Air electrode, metal-air battery, and air electrode production method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021159561-A1
Application number	US-202017099538-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 16, 2020
Priority date	Nov 25, 2019
Publication date	May 27, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An air electrode includes a current collector, a catalyst layer, and a water repellent membrane provided in this order. The catalyst layer has a first face in contact with either one of the current collector and the water repellent membrane, a second face in contact with either other of the current collector or the water repellent membrane, and a plurality of through holes, through which the first face and the second face communicate with each other. The through holes each have a constriction with an inner diameter smaller than either of an opening diameter in the first face and an opening diameter in the second face.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An air electrode comprising:
a current collector; a water repellent membrane; and a catalyst layer arranged between the current collector and the water repellent membrane, wherein the catalyst layer includes a first face in contact with either one of the current collector and the water repellent membrane, a second face in contact with either other of the current collector or the water repellent membrane, and a plurality of through holes, through which the first face and the second face communicate with each other, and wherein the plurality of through holes each have a constriction with an inner diameter smaller than either of an opening diameter in the first face and an opening diameter in the second face.

2 . The air electrode according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of through holes each have a cross section in a piercing direction that is a constricted shape having an inner diameter sequentially reduced from the first face toward inside of the catalyst layer and from the second face toward the inside of the catalyst layer.

3 . The air electrode according to claim 1 ,
wherein the opening diameter in the first face and the opening diameter in the second face of each of the plurality of through holes are each 1.1 to 4 times as large as the inner diameter of the constriction.

4 . The air electrode according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inner diameter of the constriction of each of the plurality of through holes is 100 to 400 μm.

5 . The air electrode according to claim 1 ,
wherein a number per unit area of the plurality of through holes in the first face or the second face of the catalyst layer is 2 to 40/cm 2 .

6 . The air electrode according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of through holes are provided in a lower portion of the catalyst layer more thickly than in an upper portion in a vertical direction orthogonal to the piercing direction of the plurality of through holes.

7 . The air electrode according to claim 1 ,
wherein a composite of the current collector and the catalyst layer has an air permeance of 1.0 sec/100 cc to 100 sec/100 cc.

8 . The air electrode according to claim 1 ,
wherein the water repellent membrane has an air permeance of 10 sec/100 cc to 10,000 sec/100 cc.

9 . The air electrode according to claim 1 ,
wherein the catalyst layer includes a plurality of types of carbon particles.

10 . A metal-air battery comprising:
the air electrode according to claim 1 ; a metal electrode; and an electrolyte.

11 . A method of producing an air electrode including a current collector, a water repellent membrane, and a catalyst layer arranged between the current collector and the water repellent membrane, the catalyst layer including a plurality of through holes each piercing to a first face and a second face of the catalyst layer, the method comprising:
forming a plurality of first through holes in the catalyst layer before formation of the plurality of through holes, each first through hole piercing the catalyst layer in a thickness direction; and pressing the catalyst layer provided with the plurality of first through holes, wherein the pressing is performed in a piercing direction of the plurality of first through holes to form, in the catalyst layer, through holes each having a constriction with an inner diameter smaller than either of an opening diameter in the first face and an opening diameter in the second face.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Takasaki Mai
• Mitamura Keigo
• Yamaji Hiroyuki
• Sugino Fumitoshi
• Mizuhata Hirotaka
• Yoshida Akihito

Classifications

• H01M12/08

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

• H01M4/8668

  Binders · CPC title

• H01M4/8673

  Electrically conductive fillers · CPC title

• H01M4/9016

  Oxides, hydroxides or oxygenated metallic salts · CPC title

• H01M4/8825

  Methods for deposition of the catalytic active composition · CPC title