Instrumented fluid-surfaced electrode

• US 10,074,879 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2010
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Enterprise Science Fund, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Deep Science LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Deane, Geoffrey F., Ferren, Bran, Gates, William, Hillis, W. Daniel, Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Jung, Edward K. Y., Kare, Jordin T., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Tuckerman, David B., Weaver, Thomas Allan, Whitmer, Charles, Wood, Lowell L., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilliam, Barbara Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arciero, Adam A
• Application Number:
  US12/803,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20110027633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,008 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/00 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/36 Selection of substances as active materials, active masses, active liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04186 of liquid-charged or electrolyte-charged reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1009 with one of the reactants being liquid, solid or liquid-charged H01M8/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

An electrochemical device (such as a battery) includes at least one electrode having a fluid surface and one or more sensors configured to detect an operating condition of the device. Fluid-directing structures may modulate flow or retain fluid in response to the sensors. An electrolyte within the device may also include an ion-transport fluid, for example infiltrated into a porous solid support.

Claims

1. An electrochemical device, comprising:

two electrodes, wherein at least one of the electrodes includes an electrochemically active fluid layer;

an electrolyte not a part of the two electrodes configured to conduct an ionic current from a first electrolyte surface in contact with one of the electrodes to a second electrolyte surface in contact with another of the electrodes, wherein the electrolyte is in contact with a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer;

fluid directing structures configured to control at least one of a flow rate or a flow direction of the electrochemically active fluid layer by altering a fluid property of the electrochemically active fluid layer; and

a plurality of local sensors configured to detect an operating condition of the electrochemical device, each local sensor being configured to detect the operating condition at a predetermined location within the device;

wherein at least one local sensor of the plurality of local sensors is located at a single interface between one of the electrodes and the electrolyte and in direct contact with one of the electrodes and the electrolyte; and

wherein the at least one local sensor of the plurality of local sensors is configured to detect the operating condition of the electrochemical device at the single interface between one of the electrodes and the electrolyte.

2. The electrochemical device of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to use data from the plurality of local sensors to direct an adjustment of an operating parameter of the electrochemical device.

3. The electrochemical device of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to use data from at least two local sensors of the plurality of local sensors to direct an adjustment of the operating parameter of the electrochemical device.

4. The electrochemical device of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to respond to a signal from the plurality of local sensors by modifying an operating parameter of the electrochemical device.

5. The electrochemical device of claim 4, wherein the controller includes a memory.

6. The electrochemical device of claim 4, wherein the controller includes a transmitter.

7. The electrochemical device of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to respond to a history of signals from the plurality of local sensors by modifying the operating parameter of the electrochemical device.

8. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of local sensors includes at least two sensors configured to detect different operating conditions.

9. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of local sensors includes at least two sensors configured to detect the same operating condition.

10. The electrochemical device of claim 9, wherein the at least two sensors configured to detect the same operating condition are configured to detect the same operating condition at two different locations, respectively.

11. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein at least one local sensor is configured to detect an operating condition at an interface between the electrochemically active fluid layer and a solid support configured to support the electrochemically active fluid layer.

12. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the operating condition is a condition of the electrochemically active fluid layer selected from the group consisting of chemical composition, chemical activity, ion density, density, temperature, flow velocity, flow direction, viscosity, and surface tension.

13. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the operating condition is selected from the group consisting of temperature, magnetic field magnitude, magnetic field direction, electrochemical potential, current, current density, and distance between two surfaces of the device.

14. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the operating condition is a position of a portion of a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer.

15. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the operating condition is a gradient of a condition of the electrochemically active fluid layer selected from the group consisting of chemical composition, ion density, density, temperature, flow velocity, flow direction, viscosity, and surface tension.

16. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the operating condition is a gradient of a condition selected from the group consisting of temperature, magnetic field magnitude, magnetic field direction, electrochemical potential, current, and distance between two surfaces of the device.

17. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the electrodes includes a solid support, wherein the electrochemically active fluid layer is configured to cling to the solid support by a surface energy effect.

18. The electrochemical device of claim 17, wherein the solid support includes a fluid-directing structure.

19. The electrochemical device of claim 18, wherein the fluid-directing structure is configured to adjust a flow parameter of the electrochemically active fluid layer in response to an operating condition detected by at least one local sensor of the plurality of local sensors.

20. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte is further arranged to conduct an ionic current from the second electrolyte surface to the first electrolyte surface.

21. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte includes a solid surface impervious to the electrochemically active fluid.

22. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte includes an ion-transport fluid through which an ion can move to produce the ionic current.

23. The electrochemical device of claim 22, wherein the electrolyte further includes a solid structure.

24. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active fluid layer includes a liquid metal, an ionic fluid, a finely dispersed metal, a finely dispersed semi-metal, a finely dispersed semiconductor, or a finely dispersed dielectric.

25. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of local sensors includes magnetic field sensors.