A lithium-air battery, battery system, and method of use

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of lithium-air batteries, in particular to a lithium-air battery, a battery system and a use method. The lithium-air battery comprises a battery shell which has a positive electrode cavity; a compressed air supply assembly which is arranged outside the battery shell and is in pipeline communication with the positive electrode cavity. The application provides a lithium-air battery, a battery system and a use method, so as to solve the problem that the existing air compressor is often complex in internal structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of lithium-air battery technology, specifically to a lithium-air battery, a battery system, and a method of using it. Background Technology

[0002] Lithium-air batteries are a novel electrochemical energy storage technology that directly converts chemical energy into electrical energy through an oxidation-reduction reaction between lithium metal and oxygen in the air. They have outstanding advantages such as ultra-high energy density, environmental friendliness, wide availability of raw materials, and excellent low-temperature performance, and are regarded as an important development direction for the next generation of high-energy-density battery systems.

[0003] An air compressor is a device that compresses gas. Its working principle involves an electric motor driving the compressor to perform work. This motor, via a crankshaft, drives a connecting rod, causing the piston to reciprocate. This changes the volume of the cylinder, allowing air to enter a storage tank and then being directed out to output pressurized air. Air compressors provide a stable air source for a wide range of equipment. Due to their versatility, air compressors are widely used in many fields, including refrigerators, air conditioners, refrigeration compressors, oil field extraction, natural gas filling stations, rock drills, pneumatic tools, vehicle braking systems, door and window opening and closing systems, textile machinery, tire inflation, plastics machinery, mining, shipbuilding, medicine, sandblasting, and painting.

[0004] Air compressors are mainly classified into power-type (velocity-type or turbine-type) and thermal-type compressors. Power-type compressors rely on the interaction between a rotating impeller and the airflow to increase gas pressure; thermal-type compressors use temperature changes to perform work, often resulting in significant energy consumption during operation. Furthermore, their complex structure, large size, difficulty in manufacturing and maintenance, and high noise levels during operation hinder further development of air compressors.

[0005] The air compressors mentioned above often have complex internal structures. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, the present invention provides a lithium-air battery, a battery system and a method of using it to solve the problem that existing air compressors often have complex internal structures.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a lithium-air battery, characterized in that it comprises:

[0008] A battery casing having a positive electrode chamber;

[0009] A compressed air supply assembly is located outside the battery casing and is connected to the positive electrode chamber pipeline.

[0010] The gas storage deformation cavity deforms and changes its volume to allow gas to be introduced into the positive electrode chamber. This design does not require too many mechanical structures and has the advantage of a relatively simple internal structure.

[0011] In one optional embodiment, the compressed air supply assembly includes a gas storage deformation cavity, which includes an air inlet and an air outlet, and the air outlet is connected to the positive electrode chamber via a pipeline.

[0012] In one optional embodiment, the compressed air supply assembly includes an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber. One side of the inlet chamber is connected to the inlet port and the other side is provided with an inlet port. One side of the outlet chamber is connected to the outlet port and the other side is connected to a gas pipeline. The end of the gas pipeline opposite to the outlet chamber is connected to the positive electrode chamber.

[0013] In one optional embodiment, the gas storage deformation cavity includes a first piezoelectric film deformation plate and a second piezoelectric film deformation plate disposed thereon.

[0014] In one optional embodiment, the air inlet chamber includes an air inlet piezoelectric film deformable plate, and the air outlet chamber includes an air outlet piezoelectric film deformable plate.

[0015] In one optional embodiment, the inlet piezoelectric film deformation plate, the outlet piezoelectric film deformation plate, the first piezoelectric film deformation plate, and the second piezoelectric film deformation plate are respectively connected to a power supply line.

[0016] In one optional embodiment, the battery casing is further provided with a negative electrode chamber, and an exchange membrane is provided between the negative electrode chamber and the positive electrode chamber.

[0017] Secondly, the present invention also provides a battery system including the lithium-air battery described above.

[0018] In one optional embodiment, a power supply and an ammeter are also included, wherein the power supply is connected to the lithium-air battery and the ammeter circuit, respectively.

