Micro-architected flow through electrodes for energy storage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022255165-A1
Application number	US-202217667489-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 8, 2022
Priority date	Feb 10, 2021
Publication date	Aug 11, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed are electrochemical reactors with electrodes that have variable porosity across the electrode. The electrodes are designed and micro-architected to have variable porosity and 3D flow. In one aspect, an electrochemical cell apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes an electrochemical vessel and an electrochemical fluid contained in the electrochemical vessel. The apparatus further includes a porous electrode submerged in the electrochemical fluid in the electrochemical vessel, the porous electrode having different porosities in different areas of the porous electrode. The different porosities inhibit electrochemical fluid flow and increase electrical conductivity in first areas of the porous electrode with decreased porosity compared to second areas, and enable increased electrochemical fluid flow and decrease electrical conductivity in the second areas of the porous electrode with increased porosity compared to the first areas.

First claim

1 . An electrochemical cell apparatus comprising:
an electrochemical vessel; an electrochemical fluid contained in the electrochemical vessel; and a porous electrode submerged in the electrochemical fluid in the electrochemical vessel, the porous electrode having different porosities in different areas of the porous electrode, wherein the different porosities inhibit electrochemical fluid flow and increase electrical conductivity in first areas of the porous electrode with decreased porosity compared to second areas, and enable increased electrochemical fluid flow and decrease electrical conductivity in the second areas of the porous electrode with increased porosity compared to the first areas.

2 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the porous electrode is divided into a plurality of unit cells comprising at least five unit cells.

3 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 2 , wherein at least one unit cell compared to other unit cells has at least one of a different:
porosity; surface area; conductivity; permeability; or mass transfer property.

4 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each unit cell of the plurality of unit cells is configured to contain an internal structure to the unit cell.

5 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the internal structure comprises one or more rods, and wherein a diameter of the one or more rods is selected to adjust a porosity of the unit cell.

6 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the one or more rods of a first unit cell having a larger diameter than the one or more rods of a second unit cell causes the first unit cell to have a lower porosity than the second unit cell.

7 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the one or more rods of a first unit cell having a larger diameter than the one or more rods of a second unit cell causes the first unit cell to have a lower ohmic resistance than the second unit cell.

8 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 4 , wherein changing the internal structure of the unit cell changes one or more of:
a surface area; a conductivity; a permeability; a mass transfer; or a movability or permeation of gas bubbles.

9 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 2 , wherein porosities of the plurality of unit cells are selected to adjust one or more localized features of the porous electrode comprising:
a fluid distribution; an electrical resistance; a species reaction; or a flow resistance.

10 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical cell apparatus is configured as a fuel cell.

11 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical cell apparatus is configured as a battery.

12 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical cell apparatus is configured as a flow-through electrochemical reactor.

13 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical cell apparatus is configured as a flow distribution system.

14 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical cell apparatus is configured as an electroactive component.

15 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the porous electrode is configured as a porous flowfield plate.

16 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the porous flowfield plate is positioned adjacent to an electroactive component.

17 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of unit cells has a dimension on at least one side thereof that is between 100 nm and 100 microns.

18 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the porous electrode has pore sizes between 100 nm and 100 microns.

19 . The electrochemical cell apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical fluid comprises a mixture of a liquid and a gas, and wherein the mixture includes bubbles of the gas entrained in the liquid.

20 . A method of selecting porosities in an electrochemical reactor, the method comprising:
dividing an electrode of the electrochemical reactor into a plurality of unit cells; and determining a plurality of porosities for the plurality of unit cells as a function of a location for each of the plurality of unit cells, wherein each location in the electrode provides a selected fluid flow property and a selected conductive property to meet one or more performance metrics.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the one or more performance metrics comprise one or more of:
a maximum energy density of the electrochemical reactor; a maximum efficiency of a chemical reaction in the electrochemical reactor; or a gas movement or permeation property of the electrochemical reactor.

22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the one or more performance metrics comprise one or more of:
an ionic resistance; a flow resistance; a kinetic resistance; or an ohmic resistance.

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Beck Victor Alfred
• Baker Sarah
• Davis Jonathan Tesner
• Duoss Eric
• Tortorelli Daniel
• Watts Seth Evan
• Worsley Marcus A

Classifications

• H01M2004/021

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

• H01M10/6561

  Gases · CPC title

• H01M10/6568 Primary

  characterised by flow circuits, e.g. loops, located externally to the cells or cell casings · CPC title

• H01M4/04

  Processes of manufacture in general · CPC title

• C02F2001/46161

  Porous electrodes · CPC title