Metal-air cells with minimal air access

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11031644-B2
Application number	US-201916726382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 24, 2019
Priority date	Dec 27, 2018
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

The present technology provides a battery that includes an air cathode, an anode, an aqueous electrolyte that includes an amphoteric surfactant, and a housing that includes one or more air access ports defining a total area of void space (“vent area”), where(1) the battery is a size 13 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.050 mm2 to about 0.115 mm2; or(2) the battery is a size 312 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.03 mm2 to about 0.08 mm2.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery comprising an air cathode, an anode, an aqueous electrolyte, and a housing, wherein:
the housing comprises one or more air access ports defining a vent area;
the aqueous electrolyte comprises an amphoteric fluorosurfactant; and
the battery is a size 13 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.050 mm 2 to about 0.115 mm 2 , or the battery is a size 312 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.03 mm 2 to about 0.08 mm 2 .

2. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a size 13 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is about 0.05 mm 2 to about 0.10 mm 2 .

3. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a size 13 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.060 mm 2 to about 0.085 mm 2 .

4. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a size 13 metal-air battery and the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.08 mm 2 to about 0.085 mm 2 .

5. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a size 312 metal-air battery the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.04 mm 2 to about 0.07 mm 2 .

6. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the battery is a size 312 metal-air battery the total vent area defined by all of the air access ports is from about 0.04 mm 2 to about 0.05 mm 2 .

7. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the anode comprises zinc.

8. The battery of claim 1 further comprising a carbon dioxide scrubbing agent.

9. The battery of claim 8 , wherein the carbon dioxide scrubbing agent comprises lithium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, lithium peroxide, an amine, or an olivine.

10. The battery of claim 8 , further comprising an air diffusion pad and the air diffusion pad comprises the carbon dioxide scrubbing agent.

11. The battery of claim 8 , further comprising an interior surface of the housing comprising a coating of the carbon dioxide scrubbing agent.

12. The battery of claim 8 , further comprising an air reservoir defined by the housing and an air diffusion layer within the battery, and the carbon dioxide scrubbing agent is deposited on a surface of the air reservoir as a powder or film.

13. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the amphoteric fluorosurfactant comprises a short-chain perfluoro substituent that cannot break down to perfluorooctanoic acid.

14. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the amphoteric fluorosurfactant comprises a betaine functionality.

15. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the amphoteric fluorosurfactant comprises a compound of Formula (I):

wherein
R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 are each independently a hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, or cycloalkyl group;
X 1 is —C(O)—, —SO 2 —, —C(O)NR a —, —SO 2 NR a —, —CO 2 —, or —SO 2 O—;
R a is H or an alkyl group;
m and p are each independently 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6; and
n and r are each independently 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.

16. The battery of claim 15 , wherein
R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 are each H;
R 7 and R 8 are each independently C 1 -C 4 alkyl;
X 1 is SO 2 or —SO 2 NR a ;
R a is H;
n is 2 or 3;
p is 2, 3, 4, or 5;
m is 3, 4, 5, or 6; and
r is 1.

17. The battery of claim 15 , wherein
R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 are each H;
R 7 and R 8 are each independently C 1 -C 4 alkyl;
X 1 is SO 2 ;
n and p are 2;
m is 4, 5, or 6; and
r is 1.

18. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous electrolyte comprises a surfactant system.

19. The battery of claim 18 , wherein the surfactant system comprises the amphoteric fluorosurfactant.

20. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous electrolyte comprises about 500 ppm to about 20,000 ppm lithium hydroxide.

Assignees

• Energizer Brands Llc

Inventors

• Pozdol Ian
• Syvertsen Marc
• Rubsam Tony
• Schnetz Kokkie

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M6/045

  characterised by aqueous electrolyte · CPC title

• H01M12/06 Primary

  with one metallic and one gaseous electrode · CPC title

• H01M12/02

  Details (of electrodes H01M4/00; of non-active parts H01M50/00) · CPC title

• H01M4/244

  Zinc electrodes · CPC title