Cell Assembly and Casing Assembly for a Power Storage Device

• US 20070128472A1
• Filed: 10/18/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Axion Power International, Inc
• Original Assignee: Axion Power International, Inc
• Inventors: Swiecki, Adam, Tierney, T., Averill, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/550,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20070128472A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/9
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/04 Hybrid capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/32 Carbon-based
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/58 Liquid electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/68 characterised by their material
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/82 Fixing or assembling a capacitive element in a housing, e.g. mounting electrodes, current collectors or terminals in containers or encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 9/06 Mounting in containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 9/08 Housing; Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0011 Sulfuric acid-based
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/14 Electrodes for lead-acid accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/13 Energy storage using capacitors

Abstract

A hybrid lead acid battery and porous carbon supercapacitor energy storage device is asymmetrically supercapacitive and comprises at least one lead electrode, at least two carbon-based electrodes, a separator, a casing, and an acid electrolyte. The lead electrode has a non-conductive sheet of porous material which envelops a lead based mass and lead-based current collector. Each carbon-based electrode is moderately conductive, having a sheet of highly conductive material between two sheets of electrically conductive shield material, and highly porous carbon adhered to the highly conductive material. The casing applies and maintains compression forces against the faces of the electrodes, and provides a void space in the interior of an assembled energy storage device.

Claims

1. A hybrid lead acid battery and porous carbon supercapacitor energy storage device, comprising at least one lead electrode, at least one carbon-based electrode, a separator, a casing, and an acid electrolyte;

wherein said at least one lead electrode comprises an active lead-based mass applied to a lead-based current collector, and a low conductivity sheet of porous material which envelops said lead based mass and said lead-based current collector so as to insulate the same and so as to permit passage of electrolyte and lead-based ions therethrough;

wherein said at least one carbon-based electrode comprises a sheet of highly conductive material sealed between two sheets of electrically conductive shield material which is chemically resistant to said acid electrolyte, and highly porous carbon in electrical contact with said sheet of highly conductive material; and

wherein said casing is such as to apply and maintain compression forces against the faces of said at least one lead electrode and said at least two carbon-based electrodes, when assembled, and to provide a void space in the interior of an assembled energy storage device.

2. The hybrid lead-carbon-acid energy storage device of claim 1, wherein energy is stored in said at least one carbon-based electrode both electrostatically and electrochemically, and in said at least one lead electrode electrochemically.

3. The hybrid lead-carbon-acid energy storage device of claim 1, wherein said active lead-based mass is selected from the group consisting of lead, lead dioxide, and lead sulfate, and mixtures and combinations thereof;

and

wherein said acid electrolyte is sulfuric acid.

4. The hybrid lead-carbon-acid energy storage device of claim 1, wherein said sheet of highly conductive material is comprised of a sheet of highly conductive metal selected from the group consisting of copper and copper alloys, or a conductive composite selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic materials filled with conductive fillers, thermoset plastic materials filled with conductive fillers, and combinations thereof;

and

wherein said conductive fillers are selected from the group consisting of conductive metallic fibers, conductive non-metallic fibers, highly conductive carbon particles, highly conductive carbon fibers, and mixtures and combinations thereof.

5. The hybrid lead-carbon-acid energy storage device of claim 1, wherein said conductive shield material comprises a sheet of expanded graphite foil impregnated with a material selected from the group consisting of paraffin, other waxes, thermoplastic materials, furfural, and mixtures and combinations thereof.

6. The hybrid lead-carbon-acid energy storage device of claim 1, wherein said conductive shield material comprises expanded graphite flakes containing materials selected from the group consisting of carbon, graphite powder, highly conductive carbon fibers having a high aspect ratio, paraffin, other waxes, thermoplastic materials, and mixtures and combinations thereof.

7. The hybrid lead-carbon-acid energy storage device of claim 1, wherein said sheets of electrically conductive shield material are sealed around the periphery of said highly conductive material and said highly porous carbon, and said highly porous carbon in electrical contact with said highly conductive material, whereby each said carbon-based electrode is an encapsulated electrode.

8. The hybrid lead-carbon-acid energy storage device of claim 1, wherein each of said electrodes has a tab affixed thereto so as to be electrically connected to a respective positive or negative external lug wherein said energy storage device is assembled.

9. The hybrid lead-carbon-acid energy storage device of claim 7, wherein the seal around the periphery of said highly conductive material and said highly porous carbon in electrical contact therewith, is effected by a method chosen from the group consisting of applying heat to the seal area, applying pressure to the seal area, applying heat and pressure to the seal area, applying adhesive glue to the seal area, applying additional paraffin to the seal area, applying a sealing gasket material comprised of thermoplastic film to the seal area, and combinations thereof.

10. The hybrid lead-carbon-acid energy storage device of claim 1, wherein said highly porous carbon contains inert binder material added to highly porous carbon particles, and wherein said inert binder material is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene powder, thermoplastic powder, thermoplastic granules, and mixtures and combinations thereof.

11. The hybrid lead-carbon-acid energy storage device of claim 1, wherein said casing is hermetically sealed, and applies and maintains compression forces against faces of said at least one lead electrode and said at least two carbon-based electrodes by having at least a pair of opposed pressure plates secured one to the other by tensioning means passed therethrough.

12. The hybrid lead-carbon-acid energy storage device of claim 1, wherein at least one of said carbon-based electrodes comprises a sheet of highly conductive material which is sandwiched between two sheets of porous carbon material.

13. An asymmetrically supercapacitive hybrid lead acid battery and porous carbon supercapacitor energy storage device, comprises:

a lead-based mass;

a lead based current collector;

at least a first lead electrode having a face;

a non-conductive sheet of porous material connected with said first lead electrode, said sheet enveloping said lead based mass and said lead-based current collector;

at least two conductive carbon-based electrodes, each having a face, and each including at least one sheet of conductive material with porous carbon adhered to disposed between two sheets of electrically conductive shield material;

a separator, a casing, and an acid electrolyte.

14. The asymmetrically supercapacitive hybrid lead acid battery and porous carbon supercapacitor energy storage device of claim 13 where said at least two conductive carbon based electrodes is moderately conductive.

15. The asymmetrically supercapacitive hybrid lead acid battery and porous carbon supercapacitor energy storage device of claim 14 where said one sheet of conductive materials is highly conductive.

16. The asymmetrically supercapacitive hybrid lead acid battery and porous carbon supercapacitor energy storage device of claim 13 where said casing applies and maintains compression forces against said faces of the electrodes.

17. The asymmetrically supercapacitive hybrid lead acid battery and porous carbon supercapacitor energy storage device of claim 16, where said casing provides an interior void space.