US 11515528

US Patent 11515528 (literally interpreted as 11515528, not 11515528B2 as per Google Patents) is titled "Electrodes, lithium-ion batteries, and methods of making and using same."

Summary of US Patent 11515528:

• Title: Electrodes, lithium-ion batteries, and methods of making and using same
• Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corp, Sila Nanotechnologies Inc
• Inventors: Gleb Yushin, Oleksandr Magazynskyy, Patrick Dixon, Benjamin Hertzberg
• Filing Date: March 10, 2022
• Issue Date: November 29, 2022
• Abstract: The patent describes improved composite anodes and lithium-ion batteries, along with methods for their manufacture and use. The anodes generally consist of a porous composite containing multiple agglomerated nanocomposites. Each nanocomposite features a dendritic particle, which is a three-dimensional, randomly-ordered assembly of nanoparticles made from an electrically conducting material. On the surface of this dendritic particle are discrete, non-porous nanoparticles of a non-carbon Group 4A element or a mixture thereof. A key aspect is that at least a portion of the dendritic particle of one nanocomposite is in electrical communication with a dendritic particle of an adjacent nanocomposite within the agglomerated structure.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

Please note: The full text of the patent claims was not provided in the authoritative document. The following overview is derived from the "Summary of the Invention" section, which typically outlines the scope of the independent claims. Therefore, the exact numbering and precise legal wording of the claims are not available, and this represents an interpretation of the core inventive concepts.

1. Anode Composition Claim: This claim likely describes an anode for a lithium-ion battery. The anode is a porous composite made of several clustered (agglomerated) nanocomposites. Each nanocomposite contains a core dendritic particle, which is essentially a tangled, three-dimensional network of very small particles (nanoparticles) of an electrically conductive material (such as carbon, silicon, or lithium-silicon alloys). Attached to the surface of this dendritic particle are distinct, solid (non-porous) nanoparticles of a non-carbon Group 4A element (like silicon, germanium, tin, lead, or their alloys). A crucial feature is that the dendritic particles within different nanocomposites are electrically connected to each other, ensuring good conductivity throughout the anode.

2. Granular Anode Composition Claim: This claim likely focuses on a specific type of anode where the porous composite is structured as a matrix of multiple spherical or nearly-spherical granules. Each of these granules, in turn, is made up of agglomerated nanocomposites. In this specific embodiment, the dendritic particles are formed from annealed carbon black nanoparticles, and the discrete non-porous nanoparticles disposed on their surface are silicon nanoparticles. Similar to the first claim, the dendritic particles of adjacent nanocomposites within and between the granules are in electrical communication.

3. Lithium-Ion Battery Claim: This claim broadly covers a lithium-ion battery that incorporates any of the anode structures described in the previous claims.

4. Method of Making an Anode Claim: This claim outlines a process for manufacturing the anode. The method involves several steps:

   • First, forming the three-dimensional, randomly-ordered dendritic particle from discrete nanoparticles of an electrically conducting material.
   • Second, placing (disposing) discrete, non-porous nanoparticles of a non-carbon Group 4A element (or mixture) onto the surface of the dendritic particle to create a nanocomposite particle.
   • Third, assembling many of these nanocomposite particles together to form either a single, solid anode body or a spherical granule.
   • A key aspect of this assembly is ensuring that the dendritic particles of individual nanocomposites are in electrical contact with the dendritic particles of neighboring nanocomposites.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
A general search of the CAFC 2026 dockets did not immediately return any cases specifically listing patent number 11515528. A full review of all scheduled cases for May, June, and July 2026 was not performed, so it is possible there could be related litigation not appearing in top-level search results.