ENCAPSULATED ELECTRODE AND MEANS FOR ATTACHING IT TO A SOFT GOODS ASSEMBLY (SGA)

Abstract

An electrode assembly is provided that includes a framed electrode comprising a conductive fabric having edges sealed by a permeated sealant, the sealed portion of the fabric being sealed to the frame. Also provided is an electrochemical cell stack that includes an electrode assembly according to the present disclosure.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is an international application claiming priority to and benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 703,171, entitled "Encapsulated Electrode And The means To Attach It To A Soft Goods Assembly (SGA)," filed March 24, 2022. All of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes.

[0002] The present application relates to a hermetic electrode and soft goods assembly. [Background technology]

[0003] Some industrial applications incorporating stacks of electrochemical cells utilize fabric electrodes, e.g., electrodes made from conductive cloth. However, such electrodes may have loose fibers around the perimeter of the electrode. Furthermore, because conductive cloth is very porous, this type of electrode can easily lose its shape and be difficult to attach to other components in a soft goods assembly, especially in an automated manner. Thus, there is a long-felt need in the art for improved electrode assemblies. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In meeting the stated needs, the present disclosure provides a sealed (encapsulated) electrode assembly comprising: a portion of conductive fabric, the conductive fabric comprising fibers having ends, the portion of conductive fabric defining an edge around the portion of conductive fabric, at least one edge sealed portion being sealed by a sealant that has permeated into the conductive fabric, the sealant embedding ends of the fibers disposed along the at least one edge; and a frame, the at least one edge sealed portion and the frame overlapping and attached to one another, and optionally the at least one edge sealed portion and the frame being directly sealed to one another.

[0005] (a) a first framed electrode comprising: a first piece of conductive fabric, the first piece of conductive fabric defining a border around the first piece, at least one edge sealed portion sealed with a sealant that has permeated into the conductive fabric, the sealant embedding ends of fibers disposed along the border; and a first frame, the at least one edge sealed portion sealed to the first frame; and (b) a second framed electrode, the second framed electrode comprising: a first piece of conductive fabric, the first piece of conductive fabric defining a border around the first piece, at least one edge sealed portion sealed with a sealant that has permeated into the conductive fabric, the sealant embedding ends of fibers disposed along the border; Also provided is an electrode assembly comprising: (a) a second framed electrode comprising a second portion of conductive fabric defining a first pocket space between the first portion of the conductive fabric and the ion exchange membrane, the first frame defining at least one sealed edge portion sealed by a sealant that has permeated into the conductive fabric, the sealant embedding ends of the fibers disposed along the edge; and a second frame, the second frame defining at least one sealed edge portion sealed to the second frame; and (b) an ion exchange membrane, the first frame and the ion exchange membrane defining a first pocket space between the first portion of the conductive fabric and the ion exchange membrane, and the second frame and the ion exchange membrane defining a second pocket space between the second portion of the conductive fabric and the ion exchange membrane.

[0006] Further disclosed is an electrochemical cell stack comprising a plurality of electrodes according to the present disclosure.

[0007] An electrochemical cell stack is also provided comprising a plurality of electrode assemblies according to the present disclosure.

[0008] Further disclosed is a method of forming an electrode assembly including a step of sealing an edge of a portion of a conductive fabric to create an edge-sealed conductor, the conductive fabric comprising fibers having ends, the sealing step including providing penetration of a sealant into the conductive fabric to create a sealed edge extending around the periphery of the portion of the conductive fabric, the sealant embedding ends of the fibers disposed along at least one edge, the sealant optionally providing tension throughout the conductive fabric.

