Cathode, metal-air battery including the cathode, and method of preparing the cathode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016372807-A1
Application number	US-201615149333-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 9, 2016
Priority date	Jun 17, 2015
Publication date	Dec 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A cathode includes: a porous carbon structure including a carbon nanostructure, wherein the porous carbon structure includes small-diameter pores having an average diameter of about 25 nanometers to about 200 nanometers, and large-diameter pores having an average diameter of greater than 200 nanometers to about 1.6 micrometers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A cathode comprising:
a porous carbon structure comprising a carbon nanostructure, wherein the porous carbon structure comprises
small-diameter pores having an average diameter of about 25 nanometers to about 200 nanometers, and
large-diameter pores having an average diameter of greater than 200 nanometers to about 1.6 micrometers.

2 . The cathode of claim 1 , wherein an average diameter of the small-diameter pores is in a range of about one-tenth to about one half of the average diameter of the large-diameter pores.

3 . The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon structure has a porosity of about 40% to about 70%.

4 . The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon structure has a disordered porous structure.

5 . The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon structure comprises a three-dimensional channel defined by a plurality of interconnected pores.

6 . The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanostructure is at least one selected from a one-dimensional carbon nanostructure and a two-dimensional carbon nanostructure.

7 . The cathode of claim 6 , wherein the one-dimensional carbon nanostructure comprises at least one selected from a carbon nanotube, a carbon nanowire, a carbon nanofiber, a carbon nanobelt, and a carbon nanorod.

8 . The cathode of claim 6 , wherein the two-dimensional carbon nanostructure comprises at least one selected from graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, a graphene nanoplate, and a carbon nanosheet.

9 . The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon structure is a free-standing composite film.

10 . The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon structure has a tensile modulus of about 0.001 gigapascals to about 1 gigapascal.

11 . The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the large-diameter pores and the small-diameter pores each independently have at least one shape selected from a sphere, an oval, a polyhedron, and a rod.

12 . The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanostructure has a shape of at least a partially opened hollow sphere.

13 . The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the cathode further comprises a metal catalyst supported on the porous carbon structure.

14 . The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the metal catalyst comprises at least one selected from Pt, Pd, Au, Ag, Ru, Os, Rh, Mn, V, Fe, Ir, Co, Cu, and Ni.

15 . A metal-air battery comprising:
a cathode comprising a porous carbon structure comprising a carbon nanostructure, wherein the porous carbon structure comprises small-diameter pores having an average diameter of about 25 nanometers to about 200 nanometers and large-diameter pores having an average diameter of greater than 200 nanometers to about 1.6 micrometers; an anode; and an electrolyte layer disposed between the cathode and the anode.

16 . A method of preparing a cathode, the method comprising:
contacting a large-diameter pore-forming particle, a small-diameter pore-forming particle, a carbon nanostructure, and a solvent to form a mixture; filtering the mixture to obtain a filtrate; and removing the large-diameter pore-forming particle and the small-diameter pore-forming particle from the filtrate to prepare the cathode.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the large-diameter pore-forming particle and the small-diameter pore-forming particle each independently comprise at least one selected from a polymer of a radically polymerizable monomer, a polymer of a multifunctional crosslinking monomer, a microemulsion of polymer bead; a metal oxide comprising at least one selected from SiO 2 , TiO 2 , ZrO 2 , and Al 2 O 3 ; and a metal particle comprising at least one selected from copper, nickel, and zinc.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the solvent is at least one selected from water, alcohol, and aqueous ammonia.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the removing of the large-diameter pore-forming particle and the small-diameter pore-forming particle comprises a chemical method.

20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the mixture further comprises a metal catalyst.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Hyunjin
• Lee Hyunpyo
• Kim Mokwon
• Im Dongmin

Classifications

• H01M4/926 Primary

  on carbon or graphite · CPC title

• H01M12/08

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

• H01M4/8605

  Porous electrodes · CPC title

• H01M4/9083

  on carbon or graphite · CPC title

• H01M4/8825

  Methods for deposition of the catalytic active composition · CPC title