Umicore has filed a patent for a powder to be used in the negative electrode of a battery. The powder consists of a mixture of carbonaceous matrix material and silicon-based particles, along with Si-free carbonaceous particles containing graphitic domains of a specific size range. GlobalData’s report on Umicore gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData's company profile on Umicore, hydrogen storage alloys was a key innovation area identified from patents. Umicore's grant share as of June 2023 was 1%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Powder for negative electrode of battery with carbonaceous and silicon-based particles
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230207781A1) describes a powder formulation for use in the negative electrode of a battery. The powder consists of two fractions of particles: one fraction contains a carbonaceous matrix material with dispersed silicon-based particles, while the other fraction consists of Si-free carbonaceous particles with graphitic domains. The graphitic domains in the Si-free carbonaceous particles have a mean size between 10 nm and 45 nm, as determined by X-ray diffraction. Importantly, the particles containing the carbonaceous matrix material and silicon-based particles are free of graphitic domains larger than 5 nm.
The patent further specifies that the mean size of the graphitic domains should be between 12 nm and 39 nm. The X-ray diffractogram of the powder should exhibit a peak assigned to C(002) with a maximum intensity IC at 2?Cu between 26° and 27°, as well as a peak assigned to Si(111) with a maximum intensity IS at 2?Cu between 28° and 29°. The ratio of IC to IS should be between 0.2 and 2.0. The Si-free carbonaceous particles with graphitic domains should have a number-based size distribution with a d50 value between 6 µm and 25 µm.
The patent also mentions that the Si-free carbonaceous particles can be made of materials such as exfoliated graphite, expanded graphite, or graphene nanoplatelets. The silicon-based particles should have a number-based size distribution with a d50 value between 20 nm and 150 nm. The powder can have a silicon content (C) between 10 wt % and 60 wt %, and the oxygen content (D) should be less than or equal to 0.15 times the silicon content.
Other characteristics of the powder include the presence of pores, a volume-based particle size distribution with D10 between 1 µm and 10 µm, D50 between 8 µm and 25 µm, and D90 between 10 µm and 40 µm. The BET surface area of the powder should be at most 10 m2/g, and the matrix material can be derived from the thermal decomposition of materials like polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl chloride, sucrose, coal-tar pitch, petroleum pitch, lignin, or a resin.
The patent also mentions that the powder can be used in a battery, specifically in the negative electrode. Additionally, it specifies that the particles containing the carbonaceous matrix material and silicon-based particles should be free of graphitic domains larger than 2 nm. The BET surface area of the powder can be further limited to at most 5 m2/g.
In summary, the patent describes a specific powder formulation for use in the negative electrode of a battery. The powder consists of two fractions of particles, one with a carbonaceous matrix material and silicon-based particles, and the other with Si-free carbonaceous particles containing graphitic domains. The patent outlines various characteristics and requirements for the powder, including the size and distribution of graphitic domains, X-ray diffraction peaks, particle size distribution, silicon and oxygen content, presence of pores, BET surface area, and the materials used for the matrix material.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies
