WO2015107551A2

WO2015107551A2 - Lithium ion battery for electronic devices

Info

Publication number: WO2015107551A2
Application number: PCT/IN2015/000025
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seetharama Deevi; Hitendra GANDHI
Original assignee: Godfrey Phillips India Limited
Priority date: 2014-01-17
Filing date: 2015-01-16
Publication date: 2015-07-23
Also published as: WO2015107551A3

Abstract

The present invention relates to a novel lithium ion battery. The novel battery of the present invention discloses the novel chemical materials and/or compositions for construction of anode and cathode and electrolyte of the said battery. The battery of the present invention is capable of being used as a disposable battery and as a rechargeable battery designed specifically for electronic devices. The improved lithium ion battery of the present invention for electronic devices comprises, a cathode; an anode; an electrolyte; a separator; current collectors; wherein, the said battery has a charging capacity as high as 190 mAh/g, a potential window of 3 to 4.5 V and a discharge rate of 10 to 15 times the battery capacity and is capable of cycling for a minimum of 300 to 500 cycles.

Description

LITHIUM ION BATTERY FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES FIELD OF INVENTION:

The present invention pertains to electronic devices including electronic cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a novel Lithium battery for Electronic devices, preferably in Electronic cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION:

Electronic cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices have become popular as replacement products to cigarettes since they contain fewer toxic ingredients and the early data indicates that they may be significantly safer than conventional cigarettes. The conventional cigarette provided smoking experience by burning of tobacco wrapped in a paper, and the smoke consisted of several constituents such as tar, aldehydes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's), Carbon Monoxide (CO) , Benz-o-pyrene along with nicotine vapor.

It has been known that smoke constituents such as tar, aldehydes, PAH's, CO and several other compounds are harmful, and hence, product development efforts were directed at providing nicotine vapor with minimal/no amount of tar, CO, and PAH's to the smoker. Electronic cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices use advanced batteries and the batteries need to be recharged for further use after the dissipation of the power due to heating of the liquid medium or can be designed for multiple uses with a single charging cycle.

Unlike conventional cigarettes, electronic devices, such as an electronic cigarette are complex since the design requires controlled heating of liquids to generate an aerosol vapor for sensorial satisfaction. There are several parts in electronic devices, especially e-cigarettes, such as a Light emitting diode (LED) to indicate the action of the use of the device, puff sensor to sense the air flow and activate vaping, electronic circuit consisting of several components for controlling the function of the device, heater for heating the liquid and creating an aerosol, liquid reservoir for storage of liquid sufficient for several vapes, and filter/mouthpiece as interacting component with the user. Some or most of these parts require power by way of charging device, preferably, battery. Some of them also contain rechargeable pins for charging the battery. Current electronic cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices claim that the batteries will allow use of electronic cigarettes or vaping devices (or inhalation devices) for a period about 12 to 24 hours of intermittent use, when charged once and for about 5 min or longer in continuous use. In reality, they do not operate due to the lack of energy density in the batteries employed in the electronic cigarettes. Hence, the user is required to recharge the battery frequently, which is a cumbersome process. In addition, consumers are not satisfied with the consistency of the aerosol volume since the amount of energy supplied by the battery to the heater varies with the voltage and capacity of the battery present at the time the consumer takes the puff. Battery capacity is defined as the charge storage capacity and is the product of current (in Amperes, A, or in mA) that a battery can deliver for a given amount of time (hour). The capacity of an electronic devices battery can be chosen based on the design of electronic devices and can be anywhere from 80 mAh to 2000 mAh at standard conditions of 25°C. Capacity of the battery, even when it is fully charged, varies based on the quality of the battery and a poor quality battery may supply only a fraction of the rated capacity of the battery. The energy supplied by the battery to the heater will determine the temperature of the heater. Both the rate of heating and the maximum temperature influence nucleation, generation and condensation of aerosol from an e-liquid, temperature of the aerosol inhaled, and possible degradation of e-liquid carriers such as propylene glycol and glycerine into harmful and toxic compounds.

In the case of an electronic device application, Li-ion battery supplies current to the heater connected across its positive and negative terminals, and the voltage difference drives the current flow to the heater. An appropriate level of terminal voltage must be available for a heater (resistance) coil in an electronic device to heat and generate an aerosol. Therefore, the operating voltage of the battery is an important parameter in aerosol generation. The voltage decreases with usage of electronic devices (also known as discharge) and the drop in voltage has an effect on the overall heating and aerosolization of the liquid as may be seen from the following discussion.

The battery capacity of an electronic device varies based on several factors, including the purity of the materials used in the construction of the battery; composition of the cathode materials, material used as a separator; the materials used for anode; particle sizes and shapes of the cathode and anode materials; crystallinity of the materials; conductivities of the cathode and anode layers; current collectors (materials) employed in the construction of the battery; additives added to increase the conductivity; coating techniques employed to coat the cathode and anode materials; assembling techniques used to assemble the battery finally techniques employed to roll all of the layers into a cylindrical configuration of desired length and diameter, and cleanliness of the overall manufacturing area of the batteries.

In developing or selecting an electronic devices battery, it is important to minimize the internal resistance of the battery in order to maximize the terminal voltage. An increase in internal resistance of the battery leads to a voltage drop and would lead to a lower terminal voltage, which is incapable of generating a desired aerosol. The terminal voltage of any battery may be measured by formula (1) and is decreased by the current flowing (I) through the Li-ion battery at a given point of time multiplied by the internal resistance of the battery (Ri). The battery terminal voltage (V battery) is equal to

V battery = V₀ - (I x Ri) Formula (1)

Where, V₀ is the open circuit voltage and is defined as the maximum possible voltage.

The open circuit voltage (V₀) of the current electronic devices batteries is generally about 4.2 V. As may be noted from formula (1), it is desirable to select/develop a battery with low internal resistance in order to prevent a significant voltage drop while drawing a large current flow to generate an aerosol. Many factors contribute to the internal resistance in a Li-ion battery. The cut-off voltage of Li-ion batteries is about 3.0V implying that the current may be drawn until the voltage is 3.0V and drawing current below 3.0V may lead to over-discharge of the battery in use.

