High energy density boride batteries

• US 6,468,694 B1
• Filed: 09/28/1998
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Millennium Cell Inc.
• Original Assignee: Millennium Cell Inc.
• Inventors: Amendola, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): KALAFUT, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US09/162,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20020177042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 429/50, 429/101, 429/199, 429/218.1, 429/105, 429/27
• US Class Current: 429/218.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 12/04 composed of a half-cell of the fuel-cell type and of a half-cell of the primary-cell type
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0002 Aqueous electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0017 Non-aqueous electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/00 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/38 of elements or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/388 Halogens
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/58 of inorganic compounds other than oxides or hydroxides, e.g. sulfides, selenides, tellurides, halogenides or LiCoFy; of polyanionic structures, e.g. phosphates, silicates or borates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/582 Halogenides
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/04 Cells with aqueous electrolyte
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Borides generally can produce a cell with a high energy density. High power densities are also achievable using borides that are reasonably good conductors of electricity. High density is important to achieve high energy density. Another important factor is lower molecular weight per available electron. The borides generally provide a favorable balance of these factors compared to a number of other materials, such as lithium or zinc. Individual borides have other important characteristics. Titanium diboride is safe. The inclusion of a halide, particularly fluoride, in the anodic storage medium signficantly improvers performance.

Claims

1. A battery comprising an anode and a cathode in electrical communication,

the anode including an anodic medium comprising as a reduced species:

a) boron;

b) at least one reduced boron-containing compound;

or c) both;

the reduced species being oxidizable to at least one oxidized boron-containing compound in a reaction which yields an electric current, the oxidized boron-containing compound being soluble in said electrochemical storage medium as said battery is discharged.

2. The battery of claim 1 in which the anodic medium further comprises water.

3. The battery of claim 2 in which the reduced boron-containing compound is a boride.

4. The battery of claim 3 in which the anodic medium comprises at least one halide.

5. The battery of claim 4 in which the halide is fluoride.

6. The battery of claim 5 in which the anodic medium comprises an alkali fluoride.

7. The battery of claim 4 in which the halide is chloride.

8. The battery of claim 7 in which the halide is sodium or potassium chloride.

9. The battery of claim 5 or claim 6 in which the anodic medium further comprises chloride.

10. The battery of claim 3 in which the boride is conductive.

11. The battery of claim 3 in which the boride is a transition metal boride.

12. The battery of any one of claims 3, 4, 5, or 7 in which the reduced boron-containing compound is titanium diboride.

13. The battery of any one of claims 3, 4, 5, or 7 in which the reduced boron-containing compound is vanadium diboride.

14. A battery according to any one of claims 3, 4, 5, or 7 in which the cathode comprises a structure that is exposed to oxygen.

15. The battery of claim 14 in which the cathode structure is exposured to air.

16. The battery of claim 14 in which cathode is exposed to an aqueous electrolyte, and oxygen is reduced to —

OH⁻

.

17. The battery of any one of claims 3, 4, 5, or 7in which in which the cathode comprises a structure that is exposed to oxygen, and the reduced boron containing compound is titanium diboride, or vanadium diboride, or both.

18. The battery of claim 1 or claim 3 in which the anodic medium further comprises a borohydride in addition to said boron or said reduced boron-containing compound.

19. The battery of claim 1 or claim 3 in which the anodic medium further comprises a metallic boride.

20. The battery of claim 19 in which the metallic boride is FeB or NiB₂.

21. The battery of claim 1 or claim 3 in which the anodic medium further comprises a conductivity enhancer which itself is oxidized to provide addition current during oxidation of said reduced boron-containing compound.

22. The battery of claim 1 in which the anodic medium further comprises graphite.

23. The battery of claim 1 in which the anodic medium further comprises an inert conductivity enhancer.

24. The battery of claim 3 in which the anodic medium comprises a combination of borides.

25. The battery of claim 5 in which the oxidized boron-containing compound is a boron halide or a boron oxyhalide.

26. The battery of claim 1 in which the oxidized boron-containing compound is a borate or polyborate.

27. The battery of claim 2 in which the oxidized boron-containing compound is conductive.

28. The battery of claim 3 in the reduced boron- containing compound is an aluminum boride.

29. The battery of claim 3 in which the boride is a boride selected from the list in table 1.

30. The battery of any one of claims 4, 5, or 7 in which the anodic medium further comprises EDTA, in addition to said boron or reduced boron-containing compound.

31. The battery of claim 3 in which the oxidized boron-containing compound includes a metal oxide and a borate.

32. The battery of claim 3 in which the oxidized boron-containing compound contains a combination of corresponding metal oxides, halides and oxyhalides.

33. The battery of claim 3 in which the anodic medium has a pH above 8.5.

34. The battery of claim 33 in which the anodic medium has a pH above 11.0.

35. A battery according to any one of claims 3, 4, 5, or 7 in which the cathode comprises an oxygen-containing oxidizing compound.

36. A battery according to claim 35 in which the oxidizing compound is selected from ferrates, MnO₂, CrO₃, KMnO₄, LICoO₂, NiOOH, peroxides, perhalates, perchlorate, chlorates, bromates, perbromates, iodates, periodates, hypochlorites chlorites.

37. A battery according to claim 1 in which the cathode comprises a non-oxygen containing oxidizing compound.

38. A battery according to claim 37 in which the non-oxygen compound is an interhalogen.

39. A battery according to claim 37 in which the non-oxygen compound is a metal-halide in which the metal can be reduced to a lower valence.

40. A method of generating a current by contacting a load to the battery of claim 1.

41. The battery of any one of claims 3, 4, 5, or 7 in which in which the cathode comprises a structure that is exposed to oxygen, and the reduced species is oxidizable to a mixture of titanium diboride and vanadium diboride.

42. The battery of claim 6 in which the anodic medium comprises sodium fluoride.