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CA-3216290-C - ORGANOCATALYST AS ADDITIVE IN AN ELECTROLYTE FOR A BATTERY

CA3216290CCA 3216290 CCA3216290 CCA 3216290CCA-3216290-C

Abstract

There is provided a use, in an electrolyte for a battery, of an additive which comprises at least one organocatalyst. Also, there is provided a method of preventing the contact between the anode and residual water in a battery and/or reducing the level of gas in a battery. Moreover, there is provided electrolyte for a battery, comprising an additive which comprises at least one organocatalyst. Moreover, there is provided a battery comprising an electrolyte which comprises an additive which comprises at least one organocatalyst.

Inventors

  • Karim Zaghib
  • Yuichiro ASAKAWA
  • Shinichi Uesaka
  • Jean-Christophe DAIGLE

Assignees

  • HYDRO-QUEBEC
  • MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20170405
Priority Date
20160406

Claims (20)

  1. 17 CLAIMS: 1. A method of preventing contact between the anode and residual water in a battery and/or reducing the level of gas in a battery, the method comprising: providing the battery comprising the anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte, wherein: the anode comprises reactive groups which are OH groups, SH groups, or a combination thereof; the electrolyte comprises at least one carbonate and at least one organocatalyst; and a reaction occurs between the at least one carbonate and the reactive groups, which leads to the formation of a protective layer on the surface of the anode, the reaction being facilitated by the at least one organocatalyst.
  2. 2. The method method according to claim 1, wherein an amount of organocatalyst in the electrolyte is about 0.5 weight % or less.
  3. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the organocatalyst is an alkaloid compound or an amidine compound.
  4. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the organocatalyst is 1,8- diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU).
  5. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the carbonate is a linear, branched or cyclic carbonate, which is saturated or unsaturated.
  6. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the carbonate has a general formula I below O O O R n I 18 wherein: R is a C1-C12 linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group; and n is an integer from 1 to 6.
  7. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the carbonate is propylene carbonate.
  8. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the anode comprises a material selected from the group consisting of lithium titanium oxide (LTO), hydrogen titanium oxide (HTO), TiO2, Si, SiOx, Sn, graphite, and a combination thereof; and wherein degradation of carbonates in the electrolyte is prevented.
  9. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the electrolyte further comprises a salt selected from the group consisting of LiPF6, LiFSI, LiTFSI, LiBOB, LiBF4, and a combination thereof.
  10. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cathode is based on LiMPO4 where M is Fe, Co, Ni, or Mn.
  11. 11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the cathode is a high energy cathode.
  12. 12. Use, in a battery wherein an anode comprises reactive groups and an electrolyte comprises at least one carbonate, of an additive in conjunction with the electrolyte, the additive comprising at least one organocatalyst, wherein the reactive groups are OH groups, SH groups, or a combination thereof; wherein the organocatalyst is an alkaloid compound or an amidine compound; and wherein an amount of organocatalyst in the electrolyte is about 0.5 weight % or less.
  13. 13. The use according to claim 12, wherein the organocatalyst is 1,8- diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU).
  14. 14. A battery comprising: an electrolyte, an anode, and a cathode, wherein the electrolyte comprises an additive which comprises at least one organocatalyst, and at least one carbonate, 19 and wherein the anode comprises reactive groups which are OH groups, SH groups, or a combination thereof.
  15. 15. The battery according to claim 14, wherein the anode comprises a material selected from the group consisting of lithium titanium oxide (LTO), hydrogen titanium oxide (HTO), TiO2, Si, SiOx, Sn, graphite, and a combination thereof.
  16. 16. The battery according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the organocatalyst is an alkaloid compound or an amidine compound.
  17. 17. The battery according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the organocatalyst is 1,8- diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU).
  18. 18. The battery according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the amount of organocatalyst in the electrolyte is about 0.5 weight % or less.
  19. 19. The battery according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the carbonate is a linear, branched or cyclic carbonate, which is saturated or unsaturated.
  20. 20. The battery according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the carbonate has a general formula I below O O O R n I wherein: R is a C1-C12 linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group; and n is an integer from 1 to 6.

