Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
1. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yushin et al. (US20200235420)
2. Regarding claims 1-20, Yushin teaches battery (FIG. 5 illustrates examples of an architecture for an exemplary Li-ion or Li metal cell components and a cell [0237]) that cycles lithium ions, the battery comprising: a lithium metal negative electrode (anode layer 519 [0237]; the active material 526 may, for example, comprise Li metal [0237]); a positive electrode (cathode layer 503 [0237]) spaced apart from the lithium metal negative electrode (anode layer 519 [0237]), the positive electrode (cathode layer 503 [0237]) comprising an electroactive positive electrode material (cathode particles 504 [0237]), the lithium metal negative electrode (anode layer 519 [0237]) and the positive electrode (cathode layer 503 [0237]) having opposing facing surfaces;
a porous separator disposed between the opposing facing surfaces of the lithium metal negative electrode (anode layer 519 [0237]) and the positive electrode (cathode layer 503 [0237]), the porous separator having a first side that faces toward the lithium metal negative electrode (anode layer 519 [0237]) and an opposite second side that faces toward the positive electrode; a composite interlayer (In some designs, electrolyte (e.g., in the form of a solid electrolyte)…may interface with a separator [0039]; solid electrolytes (including solid polymer electrolytes and solid ceramic or glass electrolytes) [0056]; The Examiner notes the solid electrolyte is a composite interlayer) disposed on the facing surface of the lithium metal negative electrode (anode layer 519 [0237]) and between the lithium metal negative electrode (anode layer 519 [0237]) and the porous separator (porous separator membrane 516 [0237]), the composite interlayer (In some designs, electrolyte (e.g., in the form of a solid electrolyte)…may interface with a separator [0039]; In some designs (e.g., when solid electrolyte is used), the Li-ion permeable shells may also serve to reduce interfacial stresses at the electrode/electrolyte interphase [0163]; In some designs, the solid electrolyte comprises a solid polymer electrolyte [0082]; The Examiner notes the solid electrolyte is a composite interlayer) disposed on the facing surface of the lithium metal negative electrode (anode layer 519 [0237]) comprising a polymer matrix phase (polymer-based materials that may be used in the polymer electrolyte(s) (as standalone or as part(s) of the copolymers and (block)copolymers) may include, but are not limited to: (i) various oxygen (O)-containing polymers such as polyethers (such as poly(ethylene oxide) [0138]) and a lithium salt (Li salts that may be used in the polymer electrolyte compositions include…, lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTF SI) [0141]) distributed phase embedded in and distributed throughout the polymer matrix phase (salts may also be utilized in electrolytes in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure [0059]), the lithium salt distributed phase constituting, by weight, greater than or equal to about 10% and less than or equal to about 50% of the composite interlayer (In some designs, the weight fraction of the Li salt(s) in the polymer electrolyte may generally range from around 1.00 wt. % to around 90.00 wt. % (in some designs, from around 4 wt. % to around 20 wt. %) [0111]); and an electrolyte (liquid electrolytes for Li- or Na-based batteries of this type are generally composed of a single Li or Na salt (such as LiPF6 for Li-ion batteries [0058]) that wets the facing surface of the lithium metal negative electrode (anode layer 519 [0237]; In some designs, electrode (e.g., cathode or anode or both) particles may be functionalized or modified to enhance wetting by the polymer electrolyte [0115]) and infiltrates the porous separator and the composite interlayer, the electrolyte comprising an organic solvent (In some designs, it may be advantageous to use a combination of carbonate-type solvent [0061]) and a lithium salt (liquid electrolytes for Li- or Na-based batteries of this type are generally composed of a single Li or Na salt (such as LiPF6 for Li-ion batteries [0058]),
wherein the lithium salt concentration in the electrolyte (salt concentrations range from around 0.8 to around 1.1M for such electrolytes [0058]) is less than the lithium salt concentration in the composite interlayer (In some designs, it may be advantageous for the polymer electrolyte to exhibit a relatively high concentration of Li salt(s) [0111]; In some designs, a suitable molar fraction range for the salt(s) in solvent(s)…from around 1.2M to around 2.2M [0060]) for the benefit of higher concentrations may allow higher conductivity and lower charge transfer resistance [0111]
3. Yushin teaches wherein the polymer matrix phase comprises poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) (poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF), and their various derivatives [0138]), wherein the composite interlayer has a thickness of greater than or equal to about 5 micrometers and less than or equal to about 50 micrometers (In some designs, the average thickness of the separator layer 515 may range, for example, from around 1 micron to around 15 microns [0237]).
