Battery with aluminum-containing cathode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10686224-B2
Application number	US-201815956630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2018
Priority date	Apr 19, 2017
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

A battery includes an anode chamber configured to contain an anolyte and including an anode, a cathode chamber configured to contain a catholyte including a cathode, and a separator between the anode chamber and the cathode chamber. The anode includes sodium, and the cathode includes aluminum. The battery is configured to be operated above a melting point of the anolyte and the catholyte, such that the anolyte is a molten anolyte and the catholyte is a molten catholyte.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery comprising:
an anode chamber comprising an anode, wherein the anode comprises sodium;
a cathode chamber comprising a cathode, wherein the cathode comprises aluminum; and
a separator between the anode chamber and the cathode chamber,
wherein:
the anode chamber contains an anolyte,
the cathode chamber contains a catholyte, wherein the catholyte comprises a 4:1 molar ratio of NaAl 2 Cl 7 and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMIAlCl 4 ), and
the battery is configured to be operated above a melting point of the anolyte and the catholyte, such that the anolyte is a molten anolyte and the catholyte is a molten catholyte.

2. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the anolyte comprises sodium.

3. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the separator comprises a solid sodium super ion conductor.

4. The battery of claim 3 , wherein the solid sodium ion conductor comprises a porous coating of an electronically conductive metal oxide proximate the anode chamber.

5. The battery of claim 4 , wherein the electronically conductive metal oxide comprises indium tin oxide.

6. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode chamber comprises aluminum wool in direct contact with the separator, and the catholyte is in direct contact with the aluminum wool and the separator.

7. The battery of claim 1 , wherein charging the battery results in the formation of sodium.

8. The battery of claim 1 , wherein discharging the battery results in the formation of aluminum.

9. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the anode comprises molten sodium.

10. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode comprises molten NaAl 2 Cl 7 .

11. A battery comprising:
an anode chamber comprising an anode, wherein the anode comprises sodium;
a cathode chamber comprising a cathode, wherein the cathode comprises aluminum; and
a separator between the anode chamber and the cathode chamber,
wherein:
the anode chamber contains an anolyte,
the cathode chamber contains a catholyte, wherein the catholyte comprises a 4:1 molar ratio of Na 2 Al 2 Cl 7 and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMIAlCl 4 ),
the cathode chamber comprises aluminum wool in direct contact with the separator, and the catholyte is in direct contact with the aluminum wool and the separator, and
the battery is configured to be operated above a melting point of the anolyte and the catholyte, such that the anolyte is a molten anolyte and the catholyte is a molten catholyte.

Assignees

• Angell C Austen
• Xue Leigang
• Univ Arizona State

Inventors

• Angell C Austen
• Xue Leigang

Classifications

• H01M50/431

  Inorganic material · CPC title

• H01M50/449

  having a layered structure · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/381

  Alkaline or alkaline earth metals elements (H01M4/40 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2300/0057

  Chlorides · CPC title