[0019] Thirdly, the present invention also provides a method for using a lithium-air battery, wherein the gas storage deformation cavity deforms and changes its own volume in order to introduce gas into the positive electrode chamber. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the compressed air supply component and the battery housing in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the compressed air supply assembly connected to the battery housing in the air intake state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the compressed air supply component connected to the battery casing in the air outlet state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Gas storage deformable cavity; 101. Air inlet; 102. Air outlet; 103. First piezoelectric film deformable plate; 104. Second piezoelectric film deformable plate; 2. Air inlet chamber; 201. Air inlet piezoelectric film deformable plate; 202. Air inlet; 3. Air outlet chamber; 301. Air outlet piezoelectric film deformable plate; 302. Exhaust port; 4. Battery casing; 401. Positive electrode chamber; 402. Exchange membrane; 403. Negative electrode chamber; 5. Power supply; 6. Ammeter. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] The following is combined with Figures 1 to 4 The following describes embodiments of the present invention.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a lithium-air battery is provided, comprising: a battery housing 4 having a positive electrode chamber 401; and a compressed air supply assembly disposed outside the battery housing 4, the compressed air supply assembly including a gas storage deformable cavity 1 connected to the positive electrode chamber 401 via a pipeline.

[0029] The gas storage deformation cavity 1 deforms and changes its volume to allow gas to be introduced into the positive electrode chamber 401. This design does not require too many mechanical structures and has the advantage of a relatively simple internal structure.

[0030] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the gas storage deformable cavity 1 includes an air inlet 101 and an air outlet 102. The air outlet 102 is connected to the positive electrode chamber 401 through a pipeline. External gas enters the gas storage deformable cavity 1 through the air inlet 101, and the gas inside the gas storage deformable cavity 1 enters the positive electrode chamber 401 through the air outlet 102.

[0031] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the compressed air supply assembly includes an inlet chamber 2 and an outlet chamber 3. One side of the inlet chamber 2 is connected to an inlet port 101, and the other side has an inlet port 202. One side of the outlet chamber 3 is connected to an outlet port 102, and the other side has an outlet port 302 connected to a gas pipeline. The end of the gas pipeline away from the outlet chamber 3 is connected to the positive electrode chamber 401. Gas from the external environment enters the positive electrode chamber 401 sequentially through the inlet chamber 2, the gas storage deformation chamber 1, the outlet chamber 3, and the gas pipeline. In this embodiment, the gas storage deformation chamber 1 has a rectangular cross-section, and the inlet chamber 2 and the outlet chamber 3 each have a rectangular cross-section.

[0032] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the gas storage deformation cavity 1 includes a first piezoelectric film deformation plate 103 and a second piezoelectric film deformation plate 104, which are correspondingly arranged. The deformation of the first piezoelectric film deformation plate 103 and the second piezoelectric film deformation plate 104 changes the volume of the gas storage deformation cavity 1, thereby changing the volume of air contained in the gas storage deformation cavity 1, so that the gas flows to the positive electrode chamber 401. In this embodiment, the cross-section of the gas storage deformation cavity 1 is rectangular.

[0033] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the intake chamber 2 includes an intake piezoelectric film deformable plate 201, and the exhaust chamber 3 includes an exhaust piezoelectric film deformable plate 301. The intake piezoelectric film deformable plate 201 deforms to seal the intake port 101, and the exhaust piezoelectric film deformable plate 301 deforms to seal the exhaust port 102. In this embodiment, the cross-sections of the intake chamber 2 and the exhaust chamber 3 are rectangular.

[0034] In this embodiment, the piezoelectric thin film deformation plate, the outlet piezoelectric thin film deformation plate 301, the first piezoelectric thin film deformation plate 103, and the second piezoelectric thin film deformation plate 104 are all thin-film piezoelectric materials, and the materials should be polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) (film) or polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). In this embodiment, the materials constituting the outlet chamber 3 and the inlet chamber 2 should be metal or non-metal materials with a certain mechanical strength to provide support for the deformation of the inlet piezoelectric thin film deformation plate 201 and the outlet piezoelectric thin film deformation plate 301.

[0035] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the inlet piezoelectric film deformation plate 201, the outlet piezoelectric film deformation plate 301, the first piezoelectric film deformation plate 103, and the second piezoelectric film deformation plate 104 are respectively connected to the power supply 5 line to provide alternating current through the power supply 5.

[0036] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the battery casing 4 also includes a negative electrode chamber 403, and an exchange membrane 402 is provided between the negative electrode chamber 403 and the positive electrode chamber 401. In this embodiment, the negative electrode chamber 403 contains a lithium metal bar and an organic electrolyte containing lithium salt.

[0037] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in another aspect, a battery system is also provided, including the lithium-air battery described above.

