Materials for electrochemical cells and methods of making and using same

Abstract

A negative electrode composition includes a silicon containing material and a crosslinked polymer containing coating surrounding at least a portion of the silicon containing material. The crosslinked polymer containing coating comprises a (co)polymer derived from polymerization of one or more vinylic monomers comprising a carboxyl or carboxylate group.

1 . A negative electrode composition comprising:
 a silicon containing material; and   a crosslinked polymer containing coating surrounding at least a portion of the silicon containing material;   wherein the crosslinked polymer containing coating comprises a (co)polymer derived from polymerization of one or more vinylic monomers comprising a carboxyl or carboxylate group.   
     
     
         2 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , wherein the vinylic monomers comprise a cross-linkable vinylic monomer. 
     
     
         3 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 2 , wherein the vinylic monomers comprise acrylic acid, lithium acrylate, acrylonitrile, alkyl acrylate, or vinylphosphonic acid. 
     
     
         4 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , wherein cross-linkable vinylic monomer derived units are present in the (co)polymer in an amount of greater than 5 weight percent, based on the total weight of the (co)polymer. 
     
     
         5 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , wherein the vinylic monomers comprise one or more monofunctional vinylic monomers. 
     
     
         6 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 4 , wherein monofunctional vinylic monomer derived units are present in the (co)polymer in an amount of greater than 75 weight percent, based on the total weight of the (co)polymer. 
     
     
         7 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , wherein the vinylic monomers comprise one or more non-ionic monofunctional vinylic monomers. 
     
     
         8 . The negative electrode composition according to  claim 6 , wherein non-ionic monofunctional vinylic monomer derived units are present in the (co)polymer in an amount of less than 30 weight percent, based on the total weight of the (co)polymer. 
     
     
         9 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , wherein the cross-linked (co)polymers are derived from polymerization of one or more silane-functional monomers represented by Chemical Structure (I),
   CH 2 ═CH—R 1 —Si(X) x R 2   3-x   (I)
   where R 1  is a covalent bond or a divalent linking group selected from alkylene, arylene, alkarylene, and aralkylene optionally substituted with one or more heteroatoms or heteroatom-containing moieties; X is a hydrolysable group selected from C 1 -C 4  alkoxy; x is 0, 1, 2, or 3; and R 2  is a C 1 -C 4  alkyl group.   
     
     
         10 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , wherein the cross-linked polymer containing coating is present in an amount of between 0.1 and 10 wt. %, based on the total weight of the silicon containing material and the cross-linked polymer containing coating in the negative electrode composition. 
     
     
         11 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode composition is present as a dry composition comprising less than 5 weight % of liquid, based on the total weight of the negative electrode composition. 
     
     
         12 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , further comprising a second coating surrounding at least a portion of the silicon containing material, wherein the second coating comprises a conductive material. 
     
     
         13 . The negative electrode composition according to  claim 12 , wherein the second coating comprises carbon black. 
     
     
         14 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode composition comprises particles comprising the silicon containing material and the crosslinked polymer containing coating, and wherein the particles have D10 greater than 0.7 μm and D90 less than 15 μm. 
     
     
         15 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode composition comprises agglomerate particles comprising the silicon containing material and the crosslinked polymer containing coating, and wherein the agglomerate particles have D10 greater than 2.5 μm and D90 less than 50 μm. 
     
     
         16 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , wherein the silicon containing material comprises particles having the formula: Si x M y C z , where x, y, and z represent atomic % values and (a) x+y+z=100%; (b) x>2y+z; (c) x and y are greater than 0; z is equal to or greater than 0; and (d) M is iron and optionally one or more metals selected from manganese, molybdenum, niobium, tungsten, tantalum, copper, titanium, vanadium, chromium, nickel, cobalt, zirconium, and yttrium. 
     
     
         17 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 16 , wherein 65%≤x≤85%, 5%≤y≤20%, and 5%≤z≤15%. 
     
     
         18 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 16 , wherein the particles have an average size of between 0.1 and 10 μm. 
     
     
         19 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , further comprising graphite in an amount of between 1 and 80 wt. %, based on the total weight of the negative electrode composition. 
     
     
         20 . The negative electrode composition of  claim 1 , further comprising a binder, wherein the polymers of the crosslinked polymer containing coating are present in the binder in an amount of less than 50 wt. %, based on the total weight of the binder. 
     
     
         21 - 25 . (canceled)