Metal-hydrogen batteries for large-scale energy storage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11855294-B2
Application number	US-201816058607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2018
Priority date	Aug 11, 2017
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

A metal-hydrogen battery includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrolyte disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The second electrode includes a bi-functional catalyst to catalyze both hydrogen evolution reaction and hydrogen oxidation reaction at the second electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A metal-hydrogen battery, comprising:
a first electrode comprising (i) a first porous conductive substrate having a three-dimensional (3D) network frame defining first micropores therein and (ii) microspheres comprising a transition metal compound, wherein the microspheres are disposed in the first micropores of the 3D network frame;
a second electrode that generates hydrogen gas during charging and oxidizes hydrogen gas during discharging; and
an electrolyte disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode,
wherein the second electrode includes:
a second porous conductive substrate comprising a plurality of second micropores; and
a 3D layer of bi-functional catalyst comprising a transition metal alloy having two or more metals selected from nickel, molybdenum, and cobalt and disposed on surfaces of the second micropores of the second porous conductive substrate to catalyze both hydrogen evolution reaction and hydrogen oxidation reaction at the second electrode, wherein the 3D layer of bi-functional catalyst is in a form of interconnected nanoparticles having nanopores formed between the interconnected nanoparticles, and wherein the nanopores of the 3D layer of bi-functional catalyst are different from and smaller than the second micropores of the second porous conductive substrate, wherein the 3D layer of bi-functional catalyst does not fill the second micropores entirely such that the second electrode retains a macroporous structure.

2. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 1 , wherein the second porous conductive substrate includes a metal foam or a metal alloy foam.

3. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 1 , wherein the transition metal alloy includes a nickel-molybdenum-cobalt alloy.

4. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 1 , wherein the first porous conductive substrate includes a metal foam or a metal alloy foam.

5. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 1 , wherein the transition metal compound includes nickel.

6. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 1 , wherein the transition metal compound includes cobalt.

7. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 1 , wherein the transition metal compound includes manganese.

8. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte is an aqueous electrolyte.

9. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte is alkaline.

10. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 1 , further comprising an enclosure within which the first electrode, the second electrode, and the electrolyte are disposed, and the enclosure includes an inlet valve, an inlet, which is fluidly connected to the inlet valve, an outlet valve, and an outlet, which is fluidly connected to the outlet valve.

11. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 10 , further comprising a storage tank to store hydrogen gas, and a pump fluidly connected between the outlet, through the outlet valve, and the storage tank.

12. A metal-hydrogen battery, comprising:
a cathode including (i) a first porous conductive substrate having a three-dimensional (3D) network frame defining first micropores therein and (ii) microspheres comprising a redox-reactive material that includes a transition metal, wherein the microspheres are disposed in the first micropores of the 3D network frame;
a catalytic hydrogen anode that generates hydrogen gas during charging and oxidizes hydrogen gas during discharging, the catalytic hydrogen anode including:
a second porous conductive substrate comprising a plurality of second micropores; and
a 3D layer of bi-functional catalyst disposed on surfaces of the second micropores of the second porous conductive substrate, wherein the 3D layer of bi-functional catalyst includes a transition metal alloy having two or more metals selected from nickel, molybdenum, and cobalt and is in a form of interconnected nanoparticles having nanopores formed between the interconnected nanoparticles, and wherein the nanopores of the 3D layer of bi-functional catalyst are different from and smaller than the second micropores of the second porous conductive substrate, wherein the 3D layer of bi-functional catalyst does not fill the second micropores entirely such that the catalytic hydrogen anode retains a macroporous structure; and
an alkaline electrolyte disposed between the cathode and the catalytic hydrogen anode.

13. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 12 , wherein the transition metal alloy is a nickel-molybdenum-cobalt alloy.

14. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 12 , wherein the transition metal is selected from one or more of nickel, cobalt, and manganese.

15. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 12 , wherein each of the first porous conductive substrate and the second porous conductive substrate includes a metal foam or a metal alloy foam.

16. The metal-hydrogen battery of claim 12 , wherein the alkaline electrolyte is an aqueous electrolyte.

Assignees

• Univ Leland Stanford Junior

Inventors

• Cui Yi
• Chen Wei

Classifications

• H01M4/8615 Primary

  Bifunctional electrodes for rechargeable cells · CPC title

• H01M4/38

  of elements or alloys · CPC title

• H01M4/8807

  Gas diffusion layers · CPC title

• H01M4/8825

  Methods for deposition of the catalytic active composition · CPC title

• H01M4/9041

  Metals or alloys (H01M4/92 takes precedence) · CPC title