Fluidized bed and hybrid suspension electrodes for energy storage and water desalination systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019152811-A1
Application number	US-201716316643-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 10, 2017
Priority date	Jul 10, 2016
Publication date	May 23, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is an electrode including conductive particles, which sediment under gravitational force and a liquid fluidizing medium flowing through the electrode, in which the conductive particles are suspended and optionally further including conductive particles, which do not sediment under gravitational force when the fluidizing medium flows in the electrode. Further provided are electrochemical devices and energy storage systems including the electrode.

First claim

1 .- 50 . (canceled)

51 . An electrochemical device, comprising a first current collector; a second current collector; at least one separator; at least one electrode compartment positioned between said first or second current collectors and the separator; and at least one tube in fluid-flow connection with the electrode compartment, the electrode compartment comprising conductive particles comprising carbon, which sediment under gravitational force and a liquid fluidizing medium in which said conductive particles are suspended, wherein the fluidizing medium flows through the electrode compartment in a non-horizontal direction, and the loading of the conductive particles in the electrode compartment is above about 15% wt. and at least about 50% higher than in the tube.

52 . The device according to claim 51 , wherein carbon is selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, carbon black, graphitic carbon, carbon beads, carbon fibers, carbon microfibers, fullerenic carbons, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene sheets or aggregates of graphene sheets, materials comprising fullerenic fragments and any combination thereof.

53 . The device according to claim 52 , wherein the conductive particles comprise carbon beads having a mean particle size ranging from about 100 μm to about 300 μm.

54 . The device according to claim 52 , wherein the conductive particles comprise CNTs.

55 . The device according to claim 54 , wherein the CNTs comprise multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and wherein the MWCNTs are present in the electrode compartment in the form of agglomerates having a mean agglomerate size ranging from about 50 μm to about 500 μm.

56 . The device according to claim 51 , wherein the conductive particles further comprise a redox species on the surface or in the bulk thereof, the redox species comprising a metal ion selected from the group consisting of zinc, iron, vanadium, chromium, lithium, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, nickel, calcium, lead, copper, cesium, cadmium ions and any combination thereof.

57 . An energy storage system comprising the device according to claim 51 and at least one external storage tank, which is in fluid flow connection with the at least one tube, wherein the storage tank is configured to store the conductive particles and/or the fluidizing medium and to deliver the conductive particles and/or the fluidizing medium to the at least one tube prior to the electrochemical operation of the system, and wherein the fluidizing medium comprises an electrolyte.

58 . The energy storage system according to claim 57 , wherein the energy storage system is configured in a form selected from a flow battery, a supercapacitor or a capacitive mixing system.

59 . A water desalination system comprising the device according to claim 51 , wherein the device comprises two separators, wherein the separators are ion-permeable membranes and the system comprises a feed tank comprising a mixing vessel, which is in fluid flow connection with the at least one tube and is configured to mix the fluidizing medium with the conductive particles.

60 . An electrode for use in an electrochemical device, the electrode comprising an electrode compartment and at least one tube in fluid-flow connection with the electrode compartment, the electrode compartment comprising a first group of particles comprising conductive particles, which sediment under gravitational force, a second group of particles comprising conductive particles, which do not sediment under gravitational force and a liquid fluidizing medium in which said conductive particles are suspended, wherein the fluidizing medium flows through the electrode compartment in a non-horizontal direction and the loading of the first group of particles in the electrode compartment is at least about 50% higher than in the tube.

61 . The electrode according to claim 60 , wherein the ratio between the conductivity of the first group of particles and the conductivity of the second group of particles is above about 1:10, when each group of particles is used individually in the electrode compartment.

62 . The electrode according to claim 60 , wherein the ratio between the mass of the conductive particles which sediment under gravitational force and the mass of the conductive particles which do not sediment under gravitational force is above about 3:1.

63 . The electrode according to claim 60 , wherein the conductive particles comprise a material selected from the group consisting of carbon, graphite, metal, metal carbide, metal nitride, metal oxide, polymer, and any combination thereof.

64 . The electrode according to claim 63 , wherein carbon is selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, carbon black, graphitic carbon, carbon beads, carbon fibers, carbon microfibers, fullerenic carbons, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene sheets or aggregates of graphene sheets, and materials comprising fullerenic fragments and any combination thereof.

65 . The electrode according to claim 60 , wherein the conductive particles further comprise a redox species on the surface or in the bulk thereof, the redox species comprising a metal ion selected from the group consisting of zinc, iron, vanadium, chromium, lithium, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, nickel, calcium, lead, copper, cesium, cadmium ions and any combination thereof.

66 . The electrode according to claim 60 , wherein the first group of particles comprises carbon beads having a mean particle size of at least about 50 μm and the second group of particles comprises activated carbon having a mean particle size below about 30 μm.

67 . An electrochemical device, comprising at least one electrode according to claim 51 ; a first current collector; a second current collector; and at least one separator, wherein the electrode compartment of the at least one electrode is positioned between said first or second current collectors and the separator.

68 . An energy storage system comprising the device according to claim 67 and at least one external storage tank, which is in fluid flow connection with the at least one tube, wherein the storage tank is configured to store the conductive particles and/or the fluidizing medium and to deliver the conductive particles and/or the fluidizing medium to the at least one tube prior to the electrochemical operation of the system, and wherein the fluidizing medium comprises an electrolyte.

69 . The energy storage system according to claim 68 , wherein the energy storage system is configured in a form selected from a flow battery, a supercapacitor or a capacitive mixing system, wherein the flow battery is selected from the group consisting of a zinc-bromine flow battery, hydrogen-bromine, quinone-bromine, vanadium-bromine, all quinone, all-iron flow battery, vanadium redox flow battery, lithium-ion flow battery, lithium-sulfur, sodium ion, sodium-sulfur flow battery, lead-acid flow battery, and nickel metal hydride flow battery.

70 . A water desalination system comprising the device according to claim 67 , wherein the device comprises two separators, wherein the separators are ion-permeable membranes and the system comprises a feed tank comprising a mixing vessel, which is in fluid flow connection with the at least one tube and is configured to mix the fluidizing medium with the conductive particles, and wherein the fluidizing medium comprises a feed solution.

Assignees

• Technion Res & Dev Foundation

Inventors

• Cohen Hagai
• Loiferman Ilya
• Suss Matthew

Classifications

• H01M2004/021

  Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area · CPC title

• H01M8/188

  by recharging of redox couples containing fluids; Redox flow type batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/02

  Electrodes composed of, or comprising, active material · CPC title

• H01M8/18

  Regenerative fuel cells, e.g. redox flow batteries or secondary fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/225

  Fuel cells in which the fuel is based on materials comprising particulate active material in the form of a suspension, a dispersion, a fluidised bed or a paste · CPC title