Fluidic, Inc.

Form Energy, Inc.

Nantenergy, Inc.

Todd Trimble

Ramkumar Krishnan

Cody A Friesen

Joel Ryan Hayes

Sergey Puzhaev

Grant Harrison Friesen

Clifford Anderson

Paul Bryan Johnson

Andrew Goodfellow

Michael Mihalka

Mark Naden

Jonathan Goldberg

Paul Johnson

Rumkumar Krishnan

A fuel electrode incorporates a first and second corrugated portion that are attached to each other at offset angles respect to their corrugation axis and therefore reinforce each other. A first corrugated portion may extend orthogonally with respect to a second corrugated portion. The first and second corrugated portions may be formed from metal wire and may therefore have a very high volumetric void fraction and a high surface area to volume ratio (sa/vol). In addition, the strands of the wire may be selected to enable high conductivity to the current collectors while maximizing the sa/vol. In addition, the shape of the corrugation, including the period distance, amplitude and geometry may be selected with respect to the stiffness requirements and electrochemical cell application factors. The first and second corrugated portions may be calendared or crushed to reduce thickness of the fuel electrode.

Corrugated fuel electrode

An exemplary electrochemical cell incorporates at least a first battery electrode, such as a zinc electrode, at least a second battery electrode, such as a reversible metal electrode such as nickel, and at least an oxidant reduction electrode, such as an air cathode. The oxidant reduction electrode(s) is configured in a cell housing such that it is essentially orthogonal to the first and second electrodes. The cell housing contains electrolyte therein and the electrodes are immersed, at least partially, in the electrolyte. The positioning of the oxidant reduction electrode(s) on the side of the cell and relatively perpendicular to the first and second (metal) electrodes, allows for more consistent ionic resistance across all the metal electrodes. Optionally, a fourth or oxygen evolving electrode may be provided in the cell housing, horizontal, orthogonal, and below the first and second electrodes to provide oxygen bubbles for mixing the electrolyte.

Electrochemical cell having orthogonal arrangement of electrodes

Provided is a rechargeable electrochemical cell system for generating electrical current using a fuel and an oxidant. The system includes a plurality of electrochemical cells. A controller is configured to apply an electrical current between charging electrode(s) and a fuel electrode with the charging electrode(s) functioning as an anode and the fuel electrode functioning as a cathode, such that reducible metal fuel ions in the ionically conductive medium are reduced and electrodeposited as metal fuel in oxidizable form on the fuel electrode. The controller may selectively apply current to a charging electrode and third electrode between fuel electrodes of separate cells to increase uniformity of the metal fuel being electrodeposited on the fuel electrode. The controller controls a number of switches to apply current to the electrodes and select different modes for the system. Also provided are methods for charging and discharging an electrochemical cell system, and selecting different modes.

Electrochemical cell comprising an electrodeposited fuel

Disclosed is a hybrid electrochemical cell having two (or more) sub-cells each with different cell chemistry. For example, a second electrochemical sub-cell has a metal fuel electrode with the same type of metal fuel in a first electrochemical sub-cell, but has a different battery chemistry than the first sub-cell. A controller is configured to selectively generate an electrical current from at least one sub-cell in a discharge mode and selectively apply an electrical current to at least one sub cell in a charge mode, e.g., by controlling an open or closed state of switches. The operating modes may be controlled based on input parameters.

Hybrid electrochemical cell systems and methods of operation

The present disclosure relates to an electrochemical cell comprising a fuel electrode for oxidizing a fuel, an oxidant electrode for reducing an oxidant, and an ionically conductive medium for conducting ions between the fuel and oxidant electrodes to support electrochemical reactions at the fuel and oxidant electrodes. The ionically conductive medium comprises at least one active additive for enhancing (controlling the rate, overpotential and/or the reaction sites for) at least one electrochemical reaction within the cell. The cell further comprises an additive medium in contact with the ionically conductive medium and containing the at least one active additive capable of corroding or dissolving in the ionically conductive medium. The additive medium and/or casing is configured to release the active additive to the ionically conductive medium as a concentration of the active additive in the ionically conductive medium is depleted during operation of the cell.