4. Yushin teaches a method of manufacturing a battery that cycles lithium ions (FIG. 1 illustrates an example metal (e.g., Li or Li alloy) or metal-ion (e.g., Li-ion) battery in which the components, materials, methods, and other techniques described herein [0038]), the method comprising: preparing a precursor comprising an organic solvent, a polymer, and a lithium salt in the organic solvent (In one illustrative example, a matrix material precursor may be a polymer solution and metal fluoride precursor is a metal salt or a metal-organic compound that is soluble in the same solvent as the polymer. Illustrative examples of some of the suitable solvents include, but are not limited to ethanol, methanol, dimethylformamide (DMF), NMP, among many others, and mixtures thereof [0159]); depositing the precursor on a substrate to form a precursor layer thereon (In some designs (e.g., when polymer electrolyte is deposited from a solution) [0119]; In some designs, the LiF clusters, LiF layers, LiF nanoparticles, or LiF porous particles in the electrically conductive skeleton matrix material may be produced or deposited (e.g., on to the surface of the matrix material or matrix material precursor) [0154]; select metal fluoride particles which offer some reasonable cycle stability in Li-ion battery cells (specifically FeF2, FeF3, CoF2, and NiF2) may be mechanically mixed with or deposited onto the surface of conductive substrates [0011]; (The building block 501 also comprises a suitable anode current collector 518 coated (by a suitable technique) with an anode layer 519 of suitable composition [0237]); and removing the organic solvent from the precursor layer (In some designs, the byproducts and solvents from reaction may be removed [0217]; In some designs, LiF in the electrically conductive skeleton matrix material may be deposited from the solution either in the course of a chemical reaction or by solvent evaporation from the LiF solution [0154]) to form a composite interlayer comprising the polymer and the lithium salt embedded in and distributed throughout the polymer (Yet, in other designs (e.g., when polymer electrolyte forms a protective layer [0119]; it may be advantageous for the solid electrolyte (such as a polymer electrolyte, among others) to form a distinct layer [0122]).
5. Yushin teaches wherein the lithium salt constitutes, by weight, greater than or equal to about 3% and less than or equal to about 15% of the precursor, and wherein the polymer constitutes, by weight, greater than or equal to about 15% and less than or equal to about 70% of the precursor (In some designs, the weight fraction of the Li salt(s) in the polymer electrolyte may generally range from around 4 wt. % to around 20 wt. %) [0111]).
6. Claims 1-4, 6, 9, 11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du et al. (US12272809 filed 11/16/2020)
7. Regarding claims 1-4, 6, 9, 11 and 13, Du teaches a battery that cycles lithium ions (see Fig. below), the battery comprising: a lithium metal negative electrode;
a positive electrode spaced apart from the lithium metal negative electrode, the positive electrode comprising an electroactive positive electrode material, the lithium metal negative electrode and the positive electrode having opposing facing surfaces;
a porous separator disposed between the opposing facing surfaces of the lithium metal negative electrode and the positive electrode, the porous separator having a first side that faces toward the lithium metal negative electrode and an opposite second side that faces toward the positive electrode; and a composite interlayer disposed on the facing surface of the lithium metal negative electrode and between the lithium metal negative electrode and the porous separator, the composite interlayer comprising:
a polymer matrix phase, and a lithium salt distributed phase embedded in and distributed throughout the polymer matrix phase, the lithium salt distributed phase constituting, by weight, greater than or equal to about 10% and less than or equal to about 50% of the composite interlayer (see Fig. below).
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8. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that Du’s lithium salt concentrations would be different for the benefit of good electrolyte ion conductivity (Background).
Conclusion
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/OLATUNJI A GODO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
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