Air cathode tubes for rechargeable metal air batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9640846-B2
Application number	US-99930110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2010
Priority date	Sep 28, 2010
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

Implementations and techniques are generally disclosed are generally described for providing a metal air batter comprising, a cathode tube included in the metal air battery, the cathode tube having a conductive outer surface and a hydrophobic inner surface configured to define a tube wall there between, wherein the tube wall includes polymeric material and an anode material that surrounds the cathode tube.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a rechargeable metal air battery that includes a cathode tube wrapped in a fabric separator layer, wherein the cathode tube includes:
a conductive outer surface;
a hydrophobic inner surface;
a tube wall between the conductive outer surface and the hydrophobic inner surface, wherein an exterior surface of the tube wall is plated with a palladium (Pd)-based material; and
a polymeric material that includes pores therein configured to extend from the conductive outer surface into the Pd-based exterior surface of the tube wall.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material includes at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene or polyethylene.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tube wall includes conductive particles and a catalytic material embedded within the polymeric material.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the catalytic material includes one or more of Ag, Pt, Pt—Ru, La 2 O 3 , Ag 2 O, and Fe.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic inner surface includes an amorphous fluoropolymer.

6. An apparatus comprising:
a rechargeable metal air battery that includes:
cathode tubes electrically coupled together within rechargeable metal air battery, wherein at least one of the cathode tubes includes:
a conductive outer surface;
a hydrophobic inner surface;
a tube wall between the conductive outer surface and the hydrophobic inner surface, wherein an exterior surface of the tube wall is plated with a palladium (Pd)-based material; and
a polymeric material that includes pores therein configured to extend from the conductive outer surface into the Pd-based exterior surface of the tube wall;

a separator layer that includes a hydrophilic fabric saturated with an electrolyte; and
an anode material that surrounds the at least one of the cathode tubes.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the polymeric material includes at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene or polyethylene.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the tube wall includes conductive particles and a catalytic material embedded within the polymeric material.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the catalytic material includes one or more of Ag, Pt, Pt—Ru, La 2 O 3 , Ag 2 O, and Fe.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the hydrophobic inner surface includes an amorphous fluoropolymer.

11. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the cathode tubes are arranged as one or more linear arrays.

12. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the cathode tubes are arranged as one or more rectangular arrays.

13. An apparatus, comprising:
a rechargeable metal air battery that includes:
a cathode tube, wherein the cathode tube includes:
a conductive outer surface;
a hydrophobic inner surface;
a tube wall between the conductive outer surface and the hydrophobic inner surface, wherein an exterior of the tube wall is plated with a palladium (Pd)-based material; and
a polymeric material that includes pores therein configured to extend from the conductive outer surface into the Pd-based exterior of the tube wall; and

an anode material that surrounds the cathode tube.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the polymeric material includes at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene or polyethylene.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the tube wall includes conductive particles and a catalytic material embedded within the polymeric material.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the anode material includes one or more of a Zn powder, a hydroxyl electrolyte, and a gel.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the hydrophobic inner surface includes an amorphous fluoropolymer.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the catalytic material includes one or more of Ag, Pt, Pt—Ru, La 2 O 3 , Ag 2 O, and Fe.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a separator layer between the cathode tube and the anode material.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the separator layer includes a hydrophilic fabric.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the separator layer includes a hydrophilic fabric saturated with an electrolyte.

22. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the polymeric material includes a hydrophilic pore configured to draw an electrolyte into the tube wall.

23. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the tube wall includes a composite of the polymeric material impregnated with conductive particles and a catalytic material.

Assignees

• Yager Thomas A
• Miller Seth Adrian
• Empire Technology Dev Llc

Inventors

• Yager Thomas A
• Miller Seth Adrian

Classifications

• H01M4/92

  Metals of platinum group (H01M4/94 {, H01M4/9058} take precedence) · CPC title

• Y02E60/128

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M4/9016

  Oxides, hydroxides or oxygenated metallic salts · CPC title

• H01M4/8626

  characterised by the form · CPC title

• H01M4/9041

  Metals or alloys (H01M4/92 takes precedence) · CPC title