Electrochemical cell having orthogonal arrangement of electrodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11245143-B2
Application number	US-201916402704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2019
Priority date	May 10, 2018
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

An exemplary electrochemical cell incorporates at least a first battery electrode, such as a zinc electrode, at least a second battery electrode, such as a reversible metal electrode such as nickel, and at least an oxidant reduction electrode, such as an air cathode. The oxidant reduction electrode(s) is configured in a cell housing such that it is essentially orthogonal to the first and second electrodes. The cell housing contains electrolyte therein and the electrodes are immersed, at least partially, in the electrolyte. The positioning of the oxidant reduction electrode(s) on the side of the cell and relatively perpendicular to the first and second (metal) electrodes, allows for more consistent ionic resistance across all the metal electrodes. Optionally, a fourth or oxygen evolving electrode may be provided in the cell housing, horizontal, orthogonal, and below the first and second electrodes to provide oxygen bubbles for mixing the electrolyte.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrochemical cell comprising:
a cell housing for retaining a volume of an electrolyte therein, the cell housing having a top and a bottom;
at least one first battery electrode provided in the cell housing;
at least one second battery electrode provided in the cell housing; and
an oxidant reduction electrode provided in the cell housing with an interior surface contacting the electrolyte and an exterior surface for exposure to oxygen;
wherein said oxidant reduction electrode is oriented essentially orthogonally to said first and second battery electrodes, and
wherein the oxidant reduction electrode is provided below the at least one first battery electrode and the at least one second battery electrode and adjacent to the bottom of the cell housing,
wherein the oxidant reduction electrode is configured in an oxidant reduction electrode module contained within the cell housing, the oxidant reduction electrode module comprising an air chamber therein such that the exterior surface is facing said air chamber, and wherein the oxidant reduction electrode module is submerged, at least partially, within the electrolyte.

2. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first battery electrode and the at least one second battery electrode are part of an electrode assembly, and wherein the electrode assembly is positioned apart from the oxidant reduction electrode, thereby defining a gap, and wherein said electrolyte is provided in the gap.

3. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte is an ionically conductive liquid electrolyte.

4. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first battery electrode comprises a metal fuel and is configured at least partially within the electrolyte.

5. The electrochemical cell of claim 4 , wherein the at least one first battery electrode comprises zinc.

6. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first battery electrode comprises a screen.

7. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said at least one first battery electrode comprises a plurality of first battery electrodes, and wherein the plurality of first battery electrodes are arranged in parallel planes.

8. The electrochemical cell of claim 7 , wherein said at least one second battery electrode comprises a plurality of second battery electrodes, and wherein the plurality of second battery electrodes are arranged in parallel planes.

9. The electrochemical cell of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the plurality of first battery electrodes is located between adjacent second battery electrodes.

10. The electrochemical cell of claim 9 , wherein spacers are located between adjacent first battery electrodes and the second battery electrodes.

11. The electrochemical cell of claim 10 , wherein the spacers are relatively spaced across the parallel planes of the first and second battery electrodes.

12. The electrochemical cell of claim 10 , wherein each spacer includes a number of openings therein to allow electrolyte to freely flow within the cell housing and between the first and second battery electrodes.

13. The electrochemical cell of claim 8 , wherein the first battery electrodes and the second battery electrodes are part of an electrode assembly, wherein the first battery electrodes and second battery electrodes are arranged in an alternating manner in the electrode assembly, such that each first battery electrode is between adjacent second battery electrodes.

14. The electrochemical cell of claim 13 , further comprising a second oxidant reduction electrode provided in the cell housing, the second oxidant reduction electrode having a second interior surface contacting the electrolyte and an exterior surface for exposure to oxygen.

15. The electrochemical cell of claim 14 , wherein the electrode assembly is spaced a first distance relative to the first oxidant reduction electrode and wherein the electrode assembly is spaced a second distance relative to the second oxidant reduction electrode.

16. The electrochemical cell of claim 15 , wherein the first distance is different than the second distance.

17. The electrochemical cell of claim 15 , wherein the first and second distances are between approximately 1 mm and approximately 15 mm, both inclusive.

18. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , comprising a spacer between the at least one first battery electrode and the at least one second battery electrode.

19. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , further comprising an oxygen evolving electrode provided in the cell housing that is configured to provide oxygen bubbles for mixing the electrolyte in the cell housing.

20. The electrochemical cell of claim 19 , wherein the oxygen evolving electrode is positioned horizontally and orthogonal to and below the first and second battery electrodes within the cell housing.

21. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of first battery electrodes, a plurality of second battery electrodes, and a plurality of spacers configured in an electrode assembly, wherein said plurality of first battery electrodes, said plurality of second battery electrodes and said plurality of spacers are attached to said assembly, wherein said spacers are positioned between each of the first and second battery electrodes, wherein said assembly is provided in the cell housing and submerged, at least partially, within the electrolyte, and the cell further comprising a first terminal connected to the plurality of first battery electrodes and a second terminal connected to the plurality of second battery electrodes.

22. The electrochemical cell of claim 21 , wherein the oxidant reduction electrode is a first oxidant reduction electrode and wherein the cell further comprises a second oxidant electrode provided in the cell housing with an interior surface contacting the electrolyte and an exterior surface for exposure to oxygen, the first oxidant electrode being provided on a first side of the electrode assembly and the second oxidant reduction electrode being provided on a second side of said electrode assembly, both of the first and second oxidant reduction electrodes being oriented essentially orthogonally to the at least one first and second battery electrodes.

23. The electrochemical cell of claim 21 , further comprising a second electrode assembly in the cell housing, said second electrode assembly comprising a plurality of first battery electrodes, a plurality of second battery electrodes, and a plurality of spacers, wherein said spacers are positioned between each of the first and second battery electrodes of the second electrode assembly, and wherein said second electrode assembly is provided in the cell housing and submerged, at least partially, within the electrolyte.

24. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein an oxygen evolving electrode is positioned above said oxidant reduction electrode and beneath said at least one first and second battery electrodes.

25. The electrochemical cell of claim 24 , wherein the first battery electrode has a metal fuel electrodeposited thereon, and wherein the oxygen evolving electrode is also a catch tray for locally oxidizing particles of the metal fuel that have fallen from the first battery electrode.

26. The electrochemical cell of claim 25 , wherein the metal fuel is zinc.

27. The electrochemical cell of claim 26 ,

Assignees

• Form Energy Inc

Inventors

• Krishnan Ramkumar
• Hayes Joel Ryan
• Trimble Todd

Classifications

• H01M10/28

  Construction or manufacture · CPC title

• H01M10/30

  Nickel accumulators (H01M10/34 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M10/4207

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title