[0038] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, it also includes a power supply 5 and an ammeter 6. The power supply is connected to the lithium-air battery and the ammeter circuit, respectively. The power supply 5 provides AC power to each compression air supply component. In this embodiment, one lithium-air battery corresponds to one compression air supply component.

[0039] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in another aspect, a method for using a lithium-air battery is also provided, having an unused state, a charged state, and a discharged state, wherein both the charged state and the discharged state cause the operation of a compression air supply assembly, giving the compression air supply assembly an air intake state and an air outlet state, comprising the following steps:

[0040] (1) In the unused state, that is, in the power-off state, when no current passes through, the first piezoelectric film deformation plate 103 and the second piezoelectric film deformation plate 104 are in parallel state, the inlet piezoelectric film deformation plate 201 and the outlet piezoelectric film deformation plate 301 are in parallel state, no gas passes through the inlet 101 and the outlet 102, and the compressed air supply component is in a stable non-operating state.

[0041] (2) In the charging or discharging state, after AC power is introduced, in the air intake state, the first piezoelectric film deformation plate 103 and the second piezoelectric film deformation plate 104 undergo mechanical deformation under the action of the electric field, and both gradually expand outward. At the same time, the air intake piezoelectric film expands outward to open the air intake port 101 for gas to enter, and the air outlet piezoelectric film contracts inward to isolate the gas storage deformation cavity 1 from the air outlet chamber 3. The deformation of the first piezoelectric film deformation plate 103 and the second piezoelectric film deformation plate 104 causes the gas storage deformation cavity 1 to be filled with gas. As the volume increases and the air pressure decreases, the pressure difference between the gas storage deformation cavity 1 and the atmosphere allows air to enter the gas storage deformation cavity 1 from the air inlet 101 through the air inlet chamber 2 to maintain pressure balance and complete the air intake state. At the same time, strain gauges set on the first piezoelectric film deformation plate 103, the second piezoelectric film deformation plate 104, the air intake piezoelectric film, and the air outlet piezoelectric film monitor the deformation in real time and feed it back to the controller. Closed-loop control of the deformation direction and amplitude is achieved by adjusting the phase and amplitude of the alternating current (e.g., using sine wave or square wave modulation).

[0042] (3) In the charging or discharging state, when the alternating current changes in the voltage direction in the same cycle, in the gas outlet state, the first piezoelectric film deformation plate 103 and the second piezoelectric film deformation plate 104 undergo mechanical deformation under the action of the electric field, and both gradually shrink inward; at the same time, the gas outlet piezoelectric film expands outward to open the gas outlet channel of the gas storage deformation cavity 1, and the gas inlet piezoelectric film shrinks inward to isolate the gas storage deformation cavity 1 from the gas inlet chamber 2. The first piezoelectric film deformation plate 103 and the second piezoelectric film deformation plate 104 cause the volume of the gas storage deformation cavity 1 to shrink and the air pressure to rise. The pressure difference between the gas storage deformation cavity 1 and the atmosphere causes the air to maintain pressure balance from the gas storage deformation cavity 1 through the gas outlet chamber 3 and the gas outlet 102, thus completing the gas outlet state.

[0043] Through the action of alternating current, the compressed air supply component continuously undergoes a "intake → exhaust → intake → exhaust..." process, achieving high-frequency directional jetting. During discharge, lithium metal, acting as the negative electrode of the lithium-air battery, undergoes an oxidation reaction on its surface, losing electrons. These lost electrons then move directionally towards the positive electrode of the lithium-air battery through the external circuit. Simultaneously, under the action of the piezoelectric intake compressor, oxygen from the ambient air enters the positive electrode side through the oxygen diffusion layer of the porous catalytic positive electrode in the positive electrode chamber 401, undergoes a reduction reaction, and gains electrons. During the reaction, lithium ions migrate directionally within the ion exchange membrane 402, maintaining the charge balance and electroneutrality within the battery. Through the continuous cycle of the above electrochemical reactions, the lithium-air battery achieves efficient and stable energy output and high specific energy characteristics. The lithium-air battery continuously consumes oxygen during discharge. The remaining battery capacity can be monitored in real time by the voltage change of the piezoelectric element, and the compressor intake volume can be dynamically adjusted. When the battery charge decreases, the voltage is increased to increase the amplitude of the piezoelectric film change, thereby increasing the oxygen supply rate to maintain output power. During the charging process, the lithium-air battery releases oxygen. At this time, the air intake of the compressed air supply component is adjusted by controlling the power supply 5 to match the reaction needs of the lithium-air battery and avoid excessive or insufficient oxygen.

