An electrochemical cell

Abstract

Metal anode batteries have attracted extensive attention due to their high energy density, and are expected to become the next generation of commercial products to replace the current lithium-ion batteries. It is particularly important to study the deposition and dissolution behavior of metal anodes for the development of metal anode batteries. The present application designs an electrochemical cell with simple structure and good reproducibility to study the deposition morphology of metal anodes, thereby improving the experimental efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of batteries, and particularly to the field of metal anode battery technology. Background Technology

[0002] Various electronic products and power tools have become integrated into all aspects of life, and people's reliance on electricity continues to increase. This inevitably leads to higher demands on the performance of various energy storage devices. Currently, the energy density improvement of commercially available lithium-ion batteries has reached a bottleneck, and frequent safety incidents have prompted academia and industry worldwide to invest heavily in research on new battery technologies. Metal anode batteries have received widespread attention due to their high energy density and are expected to become the next generation of commercially viable alternatives to current lithium-ion batteries.

[0003] Metal anode batteries utilize the electrochemical deposition and dissolution reactions of metals during charging and discharging. Uneven metal deposition can lead to varying degrees of dendrite growth and metal particle detachment from the current collector, resulting in reduced battery efficiency and even battery failure. Therefore, studying the deposition and dissolution behavior of metal anodes is crucial for the development of metal anode batteries. Thus, developing a simple and reproducible electrochemical cell specifically for studying the deposition morphology of metal anodes will significantly advance the development of metal anode batteries. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention designs a simple and reproducible electrochemical cell specifically for studying the deposition morphology of metal anodes, thereby improving experimental efficiency.

[0005] Therefore, this invention proposes an electrochemical cell for studying the electrochemical deposition morphology of metal anodes, and the specific technical solution is as follows:

[0006] An electrochemical cell includes a cell body, a partition, a metal sheet, and a deposition substrate electrode;

[0007] The pool is a closed container with an open top. The metal sheet, partition, and deposition substrate electrode are all placed in the cavity. From left to right, the metal sheet, partition, and flat deposition substrate electrode are placed in parallel and vertical (perpendicular to the horizontal plane) in the pool.

[0008] A protrusion is provided on the lower middle part of the surface of the flat deposition substrate electrode facing the separator. The surface of the protrusion away from the deposition substrate electrode is a plane. A through hole is opened on the separator at the position corresponding to the protrusion. The protrusion is sleeved in the through hole, and the height of the protrusion perpendicular to the surface of the deposition substrate electrode is less than or equal to the thickness of the separator. The deposition substrate electrode is in contact with the separator.

[0009] A boss is provided on the side of the partition facing the metal sheet. The surface of the boss away from the partition abuts against the metal sheet. The boss separates the partition from the metal sheet, leaving a gap between the partition and the metal sheet.

[0010] The pool is filled with electrolyte, and the metal sheet and deposition substrate electrode are connected to the positive and negative terminals of a DC power supply via wires.

[0011] The cross-sectional shape and size of the through hole parallel to the surface of the partition plate are the same as or correspond to the cross-sectional shape and size of the protrusion parallel to the surface of the partition plate.

[0012] The deposition substrate electrode is a graphite, copper, aluminum, lithium, zinc, nickel, tin, or lead electrode.

[0013] A circular through hole with internal threads is provided on the right side wall of the pool body. A set screw with external threads is screwed into the circular through hole. One end of the set screw extends into the pool body through the circular through hole and abuts against the right side surface of the deposition substrate electrode.

[0014] The circular through hole corresponds to the position of the protrusion, and the geometric centers of the circular through hole and the protrusion are on the same straight line.

[0015] The set screw is mainly used to hold the deposition substrate electrode in place, so that the metal sheet, separator and deposition substrate electrode are pressed together.

[0016] The cell body is placed on a base, which supports the entire electrochemical cell body and prevents it from tipping over.

[0017] The protrusion is a vertically arranged strip-shaped protrusion; the height of the metal sheet is greater than the depth of the pool.

[0018] The protrusions and the through holes of the protrusion sleeves have a cross-sectional shape that is parallel to the surface of the partition plate, and is circular, square, rectangular, hexagonal, or pentagonal.

[0019] The partition material is one or more of insulating materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene.

[0020] Beneficial effects of the present invention

[0021] The electrochemical cell described in this invention is simple in structure, easy to operate, has good repeatability, low cost, and can be repeatedly recycled. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic side view of an electrochemical cell used to study the morphology of metal deposition.

