Battery casing, metal-air battery, and method for producing metal-air battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11522173-B2
Application number	US-201816652962-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2018
Priority date	Oct 2, 2017
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

In a battery casing a metal negative electrode that contains metal serving as a negative electrode active material and an air electrode are arranged so as to face each other in a state where at least a part of the metal negative electrode and the air electrode is immersed in an electrolytic solution inside a casing. The metal negative electrode is housed in a negative electrode housing in the casing. A separator separating the metal negative electrode and the air electrode is arranged at a side surface of the negative electrode housing. An opening through which inside of the negative electrode housing and outside of the negative electrode housing communicate with each other is provided on an upper surface of the negative electrode housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A metal-air battery comprising:
a casing,
a metal negative electrode that contains metal serving as a negative electrode active material; and
an air electrode that has oxygen reduction activity, the metal negative electrode and the air electrode being arranged so as to face each other in a state where at least a part of the metal negative electrode and the air electrode is immersed in an electrolytic solution inside the casing, wherein
a negative electrode housing is included inside the casing,
the metal negative electrode is housed in the negative electrode housing,
a first separator separating the metal negative electrode and the air electrode is arranged at a side surface of the negative electrode housing, and
a first liquid inlet through which inside of the negative electrode housing and a space between the casing and the negative electrode housing communicate with each other is provided on an upper surface of the negative electrode housing.

2. The metal-air battery according to claim 1 , wherein
in the inside of the negative electrode housing, a space is provided between an upper end of the metal negative electrode and the upper surface of the negative electrode housing.

3. The metal-air battery according to claim 2 , wherein
a height H, a lower region volume V1, and an upper region volume V2 satisfy 0.08<(H/(V1/V2))<2.0,
where H (mm) is a height of the space between the upper end of the metal negative electrode and the upper surface of the negative electrode housing, V1 (cm 3 ) is a lower region volume of a part inside the negative electrode housing and lower than a liquid surface of the electrolytic solution when the metal-air battery stands, and V2 (cm 3 ) is an upper region volume of a part inside the negative electrode housing and higher than the liquid surface of the electrolytic solution when the metal-air battery stands.

4. The metal-air battery according to claim 1 , wherein
the first liquid inlet includes a liquid inlet cover.

5. The metal-air battery according to claim 4 , wherein
the liquid inlet cover is of a sealing type.

6. The metal-air battery according to claim 4 , wherein
the liquid inlet cover is a first gas-liquid separation film.

7. The metal-air battery according to claim 4 , wherein
the liquid inlet cover has a valve structure through which liquid or gas flows only from the inside to the outside of the negative electrode housing.

8. The metal-air battery according to claim 1 , wherein
the air electrode has oxygen reduction activity and oxygen evolution activity,
a second liquid inlet and a second gas-liquid separation film that covers the second liquid inlet are arranged on an upper surface of the casing, and
an upper end of the first liquid inlet is provided at a position higher than a liquid surface of the electrolytic solution.

9. The metal-air battery according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a positive electrode that is arranged so as to face the metal negative electrode in a state of being partially immersed in the electrolytic solution and that has oxygen evolution activity, wherein
a second separator separating the metal negative electrode and the positive electrode is arranged at a side surface of the negative electrode housing,
a second liquid inlet and a gas-liquid separation film that covers the second liquid inlet are arranged on an upper surface of the casing, and
an upper end of the first liquid inlet is provided at a position higher than a liquid surface of the electrolytic solution.

10. The metal-air battery according to claim 8 , wherein
a protrusion having a cylindrical shape is provided on the upper surface of the negative electrode housing and the first liquid inlet is provided in the protrusion having a cylindrical shape.

11. The metal-air battery according to claim 10 , wherein
a configuration in which, on an upper inner surface of the casing, a recess is formed in a part facing the first liquid inlet and the first liquid inlet of the protrusion having a cylindrical shape is arranged so as to be inserted into the recess is provided.

12. The metal-air battery according to claim 8 , wherein
an upper inner surface of the casing is an inclined surface inclined in a longitudinal direction, and
the first liquid inlet is provided near a rising-side end of the inclined surface.

13. The metal-air battery according to claim 8 , wherein
an upper inner surface of the casing is an inclined surface having an inverse V-shape in a transverse direction.

14. The metal-air battery according to claim 8 , wherein
an upper inner surface of the casing is subjected to surface treatment by which frictional resistance is reduced.

15. A method for producing a metal-air battery that includes
a casing,
an air electrode that has oxygen reduction activity, and
a metal negative electrode arranged so as to face the air electrode with a separator therebetween and housed in a negative electrode housing provided with a liquid inlet, wherein
the negative electrode housing is included and housed inside the casing,
the metal negative electrode is included and housed inside the negative electrode housing,
the liquid inlet is provided so that inside of the negative electrode housing and a space between the casing and the negative electrode housing communicate with each other, and
when an electrolytic solution is injected into the casing, the electrolytic solution is injected such that the metal negative electrode and the air electrode are immersed in the electrolytic solution and such that a liquid surface of the electrolytic solution is lower than the liquid inlet of the negative electrode housing.

16. The metal-air battery according to claim 1 , wherein
a second liquid inlet through which the space between the casing and the negative electrode housing and outside of the casing communicate with each other is provided on an upper surface of the casing, and
the second liquid inlet is provided at a same side as a side at which the first liquid inlet is provided.

17. A metal-air battery comprising:
a metal negative electrode that contains metal serving as a negative electrode active material; and
an air electrode that has oxygen reduction activity, the metal negative electrode and the air electrode being arranged so as to face each other in a state where at least a part of the metal negative electrode and the air electrode is immersed in an electrolytic solution inside a casing, wherein
the metal negative electrode is housed in a negative electrode housing in the casing,
a first separator separating the metal negative electrode and the air electrode is arranged at a side surface of the negative electrode housing,
a first liquid inlet through which inside of the negative electrode housing and outside of the negative electrode housing communicate with each other is provided on an upper surface of the negative electrode housing,
in the inside of the negative electrode housing, a space is provided between an upper end of the metal negative electrode and the upper surface of the negative electrode housing, and
a height H, a lower region volume V1, and an upper region volume V2 satisfy 0.08<(H/(V1/V2))<2.0, where H (mm) is a height of the space between the upper end of the metal negative electrode and the upper surface of the negative electrode housing, V1 (cm 3 ) is a lower region volume of a part inside the negative electrode housing and lower than a liquid surface of the electrolytic solution when the metal-air battery stands, and V2 (cm 3 ) is an upper region volume of a p

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Kitagawa Tomo
• Takenaka Shinobu
• Mizuhata Hirotaka
• Kaga Masaki
• Aimoto Toyoka

Classifications

• H01M50/16

  Organic material · CPC title

• H01M50/636

  Closing or sealing filling ports, e.g. using lids · CPC title

• H01M50/627

  Filling ports · CPC title

• H01M12/08 Primary

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

• H01M2004/021

  Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area · CPC title