Alkali-metal batteries with a dendrite-free anode interfacing an organic liquid electrolyte

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10236513-B2
Application number	US-201715452337-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2017
Priority date	Mar 18, 2016
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

A rechargeable battery cell has an organic-liquid electrolyte contacting a dendrite free alkali-metal anode. The alkali-metal anode may be a liquid at the operating temperature that is immobilized by absorption into a porous membrane. The alkali-metal anode may be a solid that wets a porous-membrane separator, where the contact between the solid alkali-metal anode and the liquid electrolyte is at micropores or nanopores in the porous-membrane separator. The use of a dendrite-free solid lithium cell was demonstrated in a symmetric cell with a porous cellulose-based separator membrane. A K + -ion rechargeable cell was demonstrated with a liquid K—Na alloy anode immobilized in a porous carbon membrane using an organic-liquid electrolyte with a Celgard® or glass-fiber separator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery cell, including a rechargeable electrochemical cell, the rechargeable electrochemical cell comprising:
an anode comprising a current collector and a liquid sodium(Na)-potassium(K) alloy-metal comprising between 9.2 to 58.2 wt. % Na at 25° C. immobilized in a porous membrane;
a separator membrane;
a liquid electrolyte in the separator membrane that contacts the liquid anode via the separator membrane: and
a solid cathode,
wherein the separator membrane transports K ions between the separator membrane and the liquid anode.

2. The battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the porous membrane is selected from at least one of:
a carbon-based membrane;
a polymer membrane;
a porous ceramic membrane;
a porous gel membrane;
a cellulose-based membrane; and
a fiber-matrix membrane.

3. The battery cell of claim 2 , wherein the fiber-matrix membrane is coated with at least one of:
a carbon-based material;
a glass material;
a polymer;
a cellulose-based material.

4. The battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the cathode comprises Na.

5. The battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the battery has been cycled and the cathode comprises K.

6. The battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the battery has been cycled and the cathode comprises Na and K.

7. The battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the cathode comprises Na 2 MnFe(CN) 6 .

8. The battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the battery cell has been cycled and the cathode comprise K 2 MnFe(CN) 6 .

9. The battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises K ions.

10. The battery cell of claim 9 , wherein electrolyte comprises KClO 4 .

11. The battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the separator membrane additionally transports Na ions between the separator membrane and the liquid anode and the electrolyte comprises Na ions.

12. The battery cell of claim 11 , wherein the electrolyte further comprises NaClO 4 .

13. A battery cell, including a rechargeable electrochemical cell, the rechargeable electrochemical cell comprising:
an anode comprising a current collector and a liquid sodium(Na)-potassium(K) alloy-metal comprising between 9.2 to 58.2 wt. % Na at 25° C. immobilized in a porous membrane;
a separator membrane;
a liquid electrolyte in the separator membrane that contacts the liquid anode via the separator membrane; and
a solid cathode,
wherein the separator membrane transports Na ions between the separator membrane and the liquid anode.

14. The battery cell of claim 13 , wherein the porous membrane is selected from at least one of:
a carbon-based membrane;
a polymer membrane;
a porous ceramic membrane;
a porous gel membrane;
a cellulose-based membrane; and
a fiber-matrix membrane.

15. The battery cell of claim 14 , wherein the fiber-matrix membrane is coated with at least one of:
a carbon-based material;
a glass material;
a polymer;
a cellulose-based material.

16. The battery cell of claim 13 , wherein the cathode comprises Na.

17. The battery cell of claim 13 , wherein the cathode comprises Na 2 MnFe(CN) 6 .

18. The battery cell of claim 13 , wherein the electrolyte comprises Na ions.

19. The battery cell of claim 18 , wherein electrolyte comprises KClO 4 .

Assignees

• Univ Texas

Inventors

• Goodenough John B
• Xue Leigang
• You Byoungchul

Classifications

• H01M4/663

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

• H01M10/054

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

• H01M4/40

  Alloys based on alkali metals · CPC title

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title

• C22C24/00 Primary

  Alloys based on an alkali or an alkaline earth metal · CPC title