Optimization of electrochemical cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11967686-B2
Application number	US-202318217950-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2023
Priority date	Apr 16, 2021
Publication date	Apr 23, 2024
Grant date	Apr 23, 2024

Abstract

A system and method for optimizing electrochemical cells including electrodes employing coordination compounds by mediating water content within a desired water content profile that includes sufficient coordinated water and reduces non-coordinated water below a desired target and with electrochemical cells including a coordination compound electrochemically active in one or more electrodes, with an improvement in electrochemical cell manufacture that relaxes standards for water content of electrochemical cells having one or more electrodes including one or more such transition metal cyanide coordination compounds.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A method for assembling an electrochemical cell, comprising:
a) assembling a cell stack having a liquid electrolyte, an anode electrode, a separator, and a cathode electrode, and an electrode-electrolyte communication having a first particular one electrode of said electrodes electrochemically communicated with said liquid electrolyte, with components of said cell stack having an as-synthesized set of properties, a pre-assembly set of properties before said electrode-electrolyte communication, and a post-assembly set of properties after said first particular electrode is electrochemically communicated with said liquid electrolyte;
b) transferring water from said liquid electrolyte to at least one of said electrodes including said first particular electrode providing a water transfer; and thereafter
c) decreasing a concentration of water in said liquid electrolyte;
wherein said first particular electrode contains an active material including a transition metal cyanide coordination compound material having a composition conforming to Formula I, Formula I including A x P y [R(CN) 6 ] z (H 2 O) n ;
wherein A represents an alkali cation and P and R each represent one or more transition metal cations;
wherein 0.5<z<1; and
wherein x, y, and z are related based on electrical neutrality, x>0, y>0, z>0; and
wherein n=6*(1−z)+m k , with n>0, with k=0 identifying an as-synthesized material for said first particular electrode and k=1 to 2 identifying a set of post-synthesized states for said first particular electrode, and with 6*(1−z) identifying as a quantity of coordinated water of said compound material, and with each m k >0, each m k identifying as a quantity of interstitial water of said compound material for one of said states of said first particular electrode, with each said quantity mk of interstitial water being equivalent to a weight percentage M k =m k *W H2O /W dry *100%, with W H2O being the molecular weight of water and W dry being the molecular weight of the composition conforming to Formula I excluding all of its water content, with M 0 identifying as an as synthesized set of properties for said first particular electrode, with M 1 identifying as said pre-assembly set of properties for said first particular electrode, and with M 2 identifying as said post-assembly set of properties for said first particular electrode; and
wherein said liquid electrolyte includes a polar organic solvent combined with an alkali metal salt and water having a water concentration, said water concentration including a pre-assembly water concentration c1 and including a post-communication water concentration c2 and wherein c1>c2;
wherein said as-synthesized set of properties includes M 0 up to 45% for a set of as-synthesized materials, said set of as-synthesized materials including said composition conforming to Formula I;
wherein said M 1 <12% for a set of electrode materials of said first particular electrode, said set of electrode materials including said composition conforming to Formula I; and
wherein M 2 >M 1 .

2. The method of claim 1 with c1<1,000 ppm and with c2<100 ppm.

3. The method of claim 1 with c1<1,000 ppm and with c2<20 ppm.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said polar organic solvent includes a mononitrile.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said liquid electrolyte includes a dinitrile as an additive.

6. A method for assembling an electrochemical cell, comprising:
a) assembling a cell stack having a liquid electrolyte, an anode electrode, a separator, and a cathode electrode, said electrodes electrochemically communicated with said liquid electrolyte, with components of said cell stack having an as-synthesized set of properties, a pre-assembly set of properties before said electrodes are electrochemically communicated with said liquid electrolyte, and a post-assembly set of properties after said electrodes are electrochemically communicated with said liquid electrolyte;
b) transferring water from said liquid electrolyte to at least one of said electrodes; and thereafter
c) decreasing a concentration of water in said liquid electrolyte;
wherein said anode electrode and said cathode electrode each contain an active material including a transition metal cyanide coordination compound material having a composition conforming to Formula I, Formula I including A x P y [R(CN) 6 ] z (H 2 O) n ;
wherein A represents an alkali cation and P and R each represent one or more transition metal cations;
wherein 0.5<z<1; and
wherein x, y, and z are related based on electrical neutrality, x>0, y>0, z>0; and
wherein n=6*(1−z)+m k , with n>0, with k=0 identifying an as-synthesized material manode for said anode electrode and mcathode for said cathode electrode with m0 an average of manode and mcathode and k=1 to 4 identifying a set of post-synthesized states for each particular electrode of said electrodes wherein said particular electrode includes said anode electrode for k=1 and for k=3 and wherein said particular electrode includes said cathode electrode for k=2 and for k=4, and with 6*(1−z) identifying as a quantity of coordinated water of said compound material, and with each m k >0, each m k identifying as a quantity of interstitial water of said compound material for one of said states of said particular electrode, with each said quantity m k of interstitial water being equivalent to a weight percentage M k =m k *W H2O /W dry *100%, with W H2O being the molecular weight of water and W dry being the molecular weight of said composition conforming to Formula I excluding all of its water content, with M 0 identifying as an average as-synthesized set of properties for said particular anode electrode and said cathode electrode, with M 1 identifying as said pre-assembly set of properties for said anode electrode, with M 2 identifying as said pre-assembly set of properties for said cathode electrode, with M 3 identifying as said post-assembly set of properties for said anode electrode, and with M 4 identifying as said post-assembly set of properties for said cathode electrode; and
wherein said liquid electrolyte includes a polar organic solvent combined with an alkali metal salt and water having a water concentration, said water concentration including a pre-assembly water concentration c1 and including a post-communication water concentration c2 and wherein c1>c2;
wherein said as-synthesized set of properties includes M 0 up to 45% for a set of as-synthesized materials, said set of as-synthesized materials including said composition conforming to Formula I;
wherein said M 1 <12% for a set of anode electrode materials of said anode electrode with M 1 ≤M 3 , said set of anode electrode materials including said composition conforming to Formula I;
wherein said M 2 <12% for a set of cathode electrode materials of said cathode electrode with M 2 ≤M 4 , said set of cathode electrode materials including said composition conforming to Formula I; and
wherein M 3 +M 4 >M 1 +M 2 .

Assignees

• Natron Energy Inc

Inventors

• Wessells Colin Deane
• Friebel Daniel
• Herman Peter Benjamin
• Yee Grace Marjorie

Classifications

• H01M10/484 Primary

  for measuring electrolyte level, electrolyte density or electrolyte conductivity · CPC title

• H01M4/58 Primary

  of inorganic compounds other than oxides or hydroxides, e.g. sulfides, selenides, tellurides, halogenides or LiCoFy; of polyanionic structures, e.g. phosphates, silicates or borates · CPC title

• H01M10/4285

  Testing apparatus · CPC title

• H01M4/40

  Alloys based on alkali metals · CPC title

• H01M10/38

  Construction or manufacture · CPC title