Metal-air cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9893397-B2
Application number	US-201314423879-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2013
Priority date	Aug 28, 2012
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

The present invention provides a metal-air cell that allows pieces of an electrode active material that have fallen off to contribute to a discharge reaction and thus has high power generation efficiency.
The metal-air cell according to the present invention includes an electrolyte cell containing an electrolyte, a metal electrode disposed in the electrolyte cell and serving as an anode, and an air electrode serving as a cathode. The metal electrode includes a current collector and an electrode active material part disposed on the current collector and made of an electrode active material. The current collector includes a supporting part supporting the electrode active material part and a receiving part disposed between a bottom of the electrolyte cell and the electrode active material part. The receiving part includes a projection projecting in the electrolyte cell beyond a side surface of the electrode active material part toward a sidewall of the electrolyte cell.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A metal-air cell comprising an electrolyte cell containing an electrolyte, a metal electrode disposed in the electrolyte cell and serving as an anode, and an air electrode serving as a cathode,
the metal electrode comprising a current collector and an electrode active material part disposed on the current collector, the electrode active material part comprising an electrode active material,
the current collector comprising a supporting part supporting the electrode active material part and a receiving part disposed between a bottom of the electrolyte cell and the electrode active material part,
the receiving part comprising a projection projecting in the electrolyte cell beyond a side surface of the electrode active material part toward a sidewall of the electrolyte cell,
wherein the supporting part is plate-shaped and has an end detachably fixed to the receiving part.

2. The metal-air cell according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving part is provided such that the projection receives a piece of the electrode active material falling off the electrode active material part.

3. The metal-air cell according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving part is fixed to the electrolyte cell.

4. The metal-air cell according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving part is provided so as to accommodate a piece of the electrode active material falling off the electrode active material part.

5. The metal-air cell according to claim 1 , wherein
the supporting part is plate-shaped, and
the electrode active material part is disposed on first and second main surfaces of the supporting part.

6. The metal-air cell according to claim 1 , wherein the supporting part and the receiving part each comprise a metal plate.

7. The metal-air cell according to claim 1 , wherein
the supporting part comprises a metal plate, and
the receiving part comprises a metal mesh.

8. The metal-air cell according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode active material is metallic zinc, metallic calcium, metallic magnesium, metallic aluminum, metallic iron, metallic lithium, or metallic sodium.

9. The metal-air cell according to claim 1 , wherein the metal electrode is provided so as to be insertable into and removable from the electrolyte cell.

10. The metal-air cell according to claim 1 , further comprising an ion exchange membrane disposed between the metal electrode and the air electrode,
the ion exchange membrane having a main surface in contact with the electrolyte contained in the electrolyte cell and another main surface in contact with the air electrode.

11. A metal electrode comprising a current collector and an electrode active material part disposed on the current collector, the electrode active material part comprising an electrode active material,
the current collector comprising a supporting part supporting the electrode active material part and a receiving part disposed at a lower end of the supporting part,
the receiving part comprising a projection projecting beyond a side surface of the electrode active material part,
wherein the supporting part is plate-shaped and has an end detachably fixed to the receiving part.

12. The metal electrode according to claim 11 , wherein a gap is defined between the electrode active material part and the receiving part.

13. The metal electrode according to claim 11 , wherein the receiving part supports the electrode active material part.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Yoshida Akihito
• Kaga Masaki
• Arai Tomoharu
• Mizuhata Hirotaka

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M4/74

  Meshes or woven material; Expanded metal · CPC title

• Y02E60/128

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M12/08

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

• H01M12/06

  with one metallic and one gaseous electrode · CPC title