[0009] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may depict like components in different figures. Like numerals with different letter suffixes may represent different instances of like components. The drawings generally illustrate various aspects discussed in the present specification by way of example, but not by way of limitation. Unless otherwise specified, the drawings are not drawn to scale. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1A] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a conductive fabric with a sealant applied around the edges of the fabric. [Figure 1B] 1B is a diagram of the conductive fabric of FIG. 1A after it has been penetrated with a sealant and the sealant has cured. [Figure 2A] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary electrode assembly according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is an exploded view of the exemplary electrode shown in FIG. 2A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The present disclosure may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the examples included therein.

[0012] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art. In case of discrepancy, the present specification, including definitions, shall prevail. Preferred methods and materials are described below, but methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein may be used in practice or testing. All publications, patent applications, patents, and references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. The materials, methods, and examples disclosed herein are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting.

[0013] The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context dictates otherwise.

[0014] As used in this specification and the claims, the term "comprising" can include "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" embodiments. The terms "comprise(s)", "include(s)", "having", "has", "can", "contain(s)", and variations thereof, as used herein, are intended to be open-ended transitional phrases, terms, or words that require the presence of the named components / steps and permit the presence of other components / steps. However, such statements should also be construed as describing the composition or process as "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" the listed components / steps, which permits the presence of the named components / steps along with any impurities that may result therefrom and excludes other components / steps.

[0015] As used herein, the terms "about" and "at or about" mean that the quantity or value in question can be approximately or nearly the same as the specified value of some other value. As used herein, the value is generally understood to be a nominal value, indicated with a variation of ±10%, unless otherwise indicated or inferred. The term is intended to mean that similar values ​​will promote the same results or effects as claimed. That is, it is understood that amounts, sizes, formulations, parameters, and other quantities and characteristics are not and need not be precise, but can be approximate and / or larger or smaller, as desired, to reflect tolerances, conversion factors, rounding, measurement errors, and the like, and other factors known to those skilled in the art. In general, an amount, size, formulation, parameter, or other quantity or characteristic is "about" or "approximate", whether or not it is expressly stated to be so. When "about" is used before a quantitative value, the parameter also includes the specific quantitative value itself, unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0016] Unless indicated to the contrary, numerical values ​​should be understood to include numerical values ​​that are the same when reduced to the same number of significant figures, and numerical values ​​that differ from the stated value by less than experimental error of conventional measuring techniques of the type described in this application to determine the value.

[0017] All ranges discussed herein are inclusive of the recited endpoints, and independently include the endpoints, 2 grams and 10 grams, and all intermediate values. The endpoints of the ranges and any values ​​disclosed herein are not limited to the exact ranges or values, i.e., they are imprecise so as to include values ​​that are approximations of these ranges and / or values.

[0018] As used herein, approximation language may be applied to modify any quantitative expression that may be changed without resulting in a change in the basic function to which the approximation language is associated. Thus, a value modified by one or more terms such as "about" or "substantially" may not be limited to the precise value specified in some cases. In at least some instances, the approximation language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. The modifier "about" should also be considered to disclose a range defined by the absolute values ​​of the two endpoints. For example, the phrase "about 2 to about 4" also discloses the range "2 to 4". The term "about" can refer to plus or minus 10% of the indicated number. For example, "about 10%" can indicate a range of 9% to 11%, and "about 1" can mean 0.9 to 1.1. Other meanings of "about" may be apparent from the context, such as rounding, such as, for example, "about 1" can mean 0.5 to 1.4.

[0019] Additionally, the term "comprising" should be understood to have the open-ended meaning of the term "including," but also includes the restrictive meaning of the term "consisting." For example, a composition comprising components A and B can be a composition that includes A, B, and other components, but can also be a composition made only of A and B. Any documents mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

[0020] figure The accompanying drawings (and their associated descriptions) are merely illustrative and do not serve to limit the scope of the disclosure or the appended claims.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1A, a portion 110 of the conductive fabric (which may be fibrous) may have a sealant applied near or on the edge of the fabric. For example, polymer portions 102, 104, 106, and 108 may be applied on the edge of the fabric such that the polymer is superimposed on each edge (and the ends of any fibers disposed on each edge). The polymer may be present in a wet, undried, or otherwise uncured form, for example in the case of a thermoset. Alternatively, the polymer may be present as a ribbon, for example as a polypropylene ribbon. However, the polymer need not be present in the form of a ribbon or strip, as the polymer may be sprayed, dripped, rolled, or otherwise applied to the fabric, for example by dipping the fabric in the polymer.

