Stora Enso had three patents in batteries during Q3 2023. Stora Enso Oyj has filed a patent for a method of producing a carbon-silicon composite material powder. The method involves using lignin as a carbon-containing precursor and mixing it with silicon-containing active materials. The mixture is then cooled to create an isotropic intermediate composite material, which is subjected to a thermal treatment to produce the carbon-silicon composite material. The resulting powder can be used in the negative electrode of a non-aqueous secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery. GlobalData’s report on Stora Enso gives a 360-degreee view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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Stora Enso grant share with batteries as a theme is 0% in Q3 2023. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Recent Patents
Application: A method for producing a carbon-silicon composite material powder, and a carbon-silicon composite material powder (Patent ID: US20230261174A1)
The present disclosure describes a method for producing a carbon-silicon composite material powder. The method involves providing a carbon-containing precursor, such as lignin, and at least one silicon-containing active material. These components are melt-mixed together at a temperature between 120-250°C to form a melt-mixture. The melt-mixture is then cooled to provide an isotropic intermediate composite material. This intermediate material is subjected to a thermal treatment, including a carbonization step, to produce a carbon-silicon composite material. The carbon-silicon composite material is then pulverized to obtain the desired carbon-silicon composite material powder.
The carbon-containing precursor used in the method can be Kraft lignin, and it can be provided in particulate form. The silicon-containing active material can be elemental silicon, a silicon suboxide, a silicon-metal alloy, or a silicon-metal carbon alloy, and it can also be provided in particulate form. The carbon-containing precursor is mixed with 0.5-30 wt-% of the silicon-containing active material during the melt-mixing step.
The method may also involve the addition of dispersing additives, such as monoethers, polyethers, mono-alcohols, polyalcohols, amines, carbonates, polycarbonates, monoesters, polyesters, and polyether fatty acid esters. These additives can be included in the melt-mixing step along with the other components. The carbon-containing precursor can be mixed with 0.5-30 wt-% of the silicon-containing active material and 0.5-10 wt-% of the dispersing additive during the melt-mixing step.
Additional steps in the method may include providing graphite particles or carbon particles, or both, in the melt-mixing step, and pre-mixing the components before the melt-mixing step using methods such as dry mixing, dry milling, wet milling, melt-mixing, solution mixing, spray-coating, spray-drying, dispersion mixing, or combinations thereof.
The carbonization step in the thermal treatment is performed at a temperature of 700-1300°C, and there may be one or more initial heating steps before the carbonization step, each performed at a temperature of 250-700°C. A pulverization step may also be included after the initial heating steps and before the carbonization step.
The resulting carbon-silicon composite material powder has powder particles with an average particle size between 5-25 µm. Additionally, the method may include a step of carbon-coating the carbon-silicon composite material powder particles.
The carbon-silicon composite material powder obtained through this method can be used as a negative electrode in a non-aqueous secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery.
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