Metal air battery and method of manufacturing gas diffusion layer included in metal air battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019198887-A1
Application number	US-201816134212-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 18, 2018
Priority date	Dec 21, 2017
Publication date	Jun 27, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A gas diffusion layer for a metal-air battery may include a plurality of carbon nanotube thin films that are arranged to be stacked, and the carbon nanotube thin films may include a plurality of first carbon nanotubes arranged in a predetermined direction. The gas diffusion layer for the metal-air battery may include a plurality of carbon nanotube thin films in which a plurality of carbon nanotubes are arranged such that they cross each other by a floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (“FCCVD”) method.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A metal-air battery comprising:
an anode layer comprising a metal; a cathode layer which comprises a cathode catalyst layer and uses oxygen as an active material; a gas diffusion layer which is in contact with the cathode layer and comprises a plurality of carbon nanotube thin films stacked on each other, wherein the gas diffusion layer has an average tensile strength of 20 megapascals or above; and an electrolyte film between the anode layer and the cathode layer, wherein the plurality of carbon nanotube thin films comprises: a first carbon nanotube thin film comprising a plurality of first carbon nanotubes extending in a first direction; and a second carbon nanotube thin film comprising a plurality of second carbon nanotubes extending in a second direction.

2 . The metal-air battery of claim 1 , wherein the first and second carbon nanotube thin films have a flat plate form and the first and second carbon nanotube thin films are stacked parallel to each other.

3 . The metal-air battery of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first carbon nanotubes comprised in the first carbon nanotube thin film is respectively aligned along a direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the plurality of second carbon nanotubes comprised in the second carbon nanotube thin film is respectively aligned along a direction perpendicular to the second direction.

4 . The metal-air battery of claim 3 , wherein the alignment direction perpendicular to the first direction and the alignment direction perpendicular to the second direction are different from each other.

5 . The metal-air battery of claim 3 , wherein an alignment angle of the first carbon nanotubes has a deviation in a range of 0 degree to 45 degrees in a clockwise direction or a counter-clockwise direction, and an alignment angle of the second carbon nanotubes has a deviation in a range from 0 degree to 45 degrees in the clockwise direction or the counter-clockwise direction.

6 . The metal-air battery of claim 1 , wherein the first carbon nanotube thin film and the second carbon nanotube thin film have different porosities from each other.

7 . The metal-air battery of claim 1 , wherein the first carbon nanotube thin film and the second carbon nanotube thin film have different electrical conductivities from each other.

8 . The metal-air battery of claim 1 , wherein one of the first carbon nanotube thin film and the second carbon nanotube thin film has an average electrical conductivity of less than 0.1 Siemen per centimeter.

9 . The metal-air battery of claim 1 , wherein the cathode layer, the electrolyte film, the anode layer, and the gas diffusion layer are folded at least once.

10 . The metal-air battery of claim 1 , wherein the gas diffusion layer has oxygen permeability in a thickness direction thereof.

11 . The metal-air battery of claim 1 , wherein the gas diffusion layer has a thickness of less than 100 micrometers, and has a weight per unit area of less than 1 milligram per square centimeter.

12 . The metal-air battery of claim 1 , wherein the first carbon nanotubes and the second carbon nanotubes are single carbon nanotubes, carbon nanotube bundles, or twisted carbon nanotubes.

13 . A method of manufacturing a gas diffusion layer, the method comprising:
supplying a carbon nanotube precursor and a catalyst precursor into a reaction chamber; generating catalyst particles by thermally decomposing the catalyst precursor in the reaction chamber; forming a plurality of carbon nanotubes by thermally decomposing the carbon nanotube precursor in the reaction chamber; and attaching the plurality of carbon nanotubes to a surface of a roller unit which rotates with respect to an axis, wherein the roller unit forms a plurality of carbon nanotube thin films by repeatedly rotating at least twice.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of carbon nanotubes comprised in the plurality of carbon nanotube thin films is respectively aligned in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the plurality of carbon nanotubes extends, and an alignment angle of the plurality of carbon nanotubes has a deviation in a range of 0 degree to 45 degrees in a clockwise direction or a counter-clockwise direction.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the roller unit simultaneously performs a rotational motion and a translational motion along a direction of the axis.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein first carbon nanotubes comprised in a first carbon nanotube thin film are respectively aligned along a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first carbon nanotubes extend, and second carbon nanotubes comprised in a second carbon nanotube thin film are respectively arranged along a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the second carbon nanotubes extend, wherein the alignment direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the first carbon nanotubes and the alignment direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the second carbon nanotubes are different from each other.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Seoul Nat Univ R&Db Foundation

Inventors

• Lee Dongjoon
• Park Chong Rae
• Jung Yeonsu
• Cho Young Shik
• Byeon Minhoo
• Kwon Hyukjae
• Kim Mokwon
• Kim Joonhee
• Kim Hyunjin
• Lee Hyunpyo
• Lee Heungchan
• Im Dongmin

Classifications

• H01M12/08 Primary

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

• H01M4/96

  Carbon-based electrodes · CPC title

• H01M4/382

  Lithium (H01M4/405 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2004/8689

  Positive electrodes · CPC title

• H01M4/8807 Primary

  Gas diffusion layers · CPC title