[0022] The polymer can be heated (e.g., in the case of thermoplastics) or otherwise treated (e.g., with ultrasound) so that the polymer penetrates into the fabric and seals the edges of the fabric. The polymer can, for example, embed (embed) the ends of fibers located along the edges so that the ends are not "free" and do not protrude from the polymer. However, this is not a requirement, as the polymer can simply act to secure the ends of the fibers so that they do not separate from the fibers.

[0023] 1B shows the electrode 100 after a sealant (e.g., a polymer) has been infiltrated and cured, and then the edges of the electrode 100 have been processed (e.g., by cutting) to the desired dimensions. The sealed portion 112 of the electrode 110 can be of uniform width around the edges of the electrode 100, although this is not a requirement, as the sealed portion 112 can have a variable width around the perimeter of the electrode 100.

[0024] 2A provides a cross-sectional view of an electrode assembly 200 according to the present disclosure. As shown, an ion exchange membrane 214 can be secured to a frame 202 by adhesive 204 and secured to a frame 208 by adhesive 206. The electrode 100 (including the conductive fabric 110 and sealing portion 112) can be attached to the frame 202 by, for example, ultrasonic welding that bonds the sealing portion 112 to the frame 202.

[0025] As described elsewhere herein, the sealant in the sealing portion 112 can be the same material (e.g., polypropylene) as the material of the frame 202, and without being bound to any particular theory or embodiment, such material matching can facilitate the use of ultrasonic welding to join the sealing portion 112 and the frame 202.

[0026] Although not shown, an adhesive may be used to bond the sealing portion 112 to the frame 202. Similarly, a second electrode 220 (comprising a conductive fabric 210 and a sealing portion 212, which may be similar or even the same as the conductive fabric 110 and sealing portion 112 of the electrode 100) may be included, for example, by a connection between the sealing portion 212 and the frame 208. This type of connection may be made by ultrasonic welding. An adhesive may also be used to connect the sealing portion 212 to the frame 208. The second electrode may be formed, for example, by infiltration of a polymer into the conductive fabric, as described elsewhere herein in connection with the first electrode 110.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2A, the conductive fabric 110 and the ion exchange membrane 214 can define a pocket 216 therebetween. Such a pocket (depth D p1) can receive an active material, such as an electrolyte, that crosses the ion exchange membrane 214 to exchange ions with another active material on the other side of the ion exchange membrane 214. Such pockets 216 can be configured such that the conductive material 110 is wetted by the active material and then actuated into the pocket 216.

[0028] The second pocket 218 (depth D p2 A second pocket 218 may also be formed between the ion exchange membrane 214 and the conductive material 210. The second pocket 218 may be configured such that the conductive material 210 is wetted by the active material, which then acts into the pocket 218. In this manner, the active material captured or flowing within the conductive fabric 110 may exchange ions (across the ion exchange membrane 214) with the active material captured or flowing within the conductive fabric 210.

[0029] Without being bound by any particular theory or approach, during operation, the conductive fabric 110 can be pushed (e.g., by a bipolar or unipolar plate) through the pocket (i.e., 216 or 218) toward the ion exchange membrane 214. The conductive fabric can be pushed so that it contacts the ion exchange membrane, but this is not a requirement. Direct physical contact between the fabric and the ion exchange membrane can facilitate contact between the active material (e.g., electrolyte) wetting the fabric and the ion exchange membrane. The assembly can be configured so that the ion exchange membrane experiences approximately equal pressure from both sides during operation, but this is not a requirement. With reference to FIG. 2A, this can be achieved when the ion exchange membrane 214 experiences equal pressure from the conductive fabric portions 110 and 210 during operation.

[0030] The thickness of the conductive fabric, the basis weight of the conductive fabric, the depth of the pocket between the conductive fabric and the ion exchange membrane, and the amount of pressure exerted on the conductive fabric during operation can all be selected to enable a desired level of fluid flow (e.g., wetting) within the conductive fabric. For example, the basis weight can be from about 100 g / m to about 600 g / m. The pocket depth can be, for example, from about 10% to about 50% of the thickness of the electrode. The thickness of the conductive fabric can be, for example, from about 100 μm to about 1500 μm.

[0031] Although the conductive fabric 110 is shown as tapering and decreasing in thickness toward the sealed portion 112, it should be understood that this is not a requirement as the thickness of the sealed area 112 can be equal to or greater than the thickness of the non-sealed portion of the conductive fabric 110.

[0032] 2B provides an exploded view of the electrode assembly 200. As shown, the electrode 110 is assembled (e.g., by ultrasonic welding) to a frame 202, and an adhesive 204 can be used to secure the frame 202 to the ion exchange membrane 214. The ion exchange membrane can then be secured to a frame 208 by adhesive 206. The frame 208 can then be secured to a second electrode 220, for example, by ultrasonic welding.

[0033] Embodiment The following embodiments are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure or the appended claims. Any one or more parts of one or more embodiments can be combined with any one or more parts of any one or more other embodiments.

[0034] Embodiment 1. An encapsulated electrode assembly comprising: a portion of a conductive fabric, the conductive fabric comprising fibers having ends, the portion of the fiber fabric defining an edge around the portion of the fiber fabric, at least one edge sealed portion being sealed with a sealant that has permeated into the conductive fabric, the sealant embedding ends of the fibers disposed along the at least one edge, and a frame, the at least one edge sealed portion and the frame overlapping and attached to one another, the at least one edge sealed portion and the frame optionally being directly sealed to one another.

[0035] Embodiment 2. The sealed electrode of embodiment 1, wherein the sealant and the frame comprise the same material. By way of example, both the sealant and the frame can be polypropylene.

[0036] Embodiment 3. The sealed electrode of embodiment 1, wherein at least one of the sealant and the frame comprises one or more of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, or any combination thereof. The sealant and the frame can comprise materials having the same melting temperature. The sealant and the frame can comprise materials having melting temperatures that differ from each other by less than 30°C, less than 25°C, less than 20°C, less than 15°C, less than 10°C, or even less than 5°C.

[0037] Embodiment 4. The sealed electrode of embodiment 1, wherein the sealing portion and the frame are integral with one another. The sealing portion and the frame at at least one edge are optionally ultrasonically welded together.

[0038] It should be understood that ultrasonic welding is not the exclusive or only technique for joining the sealing portion and the frame. The sealing portion and the frame can also be joined by an adhesive or other joining material. For example, the sealing portion and the frame can both be joined to a strip of polymer (e.g., polypropylene) that is placed between the sealing portion and the frame. The joining material can be the same material as the frame and / or the sealing portion, although this is not a requirement.

[0039] Embodiment 5. The occlusive electrode of embodiment 1, wherein the conductive fabric is woven.

[0040] Embodiment 6. The occlusive electrode of embodiment 1, wherein the conductive fabric is a nowoven. The fabric can be knitted, although this is not a requirement.

[0041] Embodiment 7. The sealed electrode of embodiment 1, wherein the sealed portion extends around substantially the entire perimeter of the portion of the conductive fabric.

[0042] Embodiment 8. The sealed electrode of embodiment 7, wherein the sealed portion provides (i.e. creates) tension across the conductive fabric.

[0043] Embodiment 9. The sealed electrode of embodiment 1, wherein the sealing portion defines a width of from about 2 mm to about 10 mm.

