Aluminum-based metal-air batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016104883-A1
Application number	US-201514958270-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 3, 2015
Priority date	Dec 19, 2011
Publication date	Apr 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided in one embodiment is an electrochemical cell, comprising: (i) a plurality of electrodes, comprising a fuel electrode that comprises aluminum and an air electrode that absorbs gaseous oxygen, the electrodes being operable in a discharge mode wherein the aluminum is oxidized at the fuel electrode and oxygen is reduced at the air electrode, and (ii) an ionically conductive medium, comprising an organic solvent; wherein during non-use of the cell, the organic solvent promotes formation of a protective interface between the aluminum of the fuel electrode and the ionically conductive medium, and wherein at an onset of the discharge mode, at least some of the protective interface is removed from the aluminum to thereafter permit oxidation of the aluminum during the discharge mode.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . An electrochemical cell comprising:
(i) a plurality of electrodes, comprising a fuel electrode that comprises aluminum and an air electrode that absorbs gaseous oxygen, the electrodes being operable in a discharge mode wherein the aluminum is oxidized at the fuel electrode and oxygen is reduced at the air electrode, and (ii) an ionically conductive medium, comprising an organic solvent; wherein the organic solvent promotes formation of a protective interface between the aluminum of the fuel electrode and the ionically conductive medium during non-use of the cell and wherein at an onset of the discharge mode, at least some of the protective interface is removed from the aluminum within the potential difference between the fuel and air electrodes to thereafter permit continued oxidation of the aluminum during the discharge mode.

2 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the cell is a primary cell.

3 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the cell is exposed to ambient air.

4 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the fuel electrode consists essentially of aluminum.

5 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the air electrode is porous.

6 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium further comprises water.

7 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium further comprises water at less than or equal to about 10 wt %.

8 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises at least 3.5 wt % water.

9 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises at least one lactone.

10 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises a butyrolactone, pentanolactone, octanolactone, decanolactone, or combinations thereof.

11 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises a pentanolactone.

12 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises a metal triflate.

13 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises an aluminum triflate, sodium triflate, a copper triflate, or combinations thereof.

14 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises a metal triflate dissolved in the organic solvent at a concentration that is less than or equal to about 1 M.

15 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises an ionic liquid.

16 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises an ionic liquid based on the organic solvent.

17 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises an ionic liquid based on a lactone that is selected from the group consisting of butyrolactone, pentanolactone, hexanolactone, octanolactone, and decanolactone.

18 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises an ionic liquid based on a lactone that is pentanolactone.

19 . The electrochemical cell of claim 16 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises an ionic liquid that is hydrophobic.

20 . The electrochemical cell of claim 17 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises an ionic liquid that is aprotic.

21 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium is substantially free of chloride ions.

22 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium further comprises a hygroscopic additive.

23 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises at least one species that affects the formation of the protective interface with respect to a rate of the formation, a form of the protective interface formed, or both.

24 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises at least one species that decreases an electrochemical overpotential needed to initiate and continuously support the oxidation of the aluminum in the presence of water, gaseous oxygen, or both, during the discharge mode.

25 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein during non-use of the cell, the protective interface inhibits the oxidation of the aluminum by anions present in the ionically conductive medium.

26 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises hydroxide ions.

27 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the formation is by chemisorption, phyisorption, complexation, hydrogen bonding, ionic reaction, or combinations thereof.

28 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the cell is operable at room temperature.

29 . A method of making a metal-air electrochemical cell, comprising a fuel electrode that comprises aluminum and an air electrode that absorbs gaseous oxygen, the fuel electrode and the air electrode being operable in a discharge mode, and an ionically conductive medium; and the method comprising:
adding an organic solvent to the ionically conductive medium, such that
during non-use of the cell, the organic solvent promotes formation of a protective interface between the aluminum of the fuel electrode and the ionically conductive medium, and
at an onset of the discharge mode, at least some of the protective interface is removed from the aluminum to thereafter permit oxidation of the aluminum during the discharge mode.

30 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the ionically conductive medium is substantially free of chloride ions.

31 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the organic solvent comprises a molecule having a cyclic structure.

32 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the organic solvent comprises a lactone.

33 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the organic solvent comprises a lactone that is selected from the group consisting of butyrolactone, pentanolactone, octanolactone, and decanolactone.

34 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises an ionic liquid based on a lactone that is pentanolactone.

35 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the ionically conductive medium further comprises a metal triflate.

36 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises an aluminum triflate, sodium triflate, a copper triflate, or combinations thereof.

37 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises a metal triflate dissolved in the organic solvent comprising a lactone at a concentration that is less than or equal to about 1 M.

38 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises an ionic liquid.

39 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises an ionic liquid based on a lactone.

40 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the ionically conductive medium comprises an ionic liquid based on a lactone that is selected from the group consisting of butyrolactone, pentanolactone, octanolactone, and decanolactone.

41 . The method of claim 29 , wh

Assignees

• Univ Arizona

Inventors

• Friesen Cody A
• Martinez Jose Antonio Bautista

Classifications

• H01M12/06

  with one metallic and one gaseous electrode · CPC title

• H01M4/38 Primary

  of elements or alloys · CPC title

• H01M12/02

  Details (of electrodes H01M4/00; of non-active parts H01M50/00) · 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

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title