In an electronic device application, the current discharge rate (referred hereafter as discharge rate) is determined based on the capacity of the battery, resistance of the heater and the voltage of the battery. Typically, batteries operate very well at lower discharge rates and perform poorly at high discharge rates. Unlike other applications, electronic devices require high rate of discharge for heating of the liquid and the generation and inhalation of desired aerosol. However, the discharge rate may differ between various electronic devices. The discharge rate of an e-cigarette may be selected and is considered akin to a cigarette within the puff duration of 2 to 4 sec. In a conventional cigarette, smoke aerosol is generated from tobacco immediately upon puffing due to the presence and movement of pyrolysis and combustion zones. To simulate the conventional smoking behavior, The discharge rates in electronic devices may be selected to be in the range of 5C to 20C, based on the resistance of the coil, where C is referred to as the rate of (charging or) discharging.

For a given heater, battery capacity and the terminal voltage of the battery will determine the number of puffs that a consumer is able to puff on an e-cigarette. Typically, a smoker who consumes a pack of about 20 cigarettes per day is able to obtain about 160 puffs of 2 to 3 sec puffs. This is generally equivalent to about 320 to 480 sec puff duration, implying that a Li- ion battery should allow the smoker to draw the required current lasting about 5.33 to 8 min. The terminal voltage of the battery and the resistance of the heater along with contact resistance will determine the current required to heat the heater to a desired temperature. Battery capacity may be determined based on the current and the discharge duration as given by formula (2):

Li-ion battery capacity (Ah) = Discharge duration (h) X Current (A) - Formula (2)

For example, an electronic device designed for a 2 sec puff duration of about 160 puffs with a current of 1.2 A requires a battery with a theoretical capacity of about 106 mAh, whereas a puff duration of 3 sec requires a battery with a theoretical capacity of about 160 mAh. On the other hand, if the puff duration is increased to about 3 sec with a 106 mAh capacity battery, the current drawn will decrease from 1.2A to 0.8 A. Increasing the battery capacity to about 240 mAh capacity allows a user to draw a current of 2.7 Amp at about 2 sec puff duration, and 1.8 Amp at about 3 sec puff duration. If a consumer increases the puff duration to about 5 sec, the consumer may draw about 1 Amp current only even with a 240 mAh battery. Therefore, it is important to design a Li-ion battery for electronic devices based on the current discharge, the puff duration of the average user and the number of puffs required.

The voltage and the charge capacity determine the amount of electrical energy stored in the battery. Li-ion batteries are typically operated with a terminal voltage of about 3.6 V. Energy stored in a battery is given by Formula (3),

Energy (watt-hour) = Li-ion battery capacity (Ah) x Voltage (V) Formula (3)

For a battery with a 100 mAh capacity, Energy = 0.1 Ah X 3.6 V = 0.36 Wh For a battery with a 240 mAh capacity, Energy = 0.24 Ah X 3.6 V = 0.86 Wh

Therefore, it is important to design and use an advanced Li-ion battery for electronic devices with higher capacity and higher terminal voltage than the Li-ion batteries of prior art and prior use.

The power required to generate an aerosol in electronic devices may be increased by increasing the current supplied to the heater at a given voltage since it is a product of voltage and current.

Hence, for instance, if one would consider a terminal voltage of 3.6 V, a capacity of 100 mAh, and a puff duration of 3 sec (with a discharge time of 8 min for 160 puffs):

Discharge current = Li-ion battery capacity (Ah)/Discharge duration (h) = 100 mAh/0.133= 0.75 Amp

Power = Voltage (V) X Current (A) = 3.6 X 0.75 = 2.7 Watts

The user determines the puff duration and unlike smokers of conventional cigarettes, electronic devices users tend to draw puffs of 3 sec or higher, and the design of the battery for electronic devices needs to take these factors into account.

The challenge of designing a battery of desirable parameters includes obtaining a battery with desired configurations, such as diameter and length. For instance, in an e-cigarette, the length and the diameter may be required to mimic normal cigarettes, and the configuration would also determine the capacity of the battery. Once the capacity is selected, it is important to utilize as much battery capacity as possible for generating an aerosol in a disposable battery or a rechargeable battery. In practice, the entire battery capacity cannot be used to heat the heater and generate aerosol. Although Li-ion batteries have the best depth of discharge (% of utilization) of close to 80 to 90%, the terminal voltage decreases with the usage of the device, and this will influence the energy supplied to the heater and the quality and quantity of aerosol generated. In other words, the open circuit voltage and the terminal voltage of the battery decrease as the battery capacity decreases with each use. Furthermore, discharging and charging of Li-ion battery at high currents is generally not considered safe since it will decrease the life of the battery and is known to cause mechanical or structural damage to the battery. Li-ion battery may be charged using constant current, constant voltage or by both constant current and constant voltage. Charging and discharging current rates may also be specified by the length of the time in which a given battery would be charged or discharged and the rates are indicated as C-rating.

C-rating value is defined as in formula (4):

C-rating (Amperes) = Battery capacity (Ah)/Number of hours for full charge or discharge (h)

Formula (4)

Based on the prior art analysis, it may be noted that electronic devices as currently available, do not have a battery that satisfies the user requirements. Furthermore, the batteries and the electronic circuits as discussed, in the prior art and in prior use, do not take these factors into consideration and therefore, do not provide effective vaping capabilities. Hence, there is a need for an improved Li-ion battery for effective use in electronic devices.

The battery of prior art and prior use comprises an anode (negative electrode), a cathode (a positive electrode), current collectors and an electrolyte as a conductor as depicted in Figure 2. Typically, the cathode is a metal oxide material containing lithium in a lithium ion battery and the anode is graphitic carbon. There is a transfer of electrons between the anode and cathode during the charge and discharge cycles.