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic top view of an electrochemical cell used to study the morphology of metal deposition.

[0024] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the partition in an electrochemical cell used to study the morphology of metal deposition;

[0025] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the graphite electrode structure in an electrochemical cell used to study the morphology of metal deposition.

[0026] Figure 5 Voltage versus capacity curve for depositing metallic zinc using the electrochemical cell described in this invention;

[0027] Figure 6 Comparison of the deposition morphology of two groups of metallic zinc using the electrochemical cell described in this invention.

[0028] In the figure, 1 is the deposition substrate electrode (graphite electrode), 2 is the zinc sheet, 3 is the separator, 4 is the pool body, 5 is the top wire, 6 is the base, 7 is the A side, and 8 is the B side. Detailed Implementation

[0029] An electrochemical cell consists of six parts: a base, a top wire, a cell body, a partition, a zinc sheet, and a graphite electrode.

[0030] The pool is a closed container with an open top. The metal sheet, partition, and deposition substrate electrode are all placed in the cavity. From left to right, the metal sheet, partition, and flat deposition substrate electrode are placed in parallel and vertical (perpendicular to the horizontal plane) in the pool.

[0031] A protrusion is provided on the lower middle part of the surface of the flat deposition substrate electrode facing the separator. The surface of the protrusion away from the deposition substrate electrode is a plane. A through hole is opened on the separator at the position corresponding to the protrusion. The protrusion is sleeved in the through hole, and the height of the protrusion perpendicular to the surface of the deposition substrate electrode is less than or equal to the thickness of the separator. The deposition substrate electrode is in contact with the separator.

[0032] A boss is provided on the side of the partition facing the metal sheet. The surface of the boss away from the partition abuts against the metal sheet. The boss separates the partition from the metal sheet, leaving a gap between the partition and the metal sheet.

[0033] The pool is filled with electrolyte, and the metal sheet and deposition substrate electrode are connected to the positive and negative terminals of a DC power supply via wires.

[0034] The cross-sectional shape and size of the through hole parallel to the surface of the partition plate are the same as the cross-sectional shape and size of the protrusion parallel to the surface of the partition plate;

[0035] A circular through hole with internal threads is provided on the right side wall of the pool body. A set screw with external threads is screwed into the circular through hole. One end of the set screw extends into the pool body through the circular through hole and abuts against the right side surface of the deposition substrate electrode.

[0036] The circular through hole corresponds to the position of the protrusion, and the geometric centers of the circular through hole and the protrusion are on the same straight line.

[0037] The set screw is mainly used to hold the deposition substrate electrode in place, so that the metal sheet, separator and deposition substrate electrode are pressed together.

[0038] The protrusion is a vertically arranged strip-shaped protrusion; the height of the metal sheet is greater than the depth of the pool.

[0039] The base is mainly used to support the entire electrochemical cell and prevent it from tipping over.

[0040] The set screw is mainly used to hold the graphite electrode in place, so that the zinc sheet, separator and graphite electrode are pressed together. The center of the hexagon of the set screw coincides with the geometric center of the metal deposition surface.

[0041] The tank body is used to hold the electrolyte and, together with the set screw, provides clamping force.

[0042] The shorter sides of the rectangular projections of the slotted surfaces of the zinc sheet and the partition are the same width, and the length of the zinc sheet is longer than the height of the outer shell.

[0043] The partition has two sides, A and B. Side A faces the zinc sheet, and side B faces the graphite electrode. Rectangular slots are cut into both sides A and B, and the thinnest part of the partition between the two rectangular slots is 3mm.

[0044] The through hole is square.

[0045] The partition is made of polyethylene insulation material.

[0046] A protrusion with the same shape and size as the through hole in the separator is provided on the graphite electrode substrate. The substrate thickness is the same as the groove depth on side B; the height of the protrusion is the same as the thinnest part of the separator (the height of the through hole perpendicular to the surface of the separator).

[0047] The assembly method involves inserting the graphite electrode protrusion into the through-hole of the partition plate to align with it, and placing the substrate in the slot on side B. The zinc sheet, partition plate, and graphite electrode are then aligned sequentially and placed into the outer casing. The graphite electrode is positioned with the top screw facing towards it.

[0048] The thickness and length of the internal cavity of the pool body shall not be less than the total thickness of the zinc sheet and the partition.

