Magnesium-based methods, systems, and devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10490872-B2
Application number	US-201715806842-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2017
Priority date	Apr 11, 2014
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention is an electrical device, where the device includes a current collector and a porous active layer electrically connected to the current collector to form an electrode. The porous active layer includes MgB x particles, where x≥1, mixed with a conductive additive and a binder additive to form empty interstitial spaces between the MgB x particles, the conductive additive, and the binder additive. The MgB x particles include a plurality of boron sheets of boron atoms covalently bound together, with a plurality of magnesium atoms reversibly intercalated between the boron sheets and ionically bound to the boron atoms.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrical device comprising:
a current collector; and
an active layer electrically connected to the current collector to form an anode, wherein:
the active layer comprises a plurality of particles, a conductive additive, and a binder additive,
the plurality of particles are present at a first amount between 50 wt % and 80 wt %, the conductive additive is at a second amount between 10 wt % and 30 wt %, and the binder additive is at a third amount of less than or equal to 40 wt %,
the plurality of particles have a first state comprising at least two boron sheets with a plurality of magnesium atoms intercalated between the boron sheets resulting in a first composition MgB 2 ,
the plurality of particles have a second state comprising the at least two boron sheets and a fraction, 1−y, of the plurality of magnesium atoms intercalated between the boron sheets resulting in a second composition Mg (1−y) B 2 , where 0<y≤1, and
the electrical device is capable of reversibly switching between the first state and the second state.

2. The electrical device of claim 1 further comprising a cathode comprising vanadium oxide.

3. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein the conductive additive comprises acetylene black.

4. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein the binder additive comprises polyvinylidene fluoride.

5. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein the current collector comprises at least one of aluminum, copper, gold, or silver.

6. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of particles, the conductive additive, and the binder additive form a plurality of interstitial spaces in the active layer.

7. The electrical device of claim 6 , further comprising a liquid electrolyte, wherein at least a portion of the liquid electrolyte is positioned within and fills at least a portion of the plurality of interstitial spaces.

8. The electrical device of claim 7 , wherein the liquid electrolyte comprises magnesium tetrahydroborate.

9. The electrical device of claim 8 , wherein the liquid electrolyte further comprises dimethoxyethane.

10. The electrical device of claim 7 , wherein the cathode and the anode are immersed in the liquid electrolyte.

11. A method for storing energy in a battery, the method comprising:
immersing a first electrode and a second electrode in a liquid, non-aqueous, Mg 2+ ion-containing, electrolyte solution; and
applying a voltage across the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein:
the first electrode comprises boron sheets of boron atoms covalently bound together, with a plurality of magnesium atoms reversibly intercalated between the boron sheets and ionically bound to the boron atoms,
the applying causes the reversible deintercalation of a portion of the magnesium atoms from between the boron sheets,
the applying creates a flux of Mg 2+ ions from the first electrode into the electrolyte solution,
the applying produces the reversible transfer of at least some of the Mg 2+ ions from at least one of the flux or from the electrolyte solution to the second electrode, such that the energy stored in the battery ranges from about 6 mAh/g to about 10 mAh/g, and
the second electrode comprises vanadium oxide and the reversible transfer of at least some of the Mg 2+ ions to the second electrode is by intercalation of Mg 2+ ions into the vanadium oxide.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
applying a load across the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the load:
produces the reversible removal of magnesium atoms from the second electrode;
creates a flux of Mg 2+ ions from the second electrode into the electrolyte solution, and
produces the reversible intercalation between the boron sheets of the first electrode of at least some of the Mg 2+ ions from at least one of the flux from the second electrode or the electrolyte solution.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second electrode comprises magnesium metal and the reversible transfer of at least some of the Mg 2+ ions to the second electrode is by electrochemical plating of Mg 2+ ions onto the magnesium metal.

14. A rechargeable magnesium-based air battery comprising:
an anode layer formed of magnesium boride having the formula MgBx, wherein x≥1 and is deposited onto a first support structure;
a porous cathode layer wherein the layer includes positive active material that at least activates carbon for absorbing oxygen in air, wherein oxygen gas is used as the positive active material and is deposited onto a second support structure; and
an electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte is a non-aqueous solution wherein the solution contains Grignard reagents such as RMgX, wherein the anode layer and cathode layer are connected electrically and the electrolyte is in contact with the first and second support structures.

15. The battery of claim 14 , wherein the first and second support structures are positive and negative current collectors.

16. The battery of claim 14 , wherein the anode layer is doped.

17. The battery of claim 14 , wherein the anode layer is doped with at least one of a Group IV/ Group 14 element or a Group V/Group 15 element.

18. The battery of claim 17 , wherein the Group IV/Group 14 element comprises at least one of carbon, silicon, germanium, tin, lead, or flerovium.

19. The battery of claim 17 , wherein the Group V/Group 15 element comprises at least one of nitrogen, phosphorous, arsenic, antimony, or bismuth.

Assignees

• Alliance Sustainable Energy

Inventors

• Zhao Yufeng
• Ban Chunmei
• Ruddy Daniel
• Parilla Philip A
• Son Seoung-Bum

Classifications

• H01M4/623

  fluorinated polymers · CPC title

• H01M10/0568

  characterised by the solutes · CPC title

• H01M4/38

  of elements or alloys · CPC title

• H01M4/382

  Lithium (H01M4/405 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M4/485

  of mixed oxides or hydroxides for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiTi2O4 or LiTi2OxFy (H01M4/505, H01M4/525 take precedence) · CPC title