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

• US 7,033,406 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2001
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eestor Inc. (FuelPositive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Eestor Inc. (FuelPositive Corp.)
• Inventors: Weir, Richard Dean, Nelson, Carl Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): STEIN, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US09/833,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20040071944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• Field of Search: 428/209, 428/469, 428/689, 428/697, 428/699, 428/701, 428/702, 429/247, 296/231, 296/235
• US Class Current: 29/623.5
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/22 for producing castings from a slip
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 7/06 of composite workpieces or articles from parts, e.g. to form tipped tools B22F7/002 takes precedence
• 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 2235/656 characterised by specific heating conditions during heat treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/468 based on barium titanates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62802 Powder coating materials
• 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 4/012 Form of non-self-supporting electrodes
• 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: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• 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

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. A method for making an electrical-energy-storage unit comprising components fabricated by the method steps as follow;

a) preparing a wet-chemical-prepared calcined composition-modified barium titanate powder derived from a solution of precursors;

Ba(NO₃)₂, Ca(NO₃)₂.4H₂O, Nd(NO₃)₃.6H₂O, Y(NO₃)₃.4H₂O, Mn(CH₃COO)₂.4H₂O, ZrO(N₃O)₂, and [CH₃CH(O—

)COONH₄]₂Ti(OH)₂ in deionize water heated to 80°

C., and a separate solution of (CH₃)₄NOH made in deionized water and heated to 80°

-85°

C., then mixing the solutions by pumping the heated ingredient streams simultaneously through a coaxial fluid mixer producing coprecipitated powder, then collecting the coprecipitated powder in a drown-out vessel and refluxing at a temperature of 90°

-95°

C. for 12 hours, then filtering, washing with deionized-water, drying, and then calcining 1050°

C. in air;

b) fabricating an aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) coating of 100 Å

thickness onto the wet-chemical-prepared calcined composition-modified barium titanate powder, with the use of aluminum nitrate nonahydrate precursor applied by wet chemical means, then calcining at 1050°

C., resulting in a single-coated calcined composition-modified barium titanate powder;

c) fabricating onto the alumina-coated composition-modified barium titanate powder, a second uniform coating of 100 Å

of calcium magnesium aluminosilicate glass derived from alcohol-soluble precursors;

calcium methoxide or calcium isopropoxide, magnesium methoxide or magnesium ethoxide, aluminum ethoxide or aluminum isopropoxide or aluminum isopropoxide, and tetraethyl orthosilicate are applied by wet chemical means which upon calcining at 500°

C. results in a double-coated composition-modified barium titanate powder;

d) blending, this double-coated composition-modified barium titanate powder with a screen-printing ink containing appropriate plastic resins surfactants, lubricants, and solvents to provide a suitable rheology for screen printing;

e) screen-printing into interleaved multilayers of alternating offset nickel electrode layers 12 and double-coated calcined composition-modified barium titanate high-relative-permittivity layers 11 with the use of screening inks having the proper rheology for each of the layers;

f) drying and cutting the screen-punted multilayer components 15 into a specified rectangular area;

g) sintering the screen-printed multilayer components 15, first at a temperature of 350°

C. for a specified length of time, then at 850°

C. for a specified length of time, to form closed-pore porous ceramic bodies; and

h) hot isostatically pressing the closed-pore porous ceramic bodies, at a temperature of 700°

C. with a specified pressure, into a void-free condition;

i) grinding and each side of the component to expose the alternating offset interleaved nickel electrodes 12;

j) connecting nickel side bars 14 to each side of the components 15, that have the interleaved and alternating offset nickel electrodes 12 exposed, by applying nickel ink with the proper rheology to each side and clamping the combinations together;

k) heating the components and side nickel bar combination 14-15 800°

C., and time duration of 20 minutes to bond them together;

l) wave soldering each side of the conducting bars;

m) assembling the components 15 with the connected nickel side bars 14 into the first array, utilizing unique tooling and solder-bump technology;

n) assembling the first arrays into the second array;

o) assembling the second arrays into the EESU final assembly.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a second coating of glass is provided onto the double-coated composition-modified barium titanate powder being in contact with the nickel electrodes and having an applied working voltage of 3500 V across the parallel electrodes.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a dielectric voltage breakdown strength of 5.0×

10⁶ V/cm was achieved across the electrodes of the components.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides an ease of manufacturing due to the softening temperature of the calcium magnesium aluminosilicate glass allowing the relatively low hot-isostatic-pressing temperatures of 700°

C. which in turn provides a void-free ceramic body.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides an ease of fabrication due to the softening temperature of the calcium magnesium aluminosilicate glass allowing the relatively low hot-isostatic-pressing temperatures of 700°

C. which in turn allows the use of nickel for the conduction-path electrodes rather than expensive platinum, palladium, or palladium-silver alloy.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides an ease of fabrication due to the softening temperature of the calcium magnesium aluminosilicate lass allowing the relatively low hot-isostatic-pressing temperatures of 700°

C., which feature along with the coating method provided a uniform-thickness shell of the calcium magnesium aluminosilicate glass and in turn provides hot-isostatic-pressed double-coated composition-modified barium titanate high-relative-permittivity layers that are uniform and homogeneous in microstructure.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides the double coating of the basis particles of the composition-modified barium titanate powder thereby reducing the leakage and aging of this material by an order of magnitude of the specification of this basis material, thus reducing the discharge rate to 0.1% per 30 days.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides a double coating of the composition-modified barium titanate powder, the hot-isostatic-pressing process, the high-density solder-bump packaging, and along with the double-layered array configuration stored 52,220 W·

h of electrical energy in a 2005 inches³ container.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides materials used:

water-soluble precursors of barium (Ba), calcium (Ca), titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), manganese (Mn), yttrium (Y), neodymium (Nd), forming the composition-modified barium titanate powder, and the metals;

nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu), which are not explosive, corrosive, or hazardous.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides an EESU that is not explosive, corrosive, or hazardous and therefore is a safe product when used in electrical vehicles, which include bicycles, tractors, buses, cars, or any device used for transportation or to perform work.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides an EESU which can store electrical energy generated from solar voltaic cells or other alternative sources for residential, commercial, or industrial applications.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides an EESU which can store electrical energy from the present utility grid during the night when the demand for electrical power is low and then deliver the electrical energy during the peak power demand times and thus provide an effective power averaging function.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides a double coating of the composition-modified barium titanate powder and a hot-isostatic-pressing process which together assists in allowing an applied voltage of 3500 V to a dielectric thickness of 12.76×

10<sup>−

6</sup> m to be achieved.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides a EESU which when fully discharged and recharged, the EESU'"'"'s initial specifications are not degraded.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides a EESU which can be safely charged to 3500 V and store at least 52.22 kW·

h of electrical energy.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides a EESU at has a total capacitance of at least 31 F.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the method provides a EESU that can be rapidly charged without damaging the material or reducing its life.