Zinc electrodes for batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10008711-B2
Application number	US-201313832576-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Nov 28, 2012
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

An article having a continuous network of zinc and a continuous network of void space interpenetrating the zinc network. The zinc network is a fused, monolithic structure. A method of: providing an emulsion having a zinc powder and a liquid phase; drying the emulsion to form a sponge; sintering the sponge to form a sintered sponge; heating the sintered sponge in an oxidizing atmosphere to form an oxidized sponge having zinc oxide on the surface of the oxidized sponge; and electrochemically reducing the zinc oxide to form a zinc metal sponge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article comprising;
a continuous network comprising metallic zinc; and
a continuous network of void space interpenetrating the zinc network;
wherein the void space consists of 10-75 micron-sized pores;
wherein the zinc network comprises a fused, monolithic structure;
wherein the article comprises metallic zinc bridges connecting metallic zinc particle cores; and
wherein the article is made by:
providing a mixture comprising a metallic zinc powder and a liquid phase emulsion;
drying the mixture to form a sponge;
heating the sponge in an inert atmosphere at a temperature from 200° to below the melting point of zinc until a fused sponge having a metallic zinc surface is formed; and
heating the fused sponge in an oxidizing atmosphere at 420-700° C. to form a zinc oxide shell on the surface of the fused sponge.

2. The article of claim 1 , wherein both the surface of the zinc network and the interior of the zinc network comprise zinc.

3. The article of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the zinc network comprises one or more of zinc oxide and zinc oxide oxyhydroxides.

4. The article of claim 1 , wherein the zinc powder or liquid phase comprises an additive that suppresses gas evolution and corrosion of the sponge.

5. The article of claim 4 , wherein the additive comprises bismuth and indium.

6. An electrochemical cell comprising:
an anode current collector;
an anode comprising the article of claim 1 in electrical contact with the anode current collector;
an electrolyte filling the void space;
a cathode current collector;
a cathode in electrical contact with the cathode current collector; and
a separator between the anode and the cathode.

7. The electrochemical cell of claim 6 , wherein the electrochemical cell is a zinc-air battery.

8. The article of claim 1 , wherein the zinc network is substantially uniformly conductive.

9. The article of claim 1 , wherein the inert atmosphere is argon or nitrogen.

10. The article of claim 1 , wherein the article is further made by:
reducing the zinc oxide.

11. The article of claim 1 , wherein the article can be oxidized and reduced in an electrochemical cell for at least 45 cycles without the formation of zinc dendrites.

Assignees

• Rolison Debra R
• Parker Joseph F
• Long Jeffrey W
• Us Navy

Inventors

• Rolison Debra R
• Parker Joseph F
• Long Jeffrey W

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/42

  Alloys based on zinc · CPC title

• H01M4/0471 Primary

  involving thermal treatment, e.g. firing, sintering, backing particulate active material, thermal decomposition, pyrolysis · CPC title

• Y02E60/128

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M4/043 Primary

  involving compressing or compaction · CPC title