Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc.

Described herein are improved composite anodes and lithium-ion batteries made therefrom. Further described are methods of making and using the improved anodes and batteries. In general, the anodes include a porous composite having a plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites. At least one of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites is formed from a dendritic particle, which is a three-dimensional, randomly-ordered assembly of nanoparticles of an electrically conducting material and a plurality of discrete non-porous nanoparticles of a non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof disposed on a surface of the dendritic particle. At least one nanocomposite of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites has at least a portion of its dendritic particle in electrical communication with at least a portion of a dendritic particle of an adjacent nanocomposite in the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites.

An embodiment is directed to an electrode composition for use in an energy storage device cell. The electrode comprises composite particles, each comprising carbon that is biomass-derived and active material. The active material exhibits partial vapor pressure below around 10 −13 torr at around 400 K, and an areal capacity loading of the electrode composition ranges from around 2 mAh/cm 2 to around 16 mAh/cm 2 .

Disclosed is a nanowire composition that includes nanowires comprising aluminum fluoride (AlF 3 ) (AFNWs). The aluminum fluoride comprises α-phase AlF 3 . In some implementations, an average diameter of the AFNWs is in a range of 100 to 500 nm, an average length of the AFNWs is in a range of 100 to 1000 μm, and an average aspect ratio of the AFNWs is in a range of 1000 to 1×10 4 . An AFNW membrane, an anode-interlayer component comprising AFNWs, and a lithium metal battery incorporating the anode-interlayer component are also disclosed. Related methods of making AFNWs, an AFNW membrane, an anode-interlayer component, and a lithium metal battery are also disclosed.

A battery electrode composition includes a population of (nano)composite particles. Each of the (nano)composite particles includes silicon (Si) and carbon (C). The population is characterized by a distribution of adjusted mass fractions of the Si in the (nano)composite particles. The adjusted mass fraction W of the Si in a respective one of the (nano)composite particles is given by: W=w− w (Formula 2), where w is a mass fraction of the Si in the respective one of the (nano)composite particles and w is a mean of the mass fractions of the Si in the (nano)composite particles of the population. In some implementations, a standard deviation of the distribution is 0.12 or less. Related battery electrodes, lithium-ion batteries, and methods of making are also disclosed.

In an aspect, a lithium-ion battery anode composition comprises a porous composite particle comprising carbon (C) and an active material comprising silicon (Si), wherein the carbon is characterized by a domain size (r), as estimated from an atomic pair distribution function G(r) obtained from a synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurement of the porous composite particle, ranging from around 10 Å (1 nm) to around 60 Å (6 nm). In a further aspect, a carbon material for use in making an anode composition for use in a Li-ion battery is characterized by a domain size (r), as estimated from an atomic pair distribution function G(r) obtained from a synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurement of the carbon material, ranging from around 10 Å (1 nm) to around 60 Å (6 nm).

A nanocomposite membrane includes a polymer phase, a nanowire phase, and a pore phase. The polymer phase includes a polymer including a cyclic imide group. The nanowire phase includes metal oxide nanowires. Each of the polymer phase and the nanowire phase is uniformly distributed within at least part of the nanocomposite membrane.

Disclosed are elongate ceramic (nano)particles that include γ-alumina. In some implementations: a mass fraction of the γ-alumina in the elongate ceramic (nano)particles is in a range of about 70 to about 100 wt. %, a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area (BET-SSA) of the elongate ceramic (nano)particles is in a range of about 30 to about 400 m 2 /g, an average aspect ratio of the elongate ceramic (nano)particles is at least about 3, and a cumulative pore volume of the elongate ceramic (nano)particles in a pore width range of 7 to 20 nm is in a range of about 1.0×10 −2 to about 1.0 cm 3 /g. A separator, an integrated electrode-separator component, and a lithium-ion battery incorporating the elongate ceramic (nano)particles are also disclosed. Related methods of making a separator, an integrated electrode-separator component, and a lithium-ion battery are also disclosed.

In an embodiment, a Li-ion battery cell comprises an anode electrode with an electrode coating that (1) comprises Si-comprising active material particles, (2) exhibits an areal capacity loading in the range of about 3 mAh/cm 2 to about 12 mAh/cm 2 , (3) exhibits a volumetric capacity in the range from about 600 mAh/cc to about 1800 mAh/cc in a charged state of the cell, (4) comprises conductive additive material particles, and (5) comprises a polymer binder that is configured to bind the Si-comprising active material particles and the conductive additive material particles together to stabilize the anode electrode against volume expansion during the one or more charge-discharge cycles of the battery cell while maintaining the electrical connection between the metal current collector and the Si-comprising active material particles.

In an embodiment, a metal-ion battery cell comprises an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, a separator, and electrolyte ionically coupling the anode electrode and the cathode electrode. The anode electrode is a high-capacity electrode (e.g., in the range of about 2 mAh/cm 2 to about 10 mAh/cm 2 ). The electrolyte includes a solvent composition, the solvent composition including low-melting point (LMP) solvent(s) in the range from about 10 vol. % to about 80 vol. % of the solvent composition as well as regular-melting point (RMP) solvent(s) in the range from about 20 vol. % to about 90 vol. % of the solvent composition.

Described herein are improved composite anodes and lithium-ion batteries made therefrom. Further described are methods of making and using the improved anodes and batteries. In general, the anodes include a porous composite having a plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites. At least one of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites is formed from a dendritic particle, which is a three-dimensional, randomly-ordered assembly of nanoparticles of an electrically conducting material and a plurality of discrete non-porous nanoparticles of a non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof disposed on a surface of the dendritic particle. At least one nanocomposite of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites has at least a portion of its dendritic particle in electrical communication with at least a portion of a dendritic particle of an adjacent nanocomposite in the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites.