High-Capacity Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery

描述(申请人提供)：目前，约有700万美国人使用助听器，通常使用紧凑型锌空气电池。这些电池相对便宜，使用安全，易于处理，但在需要更换之前只能工作大约一周。几乎所有其他现代设备(手机、电脑等)现在使用可充电的锂离子(Li-ion)电池，这种电池的充电容量较低，需要频繁(几乎每天)充电。尽管频繁充电对电子设备用户来说可能是可以接受的，但它可能会给医疗设备用户带来潜在的生命威胁。经常需要更换或充电助听器电池给助听器用户带来了后勤问题，特别是对老年人来说，他们构成了助听器用户的最大部分。为回应美国国立卫生研究院失聪及其他通讯障碍研究所(NIDCD)对助听器用新型可充电电池的要求，物理光学公司(POC)提议开发一种新型高容量锂离子可充电(HCLIR)电池。与锂离子电池的当前容量相比，使用新型硅(Si)微孔负极，电池容量将显著提高(四倍)。硅具有突出的锂(Li)嵌入能力，是传统石墨的10倍，但在吸收和释放锂的过程中存在较大的体积变化。所提出的阳极结构不仅显著增加了与Li反应的表面积，而且允许材料扩展，从而允许多次充电/放电循环。作为这项创新的结果，拟议的紧凑型电池(尺寸为A312)将能够存储足以在不充电的情况下进行大约一周的助听器操作的能量。用户将能够使用与手机和其他设备相同(或类似)的充电器为电池充电，并为小尺寸电池增加一个充电器。拟议中的电池在使用几个月后将完全收回成本，而其使用寿命将长达数年。在第一阶段，POC将通过优化电池设计、制造电池原型、测量其容量并展示其承受多次充放电循环的能力，来证明建议的采用硅微孔阳极的A312尺寸电池的可行性。在第二阶段，POC将优化制造技术，以降低电池成本。我们还将根据ANSI/IEC的要求对开发的电池进行认证。拟议中的开发项目的成功实现将直接惠及数百万助听器用户。建议的技术可以很容易地进行修改，以用于其他医疗设备，并为使用锂离子电池的众多电子设备提供广阔的商业市场。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Currently, approximately 7 million Americans use hearing aid devices, which usually use compact Zn-air batteries. These batteries are relatively inexpensive, safe to use, and easy to dispose of, but only work for approximately 1 week before needing to be replaced. Practically all other modern gadgets (cell phones, computers, etc.) now utilize rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which have lower charge capacity and need frequent (practically daily) recharging. Although frequent recharging may be acceptable for gadget users, it may create potentially a life threating situation for users of medical devices. Th frequent need to replace or recharge hearing aid batteries creates a logistical problem for users, especially for seniors, who constitute the largest segment of hearing aid users. In response to the NIH National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) request for new rechargeable batteries for hearing aid devices, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new High-Capacity Li-ion Rechargeable (HCLIR) battery. The significant (fourfold) increase in the battery capacity, compare to the current capacity of Li-ion batteries wil be achieved with a new silicon (Si) microporous anode. Si has an outstanding lithium (Li) insertion capacity, which is 10 times higher than conventional graphite, but suffers from large volume changes while absorbing and releasing Li. The proposed anode structure not only significantly increases surface area available for the reaction with Li, but also permits material extension, thus allowing for multiple charge/discharge cycles. As a result of this innovation, the proposed compact battery (size A312) will be capable of storing energy sufficient for approximately 1 week of hearing aid operation without recharging. Users will be able to recharge the battery using the same (or similar) charger they use for their cell phones and other gadgets, with an additional compartment for a small size battery. The cost of the proposed battery will be completely recovered after several months of use, while its service life will be several years long. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed A312 size battery with a Si microporous anode by optimizing the battery design, fabricating battery prototypes, measuring their capacity, and demonstrating their capability to withstand multiple charge/discharge cycles. In Phase II, POC will optimize the manufacturing technology to reduce battery cost. We will also certify the developed battery according to ANSI/IEC requirements. Successful accomplishment of the proposed development will directly benefit millions of hearing aid users. The proposed technology can be modified easily for use in other medical devices and for a broad commercial market for numerous electronic devices which utilize Li-ion batteries.