Ultrafast electroplating of carbon as a coating agents for lithium ion battery applications

Abstract

A method of electroplating (or electrodeposition) carbon to coat anode and cathode active materials used in Li-ion batteries (LIBs) for improving their cycle life. The electroplating of the carbon coating from the carbon source is ultrafast, preferably taking less than 10 seconds. The carbon source can be comprised of an acetonitrile, methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, nitromethane, nitroethane or N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution. The protective carbon coating may be used also in gas sensors, biological cell sensors, supercapacitors, catalysts for fuel cells and metal air batteries, nano and optoelectronic devices, filtration devices, structural components, and energy storage devices.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of electrodepositing a protective carbon coating on to the surface of cathode or anode materials used in Li-ion batteries, using an organic solvent, comprising the steps of:
 (a) immersing a working electrode and a counter electrode into an organic solvent comprising a carbon source in an ambient atmosphere;   (b) electrodepositing a carbon coating onto a surface of the working electrode from the organic solvent at a temperature ranging from about −5° C. to about 50° C.;   (c) removing the electroplated carbon coated working electrode from the organic solvent;   (d) rinsing the electroplated carbon coated working electrode with the organic solvent in which the carbon was plated from; and   (e) drying the electroplated carbon coated working electrode under vacuum.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the carbon source is a solution selected from the group consisting of acetonitrile, methanol, ethanol, nitromethane, nitroethane and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the carbon source is an acetonitrile solution. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the thickness of the protective carbon coating ranges from about 1 nm to about 5 um. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the electrodepositing in step (b) is carried out at room temperature and under ambient atmosphere. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the drying of the working electrode in step (e) is carried out under dynamic vacuum at a temperature of about 60° C. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the working electrode used for electrodeposition is comprised of an anode active material used in Li-ion batteries and selected from the group consisting of silicon, graphite, graphene-based anodes, tin, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the anode active material used in Li-ion batteries is silicon. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the working electrode used for electrodeposition is comprised of a cathode active material used in Li-ion batteries selected from the group consisting of LiCoO 2  (LCO), LiMn 2 O 4  (LMO), LiMnNiCoO 2  (NMC), LiFePO 4  (LFP), LiNiCoAlO 2  (NCA), Li-rich Li 2 MnO 3 .LMnNiCoO 2  (LRNMC) electrodes and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the cathode active material used in Li-ion batteries is selected from the group consisting of LiCoO 2  (LCO), LiMn 2 O 4  (LMO), and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the counter electrode is selected from the group consisting of nickel, tungsten, copper, gold, platinum, titanium, carbon and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the counter electrode is nickel. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the electroplating of the carbon coating in step (b) takes less than 10 seconds. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a voltage of from about 300 volts to about 2000 volts is applied to the counter electrode in step (b). 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein about 1200 volts is applied to the counter electrode in step (b) for about 6 seconds.