Lubricant-impregnated surfaces for electrochemical applications, and devices and systems using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9947481-B2
Application number	US-201514744792-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2015
Priority date	Jun 19, 2014
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

In certain embodiments, the invention relates to an electrochemical device having a liquid lubricant impregnated surface. At least a portion of the interior surface of the electrochemical device includes a portion that includes a plurality of solid features disposed therein. The plurality of solid features define a plurality of regions therebetween. A lubricant is disposed in the plurality of regions which retain the liquid lubricant in the plurality of regions during operation of the device. An electroactive phase comes in contact with at least the portion of the interior surface. The liquid lubricant impregnated surface introduces a slip at the surface when the electroactive phase flows along the surface. The electroactive phase may be a yield stress fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrochemical device comprising:
an interior surface, at least a first portion of which comprises a plurality of solid features disposed thereon, the plurality of solid features defining a plurality of regions therebetween, and a liquid lubricant disposed in the plurality of regions, the plurality of solid features retaining the liquid lubricant in the plurality of regions during operation of the device, wherein the liquid lubricant stably is held between the plurality of solid features regardless of orientation of the device, thereby providing a liquid lubricant impregnated surface; and
an electroactive phase in contact with at least the first portion of the interior surface, wherein the liquid lubricant impregnated surface introduces a slip at the surface-when the electroactive phase flows along the surface.

2. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the electroactive phase is a non-Newtonian fluid.

3. The electrochemical device of claim 2 , wherein the electroactive phase is a yield-stress fluid.

4. The electrochemical device of claim 3 , wherein the electroactive phase has a yield-stress between 1 Pa to 2 kPa.

5. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the electroactive phase flows along the first portion of the interior surface such that the first portion is substantially free from residue left by the electroactive phase along its path of flow.

6. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the first portion enables flowing of the electroactive phase solely due to gravity.

7. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the electroactive phase comprises at least one solvent and at least one electrolyte.

8. The electrochemical device of claim 7 , wherein the at least one electrolyte is a lithium-containing salt in an organic solvent or combination of solvents or in an aqueous-based solvent or combination of solvents; or
wherein the at least one electrolyte is selected from the group consisting of iron/chromium, bromine/polysulfide, vanadium, zinc/bromine, lithium polysulfide, vanadium, tris(bipyridine)nickel(II)tetrafluoroborate/tris(bipyridine)iron(II)tetrafluoroborate (Ni(Bpy) 3 (BF 4 ) 2 /Fe(BPy) 3 (BF 4 ) 2 ), tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) ((Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ ), and zinc/cerium.

9. The electrochemical device of claim 7 , wherein the at least one solvent is selected from the list consisting of water, alkyl carbonates, alkyl phosphonates, phosphites, acetonitrile, propylene carbonate, glyme, diglyme, triglyme, tetraglyme, polyglyme, dioxolane (1,3-dioxolane), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dichloromethane, ethylene carbonate, tetrahydrafuran (THF), methane sulfonic acid, dimethyl ether (DEM), tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TEG-DME) and dimethoxyethane, and any combination or derivative thereof.

10. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the electroactive phase further comprises at least one flame-retardant additive and/or at least one ion transport enhancer.

11. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the electroactive phase includes at least one conductive additive selected from the group consisting of: metal carbides, metal nitrides, carbon black, graphitic carbon powder, carbon fibers, carbon microfibers, vapor-grown carbon fibers (VGCF), fullerenes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), graphene sheets, materials comprising fullerenic fragments that are not predominantly a closed shell or tube of the graphene sheet, and any combination or mixture thereof.

12. The electrochemical device claim 11 , wherein the at least one conductive additive is carbon black.

13. The electrochemical device of claim 12 , wherein the carbon black is present in the electroactive phase in an amount from between 0.25 vol % to 3 vol %.

14. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the liquid lubricant impregnated surface promotes plug flow, wherein a ratio of slip velocity against mean velocity (u w /ū) is greater than 0.9.

15. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the conditions or any combination of conditions (a) through (e) is satisfied:
(a) wherein the solid features have an average dimension in a range of up to 200 microns;
(b) wherein the solid features comprise particles;
(c) wherein a ratio of an exposed surface area of the plurality of solid features to an exposed surface area of the liquid lubricant contained in the plurality of regions is less than 0.5;
(d) wherein the solid features comprise particles and wherein an average spacing between adjacent particles or clusters of particles is in a range of up to 200 microns; and
(e) wherein the interior surface (without the plurality of solid features and the liquid lubricant) has a first roll-off angle and wherein the plurality of solid features and the liquid lubricant collectively define a liquid-impregnated surface, the liquid-impregnated surface having a second roll-off angle, the second roll-off angle being less than the first roll-off angle.

16. The electrochemical device of claim 15 , wherein the ratio of the exposed surface area of the plurality of solid features to the exposed surface area of the liquid contained in the plurality of regions is less than 0.3.

17. The electrochemical device of claim 15 , wherein the ratio of the exposed surface area of the plurality of solid features to the exposed surface area of the liquid contained in the plurality of regions greater than 0 and less than 0.2.

18. The electrochemical device of claim 15 , wherein the second roll-off angle is less than 2°.

19. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical device is a member selected from the group consisting of: a battery, a fuel cell, and a capacitor.

20. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the first portion passively promotes at least one effect selected from the list consisting of: (i) increases nucleation of insoluble materials formed during operation of the electrochemical device, (ii) increases growth of insoluble materials formed during operation of the electrochemical device, (iii) increases precipitation of insoluble materials formed during operation of the electrochemical device, and (iv) increases segregation of insoluble materials formed during operation of the electrochemical device at desired locations on the internal surface of the electrochemical device.

21. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the first portion passively promotes at least one effect selected from the list consisting of: (i) inhibits nucleation, (ii) decreases growth, (iii) inhibits precipitation, and (iv) decreases segregation at undesired locations on the internal surface of the electrochemical device of insoluble materials formed during operation of the electrochemical device.

22. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the first portion passively extends an operating temperature range of the electrochemical device.

23. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein a second portion of the internal surface does not comprise the plurality of solid features disposed thereon.

24. The electrochemical device of claim 23 , wherein the internal surface includes one or more first portions comprising the plurality of solid features disposed thereon and one or more second portions not comprising the plurality of solid features disposed thereon.

25. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the firs

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Solomon Brian Richmond
• Chen Xinwei
• Chiang Yet-Ming
• Varanasi Kripa K

Classifications

• C09D5/037

  Rheology improving agents, e.g. flow control agents · CPC title

• H01M8/188

  by recharging of redox couples containing fluids; Redox flow type batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title

• H01G9/048

  characterised by their structure (H01G11/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M10/02

  Details (of electrodes H01M4/00; of non-active parts H01M50/00) · CPC title