Description

1 TITLE OF THE INVENTION ORGANOCATAL YST AS ADDITIVE IN AN ELECTROLYTE FOR A BATTERY FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The invention relates generally to additives for electrolytes. More specifically, the invention relates to the use of an organocatalyst as additive in an electrolyte that comprises carbonates. The electrolyte according to the invention may be used in batteries wherein the anode comprises reactive groups. The organocatalyst facilitates the reaction between the reactive groups and the carbonates, which leads to the formation of a protective layer on the surface of the anode, thus preventing contact between the anode and residual water in the battery and also preventing degradation of the carbonates in the electrolyte. Batteries using the electrolyte according to the invention are more stable and secure. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Water is a residual contaminant in battery electrodes. For example, during the cycling of a battery wherein the anode is of lithium titanium oxide (L TO), water, in contact with L TO, generates hydrogen and oxygen. Typically in such batteries, cathodes are based on LiMPQ4 where M is Fe, Co, Ni, Mn, etc.; and the electrolyte is a mixture of linear carbonates and cyclic carbonates as solvents and a salt which can be LiPF6, LiFSI, LiTFSI, LiBOB, LiBF4 or any other suitable commercial salts comprising lithium. This also occurs in batteries wherein the anode comprises a material such as hydrogen titanium oxide (HTO), Ti02, Si, SiOx, Sn and graphite. Moreover, this occurs in batteries wherein the cathode is a high energy cathode. [0003] During the cycling of such batteries, for example a battery wherein the anode is of L TO, electrolytes (carbonates) can react with the residual water in presence of the anode to form CO2, CO, H2, 02 and hydrocarbons. These products are known to cause an inflation of the pouch cell and could constitute a security issue [1-3]. [0004] One strategy to address this issue in the industry consists of removing water from the cathode and the anode. Since the active materials are generally hydrophilic, the electrodes need to be dried carefully. This generally requires a high amount of energy and thus an increase in costs [4]. Date Re9ue/Date Received 2023-10-12 2 [0005] Another strategy is to allow the formation of a protective coating at the interface on the electrodes. The coating can prevent the contact between the electrolyte and the active surface of the electrodes. For example, an additive is used in the electrolyte, and the decomposition of the additive forms a film [6]. Also, the formation of a shell directly on the active materials before assembling the cell has been performed to create a protection layer on the anode of LTO [7]. [0006] There is still a need for methods of preventing the anode from contacting residual water in a battery. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] The inventors have discovered the use of an organocatalyst as additive in an electrolyte that comprises carbonates. The electrolyte according to the invention may be used in batteries wherein the anode comprises reactive groups. The organocatalyst facilitates the reaction between the reactive groups and the carbonates, which leads to the formation of a protective layer on the surface of the anode, thus preventing contact between the anode and residual water in the battery and also preventing degradation of the carbonates in the electrolyte. Batteries using the electrolyte according to the invention are more stable and secure. [0008] The invention thus provides for the following according to aspects thereof: (1) Use, in an electrolyte for a battery, of an additive which comprises at least one organocatalyst. (2) Use, in an electrolyte which comprises at least one carbonate, of an additive which comprises at least one organocatalyst. (3) Use, in a battery wherein the anode comprises reactive groups and the electrolyte comprises at least one carbonate, of an additive which comprises at least one organocatalyst. (4) Use, in a battery wherein the anode comprises a material selected from the Date Re9ue/Date Received 2023-10-12 3 group consisting of lithium titanium oxide (L TO), hydrogen titanium oxide (HTO), TiO2, Si, SiOx, Sn, graphite and a combination thereof and the electrolyte comprises at least one carbonate, of an additive which comprises at least one organocatalyst. (5) Use, in a battery wherein the anode comprises a material which is lithium titanium oxide (L TO) and the electrolyte comprises at least one carbonate, of an additive which comprises at least one organocatalyst. (6) A method of preventing contact between the anode and residual water in a battery and/or reducing the level of gas in a battery, the method comprising using an electrolyte which comprises at least one organocatalyst. (7) A method of preventing contact between the anode and residual water in a battery and/or reducing the level of gas in a battery wherein the electrolyte comprises at least one car