Molten air rechargeable batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016006090-A1
Application number	US-201414766430-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 7, 2014
Priority date	Feb 9, 2013
Publication date	Jan 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to rechargeable electrochemical battery cells (molten air batteries). The cells use air and a molten electrolyte, are quasi-reversible (rechargeable) and have the capacity for multiple electrons stored per molecule and have high intrinsic electric energy storage capacities. The present disclosure also relates to the use of such in a range of electronic, transportation and power generation devices, such as greenhouse gas reduction applications, electric car batteries and increased capacity energy storage systems for the electric grid.

First claim

1 . A rechargeable battery cell comprising
a) an air electrode; b) a metal electrode, or a non-metal electrode that is capable of being oxidized; and c) a molten electrolyte disposed between the air electrode and the metal electrode or non-metal electrode;
wherein
at the air electrode, the principle reaction is oxygen (O 2 ) reacted to form oxide during discharge, the principle reaction is not carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and oxygen (O 2 ) being reduced to form carbonate (CO 3 2− ) during discharge.

2 . A rechargeable battery cell comprising
a) an air electrode; b) a metal electrode, or a non-metal electrode that is capable of being oxidized; and c) a molten electrolyte disposed between the air electrode and the metal electrode;
wherein
at the air electrode a reduction/oxidation reaction between oxygen and oxide ion takes place; and
at the metal electrode or the non-metal electrode that is capable of being oxidized, oxide interacts with the metal electrode or the non-metal electrode that is capable of being oxidized for capturing/releasing oxide during discharging/charging, respectively.

3 . The rechargeable battery cell of claim 1 , wherein external carbon dioxide is not required for discharge at the air electrode.

4 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the melting point of the molten electrolyte is (i) between about 395° C. and about 900° C. (ii) between about 600° C. and about 900° C., (iii) between about 600° C. and about 900° C., (iv) between about 720° C. and about 900° C., (v) between about 700° C. and about 800° C., or (vi) between about 150° C. and about 500° C.

5 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the melting point of the molten electrolyte is about 395° C., about 500° C., about 600° C., about 700° C., or about 723° C.

6 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the melting point of the molten electrolyte is between about 395° C. and about 600° C.

7 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the cell operates at a temperature between about 395° C. and about 600° C.

8 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the molten electrolyte comprises one or more metal carbonates.

9 . The rechargeable battery cell according claim 1 , wherein the molten electrolyte is selected from lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, strontium carbonate, rubidium carbonate, cesium carbonate, barium carbonate, calcium carbonate, and any combination thereof.

10 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the molten electrolyte is selected from lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and any combination thereof.

11 . The rechargeable battery cell according claim 1 , wherein the molten electrolyte comprises lithium carbonate.

12 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the molten electrolyte comprises lithium carbonate and sodium carbonate.

13 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the molten electrolyte is Li 0.7 Na 0.9 CO 3 .

14 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the molten electrolyte comprises lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate.

15 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 14 , wherein the molten electrolyte is Li 0.9 Na 0.6 K 0.5 CO 3 .

16 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the molten electrolyte comprises CaCO 3 , Na 2 CO 3 , K 2 CO 3 , and any combination thereof.

17 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 16 , wherein the molten electrolyte is selected from Ca 0.3 Na 0.7 K 0.7 CO 3 , Ca 0.3 Na 0.7 K 0.8 CO 3 and Ca 0.2 Na 1.0 K 0.7 CO 3 .

18 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the molten electrolyte comprises one or more alkali metal hydroxides, alkali earth metal hydroxides, alkali metal hydroxide eutectics, alkali earth metal hydroxide eutectics, alkali metal carbonates, alkali earth metal carbonates, and any combination thereof.

19 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 18 , wherein the molten electrolyte comprises NaOH, LiOH, KOH, Na 2 CO 3 , Li 2 CO 3 , K 2 CO 3 , and any combination thereof.

20 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 18 , wherein the cell operates at a temperature between about 150° C. and about 500° C.

21 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the molten electrolyte comprises a molten nonconductive salt and a conductive when dissolved inorganic salt.

22 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 21 ,. wherein the conductive when dissolved inorganic salt is selected from metal oxides, metal halides, metal sulfates, metal nitrates, metal halates, and any combination thereof.

23 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 21 , wherein the conductive dissolved inorganic salt is selected from alkali metal oxides, alkali earth metal oxides, alkali metal halides, alkali earth metal halides, alkali metal sulfates, alkali earth metal sulfates, alkali metal nitrates, alkali earth metal nitrates, alkali metal halates, alkali earth metal halates, and any combination thereof

24 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 21 , wherein the molten electrolyte comprises vanadium oxide (V 2 O 5 ), boron oxide (B 2 O 3 ), lithium oxide (Li 2 O), calcium oxide (CaO), or any combination thereof.

25 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 24 , wherein the molten electrolyte comprises vanadium oxide (V 2 O 5 ), boron oxide (B 2 O 3 ), lithium oxide (Li 2 O) and calcium oxide (CaO) in a molar ratio of about 1:2:4:3, about 1:2:2:0, about 1:7:12:0 or about 1:2:0.67.

26 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the molten electrolyte comprises LiVO 3 and LiBO 2 .

27 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the molten electrolyte further comprises lithium oxide, barium carbonate, cesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, and any combination thereof.

28 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the chemistry of the cell can be expressed by one of equations (1), (2) or (3):
Fe+¾O 2 ½Fe 2 O 3   (1)
C+O 2 CO 2   (2)
VB 2 +11/4O 2 B 2 O 3 +V 2 O 5   (3).

29 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the metal electrode is selected from iron, zinc, aluminum, magnesium, bismuth, vanadium, manganese, nickel, silver, barium, calcium, strontium, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, tin, titanium, and any combination thereof.

30 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the metal electrode comprises iron.

31 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the non-metal electrode that is capable of being oxidized comprises a carbon, a boride, a hydride, a carbide, or any combination thereof.

32 . The rechargeable battery cell according to claim 31 , wherein the boride is selected from vanadium boride, titanium boride, tantalum boride, barium boride, magnesium boride, calcium boride, iron boride, cobalt boride, nickel boride, lanthanum boride, zirconium boride, molybdenum boride, tungsten boride, niobium boride, and any combination thereof.

33 . The recharg

Assignees

• Univ George Washington
• Univ George Washington

Inventors

• Licht Stuart

Classifications

• H01M2300/0048

  Molten electrolytes used at high temperature · CPC title

• H01M4/90

  Selection of catalytic material · CPC title

• H01M2300/008

  Halides · CPC title

• H01M2300/0071

  Oxides · CPC title

• H01M4/248

  Iron electrodes · CPC title