INTERCONNECTING ELECTROCHEMICALLY ACTIVE MATERIAL NANOSTRUCTURES

• Main Authors: DELHAGEN WILLIAM S, HAN SONG, LOVENESS GHYRN E, FASCHING RAINER, CUI YI, BERDICHEVSKY EUGENE M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Korean
• Published: 30.01.2013
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRICITY; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT THEREOF; METALLURGY; NANOSTRUCTURES FORMED BY MANIPULATION OF INDIVIDUAL ATOMS,MOLECULES, OR LIMITED COLLECTIONS OF ATOMS OR MOLECULES ASDISCRETE UNITS; NANOTECHNOLOGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; TRANSPORTING

Provided are various examples of lithium electrode subassemblies, lithium ion cells using such subassemblies, and methods of fabricating such subassemblies. Methods generally include receiving nanostructures containing electrochemically active materials and interconnecting at least a portion of these nanostructures. Interconnecting may involve depositing one or more interconnecting materials, such as amorphous silicon and/or metal containing materials. Interconnecting may additionally or alternatively involve treating a layer containing the nanostructures using various techniques, such as compressing the layer, heating the layer, and/or passing an electrical current through the layer. These methods may be used to interconnect nanostructures containing one or more high capacity materials, such as silicon, germanium, and tin, and having various shapes or forms, such as nanowires, nanoparticles, and nano-flakes.