Mitigating passivation of metal electrodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025132387-A1
Application number	US-202418922381-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 21, 2024
Priority date	Oct 19, 2023
Publication date	Apr 24, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

According to one aspect, an electrochemical cell may include a first electrode including a metal-containing active material, a second electrode, and an electrolyte in ionic communication between the first electrode and the second electrode, the electrolyte including a gel and an additive, the gel including a polymer network and a liquid medium, the polymer network carried in the liquid medium, the additive suspended in the gel and accumulable at the metal-containing active material of the first electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electrochemical cell comprising:
a first electrode including a metal-containing active material; a second electrode; and an electrolyte in ionic communication between the first electrode and the second electrode, the electrolyte including a gel and an additive, the gel including a polymer network and a liquid medium, the polymer network carried in the liquid medium, the additive suspended in the gel and accumulable at the metal-containing active material of the first electrode.

2 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the gel is in contact with the second electrode.

3 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the additive interferes with redox chemistry of the one or more surfaces of the metal-containing active material of the first electrode without poisoning the first electrode.

4 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein stabilization of cations of the metal-containing active material with the additive is greater than stabilization of cations of the metal-containing active material with hydroxide ligands.

5 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the metal-containing active material is iron.

6 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is an air electrode.

7 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the additive includes a complexing agent of one or more electrochemical dissolution products of the metal-containing active material in water.

8 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the additive has a solubility of less than about 30 g/L in water at 1 atm pressure and 25° C.

9 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the polymer network is between 0.01 to 10 wt % in the gel.

10 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the additive includes an L-type ligand.

11 . An electrochemical cell comprising:
a first electrode including an iron-containing active material; a second electrode; and an alkaline electrolyte in ionic communication between the first electrode and the second electrode, the alkaline electrolyte in contact with one or more surfaces of the iron-containing active material of the first electrode, the alkaline electrolyte including an additive and, at least on discharge of the electrochemical cell, the additive including an iron-binding ligand formable into a coordination complex with one or more dissolution products of the first electrode on discharge of the electrochemical cell.

12 . The electrochemical cell of claim 11 , wherein the iron-binding ligand is a complexing agent of iron cations.

13 . The electrochemical cell of claim 11 , wherein the iron-binding ligand includes a multi-dentate component or a bi-dentate component.

14 . The electrochemical cell of claim 11 , wherein stabilization of cations of the iron with the additive is greater than stabilization of cations of the iron with hydroxide ligands.

15 . The electrochemical cell of claim 11 , wherein the iron-binding ligand includes an L-type ligand.

16 . The electrochemical cell of claim 11 , wherein the iron-binding ligand includes a long-chain fatty acid.

17 . The electrochemical cell of claim 11 , wherein the iron-binding ligand includes polyethylene glycol (PEG).

18 . The electrochemical cell of claim 11 , wherein the additive includes one or more organic molecules.

19 . The electrochemical cell of claim 11 , wherein the additive includes a surfactant.

Assignees

• Form Energy Inc

Inventors

• Bates Hannah
• Poirier Jeffrey
• Syvertsen Marc
• Thompson Annelise Christine
• Newhouse Jocelyn Marie
• Huang Ke
• Norman Zachariah
• Bentley Caitlin
• Barbour Johanna

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

• H01M4/628

  Inhibitors, e.g. gassing inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors · CPC title

• H01M4/38

  of elements or alloys · CPC title