Organic electrolyte solution and redox flow battery including the same

• US 8,642,202 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Sun, Hee-young, Park, Joung-won, Lee, Doo-yeon, Son, Seung-uk
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUYETTE, KENNETH J
• Application Number:
  US13/016,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20110195283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 429/80, 429/188, 429/199, 429/106, 429/107, 429/324, 429/336, 429/339, 429/105, 429/109, 252/182.1, 252/364, 252/519.3, 205/413, 205/422, 523/421, 524/98, 361/502
• US Class Current: 429/105
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/20 Indirect fuel cells, e.g. fuel cells with redox couple being irreversible H01M8/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

An organic electrolyte solution for use in a redox flow battery and the redox flow battery including the organic electrolyte solution has a high energy density because re-precipitation is prevented in the organic electrolyte solution or eduction is prevented in an electrode during reduction of a metal ion used as an electrolyte.

Claims

1. An organic electrolyte solution comprising:

a solvent; and

an electrolyte comprising a metal-ligand coordination compound that has at least two electrons being transferred during oxidation-reduction, and is dissolved in an electrolyte solution while the metal-ligand coordination compound is in an atom state with zero oxidation.

2. The organic electrolyte solution of claim 1, wherein a metal in the metal-ligand coordination compound is at least one type selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), ruthenium (Ru), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr), titanium (Ti), chromium (Cr), magnesium (Mg), cerium (Ce), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and vanadium (V).

3. The organic electrolyte solution of claim 2, wherein the metal is nickel (Ni).

4. The organic electrolyte solution of claim 1, wherein a ligand in the metal-ligand coordination compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of dipyridyl, terpyridyl, ethylene diamine, propylene diamine, phenanthroline, and N-heterocyclic carbon (NHC).

5. The organic electrolyte solution of claim 4, wherein the NHC is selected from the group consisting of 2,6-bis(methylimidazole-2-ylidene)pyridine, 1,3-dimesitylimidazole, 1,3-bis(2,5-diisopropylphenyl)imidazole, 1,3-dimethylimidazole, 1,3-di-tert-buthylimidazole, 1,3-dicyclhexylimidzole, and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazole.

6. The organic electrolyte solution of claim 1, wherein the metal-ligand coordination compound performs a reversible oxidation-reduction reaction.

7. The organic electrolyte solution of claim 1, wherein the metal-ligand coordination compound is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of:

8. The organic electrolyte solution of claim 1, wherein the metal-ligand coordination compound further comprises BF₄⁻

, PF₆⁻

, CF₃SO₃⁻

, or (CF₃SO₂)₂N⁻

as a counter anion.

9. The organic electrolyte solution of claim 1, wherein the solvent is an aqueous solvent, a non-aqueous solvent, an ionic liquid or a mixture thereof.

10. The organic electrolyte solution of claim 9, wherein the non-aqueous solvent is at least one type selected from the group consisting of dimethyl acetamide, diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, acetonitrile, γ

-butyrolactone (GBL), propylene carbonate (PC), ethylene carbonate (EC), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), fluoroethylene carbonate, and N,N-dimethylacetamide.

11. A redox flow battery comprising:

a cathode cell comprising a cathode and a catholyte;

an anode cell comprising an anode and an anolyte; and

an ion exchange membrane disposed between the cathode cell and the anode cell,

wherein at least one of the catholyte and the anolyte comprises the organic electrolyte solution according to claim 1.

12. The redox flow battery of claim 11, wherein the catholyte and the anolyte comprise a redox couple of Fe²⁺/Ni⁰ or Ru²⁺/Ni⁰.

13. The redox flow battery of claim 11, further comprising:

a catholyte tank and an anolyte tank respectively connected to the cathode cell and the anode cell to transfer a fluid.

14. The redox flow battery of claim 11, wherein a metal in the metal-ligand coordination compound is at least one type selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), ruthenium (Ru), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr), titanium (Ti), chromium (Cr), magnesium (Mg), cerium (Ce), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and vanadium (V).

15. The redox flow battery of claim 14, wherein the catholyte and the anolyte comprise a redox couple of Fe²⁺/Ni⁰ or Ru²⁺/Ni⁰.

16. The redox flow battery of claim 14, further comprising:

a catholyte tank and an anolyte tank respectively connected to the cathode cell and the anode cell to transfer a fluid.

17. The redox flow battery of claim 11, wherein a ligand in the metal-ligand coordination compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of dipyridyl, terpyridyl, ethylene diamine, propylene diamine, phenanthroline, and N-heterocyclic carbon (NHC).

18. The redox flow battery of claim 17, wherein the NHC is selected from the group consisting of 2,6-bis(methylimidazole-2-ylidene)pyridine, 1,3-dimesitylimidazole, 1,3-bis(2,5-diisopropylphenyl)imidazole, 1,3-dimethylimidazole, 1,3-di-tert-buthylimidazole, 1,3-dicyclhexylimidzole, and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazole.

19. The redox flow battery of claim 17, wherein the catholyte and the anolyte comprise a redox couple of Fe²⁺/Ni⁰ or Ru²⁺/Ni⁰.

20. The redox flow battery of claim 17, further comprising:

a catholyte tank and an anolyte tank respectively connected to the cathode cell and the anode cell to transfer a fluid.

21. The redox flow battery of claim 11, wherein the metal-ligand coordination compound is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of:

22. The redox flow battery of claim 21, wherein the catholyte and the anolyte comprise a redox couple of Fe²⁺/Ni⁰ or Ru²⁺/Ni⁰.

23. The redox flow battery of claim 21, further comprising:

a catholyte tank and an anolyte tank respectively connected to the cathode cell and the anode cell to transfer a fluid.

24. The redox flow battery of claim 11, wherein the metal-ligand coordination compound further comprises BF₄⁻

, PF₆⁻

, CF₃SO₃⁻

, or (CF₃SO₂)₂N⁻

as a counter anion.

25. The redox flow battery of claim 24, wherein the catholyte and the anolyte comprise a redox couple of Fe²⁺/Ni⁰ or Ru²⁺/Ni⁰.

26. The redox flow battery of claim 24, further comprising:

a catholyte tank and an anolyte tank respectively connected to the cathode cell and the anode cell to transfer a fluid.