In the case of prior art and prior used Lithium batteries, the cathode material is generally found to be lithium Cobalt Oxide and the anode material is based on graphitic carbon. The reported practical capacity of lithium ion batteries with Lithium Cobalt Oxide as the cathodic material and graphic carbon as an a anode is about 137 mAh/g when cycled in the voltage range 3-4.25 V, even though the theoretical capacity is estimated to be as high as 273.8 mA. h/g.

Therefore, to obtain higher capacities, one has to charge the cells to high voltages (4.5 V), which is currently not practicable or feasible. Furthermore, there have been reports of explosion of the Li-ion batteries of electronic devices and they pose a great risk to the consumers. The nature of the materials employed in the construction of the battery and impurities present in the assembly and manufacturing area lead to thermal runaway and short circuit causing explosion of the batteries.

Hence, there is a need to have a lithium ion battery, with improved factors as discussed herein. Moreover, the consumer product nature of a disposable electronic devices product requires that the overall cost of the battery be reduced by finding alternate materials for the cathode, the separator, the anode and the electrolyte. In addition, lithium ion battery technology is constantly in need of innovative developments such as high energy density, operate safely over a wide temperature range of interest, high terminal voltage, ability to safely charge and discharge at high rates of charge/discharge for several hundred cycles without loss of capacity, and also replace or reduce the toxic and strategic cobalt element from the battery composition.

Analysis of current Li-ion batteries for their materials chemistry and performance using a variety of experimental techniques such as X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, cyclic voltametry, impedance spectroscopy charge and discharge behavior at different discharge rates, thermal runaway and safety tests indicate that most of the electronic devices batteries employed today are based on Lithium cobalt oxide (LiCo02) as cathode, carbon as an anode and a polypropylene polymer as a separator material. The electrolyte material used is a liquid electrolyte based on Lithium salts mixed with an organic binder. The present invention discloses a novel lithium ion battery for use in electronic devices including vaping devices or inhalation devices or e-cigarettes based on an understanding of the limitations and functioning of the current batteries. The novel battery of the present invention provides higher capacities for a predetermined configuration and advantageous cycling efficiency and thereby would be convenient for the end user of an electronic device. The battery of the present invention may advantageously be used in an electronic devices, disclosed in copending Indian provisional applications having priority numbers of 140/DEL/2014, 141/DEL/2014 and 137/DEL/2014, all dated, which is considered as a part of the present invention and read in conjunction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES:

Figure 1 depicts an embodiment of the present invention being electronic cigarettes. Figure 2 depicts a general schematic diagram of the Lithium-ion battery. Figure 2(a) depicts the discharge mechanism of the battery and figure 2(b) depicts the charging mechanism of the lithium ion battery.

Figure 3 depicts the structure of fullerene, carbon nanotube and graphene

Figure 4 depicts the cycle number Vs discharge capacity curve of the lithium ion battery of present invention at 1C charge/0.1C discharge rate with initial charge capacity of the present invention 313mAh.

Figure 5 depicts the cycle number Vs discharge capacity curve of the lithium ion battery of the present invention at 1C charge/ IOC discharge rate with initial charge capacity of 219mAh.

Figure 6 depicts the cycle number Vs discharge capacity curve of the Lithium ion battery of the present invention at 1C charge/5C discharge rate with initial charge capacity of 240mAh. Figure 7 depicts the cycle number Vs discharge capacity curve of the battery of present invention at 1C charge/lC discharge rate with initial charge capacity of 257mAh of the Lithium-ion battery of the present invention.

Figure 8 depicts cycle number vs. discharge capacity curve of V type commercial e-cigarette battery charged at 1C and discharged at 1C.

Figure 9 depicts cycle number vs. discharge capacity curve of V type commercial e-cigarette battery charged at 1C and discharged at IO C.

Figure 10 depicts cycle number vs. discharge capacity curve of G type commercial e- cigarette battery charged at 1C and discharged at 1 C.

Figure 11 depicts cycle number vs. discharge capacity curve of G type commercial e- cigarette battery charged at 1C and discharged at IOC.

Figure 12 depicts the thermal runaway behavior of a G type commercial e-cigarette battery. Figure 13 depicts the short circuit behavior of G type commercial e-cigarette battery.

Figure 14 depicts the short circuit behavior of V2 type commercial e-cigarette battery.

Figure 15 depicts the short circuit behavior of V type commercial e-cigarette battery.

Figure 16 depicts the thermal runaway behavior of the Lithium ion battery of the present invention

Figure 17 depicts the short circuit behavior of the Lithium ion battery of the present invention. BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION:

The present invention relates to a novel lithium ion battery. The novel battery of the present invention discloses the novel chemical materials and/or compositions for construction of anode and cathode and electrolyte of the said battery. The battery of the present invention is capable of being used as a disposable battery and as a rechargeable battery designed specifically for electronic devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

The present invention relates to a novel lithium ion battery.

The novel battery of the present invention discloses the novel chemical materials and/or composition for construction of anode and cathode of the said battery.

The novel battery of the present invention discloses advanced manufacturing techniques for the construction of the said battery.

The novel battery of the present invention discloses that the battery is safe from a thermal runaway and short circuit dangers.

The novel battery of the present invention provides higher capacities and advantageous cycling efficiency and thereby would be convenient for the end user. The battery of the present invention is capable of being used as a disposable battery and as a rechargeable battery.

The present invention further improves the performance of the anodic material by adding nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes, fullerenes and graphene as part of the anode preparation. Such structures are depicted for ready reference at Figure 3.

The improved lithium ion battery for electronic devices of the present invention comprises;

a. a cathodic material;

b. an anodic material;

c. an electrolyte;

d. a separator; e. current collectors; wherein, the said battery has a charging capacity of 160 to 190 mAh/g; wherein, the said battery has a potential window of 3 to 4.5 v; wherein, the said battery has a discharge rate of 10 to 15 times the battery capacity and is capable of cycling for 300 to 500 cycles.

The battery of the present invention is capable of being used in an electronic device. The electronic device includes vaping devices, inhalations devices, e-cigarettes, portable charging case (PCC) packs, accessories of electronic devices and the like.

A preferred electronic device of the present invention is an e-cigarette.

The E-cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices of the present invention may be illustrated by means of a Figure 1. The E-cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices of the present invention comprises of a housing (115). One end of the E-cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices comprises a Light Emitting Diode (LED) (1 1 1) which is covered by a cap, which is placed or embedded at the tip end of the E-cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices. The LED cap may be designed to, fit and/or glued inside the housing of the E-cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices (1 15). The LED cap may be structurally designed in such a way that it may include one or multiple inlet holes (121) to allow air to enter the housing when the user would inhale from the mouth end (120).

It is preferable to provide a single or multiple light emitting diode (1 1 1) or any other light device configured in the LED cap (111) to simulate the burning of the tip of E-cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices. The light element may be configured so as to vary the intensity of the light device based on the amount of air flow between the two ends being (120) & (121). LED may be a separate device or part of sensor or controller. The cartridge may be an absorbent material (1 17) located inside the filter section (140), within the housing (1 15). The absorbent material may be selected from the group comprising polyester, wool, cotton or porous ceramic, porous metallic or porous inter-metallic or any other absorbent material and may be shaped or roll to be fitted inside the filter section (140) within the housing (1 15). The absorbent material may be porous, with inter connected porosity and such porosity aids in the storage of the liquid. The e-liquid may directly be present in the cartridge without any absorbent material. The aerosolization of the e-liquid solution may be effected by the heating element (1 18) and the heating element may be placed or embedded near the cartridge (1 17) in the filter section (140) within the housing (1 15). The liquid may be transported to the heating element by surface tension and capillary effect and this may be further enhanced by a mechanism, such as a wick (126), for transport of liquid from cartridge (1 17) to the heater (118). An insulating sleeve (1 16) covers the heating element to insulate the cartridge (1 17) from heater (1 18). The insulating sleeve (116) may be formed of a thermally insulating polymeric fiber. The sleeve may (116) also serve as a means to provide a flow passage to the aerosol that is released from the heater (118) to exit from the outlet hole (120). The mouth piece of filter cap (1 19) is located at the opposite end of the E-cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices (i.e., opposite to the LED cap (1 1 1)). The mouth piece (1 19) is designed in such a manner that it has an outlet hole (120) where user can inhale the aerosol generated by the E-cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices.

The device also comprises of a display unit or a communication device (122), which may be used by the user to change and monitor the various settings and state of E-cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices.

A sensor (125) is connected to the controller (112) and the communication device (122). The sensor (125) may be individual or a group of sensors, preferably a group of sensors. The sensor (125) may measure the air flow, temperature change, pressure change or any other physical or electrical parameters. The sensor may send and receive signals form (1 12) and also communicate to the communication device (122) such as a display. Communication device would convert input signals to alpha numeric characters and displayed in the communication device (122). The display may also be through light signals.

The power source (1 14) is designed to power the heating element (1 18), the LED situated in LED cap (1 1 1), the communication device (122) and the sensor (125) and any other device (1 15) which requires power for operation. The controller (1 12) is placed or embedded in the power unit section (130) and is powered by the power source (1 14). The controller may be configured to control and monitor the heating element (118), the power source (1 14), communication device (1 12), sensor (125), LED. The E-cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices may also comprise of electrical insulating material (1 13) or (123) that may be provided to the power source (1 14) at both terminal ends to prevent short circuit. The material used may be any type of insulation tape or soft insulation pads, insulating gel or any other insulating material or liquid repellent coating. An insulation material may also be used to prevent short circuit of electric components.

The partition (124) between the power unit section (130) and the filter section (140) is such that it physically supports the heater terminal wires and insulating sleeve (116). The partition (124) may be made up of any material, which prevents the flow of the liquid from one section to another.

The various components or parts of E-cigarettes or vaping devices or inhalation devices may be constructed of suitable materials such as plastic, wood, glass, metal, ceramic, inter- metallic, or composites thereof. These materials may be coated by a variety of chemical deposition techniques and physical deposition techniques such that the outer tube material may be aesthetically pleasing to the user and provides structural integrity and thermal insulation.

The battery of the present invention is capable of being used in other devices and the concept may be extended to Lithium ion batteries being used elsewhere.

Accordingly, the present invention discloses novel lithium ion battery.

A lithium ion battery operates by reversibly passing lithium ions between a negative electrode (sometimes called the anode) and a positive electrode (sometimes called the cathode). The negative and positive electrodes are situated on opposite sides of a microporous polymer separator that is soaked with an electrolyte solution suitable for conducting lithium ions. Each of the negative and positive electrodes is also accommodated by a current collector. The current collectors associated with the two electrodes are connected by an interruptible external circuit that allows an electric current to pass between the electrodes to electrically balance the related migration of lithium ions (See Figure 2).

The Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a lithium ion battery (1) that includes a negative electrode (2), a positive electrode (4), a microporous separator (6) sandwiched between the two electrodes (2), (4), and an interruptible external circuit (8) that connects the negative electrode (2) and the positive electrode (4). Each of the negative electrode (2), the positive electrode (4), and the microporous separator (6) may be soaked in an electrolyte solution capable of conducting lithium ions. The microporous separator (6), which operates as both an electrical insulator and a mechanical support, is sandwiched between the negative electrode (2) and the positive electrode (4) to prevent physical contact between the two electrodes (2), (4) and the occurrence of a short circuit. The microporous separator (6), in addition to providing a physical barrier between the two electrodes (2), (4), may also provide a minimal resistance to the internal passage of lithium ions (and related anions) to help ensure the lithium ion battery (1) functions properly. A negative-side current collector (2) and a positive-side current collector (4) may be positioned near each other to collect and move free electrons to and from the external circuit (8).

The lithium ion battery (1) may support a load device (12) that can be operatively connected to the external circuit (8). The load device (12) may be powered fully or partially by the electric current passing through the external circuit (8) when the lithium ion battery (1) is discharging. The electric current passing through the external circuit (8) may be harnessed and directed through the load device, such as an electronic cigarette or a vaping device or such (12) until the intercalated lithium in the negative electrode (2) is depleted and the capacity of the lithium ion battery (1) is diminished. The lithium ion battery (1) may be charged or re-powered by applying an external power source to the lithium ion battery (1) to reverse the electrochemical reactions that occur during battery discharge. During the process of charging, the external power source extracts the intercalated lithium present in the positive electrode to produce lithium ions and electrons. The lithium ions are carried back through the separator by the electrolyte solution and the electrons are driven back through the external circuit, both towards the negative electrode. The lithium ions and electrons are ultimately reunited at the negative electrode thus replenishing it with intercalated lithium for future battery discharge. A lithium ion battery, or a plurality of lithium ion batteries that may be connected in series or in parallel, may be utilized to power and charge an associated load device. The ability of lithium ion batteries to undergo such repeated power cycling over their useful lifetimes makes them an attractive and dependable power source for a rechargeable electronic device. The charge and discharge capcity of the device may be understood from from Figures 2 (a) and Figures 2(b).

In an embodiment, the present invention discloses a lithium ion battery component, wherein the cathode is doped with transition metal cations and/or with non-transition metal cations, and anode is based on carbon in the form of a sheet of graphitic particles embedded with highly conducting carbon fibers, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, graphenes etc. (Figure 3a, 3b and 3 c)

The present invention further discloses that electrolyte can be a liquid electrolyte consisting of an ionic liquid such as (LiPF6, LiBF4, or LiC104) mixed with an organic carbonate liquid, a liquid polymer or a gel electrolyte.

The present invention further discloses that electrolyte need not be a liquid material and can be solid polymeric material comprising Lithium salt in addition with lanthanum, stannum and germanium, zirconium, tantalum and titanium or mixtures thereof.

The electrolytic material of the present invention is such that it has higher conductivity than prior art and prior used materials.

The lithium ion battery of the present invention comprises an electrolytic material. The electrolytic material may be a liquid, and may be selected from an ionic liquid including LiPF6, LiBF4, LiC104, organic carbonate liquid, a liquid polymer or a gel electrolyte or mixtures thereof or a solid electrolyte and may be selected from a polymeric material, including Lithium salt in conjunction with lanthanum, stannum and germanium, zirconium, tantalum and titanium or mixtures thereof.

The Lithium battery of the present invention generally consists of an anode and a cathode. The requirement for high specific capacity generally restricts choices to compounds containing first-row transition metals (usually Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) and compounds with crystal structures which permit passage of Li - ion during charging and discharging processes without any degradation of the cathode material. Typical crystal structures of the cathode materials are layered structures, spinel structures along with olivine structure. The inorganic layer of the compounds of the present invention may be selected from group comprising of manganese dioxide, vanadium oxide, titanium disulfide, cobalt oxide, nickel oxide, molybdenum sulfide or mixtures thereof, and their composites selected from the group of Lithium Cobalt Oxide, Lithium Manganese Oxide, Lithium Iron Phosphate, and Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt and Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide. The cathodic material of the present is selected from the group comprising lithium cobalt oxide, lithium iron phosphate, lithium manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt Aluminium oxide or mixtures thereof; and the transition metal content is in the range of 0.05 to 0.35 w/w of the cathode.

The cathode of the present invention is doped with at least single layer of transition metal cations or with non transition metal cations or both. The transition metal ions of the present invention may be selected from the group comprising Ti, Zr, Mn, Ni, Fe, Cu. These transition metals are capable of exhibiting multiple oxidation states, The non transition metal cations may be selected from the group comprising Al, Sn, Ga, Mg.

Many techniques may be employed for the synthesis of cathode materials - such as solid state or wet chemical techniques such as co-precipitation, solution based combustion synthesis and sol-gel techniques. The Solution chemistry technique is preferred in the present invention, so as to obtain desired purity, chemical homogeneity and small particle size, factors important for the battery capacity. The solution chemistry based on co-precipitation of hydroxides, acetates, nitrates, sulphates, sulfites, phosphates, carboxylates, carbonates, and citrates is preferred. Synthesis of mixed transition metal oxides by the above procedures followed by their decomposition are used advantageously in the present invention for preparing a cathode material. Without being limited by theory, the present invention, surprisingly, discloses the use of solution techniques for the synthesis of cathodic materials. While decomposition of the salts may be carried out, using a variety of techniques in a commercial scale, high through put salt decomposition techniques that allow programmable and controllable rate of heating are preferred over conventional batch heating techniques. Preferred techniques for salt decomposition to obtain mixed oxide cathode materials of high purity and small size include advanced fluidized bed decomposition techniques and multi-capillary aerosol spray decomposition techniques. Advanced fluidized bed techniques allow continuous decomposition of transition metal oxide salts with excellent thermal transfer due to uniform flow characteristics in a fluidized bed and ability to continuously transfer the nucleated cathode material of desired particle size to a storage chamber. Multi-capillary aersosol spray decomposition techniques operates under the principal of spraying of salt liquid using multiple capillaries at very high flow rates into an aerosol form in a heated chamber such as a reactor and then transferring the nucleated cathode material of desired size to storage chamber such as a reactor and then transferring the nucleated cathode material of desired shape to a storage chamber. The above techniques provide small size and highly pure cathode materials due to low resistance times in thermal reactors and yet provide high manufacturing throughput for the synthesis of mixed oxide cathode materials

In another embodiment, the present invention envisages a method in which the particle size of the metal dopants may be optionally reduced before or after the doping. The particle size may vary from nano size to micron range, and preferably, distributed enough to obtain excellent packing characteristics with good density, which would lead to desirable conductivity. If the particle sizes are nano or sub-micron, spray drying techniques may be used as part of processing techniques. Other industrial processes may be employed such as, spray drying, , microwave heating, and any means of thermal decomposition by which a homogenized material can be heated in a controlled manner in a semi-batch or in a continuous process. Reaction temperatures can be obtained with the help of thermogravimetric analyzer and differential thermal analysis. The nature of the desired compound and completion of the reaction may be determined by X-ray diffractometry along with Infrared and Raman spectroscopic techniques. The ratios of transition metal oxides in the material may be determined by chemical means, Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis, X- ray Flourescence and Wavelength Dispersive Spectrometry. The layered structure and the crystal structure of the transition metal oxides can be determined by transmission electron spectroscopy. Particle size analyser and small angle scattering techniques may be used to determine the particle size.

The shape of the particles of the present invention may be spherical, rods or fibers, platelets to elongated particles with different aspect ratios. Typically, particles are of spherical shape in nature and other shapes can be obtained by special solution processing or milling techniques. The milling may be done in wet or dry state.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a high performance cathode (positive electrode) of lithium cobalt oxide doped with layers of magnesium (non transition metal) and copper (transition metal) to provide high conductivity and structural stability to lithium cobalt oxide electrode for providing high performance to lithium ion battery with graphite anode, embedded with fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and other conducting materials The anode of the battery of the present invention is constructed of a material which may be selected from the group comprising graphite, coke, coal, tar pitch, preferably graphite. Even though carbon has the same molecular weight as natural graphite, graphite tends to be much purer with less impurities and exhibits higher electrical conductivity. Graphite may be selected from natural graphite such as Srilankan graphite or obtained from graphitization of polyacrylonitrile material.

The present invention includes within its scope the use of natural graphite or a synthetic or mixtures thereof. The nature of the graphitization can be determined based on an x-ray diffractometer or a transmission electron microscope or instruments thereof.

The anodic material of the present invention is selected from the group comprising graphitic carbon, carbon nanotubes, fullerene and graphene and mixtures thereof.

The present invention also envisages the use of a reduced material for the construction of the anode. The anodic material, in addition, may further comprise of materials, selected from the group comprising nickel, aluminum, tin, germanium and lead or mixtures thereof, which would enhance electrical conductivity of the anodic material. The anodic materials may be present either in their oxidized or un-oxidized state.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention discloses a process for construction of the battery of the present invention. The battery of the present invention comprises an assembly of the positive electrode, negative electrode, and solid electrolyte as described hereinbefore. The fabrication of the battery of the present invention may be carried out by diverse method.

Since electronic device disclosed as part of this application requires current discharge at high rates along with high current density, an improved anode is needed over the current anode material available in prior art and prior use based on carbon, whether it is hard carbon, graphitic carbon or a carbon based on pyrolysis of petroleum based compounds. In addition to the crystal structure of the carbon, purity, particle size, and shape also a play role in achieving the electrical conductivity and the theoretical capacity of carbon. Hence, graphite is currently used as an anode with a theoretical capacity of 372 mAh/g. Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes can be added to enhance the conductivity of the traditional graphitic particles. The building block for all forms of carbon such as graphite, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene is carbon atoms. Packed in honeycomb lattice, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes exhibit remarkable properties such as high Young's module, high fracture strength, excellent mobility for charge carriers and very high thermal conductivity as compared to conventional graphitic carbon material.

The anode may be further improved by selecting another material with much higher theoretical capacity than carbon and creating a composite structure containing conventional carbon based anode along with an improved anode material. For instance, the theoretical capacity of pure Tin is around 950 to 9904 mAh/g, which is three times that of the graphite anode (372 mAh/g), based on the end lithiated phase Li4.4Sn. In addition, theoretical capacity of silicon is 4200 mAh/g and is more than ten times that of graphite.

Since, both tin and silicon are reported to undergo huge volume expansion upon cycling, when used as a part of Lithium ion battery for instance, silicon exhibits volume expansion of about 400% during insertion and extraction of Li-ion corresponding to charging and discharging of the Li-ion batteries, it is preferred to use the said materials in conjunction with graphite by creation of an engineered structure of anode.

Tin may be in its native or oxidized stage and silicon may be used in its native state, with preferably reduced particle size, such as nano or sub-micron size. Other compounds such as transition metal silicides, nitrides, carbides and phosphides along with intermetallic compounds may be employed as a part of anodic structure to improve the performance characteristics of Li-ion battery.

The novel battery of the present invention discloses an improved cathode in conjunction with the existing anode materials used in a conventional Li-ion battery and or with an advanced anode material as described in this application. The improved cathode of the present invention consists of the cathodic material with transition metal cations and/or with non- transition metal cations along with or without carbon nano tubes fullerene and grapheme.

Cathode and anode of a Li-ion battery can be manufactured by using small size powders of the same and mixed with additives and binders such that a paste is obtained. The material may also be obtained as a slurry or as an ink. The paste may then be extruded using either a single screw or twin screw extruder or could be tape cast or doctor bladed or roll compacted. The quality, consistency and speed of operation and the manufacturing principles underlying each one of the above methods are different but all the above techniques can be employed successfully to construct a Li-ion battery on Copper and Aluminium current collectors.

The collector material of the present invention may be selected from the group comprising Aluminum or Copper, which may further comprise thin coatings of metal or inter-metallic compounds selected from the group comprising iron, nickel, titanium, copper.

The separator material may be any one of polyethylene, polypropylene, fluorinated copolymers with at least one hydroxyl group. Additive manufacturing may be employed to construct a Lithium ion battery using appropriate materials discussed above.

In addition to the above, 3D printing could be employed with the currently available 3D printers, using cathode and anode materials or their pastes to build a Li-ion battery by placing the current collectors and separator at an appropriate time of printing. Heating of the pastes,( to evaporate liquids and decompose binders) may be accomplished by a variety of methods by which controlled heating can take place without creating blisters or holes in the thin layer of cathode or anode. 3D printing of a Li-ion battery may be accomplished using either a single 3D printer or a series of 3D printers. Electrolyte may be sprayed at an appropriate time of the manufacture of the cell. 3D printing allows incorporation of grapheme, fullerene and nanotubes.

In another embodiment, the present invention discloses a process for preparing the lithium ion battery, comprising the steps of;

1. preparation of the anodic material;

11. preparation of the cathodic material;

in. preparation of the electrolytic material;

IV. preparation of the separator ;

v. preparation of the collector;

VI. assembly of components of steps (i) to (v)

The anodic material may be prepared by mixing powders of carbon along with carbon nanotubes or fullerene or graphene mixed with conducting materials and may then cast into an anode by techniques discussed herein. The cathodic material may be prepared by the decomposition of salts prepared by solution chemistry techniques in a reactor.

The battery may be assembled by placing all components such as the cathode, anode, collector material, electrolyte, separators and collectors.

The charge management of the battery of the present invention may be controlled by an integrated circuit and the energy management may be accomplished by providing a sense resistor to measure the current in and out of the battery and calculated the remaining energy of the battery. The energy management may be controlled by a programmable electronic controller.

The said battery of the present invention may be protected from thermal runaway and short circuit by incorporating a protection circuit such that the battery operates within the desired voltage and current limits.

The said battery of the present invention may be charged and discharged safely with a charge management integrated circuit.

The charging capacity of the battery of the present invention is in the range of 1 10 to 220 mAh/g, preferably in the range of 130 to 200 mAh/g, more preferably in the range of 140 to 190 niAh/g.

The potential window of the battery of the present invention is the range of 3.0 to 4.5 V.

The discharge rate of the battery of the present invention is in the range of 0.1 to 15 C, preferably, 1 C to 13C, more preferably 5C to 12 C. The charging rate of the battery of the present invention is in the range of 0.1 to 5 C, preferably, 1 to 3 C.

The thermal runaway associated with short circuit is prevented by an electronic circuit in the present invention. The battery of the present invention may be suitably charged and used as part of disposable electronic devices or used as a rechargeable battery and disposed only after several hundred cycles of recharging.

The novel re-chargeable battery of the present invention maybe used in devices meant for vaporizing a liquid for sensorial enjoyment or for vaporizing liquid meant to be used as medicament for therapeutic purposes or for vaporizing liquid meant for providing fragrance, i.e., perfumes.

The battery of the present device may be used for electronic devices, selected from the group comprising electronic cigarettes, portable charging packs, vaping devices, inhalation devices, preferably electronic cigarettes.

Without being limited by theory, it is submitted that the cathode material of the present invention, will increase the charging voltage of the lithium battery of the present invention and the discharge capacity to at least about 190 mA. h/g from about 130 mA. h/g.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION:

1. The battery of the present invention has increased charging voltage and decreased discharge capacity, thereby enabling wider time gaps between the charging cycle.

2. The advanced cathodic and anodic materials exhibit higher conductivity, therefore enabling decreased time cycle in charging the battery.

3. The battery of the present invention may be recharged for several more cycles than the battery of the prior art before disposing it off.

It may be understood by a person skilled in the art that the present invention is accompanied by figures. The figures form a part of the invention. The figures encompass the embodiment as illustrated in each figure. It is understood by a person skilled in the art that other variations of the device and combinations thereof are envisaged within the scope of the invention. The method of performing the invention using the device is also envisaged within the scope of the said invention. EXAMPLES:

The following examples are indicative and are provided herein as a means of illustration but are not meant in any way to restrict the effective scope of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1: Preparation of anode according to present invention

The anode material of the present invention is prepared by taking graphitic carbon powder and mixed with a polymeric binder along with additives such as carbon nano tubes, fullerene, graphene, carbon fibres in the ratio of 2% by weight. A slurry based paste is prepared and the paste is deposited on a copper current collector, dried to obtain the anode.

EXAMPLE 2: Preparation of cathode according to present invention

Synthesis of cathode materials were carried out by mixing stoichiometric amounts of anhydrous LiN03 (103.4g g), Cu(N03)2.3H20 (67.03 g), Mg(N03).6H20 (5.77 g) and Co(N03)2.4H20 (349.25 g), then dissolved in 900 ml triple distilled water. The resulting metal ion solution was stirred continuously at 300 rpm for 180 min at 95 deg C. The above concentrated solution was transferred to petri dish and microwaved for 45 min. The solution was irradiated at full rated power (100% microwave power (2450 MHz microwave frequency) for 35 minutes. During the reaction, the chemical constituents were rapidly heated and a red glow was appeared inside the china dish throughout the reaction. After the completion of reaction the product was dried in an air oven for two hours and the resulting product was mortar ground for 2 hours in air to obtain phase pure cathode material and sub micron sized particles. The material was mixed with conducting material and binder to made in to slurry form and was coated over aluminium foil. It was hot pressed and 18 mm pieces were punched out.

The Example 2 of the present invention may be repeated in a similar manner with transition metal salts on nitrates, carbonates, oxylates, acetates and other salts of desired metals for cathode preparation.

EXAMPLE 3: Assembly of batteries.

Lithium ion coin cells were assembled inside argon filled glove box using the positive and the negative electrode as prepared by the aforesaid procedures and a polypropylene film separator sandwiched between these electrodes. The separator was soaked with an electrolytic solution of 1 M LiPF6 dissolved in a solvent EC (ethylene carbonate)/DEC (diethylene carbonate) in the ratio of 1 : 1. The coin cells were subjected to charge discharge cycling at different C rates for 300 cycles. The experiments were repeated for concordant results and typical results are presented in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7.

EXAMPLE 4: Test for cycle life of different batteries according to present invention

The batteries of the present invention were tested for the average cycle life and compared with prior art and prior used batteries. The batteries prepared according to example 3 were examined for their cycling behavior by charging at 1C and discharging at various C rates for 300 cycles. The results of the batteries of the present invention are presented at Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7. From the figures, it is evident that the batteries of the present have a superior battery capacity under cycling conditions in a wide range of discharge rates.

Table 4a: Results obtained by test for charge and discharge cycling rate at variable C rates for 300 cycles as mentioned above in example 4.

The batteries of the present invention were tested for the average cycle life. The results are tested at Table 4a.

