Metal air battery and method of operating the metal air battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11258120-B2
Application number	US-201916564528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2019
Priority date	Nov 7, 2018
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

A metal air battery includes a battery module configured to generate electricity by oxidation of metal and reduction of oxygen and water; a water vapor supply unit configured to supply water vapor to the battery module; and a water vapor recovery unit configured to recover the water vapor from the battery module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A metal air battery comprising:
a battery module configured to generate electricity by oxidation of a metal and reduction of oxygen and water;
a water vapor supply unit configured to supply water vapor to the battery module; and
a water vapor recovery unit configured to recover the water vapor from the battery module,
wherein the battery module comprises
an anode comprising a metal,
a cathode configured to use the oxygen and the water vapor as an active material, and
a solid electrolyte layer between the cathode and the anode.

2. The metal air battery of claim 1 , further comprising an air purification module configured to purify air introduced from an outside of the battery module and supply the purified air to the water vapor supply unit.

3. The metal air battery of claim 2 , wherein the water vapor supply unit is configured to supply the purified air and the water vapor to the battery module.

4. The metal air battery of claim 2 , further comprising: a third fluid regulator configured to regulate a flow of the purified air supplied from the air purification module to the water vapor supply unit.

5. The metal air battery of claim 4 , further comprising:
an oxygen concentration measuring unit configured to measure an oxygen concentration of an inside of the battery module; and
a controller configured to open and close the third fluid regulator according to the oxygen concentration of an inside of the battery module.

6. The metal air battery of claim 2 , wherein the air purification module operates by pressure swing adsorption, thermal swing adsorption, pressure thermal swing adsorption, vacuum swing adsorption, selective separation, or a combination thereof.

7. The metal air battery of claim 1 , further comprising: a first fluid regulator configured to regulate fluid communication between the water vapor supplied from the water vapor supply unit and the battery module.

8. The metal air battery of claim 1 , further comprising: a second fluid regulator configured to regulate fluid communication between the water vapor recovered from the battery module and the water vapor recovery unit.

9. The metal air battery of claim 8 , further comprising:
a water vapor concentration measuring unit configured to measure a water vapor concentration inside of the battery module; and
a controller configured to open and close the second fluid regulator according to the water vapor concentration of an inside of the battery module.

10. The metal air battery of claim 1 , further comprising: a pump configured to apply a negative pressure to the battery module to recover the water vapor from the battery module.

11. The metal air battery of claim 1 , wherein the water vapor supply unit and the water vapor recovery unit are in fluid communication with each other and are configured such that the water vapor recovered from the water vapor recovery unit is transferred to the water vapor supply unit.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Heungchan
• Kwon Hyukjae
• Lee Dongjoon
• Choi Kyounghwan
• Kim Taeyoung
• Park Jungock

Classifications

• H01M12/08 Primary

  composed of a half-cell of a fuel-cell type and a half-cell of the secondary-cell type · CPC title

• H01M12/06 Primary

  with one metallic and one gaseous electrode · CPC title

• H01M8/0662

  Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning · CPC title

• H01M8/04097

  with recycling of the reactants (H01M8/04119, H01M8/04104 take precedence) · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title