Systems and methods for management of additives in electrochemical cells

An electrochemical cell system and a process for operating the same, the system having at least two fuel electrodes for receiving electrodeposited metal fuel; at least one oxidant electrode spaced apart from the fuel electrode; at least one charging electrode; an ionically conductive medium communicating the electrodes of the electrochemical cell system for conducting ions to support electrochemical reactions at the fuel, oxidant, and charging electrodes; and, one or more controllers configured to operate the cell system in discharging and charging modes and monitor a state of charge for each fuel electrode. The controllers may assign each fuel electrode in a discharging unit having a state-of-charge meeting a predetermined depletion criteria from the discharging unit to the charging unit, and each fuel electrode in the charging unit having a state-of-charge meeting a predetermined loading criteria from the charging unit to the discharging unit.

Method of operating electrochemical cells comprising electrodeposited fuel

An electrochemical cell system is configured to utilize an ionically conductive medium flowing through a plurality of electrochemical cells. One or more gas vents are provided along a flow path for the ionically conductive medium, so as to permit gasses that evolve in the ionically conductive medium during charging or discharging to vent outside the cell system, while constraining the ionically conductive medium within the flow path of the electrochemical cell system.

Gas vent for electrochemical cell

A process for conditioning an electrochemical cell system comprising at least two electrochemical cells comprises selecting from the fuel electrodes of the electrochemical cells groups comprising: a charged group and a reset group. The process also comprises holding the fuel electrodes within the charged group at a predetermined state of charge associated with a set concentration of metal fuel ions in solution in the ionically conductive medium. The process further comprises resetting the fuel electrodes within the reset group. An electrochemical cell system includes a plurality of fuel electrodes and one or more controllers configured to regulate the concentration of reducible metal fuel ions in solution with an ionically conductive medium by maintaining a predetermined state of charge of at least one of the fuel electrodes, and initiate a charging, discharging, or resetting process on at least one other fuel electrode. Other features and embodiments are also disclosed.

Method of operating and conditioning electrochemical cells comprising electrodeposited fuel

The present invention relates to a metal-air electrochemical cell with a high energy efficiency mode.

Metal-air electrochemical cell with high energy efficiency mode

An embodiment of the invention provides for an electrochemical cell comprising: a fuel electrode comprising a metal fuel, a second electrode, and an ionically conductive medium communicating the electrodes; the ionically conductive medium comprising hetero-ionic aromatic additives. The fuel electrode and the second electrode are operable in a discharge mode wherein the metal fuel is oxidized at the fuel electrode functioning as an anode, whereby electrons are generated for conduction from the fuel electrode to the second electrode via a load. An ionically conductive medium and methods of operating an electrochemical cell are also disclosed.

Hetero-ionic aromatic additives for electrochemical cells comprising a metal fuel

An embodiment of the invention provides for an electrochemical cell comprising: a fuel electrode comprising a metal fuel, a second electrode, an ionically conductive medium communicating the electrodes, the ionically conductive medium comprising at least two different additives, wherein at least one additive is selected from the group consisting of: macroheterocyclic compounds, phosphonium salts, hetero-ionic compounds and their derivatives; and, at least one additive is selected from the group consisting of: macroheterocyclic compounds, phosphonium salts, hetero-ionic compounds, and their derivatives. The fuel electrode and the second electrode are operable in a discharge mode wherein the metal fuel is oxidized at the fuel electrode functioning as an anode, whereby electrons are generated for conduction from the fuel electrode to the second electrode via a load. An ionically conductive medium and methods of operating an electrochemical cell are also disclosed.

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Phoenix, AZ, United States of America

Todd Trimble