode active material layer comprising a resin binder, an optional conductive additive, and multiple particles of a sulfur-containing material selected from a sulfur-carbon hybrid, a sulfur-graphite hybrid, a sulfur-graphene hybrid, a conducting polymer-sulfur hybrid, a metal sulfide, a sulfur compound, or a combination thereof, wherein the sulfur-containing material particles are bonded by the resin binder to form an integral solid layer; and (ii) a cathode-protecting layer, comprising a first high-elasticity polymer, which covers and protects the integral solid layer wherein the high-elasticity polymer has a recoverable tensile strain no less than 10% when measured without an additive or reinforcement, a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10 −6 S/cm at room temperature, and a thickness from 0.5 nm to 100 μm and the high-elasticity polymer preferably permeates into pores of the cathode active material layer.

Provided is an anode, an alkali metal battery comprising such an anode, and a production process; the anode comprising: (a) an anode current collector; (b) an anode active material layer comprising (i) multiple vertically oriented graphene sheets that are substantially perpendicular to the anode current collector, wherein the graphene sheets are inclined relative to the current collector at an angle approximately from 45 to 90 degrees and there are interstitial spaces or pores between graphene sheets; and (ii) an alkali metal, selected from lithium, sodium, potassium, or a combination thereof, wherein the alkali metal resides in the interstitial spaces or pores; and (c) a first binder that bonds the anode active layer or the graphene sheets to the anode current collector.

A substantially liquid solvent-free method of producing a bipolar battery pack, comprising: (a) providing a first set of multiple bipolar electrodes and at least one or multiple ion-permeable separator layers, wherein the bipolar electrode comprises (i) a current collector; (ii) a cathode layer (prepared using a solid-state method) disposed on a first primary surface; and (iii) an anode layer deposited on the opposing primary surface; (b) stacking the bipolar electrodes alternately with the separator layers for connecting the multiple bipolar electrodes in series to form a stack in such a manner that a separator is disposed between the anode layer of a bipolar electrode and the cathode layer of a neighboring bipolar electrode; (c) applying a pressure and/or heat to the stack to consolidate the stack for forming a battery module; and (d) optionally encasing the module with a protective housing to form a pack.

Provided are a powder mass and a production process, the powder mass comprising multiple porous graphene balls for use in a lithium-ion or sodium-ion battery, wherein at least one of the graphene balls has a diameter from 100 nm to 20 μm and comprises (i) pores and pore walls therein, pore walls having a thickness from approximately 0.34 nm to 100 nm, and (ii) an anode active material residing in the pores or supported by the pore walls, and wherein (a) at least one of the pore walls comprises graphene domains dispersed in a disordered or amorphous carbon phase and a domain consists essentially of 1-100 graphene planes; and (b) the anode active material is in a form of particles or coating having a diameter or thickness from 0.5 nm to 10 μm, and in an amount of 0.1% to 95% of the total particulate weight.

Powder comprising multiple porous graphene balls as a cathode active material for an alkali metal-sulfur battery, wherein a graphene balls has a diameter from 100 nm to 20 μm and comprises (i) pores and pore walls therein and (ii) sulfur or metal polysulfide residing in the pores or supported by the pore walls, and wherein (a) the pore walls comprise a plurality of graphene sheets or planes, each having a wall thickness from 0.34 nm to 100 nm, wherein preferably a plurality of graphene sheets or planes are bonded by or integral with a disordered carbon phase; and (b) the sulfur or metal polysulfide is in a form of particles or coating having a diameter or thickness from 0.5 nm to 10 μm, in physical contact with the graphene sheets or planes, and in an amount of 0.1% to 95% of the total particulate weight.

The invention provides a method of improving the cycle-life of a lithium metal secondary battery containing a non-solid state electrolyte, the method comprising implementing an anode-protecting layer between an anode active material layer and a cathode active material layer without using a porous separator, wherein the anode-protecting layer is in a close physical contact with the anode active material layer, has a thickness from 1 nm to 100 μm and comprises an elastomer having a fully recoverable tensile elastic strain from 2% to 1,000% and a lithium ion conductivity from 10 −8 S/cm to 5×10 −2 S/cm when measure at room temperature and wherein the anode active material layer contains a layer of lithium or lithium alloy, in a form of a foil, coating, or multiple particles aggregated together, as an anode active material.

A flame-resistant composite separator for use in a lithium battery, wherein the composite separator comprises at least a first layer and a second layer laminated together, wherein: (A) the first layer comprises a layer of inorganic solid electrolyte (e.g., a sintered solid structure) or a layer of polymer composite comprising 60%-99% by volume of inorganic material particles, inorganic material fibers, and/or polymer fibers dispersed in or bonded by a first polymer; and (B) the second layer comprises a second polymer and from 0.1% to 50% by weight of a lithium salt dispersed in the second polymer; wherein the first layer and the second layer each has a thickness from 20 nm to 100 μm and a lithium-ion conductivity from 10 −8 S/cm to 5×10 −2 S/cm at room temperature.

A high-voltage alkali battery, comprising a plurality of unit cells each comprising: (a) a cathode comprising (i) a cathode current collector; and (ii) a cathode active layer bonded to a first portion, but not a second portion, of the current collector, wherein the cathode active layer comprises a mixture of a cathode active material, a binder, a conducting additive, and a non-flowable electrolyte; (b) an anode; and (c) a separator layer, wherein the cathode, separator, and anode layer are laminated and wound into a unit cell roll with the cathode end having the second portion being protruded out and the anode end having the second portion being protruded out; wherein the unit cells are internally connected in such a manner that the second portion of the cathode of a first unit cell roll is in electronic contact with the second portion of the anode of a second unit cell roll.