Compressible foam electrode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020339446-A1
Application number	US-201916392461-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 23, 2019
Priority date	Apr 23, 2019
Publication date	Oct 29, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A foam electrode comprising surface treatment by the steps of: 1) impregnating soft compressible polymeric foams with a conductive coating via sequential infiltration synthesis and 2) functionalizing the chemically altered voids with an ultrathin redox coating to enhance capacitive deionization (CDI). The redox coating will allow treated foam to absorb ions under the application of a bias, and mechanical compression/decompression. The CDI apparatus uses the void volume of the foam in the uncompressed state to flow liquids through it while the compressed state is used to enhance desalination by limiting the diffusion pathways for the ions to find an adsorption surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of fabricating a compressible foam electrode comprising;
providing a foam comprising a base material; coating the base material with a conductive material using sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) process including at least one cycle of:
exposing the foam to a first metal precursor for a first predetermined time and a first partial pressure, the first metal precursor depositing on or infiltrating at least a portion of the base material and binding with the base material, and
exposing the foam to a second co-reactant precursor for a second predetermined time and a second partial pressure, the second co-reactant precursor reacting with the first metal precursor, thereby forming the inorganic material on the base material, the inorganic material growing on or infiltrating at least the portion of the base material;
functionalizing the inorganic material with a silane coupler; and coupling a redox-active material to the foam by the silane coupler.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the foam includes a plurality of strands of the base material.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the base material includes at least one of silane agents, N-triethoxysilyl(aniline) and N-triethoxysilyl(pyrrole).

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first metal precursor comprises at least one Trimethyl Aluminum (TMA), Triethyl Aluminum (TEA), Yttrium Tris(2,2,6,6-Tetramethyl-3,5-Heptanedionate) (Y(thd) 3 ), Diethyl Zinc (DEZ), Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl 4 ), Vanadium (V) Oxytriisopropoxide (VOTP), Palladium (II) hexafluoroacetylacetonate, (Pd(hfac) 2 ), copper bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate) (Cu(thd) 2 ), copper(II) hexafluoroacetylacetonate hydrate (Cu(hfac) 2 ), iron tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate) Fe(thd) 3 ), cobalt tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate) (Co(thd) 3 ), Bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)barium triglyme adduct (Ba(thd) 2 .tri), Bis(cyclopentadienyl)ruthenium (Ru(cp) 2 ), disilane (Si 2 H 6 ), Tungsten Hexafluoride (WF 6 ), Bis(N,N′diisopropylacetamidinato)copper(I) (Cu(DIA)), Nickel (II) acetylacetonate (Ni(acac) 2 ), antimony pentachloride (SbCl 5 ), niobium pentachloride (NbCl 5 ), niobium pentethoxide (Nb(OEt) 5 ), titanium isopropoxide (Ti(iOPr) 4 ), tris(tetramethylcyclopentadienyl) cerium (III), cyclopentadienyl indium (InCp), tris(i-propylcyclopentadienyl)lanthanum (La (iPrCp) 3 ), bis(cyclopentadienyl)magnesium (Mg(Cp) 2 ), bis(cyclopentadienyl)nickel (NiCp 2 ), (trimethyl)methylcyclopentadienylplatinum (IV) (Pt(MeCp)Me 3 ), bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)strontium (Sr(Me 5 Cp) 2 ), tris(cyclopentadienyl)yttrium (YCp 3 ), bis(cyclopentadienyl)dimethylzirconium (ZrCp 2 Me 2 ), bis(methylcyclopentadienyl)methoxymethyl zirconium (ZrOMe), tetrakis(dimethylamino)tin (TDMASn), tetrakis(dimethylamino)zirconium (TDMAZr), tris(dimethylamino)aluminum (TDMAAl), iridium(III) acetylacetonate (Ir(acac) 3 ), niobium pentafluoride (NbF 5 ), ferrocene (FeCp 2 ), cyclohexadiene iron tricarbonyl (FeHD(CO) 3 ), tetrakis(dimethylamino)antimony (TDMASb), aluminum trichloride (AlCl 3 ), niobium (V) iodide (NbI 5 ), tin (IV) iodide (SnI 4 ), Tris(tetramethylcyclopentadienyl)gadolinium(III) (Gd(Me4Cp) 3 ), Bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)barium 1,2-dimethoxyethane adduct (Ba(Me 5 Cp)-2-DMA), Molybdenum Hexafluoride (MoF 6 ), Tris(tert-pentoxy)silanol (TTPSi), Silicon tetrachloride (SiCl 4 ), lithium tert-butoxide (Li(tOBu)), trimethyl indium (TMin), trimethyl gallium (TMGa), and dimethyl cadmium (TMCd), or any combination thereof.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising polymerizing the silane coupler prior to coupling the redox-active material.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the redox-active material is conductive.

7 . The method of claim 6 further comprising forming a conductive carbon network engaged with the coated base material.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first predetermined time is 0.5 to 500 seconds, the first partial pressure is 0.01 Torr to 10 Torr, and exposure of the foam to the first metal precursor is at a temperature between 50° C. and 200° C.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein exposure of the foam to the first metal precursor is at a temperature between 50° C. and 200° C.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second predetermined time is 0.5 to 500 seconds, the second partial pressure is 0.01 Torr to 10 Torr, and exposure of the foam to the second co-reactant precursor is at a temperature between 50° C. and 200° C.

11 . A capacitive deionization apparatus comprising:
a first foam electrode; a second foam electrode; a separator positioned between the first foam electrode and a second foam electrode; a water feed inlet and an effluent water outlet associated with the separator; and a compression mechanism for controllably compressing at least one of the first foam electrode and the second foam electrode.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a compressible housing disposed about the first foam electrode and second foam electrode.

13 . The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a first conductive plate between the first foam electrode and the housing and a second conductive plate between the second foam electrode and housing.

14 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first foam electrode comprises a plurality of first electrodes.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the second foam electrode comprises a plurality of second electrodes.

16 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the compression mechanism comprises a first roller and a second roller opposed to the first roller.

17 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the compression mechanism comprises a first piston associated with the first foam electrode and a second piston associated with the second foam electrode.

18 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein further comprising a conductive carbon.

19 . The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the conductive carbon forms a conductive network with binders and the first foam electrode.

20 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the separator is configured for the flow of liquid from the water feed inlet to the water feed outlet, the separator in fluid communication with the first foam electrode and the second foam electrode, with the first foam electrode and the second foam electrode being electrically isolated from each other.

Assignees

• Uchicago Argonne Llc

Inventors

• Young Matthias John
• Barry Edward F
• Elam Jeffrey W

Classifications

• C25B11/073

  characterised by the electrocatalyst material · CPC title

• C25B11/055

  characterised by the substrate or carrier material · CPC title

• C25B11/031

  Porous electrodes · CPC title

• H01B1/22 Primary

  the conductive material comprising metals or alloys · CPC title

• C25B11/051

  Electrodes formed of electrocatalysts on a substrate or carrier · CPC title