[0049] Example 1

[0050] Using the electrochemical cell described in this invention, grooves are cut downwards and inwards from the top edge on both sides of the separator. The groove depth on side A of the separator is 1.5 mm (with the two opposite groove sides serving as bosses), and the groove depth on side B is 2 mm. A 2 mol / L zinc sulfate aqueous solution is added inside the cavity as the electrolyte. The metal sheet is 0.6 mm thick zinc, and the electrode area for zinc deposition is 0.5 x 0.5 cm². 2The current was set to 10mA, and the deposition time was 60mins. Two experiments were conducted, and the voltage variation with deposition amount is shown below. Figure 5 As shown, the average voltage values ​​of the two groups of deposited samples differed by less than 5 mV. There were no significant changes in the zinc deposition morphology between the two groups. Figure 6 ).

[0051] Example 2

[0052] Using the electrochemical cell described in this invention, grooves are cut downwards and inwards from the top edge on both sides of the separator. The groove depth on side A is 2.5 mm, and the groove depth on side B is 3 mm. A 2 mol / L zinc sulfate aqueous solution is added inside the cavity as the electrolyte. The metal sheet is 0.6 mm thick zinc metal, and the electrode area for zinc deposition is 1.4 * 1.4 cm². 2 The current was set to 10 mA, and the deposition time was 60 mins. Two experiments were conducted, and the average voltage difference between the two groups of deposited samples was less than 5 mV. There were no significant changes in the zinc deposition morphology between the two groups.

[0053] Example 3

[0054] Using the electrochemical cell described in this invention, grooves are cut downwards and inwards from the top edge on both sides of the separator. The groove depth on side A of the separator is 1 mm, and the groove depth on side B is 1 mm. A 2 mol / L zinc sulfate aqueous solution is added inside the cavity as the electrolyte. The metal sheet is 0.6 mm thick zinc metal, and the electrode area for zinc deposition is 0.4 x 0.4 cm². 2 The current was set to 10 mA, and the deposition time was 60 mins. Two experiments were conducted, and the average voltage difference between the two groups of deposited samples was less than 5 mV. There were no significant changes in the zinc deposition morphology between the two groups.

Claims

1. An electrochemical cell, comprising a cell body, a partition, a metal sheet, and a deposition substrate electrode; The pool is a closed container with an opening at the top. The metal sheet, partition, and deposition substrate electrode are all placed in the cavity. From left to right, the metal sheet, partition, and flat deposition substrate electrode are placed in parallel and vertical order in the pool. A protrusion is provided on the lower middle part of the surface of the flat deposition substrate electrode facing the separator. The surface of the protrusion away from the deposition substrate electrode is a plane. A through hole is opened on the separator at the position corresponding to the protrusion. The protrusion is sleeved in the through hole, and the height of the protrusion perpendicular to the surface of the deposition substrate electrode is less than or equal to the thickness of the separator. The deposition substrate electrode is in contact with the separator. A boss is provided on the side of the partition facing the metal sheet. The surface of the boss away from the partition abuts against the metal sheet. The boss separates the partition from the metal sheet, leaving a gap between the partition and the metal sheet. The pool is filled with electrolyte, and the metal sheet and deposition substrate electrode are connected to the positive and negative terminals of a DC power supply via wires.

2. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-sectional shape and size of the through hole parallel to the surface of the partition plate are the same as or correspond to the cross-sectional shape and size of the protrusion parallel to the surface of the partition plate.

3. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The deposition substrate electrode is a graphite, copper, aluminum, lithium, zinc, nickel, tin, or lead electrode.

4. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: A circular through hole with internal threads is provided on the right side wall of the pool body. A set screw with external threads is screwed into the circular through hole. One end of the set screw extends into the pool body through the circular through hole and abuts against the right side surface of the deposition substrate electrode.

5. The electrochemical cell according to claim 4, characterized in that: The circular through hole corresponds to the position of the protrusion, and the axis of the circular through hole and the geometric center of the protrusion are on the same straight line.

6. The electrochemical cell according to claim 4, characterized in that: The set screw is used to hold the deposition substrate electrode in place, so that the metal sheet, separator and deposition substrate electrode are pressed together.

7. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cell body is placed on a base, which supports the entire electrochemical cell body and prevents it from tipping over.

8. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protrusion is a vertically arranged strip-shaped protrusion; there are two or more protrusions, and the height of the metal sheet is greater than the depth of the internal cavity of the pool.

9. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The protrusions and the through holes of the protrusion sleeves have a cross-sectional shape that is parallel to the surface of the partition plate, and is circular, square, rectangular, hexagonal, or pentagonal.

10. The electrochemical cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The partition material is one or more of insulating materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene.

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