Negative electrodes for electrochemical cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023369576-A1
Application number	US-202318149494-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 3, 2023
Priority date	Jul 27, 2018
Publication date	Nov 16, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Various embodiments provide a battery, a bulk energy storage system including the battery, and/or a method of operating the bulk energy storage system including the battery. In various embodiment, the battery may include a first electrode, an electrolyte, and a second electrode, wherein one or both of the first electrode and the second electrode comprises direct reduced iron (“DRI”). In various embodiments, the DRI may be in the form of pellets. In various embodiments, the pellets may comprise at least about 60 wt % iron by elemental mass, based on the total mass of the pellets. In various embodiments, one or both of the first electrode and the second electrode comprises from about 60% to about 90% iron and from about 1% to about 40% of a component comprising one or more of the materials selected from the group of SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , MgO, CaO, and TiO 2 .

First claim

1 . A battery, comprising:
a first electrode; an electrolyte; and a second electrode, wherein one or both of the first electrode and the second electrode is a porous iron electrode comprising direct reduced iron (“DRI”).

2 - 10 . (canceled)

11 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the DRI comprises iron ore, direct reduced grade iron ore, reduced taconite, wustite, magnetite, hematite, cementite, iron oxide, or any combination thereof.

12 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the DRI comprises DRI fines or DRI powder.

13 - 15 . (canceled)

16 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode has a thickness of greater than 0.1 cm.

17 - 26 . (canceled)

27 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte is infiltrated into the DRI of the porous iron electrode.

28 . The battery of claim 1 , further comprising a current collector electrically connected to the DRI of the porous iron electrode.

29 . The battery of claim 28 , wherein the current collector contacts a lower surface of at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode, side surfaces of at least one of at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode, extends through at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode, or any combination thereof.

30 - 31 . (canceled)

32 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode further comprises a slurry or a gel.

33 - 57 . (canceled)

58 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode is a negative electrode and comprises the porous iron electrode including the DRI.

59 - 65 . (canceled)

66 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the porous iron electrode is under compressive force.

67 - 95 . (canceled)

96 . The battery of claim 66 , wherein the compressive force on the porous iron electrode is greater than about 7 kPa and less than about 700 kPa.

97 . The battery of claim 28 , wherein the DRI of the porous iron electrode is in contact with the current collector.

98 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the porous iron electrode includes particles of the DRI.

99 . The battery of claim 98 , wherein the particles of the DRI have an average particle size greater than 10 nm and less than 1 mm.

100 . The battery of claim 98 , wherein the particles of the DRI are irregularly shaped.

101 . The battery of claim 98 , wherein macropores are defined between the particles of the DRI and the particles of the DRI have microporous surfaces.

102 . The battery of claim 98 , wherein the particles of the DRI are physically connected together in an agglomeration.

103 . The battery of claim 102 , wherein the particles of the DRI sintered together in the agglomeration.

104 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the porous iron electrode is in the shape of a sheet.

105 . The battery of claim 1 , wherein the DRI comprises at least about 90 wt % and less than about 98 wt % of metallic iron based on total mass of the DRI.

Assignees

• Form Energy Inc

Inventors

• Chakraborty Rupak
• Milshtein Jarrod David
• Weber Eric
• Woodford William Henry
• Chiang Yet-Ming
• Mckay Ian Salmon
• Su Liang
• Whitacre Jay
• Wiley Theodore Alan
• Carlisle Kristen
• Westwood Mitchell Terrance
• Mumma Rachel Elizabeth
• Chu Max Rae
• Kharey Amelie Nina
• Hultman Benjamin Thomas
• Ferrara Marco
• Jaramillo Mateo Cristian
• Caruso Isabella
• Newhouse Jocelyn

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M2004/027

  Negative electrodes · CPC title

• H01M2004/021

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

• H01M4/248

  Iron electrodes · CPC title

• H01M12/08 Primary

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