Apparatus and associated methods for electrical storage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11075390-B2
Application number	US-201716329365-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2017
Priority date	Sep 20, 2016
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus including a proton battery and a casing for the proton battery, the proton battery including first and second electrodes configured to form an electrode junction configured to generate protons in the presence of water to produce a potential difference, the proton battery further including respective charge collectors in contact with the first and second electrodes; the casing configured to inhibit exposure of the electrode junction to water from the surrounding environment when the proton battery is contained within the casing, the casing including a pair of electrical terminals electrically connected to the respective charge collectors of the proton battery, wherein the proton battery is formed as a continuous strip of material, and wherein the casing includes an opening configured to enable a length of the continuous strip to be extracted from the casing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising a proton battery and a casing for the proton battery, the proton battery comprising first and second electrodes configured to form an electrode junction with one another at an interface thereof, the electrode junction configured to generate protons in the presence of water to produce a potential difference between the first and second electrodes, the proton battery further comprising respective charge collectors in contact with the first and second electrodes; the casing configured to inhibit exposure of the electrode junction to water from the surrounding environment when the proton battery is contained within the casing, the casing comprising a pair of electrical terminals electrically connected to the respective charge collectors of the proton battery such that the potential difference between the first and second electrodes can be used to power an external circuit, wherein the proton battery is formed as a continuous strip of material, and wherein the casing comprises an opening configured to enable a length of the continuous strip to be extracted from the casing and exposed to water from the surrounding environment to produce the potential difference.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the continuous strip of material is rolled up inside the casing and is configured to rotate about a central axis as a length of the continuous strip is extracted from the casing.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the proton battery comprises a central post around which the continuous strip of material is wound, the central post having electrically conductive end portions separated by an electrically insulating central portion, the electrically conductive end portions electrically connected to respective charge collectors at one end of the continuous strip and configured to contact corresponding electrical terminals at opposite ends of the casing during rotation of the proton battery.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the continuous strip of material is folded up into a concertina structure inside the casing and is configured to unfold as a length of the continuous strip is extracted from the casing.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein one end of the continuous strip is fixed to a wall of the casing, and the charge collectors at that end are electrically connected to respective electrical terminals located on said wall of the casing.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the casing is configured to form one or more of an airtight and watertight seal around the proton battery, and wherein the opening is configured to maintain the seal during and/or after extraction of a length of the continuous strip from the casing.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the opening comprises a resilient material configured to undergo deformation during extraction of a length of the continuous strip from the casing, and clamp the continuous strip automatically once the length has been extracted.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second electrodes and their respective charge collectors are disposed on a surface of a flexible substrate.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the proton battery comprises an adhesive at the edges of the continuous strip configured to sealingly attach the continuous strip of material to itself whilst it is inside the casing to further inhibit exposure of the electrode junction to water from the surrounding environment.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the continuous strip of material is divided into a plurality of discrete lengths by adjoining sections in which the first and second electrodes are absent.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the proton battery comprises an adhesive at the edges of the continuous strip configured to sealingly attach the continuous strip of material to itself whilst it is inside the casing to further inhibit exposure of the electrode junction to water from the surrounding environment, and wherein the adjoining sections comprise an adhesive configured to sealingly attach the continuous strip of material to itself whilst it is inside the casing to further inhibit exposure of the electrode junctions of the respective discrete lengths to water from the surrounding environment.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the adhesive is impermeable to water from the surrounding environment.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the continuous strip of material comprises demarcations configured to indicate one or more of the start and end of each discrete length to guide extraction of a length of the continuous strip of material from the casing.

14. A method of making an apparatus, the method comprising: forming a proton battery comprising first and second electrodes configured to form an electrode junction with one another at an interface thereof, the electrode junction configured to generate protons in the presence of water to produce a potential difference between the first and second electrodes, the proton battery further comprising respective charge collectors in contact with the first and second electrodes; and forming a casing for the proton battery, the casing configured to inhibit exposure of the electrode junction to water from the surrounding environment when the proton battery is contained within the casing, the casing comprising a pair of electrical terminals electrically connected to the respective charge collectors of the proton battery such that the potential difference between the first and second electrodes can be used to power an external circuit, wherein the proton battery is formed as a continuous strip of material, and wherein the casing comprises an opening configured to enable a length of the continuous strip to be extracted from the casing and exposed to water from the surrounding environment to produce the potential difference.

15. A method of using an apparatus, the apparatus comprising a proton battery and a casing for the proton battery, the proton battery comprising first and second electrodes configured to form an electrode junction with one another at an interface thereof, the electrode junction configured to generate protons in the presence of water to produce a potential difference between the first and second electrodes, the proton battery further comprising respective charge collectors in contact with the first and second electrodes; the casing configured to inhibit exposure of the electrode junction to water from the surrounding environment when the proton battery is contained within the casing, the casing comprising a pair of electrical terminals electrically connected to the respective charge collectors of the proton battery such that the potential difference between the first and second electrodes can be used to power an external circuit, wherein the proton battery is formed as a continuous strip of material, and wherein the casing comprises an opening configured to enable a length of the continuous strip to be extracted from the casing and exposed to water from the surrounding environment to produce the potential difference, the method comprising extracting a length of the continuous strip from the casing via the opening to expose the electrode junction to water from the surrounding environment and produce a potential difference between the first and second electrodes.

Assignees

• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Allen Mark

Classifications

• H01M6/40 Primary

  Printed batteries {, e.g. thin film batteries} · CPC title

• H01M6/32

  activated through external addition of electrolyte or of electrolyte components · CPC title