Patent ID: 8889298
Filing Date: 2014-11-18
Classification: B82Y,H01G,H01M,Y02E,Y02T

Abstract:
1. A surface-mediated, lithium ion-exchanging energy storage device comprising: (a) a positive electrode (cathode) comprising a cathode active material having a surface area to capture or store lithium thereon; (b) a negative electrode (anode) comprising an anode active material having a surface area to capture or store lithium thereon; (c) a porous separator disposed between the two electrodes; and (d) a lithium-containing electrolyte in physical contact with the two electrodes, wherein at least 80% of the lithium is stored on surfaces of said anode active material when the device is in a charged state, or at least 80% of the lithium is stored on surfaces of said cathode active material when the device is in a discharged state and wherein said cathode active material has a specific surface area of no less than 100 m 2 /g being in direct physical contact with said electrolyte to receive lithium ions therefrom or to provide lithium ions thereto; wherein at least one of the two electrodes contains therein a lithium source prior to a first charge or a first discharge cycle of the energy storage device and wherein at least the cathode active material is not a chemically functionalized material and does not bear a chemical functional group that chemically reacts with lithium; and wherein at least said cathode active material consists of a material selected from: (A) a porous disordered carbon material selected from a soft carbon, hard carbon, polymeric carbon or carbonized resin, meso-phase carbon, coke, carbonized pitch, activated carbon, or partially graphitized carbon; (B) a graphene material selected from a single-layer sheet or multi-layer platelet of pristine graphene, graphene fluoride, hydrogenated graphene, nitrogenated graphene, boron-doped graphene, nitrogen-doped graphene, or chemically reduced graphene; (C) exfoliated graphite; (D) meso-porous carbon; (E) a carbon nanotube selected from a single-walled carbon nanotube or multi-walled carbon nanotube; (F) a carbon nano-fiber, metal nano-wire, metal oxide nano-wire or fiber, or conductive polymer nano-fiber, or a combination thereof.