Fluid-surfaced electrode
First Claim
Patent Images
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 disposed over a substantially smooth solid support, the electrochemically active fluid layer having fluid properties that permit at least a portion of it to cling to the substantially smooth solid support by a surface energy effect, a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte,wherein the electrolyte includes a reaction product of at least a portion of the cathode with at least a portion of the anode.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
-
Citations
151 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 disposed over a substantially smooth solid support, the electrochemically active fluid layer having fluid properties that permit at least a portion of it to cling to the substantially smooth solid support by a surface energy effect, a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte includes a reaction product of at least a portion of the cathode with at least a portion of the anode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
-
-
38. 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 disposed over a substantially smooth solid support, the electrochemically active fluid layer having fluid properties that permit at least a portion of it to cling to the substantially smooth solid support by a surface energy effect, a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte, wherein the two electrodes each includes a fluid layer having fluid properties that permit the fluid layer to cling to a solid support by a surface energy effect, each fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte, and wherein each fluid layer is in contact with a common surface of the solid support.
-
-
39. 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 disposed over a substantially smooth solid support, the electrochemically active fluid layer having fluid properties that permit at least a portion of it to cling to the substantially smooth solid support by a surface energy effect, a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte, and wherein the electrolyte includes a solid surface impervious to the electrochemically active fluid. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81)
-
-
40. 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 disposed over a substantially smooth solid support, the electrochemically active fluid layer having fluid properties that permit at least a portion of it to cling to the substantially smooth solid support by a surface energy effect, a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte, and wherein the electrolyte includes a fluid-directing structure configured to direct fluid flow of the electrochemically active fluid layer.
-
-
41. 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 disposed over a substantially smooth solid support, the electrochemically active fluid layer having fluid properties that permit at least a portion of it to cling to the substantially smooth solid support by a surface energy effect, a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte includes an ion-transport fluid through which an ion can move to produce the ionic current, and wherein the electrolyte further includes a solid structure. - View Dependent Claims (82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116)
-
-
42. 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 disposed over a substantially smooth solid support, the electrochemically active fluid layer having fluid properties that permit at least a portion of it to cling to the substantially smooth solid support by a surface energy effect, a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte includes an ion-transport fluid through which an ion can move to produce the ionic current, and wherein the cathode and the anode each includes 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.
-
-
43. 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 disposed over a substantially smooth solid support, the electrochemically active fluid layer having fluid properties that permit at least a portion of it to cling to the substantially smooth solid support by a surface energy effect, a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte includes an ion-transport fluid through which an ion can move to produce the ionic current, and wherein the ion-transport fluid is supercritical.
-
-
44. 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 disposed over a substantially smooth solid support, the electrochemically active fluid layer having fluid properties that permit at least a portion of it to cling to the substantially smooth solid support by a surface energy effect, a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte includes an ion-transport fluid through which an ion can move to produce the ionic current, and wherein the ion-transport fluid is immiscible with the electrochemically active fluid. - View Dependent Claims (117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151)
-
-
45. 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 disposed over a substantially smooth solid support, the electrochemically active fluid layer having fluid properties that permit at least a portion of it to cling to the substantially smooth solid support by a surface energy effect, a surface of the electrochemically active fluid layer being in contact with the electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte includes an ion-transport fluid through which an ion can move to produce the ionic current, and wherein the electrolyte is configured to remove heat by flow of the ion-transport fluid.
-
Specification