Cathode unit for an alkaline metal/sulfur battery having an optimised arrester structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10090528-B2
Application number	US-201214127241-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2012
Priority date	Jun 21, 2011
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a cathode unit for an alkaline metal/sulphur battery, containing a cathode arrester, which comprises a carbon substrate, and an electrochemically active component, which is selected from sulphur or an alkaline metal sulphide and is in electrically conductive contact with the carbon substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cathode unit for an alkali metal-sulfur battery, comprising:
a cathode collector comprising a carbon substrate, wherein the carbon substrate comprises a braid or network of carbon nanotubes, and
an electrochemically active component which is selected from sulfur and an alkali metal sulfide and is in electrically conductive contact with the carbon substrate.

2. The cathode unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the carbon substrate is configured as a flat structure having a surface conductivity of at least 0.01 S.

3. The cathode unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the carbon substrate has a carbon content of at least 70% by weight.

4. The cathode unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the carbon substrate is a woven or nonwoven textile fabric, a woven carbon fiber fabric, a carbon gas diffusion layer or combinations thereof.

5. The cathode unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a substrate layer is applied to the carbon substrate, the substrate layer being a catalyst layer or polymer layer.

6. The cathode unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cathode collector does not comprise a metallic substrate.

7. The cathode unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the alkali metal sulfide is selected from a lithium sulfide and a sodium sulfide.

8. The cathode unit as claimed in claim 1 , additionally comprising an electrochemically inactive, electrically conductive carbon component which is in electrically conductive contact with the carbon substrate, the electrochemically active component at least partly covering the surface of the electrochemically inactive, electrically conductive carbon component.

9. The cathode unit as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the electrochemically inactive, electrically conductive carbon component is selected from carbon nanotubes, graphite, carbon black, graphene, porous carbons and mixtures thereof.

10. An alkali metal-sulfur battery comprising the cathode unit as claimed in claim 1 .

11. A process for producing the cathode unit as claimed in claim 1 , comprising:
providing a cathode collector comprising a carbon substrate,
adding an electrochemically active component selected from sulfur and an alkali metal sulfide, such that the electrochemically active component is in electrically conductive contact with the carbon substrate.

12. The process as claimed in claim 11 , wherein an electrochemically inactive, electrically conductive carbon component is additionally added, such that the electrochemically inactive, electrically conductive carbon component is in electrically conductive contact with the carbon substrate, and wherein the electrochemically active component at least partly covers the surface of the electrochemically inactive, electrically conductive carbon component.

Assignees

• Hagen Markus
• Althues Holger
• Kaskel Stefan
• Berger Thomas
• Doerfler Susanne
• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Hagen Markus
• Althues Holger
• Kaskel Stefan
• Berger Thomas
• Dörfler Susanne

Classifications

• H01M4/13

  Electrodes for accumulators with non-aqueous electrolyte, e.g. for lithium-accumulators; Processes of manufacture thereof · CPC title

• H01M10/054

  Accumulators with insertion or intercalation of metals other than lithium, e.g. with magnesium or aluminium · CPC title

• H01M4/5815

  Sulfides · CPC title

• H01M4/663 Primary

  containing carbon or carbonaceous materials as conductive part, e.g. graphite, carbon fibres · CPC title

• H01M4/667

  in the form of layers, e.g. coatings · CPC title