Fluid-surfaced electrode

• US 20110027624A1
• Filed: 07/29/2009
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enterprise Science Fund, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Weaver, Thomas A., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Hillis, W. Daniel, Jung, Edward K.Y., Whitmer, Charles, Gates, William, Ferren, Bran, Wood, Lowell L. JR., Hyde, Roderick A., Deane, Geoffrey F., Kare, Jordin T., Tuckerman, David B., Wood, Victoria Y.H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,460,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/49
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/05 Accumulators with non-aqueous electrolyte H01M10/39 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0567 characterised by the additives
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4235 Safety or regulating additives or arrangements in electrodes, separators or electrolyte H01M10/4242 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/13 Electrodes for accumulators with non-aqueous electrolyte, e.g. for lithium-accumulators; Processes of manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

An electrochemical device (such as a battery) includes at least one electrode having a fluid surface, which may employ a surface energy effect to maintain a position of the fluid surface and/or to modulate flow within the fluid. Fluid-directing structures may also modulate flow or retain fluid in a predetermined pattern. 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 including a cathode and an anode; and

an electrolyte arranged 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 at least one of the electrodes includes an electrochemically active fluid layer having fluid properties that permit at least a portion of it to cling to a substantially smooth solid support by a surface energy effect, a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte.

2. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the two electrodes each include a fluid layer having fluid properties that permit it to cling to a solid support by a surface energy effect, each fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte.

3. The electrochemical device of claim 2, wherein each fluid layer is in contact with a common surface of the solid support.

4. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the solid support includes a fluid-directing structure.

12. The electrochemical device of claim 4, wherein the fluid-directing structure is configured to distribute fluid according to a flow pattern selected to optimize an electrical property of the electrochemical device.

16. The electrochemical device of claim 4, wherein the electrochemical device is configured to dynamically change a property of the fluid-directing structure.

19. The electrochemical device of claim 16, wherein the electrochemical device is configured to dynamically change the property of the fluid-directing structure in response to a property of the device.

21. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the electrochemically active fluid layer clings to the substantially smooth solid support in a manner that varies spatially.

24. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the solid support and the fluid layer differ in composition.

25. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte is arranged to conduct an ionic current in the form of positive ions that move from the first electrolyte surface to the second electrolyte surface.

26. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte is arranged to conduct an ionic current in the form of negative ions that move from the second electrolyte surface to the first electrolyte surface.

27. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte is arranged to conduct an ionic current in the form of positive ions that move from the first electrolyte surface toward the interior of the electrolyte and negative ions that move from the second electrolyte surface toward the interior of the electrolyte.

28. 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.

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

30. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte includes a fluid-directing structure configured to direct fluid flow of the electrochemically active fluid layer.

31. 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.

32. The electrochemical device of claim 31, wherein the electrolyte further includes a solid structure.

33. The electrochemical device of claim 32, wherein the solid structure includes a porous structure infiltrated by the ion-transport fluid.

36. The electrochemical device of claim 32, wherein the electrochemically active fluid wets the ion-transport fluid more than it wets the solid structure.

38. The electrochemical device of claim 31, wherein the cathode and the anode each include an electrochemically active fluid layer, and wherein the ion-transport fluid wets each of the electrochemically active fluid layers more than the electrochemically active fluid layers wet one another.

40. The electrochemical device of claim 31, wherein the ion-transport fluid is supercritical.

43. The electrochemical device of claim 31, wherein the ion-transport fluid is immiscible with the electrochemically active fluid.

45. The electrochemical device of claim 31, wherein the electrolyte is configured to remove heat by flow of the ion-transport fluid.

53. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte includes a reaction product of at least a portion of the cathode with at least a portion of the anode.

61. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein a reaction product of at least a portion of the cathode with at least a portion of the anode is intermixed with the electrochemically active fluid.

62. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte includes a fluid-directing structure configured to direct a fluidic reaction product of at least a portion of the cathode with at least a portion of the anode.

67. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active fluid layer includes a carrier fluid that is not electrochemically active.

69. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active fluid layer wets the electrolyte.

70. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active fluid layer clings to the electrolyte.

71. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the anode includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, mercury, tin, cesium, rubidium, and potassium.

72. The electrochemical device of claim 71, wherein the anode includes an alloy, solution, amalgam, or intermetallic compound of the at least one element.

73. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the cathode includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of gallium, iron, mercury, tin, sulfur, and chlorine.

74. The electrochemical device of claim 73, wherein the cathode includes an alloy, solution, amalgam, or intermetallic compound of the at least one element.

75. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of perchlorate, ether, graphene, polyimide, succinonitrile, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene oxide, polyethylene glycol, ethylene carbonate, beta-alumina, and an ion-conducting glass.

78. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the fluid layer includes a liquid metal.

79. The electrochemical device of claim 78, wherein the liquid metal is an alloy.

81. The electrochemical device of claim 78, wherein the liquid metal is liquid at about 50°

C.

85. The electrochemical device of claim 1, wherein the fluid layer is configured to transport heat energy away from the battery.

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88. A method of supplying electrochemical energy, comprising:

connecting an electrical load to a first and a second electrode separated by an electrolyte arranged to conduct an ionic current from a first electrolyte surface in contact with the first electrode to a second electrolyte surface in contact with the second electrode,

wherein at least one of the first and second electrodes includes an electrochemically active fluid sheet that clings to a solid support by a surface energy effect in opposition to an acceleration field, a surface of the electrochemically active fluid sheet being in contact with the electrolyte.

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92. A method of charging a battery having an electrode including an electrochemically active fluid layer that clings to a substantially smooth solid support by a surface energy effect, the method comprising:

refreshing the electrochemically active fluid layer by flowing the electrochemically active fluid along the substantially smooth solid support.

93. The method of claim 92, wherein refreshing the electrochemically active fluid layer includes removing electrochemically active fluid depleted of an electrochemical species and introducing electrochemically active fluid containing the electrochemical species.

94. The method of claim 92, wherein flowing the electrochemically active fluid includes flowing the electrochemically active fluid in a substantially laminar flow.

95. A method of refreshing a battery having an electrolyte layer including an ion transport fluid, the method comprising:

refreshing the ion transport fluid by flowing the ion transport fluid through the electrolyte layer.

96. The method of claim 95, wherein refreshing the ion transport fluid includes removing ion transport fluid depleted of an electrochemical species and introducing ion transport fluid containing the electrochemical species.

97. A method of refreshing a battery that produces a fluid reaction product of an electrochemical reaction, the method comprising:

refreshing the battery by flowing the fluid reaction product.

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