Table 4a: Charge and discharge capacity of the batteries according to present invention

Battery Charge Initial Charge After 300 cycle

Code /Discharge Capacity

rate

SM2 1C/0.1C 313mAh After 50 cycle (312mAh)

SM8 1C/10C 219mAh 195mAh

SM3 1C/5C 240mAh 214mAh

SM4 1C/1C 257mAh 247mAh EXAMPLE 5: Comparison of charge discharge behavior of the battery of the present invention with different brands of lithium ion batteries of prior art and prior use for up to 300 cycles.

The main purpose of the present invention is to improve charge and discharge capacity at variable C rates of lithium ion batteries according to the present invention. The present test involves the comparison of prior art and prior use lithium ion batteries, against the battery of the present invention. The batteries were tested for the average cycle life and average battery capacity. The batteries prepared according to example 3 were analyzed for their cycling behavior by charging at 1C and discharging at various C rates for 300 cycles. The results are presented at Figures 8, 9, 10 and 1 1 and are compared with Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 (being drawn to the battery of the present invention). From the figures, it is evident that the batteries of the present invention have a superior battery capacity under cycling conditions in a wide range of discharge rates. The results are tabulated at Table 5a.

Table 5a: Comparison of charge and discharge capacity of the batteries according to present invention with prior art and prior use batteries.

0.1 C (50 Cycles) 1 C(300 Cycles) 5C(300 Cycles) 10C(300 Cycles)

Cell

Retention Average Retention Average Retention Average Retent Type Average

% Capacity % Capacity % Capacit ion Capacity

Ah Ah y % Ah

Ah

V- 0.298 100 0.248 73 0.200 77 0.21 1 65

Type (V6) (V I ) (V2) (V8)

0.248 87 0.212 67

(V4) (V3)

G- 0.275 100 0.233 86 0.205 76 0.010 10

Type (G6) (G l ) (G8) (G2)

and Both

0.248 1 00 (G3) Fai led (G9) SM- 0.312 100 0.257 96 0.227 89 0.204 91 Type (SM2) (SM4) (SM3) (SM8)

V2- 0.235 94 0.222 99 0.200 86 0.203 91 Type (V2-2) (V2-4) (V2-3) (V2-8)

INFERENCE: From Table 5a and figures as referred herein above, it may be noted on the basis of parameters evaluated, SM type batteries, being the batteries of the present invention shows maximum charge and discharge capacity rate at all variable C rates

Example 6: Comparison of the thermal runaway and short circuit behavior of prior art prior use batteries with that of the batteries of the present invention.

The thermal runaway and short circuit behavior of prior art prior use batteries were compared with that of the batteries of the present invention. The results of prior art, prior use batteries are listed at Figures 12, 13, 14 and 15 and that of the present invention are listed at Figures 16 and 17. From the figures listed herein, it is evident that the batteries of the present invention exhibit excellent characteristics in thermal runaway and short circuit tests and were found to be better than prior art and prior use batteries.

Thus above description, examples, tables and figures clearly indicate that the battery according to present invention has advantageous merit over that of batteries of prior art and prior use.

Claims

We claim:

1. An improved lithium ion battery for electronic devices comprising

a. a cathodic material;

b. an anodic material;

c. an electrolyte;

d. a separator;

e. current collectors; wherein, the said battery has a charging capacity of 110 to 190 mAh/g; wherein, the said battery has a potential window of 3 to 4.5 v; wherein, the said battery has a discharge rate of 10 to 15 times the battery capacity and is capable of cycling for 300 to 500 cycles.

2. The lithium ion battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cathodic material is selected from the group comprising lithium cobalt oxide, lithium iron phosphate, lithium manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt Aluminium oxide or mixtures thereof.

3. The cathodic material as claimed in claim 2, is optionally doped with transition metal cations selected from the group comprising Ti, Zr, Mn, Ni, Fe, Cu or non transition metal cations selected from the group comprising Al, Sn, Ga, Mg.

4. The lithium ion battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the anodic material is selected from the group comprising graphitic carbon, carbon nanotubes, fullerene and graphene and mixtures thereof.

5. The anodic material as claimed in claim 4, optionally comprises materials, selected from the group comprising nickel, aluminum, tin, germanium and lead or mixtures thereof, in their oxidized or un-oxidized state.

6. The lithium ion battery as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the separator material is any one of polyethylene, polypropylene, fluorinated co-polymers with at least one hydroxyl group.

7. The lithium ion battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrolytic material is a liquid, and is selected from an ionic liquid including LiPF6, LiBF4, LiC104, organic carbonate liquid, a liquid polymer or a gel electrolyte or mixtures thereof or a solid and is selected from a polymeric material, including Lithium salt in conjunction with lanthanum, stannum and germanium, zirconium, tantalum and titanium or mixtures thereof.

8. The lithium ion battery as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the collector material is selected from the group comprising Aluminum or Copper, which further comprises thin coatings of metal or inter-metallic compounds selected from the group comprising, iron, nickel, titanium, copper.

9. A process for preparing the lithium ion battery as claimed in claim 1, comprising the steps of ;

i. preparation of the anodic material;

ii. preparation of the cathodic material;

iii. preparation of the electrolytic material;

iv. preparation of the separator;

v. preparation of the collector;

vi. assembly of components of steps (i) to (v).

10. A lithium ion battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the charge management is controlled by an integrated circuit and the energy management is controlled by a programmable electronic controller.

11. The lithium ion battery as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the charging capacity is in the range of 1 10 to 220 mAh/g, preferably, 130 to 200 mAh/g, more preferably, 140 to 190 mAh/g.

12. The lithium ion battery as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the potential window is the range of 3.0 to 4.5 V.

13. The lithium ion battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery has a discharge rate in the range of 0.1 to 15 C, preferably, 1 C to 13C, more preferably 5C to 12 C and charging rate in the range of 0.1 to 5 C, preferably, 1 to 3 C.

14. The lithium ion battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermal runaway associated with short circuit is prevented by an electronic circuit.

15. Use of the lithium ion battery as claimed in claim 1 for electronic devices, selected from the group comprising electronic cigarettes, portable charging packs, vaping devices, inhalation devices, preferably, electronic cigarettes.