Electrical-energy-storage unit (EESU) utilizing ceramic and integrated-circuit technologies for replacement of electrochemical batteries

• US 20060210779A1
• Filed: 04/10/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Walter Nelson, Richard Dean Weir
• Original Assignee: Carl Walter Nelson, Richard Dean Weir
• Inventors: Weir, Richard Dean, Nelson, Carl Walter
• Granted Patent: US 7,595,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/209
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 1/008 for the production of films or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/36 Glass starting materials for making ceramics, e.g. silica glass
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6025 Tape casting, e.g. with a doctor blade
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/468 based on barium titanates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62813 Alumina or aluminates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62894 with more than one coating layer
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62897 Coatings characterised by their thickness
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/1227 based on alkaline earth titanates
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/30 Stacked capacitors H01G4/33 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49108 Electric battery cell making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49115 including coating or impregnating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24917 including metal layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2991 Coated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2993 Silicic or refractory material containing [e.g., tungsten oxide, glass, cement, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2995 Silane, siloxane or silicone coating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2996 Glass particles or spheres
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2998 including synthetic resin or polymer

Abstract

An electrical-energy-storage unit (EESU) has as a basis material a high-permittivity composition-modified barium titanate ceramic powder. This powder is double coated with the first coating being aluminum oxide and the second coating calcium magnesium aluminosilicate glass. The components of the EESU are manufactured with the use of classical ceramic fabrication techniques which include screen printing alternating multilayers of nickel electrodes and high-permittivitiy composition-modified barium titanate powder, sintering to a closed-pore porous body, followed by hot-isostatic pressing to a void-free body. The components are configured into a multilayer array with the use of a solder-bump technique as the enabling technology so as to provide a parallel configuration of components that has the capability to store electrical energy in the range of 52 kW·h. The total weight of an EESU with this range of electrical energy storage is about 336 pounds.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A method comprising:

providing a ceramic powder comprising a plurality of ceramic powder particles; and

coating the ceramic powder particles with at least one high-dielectric material layer, wherein the at least one high dielectric material layer comprises a material different from the ceramic powder.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the ceramic powder is a composition modified barium titanate powder.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the ceramic powder particles have a narrow particle-size distribution.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the coating of the ceramic powder particles with at least one high-dielectric material layer further comprises:

coating the ceramic powder particles with a first high dielectric breakdown material to form singly coated ceramic powder particles; and

coating the singly coated ceramic powder particles with a second high dielectric breakdown material to form doubly coated ceramic powder particles.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the coating the ceramic powder particles with a first high dielectric breakdown material further comprises:

applying the first high dielectric breakdown material using a wet-chemical process; and

calcining the first high dielectric breakdown material to form a ceramic material.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the wet chemical process further comprises an aluminum nitrate nonahydrate precursor, and wherein the calcining converts the precursor to alumina.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the calcining further comprises:

calcining the first high dielectric breakdown material at a temperature of approximately 1050°

C.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the coating the singly coated ceramic powder particles with a second high dielectric breakdown material further comprises:

applying the second high dielectric breakdown material using a wet-chemical process; and

calcining the second high dielectric breakdown material to form a glass material.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the wet chemical process further comprises at least one of:

a calcium methoxide precursor, a calcium isopropoxide precursor, a magnesium methoxide precursor, a magnesium ethoxide precursor, an aluminum ethoxide precursor, an aluminum isopropoxide precursor, and aluminum butoxide precursor, and a tetraethyl orthosilicate precursor.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the wet chemical process further comprises providing the at least one precursor in ethanol.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the glass material is a calcium magnesium aluminosilicate glass.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the calcining further comprises:

calcining the second high dielectric breakdown material at a temperature of below a strain point of the glass material.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein the calcining further comprises:

calcining the second high dielectric breakdown material at a temperature of approximately 500°

C.

30. The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one high-dielectric material layer includes a glass layer, and wherein the method further comprises:

isostatically pressing coated ceramic powder at a temperature sufficient to deform the glass layer.

31. The method of claim 17 wherein a thickness of the at least one high-dielectric material layer is approximately 100 Å

.

32. The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one high-dielectric material layer includes a ceramic material layer and a glass material layer.

33. An article of manufacture comprising:

high-permittivity ceramic powder particles coated with a first layer of high dielectric breakdown material and with a second layer of high dielectric material and isostatically pressed together, wherein the first layer of high dielectric breakdown material and the second layer of high dielectric breakdown material comprise materials different from the ceramic powder.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 33 wherein the high-permittivity ceramic powder is composition-modified barium titanate.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 33 wherein the first layer of high dielectric breakdown material is a ceramic and wherein the second layer of high dielectric breakdown material is a glass.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 35 wherein the first layer of high dielectric breakdown material is alumina and wherein the second layer of high dielectric breakdown material is a calcium magnesium aluminosilicate glass.

37. The article of manufacture of claim 33 further comprising at least one nickel electrode.

38. An apparatus comprising:

a means for providing a ceramic powder comprising a plurality of ceramic powder particles; and

a means for coating the ceramic powder particles with at least one high-dielectric material layer, wherein the at least one high dielectric material layer comprises a material different from the ceramic powder.

39. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the means for coating the ceramic powder particles with at least one high-dielectric material layer further comprises:

a means for coating the ceramic powder particles with a first high dielectric breakdown material to form singly coated ceramic powder particles; and

a means for coating the singly coated ceramic powder particles with a second high dielectric breakdown material to form doubly coated ceramic powder particles.

40. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein the ceramic powder is composition-modified barium titanate, the first high dielectric breakdown material is alumina, and the second high dielectric breakdown material is a calcium magnesium aluminosilicate glass.