[0044] The lithium-air battery provided by this invention has the following advantages: (1) The gas storage deformation cavity 1 deforms and changes its own volume to introduce gas into the positive electrode chamber 401. This design does not require too many mechanical structures and has the advantage of a simple internal structure; (2) Compared with traditional electric air compressors, this device is smaller and has a simpler structure. During operation, the piezoelectric film is controlled by the change of current. The overall process has low noise and lower energy consumption. It has outstanding advantages such as simple structure, high efficiency and energy saving, quiet and stable operation, and small size; (3) Through the upper and lower... The movement of the piezoelectric films on both sides (first piezoelectric film deformation plate 103, second piezoelectric film deformation plate 104) realizes the stable intake and exhaust of air. By setting the air intake piezoelectric film deformation plate 201 and the air exhaust piezoelectric film deformation plate 301 on both sides of the gas storage deformation cavity 1, the directional output of air is controlled to ensure that the oxygen content in the lithium-air battery is always kept in a stable state; (4) Piezoelectric materials have good self-bearing capacity, self-diagnosis, self-adaptation and self-repair functions. Piezoelectric materials have piezoelectric effect and inverse piezoelectric effect. The inverse piezoelectric effect refers to the directional mechanical deformation of piezoelectric materials under the action of an external electric field. Piezoelectric materials under the action of inverse piezoelectric effect can respond quickly according to the change of electric field. The sound is small and the power consumption is low during the mechanical deformation process. At the same time, piezoelectric materials can be made into small-volume structures such as thin films, so that the cooling shell has outstanding advantages such as directional output, high efficiency and energy saving, quiet and stable operation and small volume in the cooling of lithium-ion batteries.

[0045] As an alternative implementation, the cross-section of the gas storage deformation cavity 1 can also be circular, polygonal, or other shapes.

[0046] As an alternative implementation, a compression intake assembly may also correspond to two or more positive chambers 401, that is, the gas pipeline connected to the exhaust chamber 3 is connected to multiple positive chambers 401 through multiple branch pipelines.

[0047] Although embodiments of the invention have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and such modifications and variations all fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A lithium-air battery, characterized in that, include: Battery housing (4), the battery housing (4) having a positive electrode chamber (401); A compressed air supply assembly is located outside the battery housing (4). The compressed air supply assembly includes a gas storage deformation cavity (1) and the gas storage deformation cavity (1) is connected to the positive electrode chamber (401) via a pipeline. The gas storage deformation cavity (1) includes an air inlet (101) and an air outlet (102), and the air outlet (102) is connected to the positive electrode chamber (401) through a pipeline; The compressed air supply assembly includes an inlet chamber (2) and an outlet chamber (3). One side of the inlet chamber (2) is connected to the inlet port (101), and the other side is provided with an inlet port (202). One side of the outlet chamber (3) is connected to the outlet port (102), and the other side is connected to a gas pipeline. The end of the gas pipeline away from the outlet chamber (3) is connected to the positive electrode chamber (401). The gas storage deformation cavity (1) includes a first piezoelectric film deformation plate (103) and a second piezoelectric film deformation plate (104) respectively. The air inlet chamber (2) includes an air inlet piezoelectric film deformation plate (201), and the air outlet chamber (3) includes an air outlet piezoelectric film deformation plate (301). The first piezoelectric film deformation plate (103) and the second piezoelectric film deformation plate (104) deform to change the volume of the gas storage deformation cavity (1); The inlet piezoelectric film deformable plate (201) deforms to close the inlet (101), and the outlet piezoelectric film deformable plate (301) deforms to close the outlet (102).

2. The lithium-air battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet piezoelectric film deformation plate (201), the outlet piezoelectric film deformation plate (301), the first piezoelectric film deformation plate (103), and the second piezoelectric film deformation plate (104) are respectively connected to the power supply (5) line.

3. The lithium-air battery according to claim 2, characterized in that, The battery casing (4) is also provided with a negative electrode chamber (403), and an exchange membrane (402) is provided between the negative electrode chamber (403) and the positive electrode chamber (401).

4. A battery system, characterized in that, Includes several lithium-air batteries as described in any one of claims 1-3.

5. The battery system according to claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a power supply (5) and an ammeter (6), wherein the power supply (5) is connected to the lithium-air battery and the ammeter (6) respectively.

6. A method of using a lithium-air battery, for using the lithium-air battery of claim 1, characterized in that, The gas storage deformation cavity (1) deforms and changes its volume to allow gas to be introduced into the positive electrode chamber (401).

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