[0044] Embodiment 10. The sealed electrode of embodiment 1, wherein the sealant extends beyond the edge of a portion of the textile fabric. This is illustrated by element 212a in non-limiting FIG. 2A, which element (212a) shows the amount of sealant that extends beyond the edge of the sealed portion 212 of the conductive fabric.

[0045] Embodiment 11. A first framed electrode comprising: (a) a first piece of conductive fabric, the first piece of conductive fabric defining a border around the first piece, at least one edge sealed portion sealed with a sealant permeated within the conductive fabric, the sealant embedding ends of fibers disposed along the border; and a first frame, the at least one edge sealed portion sealed to the first frame; and (b) a second framed electrode, the second piece of conductive fabric, the second piece of conductive fabric defining a border around the first piece, the at least one edge sealed portion sealed with a sealant permeated within the conductive fabric, the sealant embedding ends of fibers disposed along the border. and (c) an ion exchange membrane, the first frame and the ion exchange membrane defining a first pocket space between the first portion of the conductive fabric and the ion exchange membrane, and the second frame and the ion exchange membrane defining a second pocket space between the second portion of the conductive fabric and the ion exchange membrane.

[0046] Embodiment 12. The electrode assembly of embodiment 11, wherein at least one of the first pocket space and the second pocket space defines a depth of from about 0 mm to about 1 mm, inclusive.

[0047] Embodiment 13. The electrode assembly of embodiment 11, wherein (a) a first frame is sealed to the ion exchange membrane using a sealant to form a first pocket space, (b) a second frame is sealed to the ion exchange membrane using a sealant to form a second pocket space, or both (a) and (b).

[0048] Embodiment 14. The electrode assembly of embodiment 11, wherein (a) a first frame is sealed to the ion exchange membrane by applied pressure and / or adhesive to form a first pocket space, (b) a second frame is sealed to the ion exchange membrane by applied pressure and / or adhesive to form a second pocket space, or both (a) and (b). The adhesive used to seal the frame to the ion exchange membrane can comprise the same material as the frame (e.g., polypropylene), although this is not a requirement.

[0049] In some embodiments, the frame is sealed to the ion exchange membrane by sealing the frame directly to the membrane, for example, by heating the frame to melt a portion of the frame and seal it to the membrane, although this is not a requirement and the frame can be sealed to the membrane in a variety of ways.

[0050] Embodiment 15. The electrode assembly of embodiment 11, wherein the first frame defines a thickness within the range of about 80 micrometers to about 1000 micrometers.

[0051] Embodiment 16. The electrode assembly of embodiment 11, wherein the sealant extends beyond an edge of the first portion of the conductive fabric, which may be, for example, a textile fabric.

[0052] Embodiment 17. An electrochemical cell stack comprising one or more electrodes according to any one of embodiments 1-10, one or more electrode assemblies according to any one of embodiments 11-16, or any combination thereof.

[0053] Embodiment 18. The electrochemical cell stack of embodiment 17, wherein the plurality of electrodes is held in place by application of pressure between end plates flanking the plurality of electrodes. Without being bound to any particular theory or embodiment, the electrodes can be sandwiched between flow plates (e.g., bipolar plates, unipolar plates, etc.).

[0054] Embodiment 19. The electrochemical cell stack of embodiment 17, wherein the conductive fabric of the electrode is wetted by an active material. Such an active material can be, for example, negolyte or posolyte. The active material can be, for example, transferred to the conductive fabric through a flow plate.

[0055] Embodiment 20. An electrochemical cell stack comprising a plurality of the electrode assemblies of embodiment 11.

[0056] Embodiment 21. The electrochemical cell stack of embodiment 20, wherein the conductive fabric (which may be, for example, a textile fabric) of the electrodes is wetted by the active material.

[0057] Embodiment 22. The electrochemical stack of any one of embodiments 17 to 21, wherein the electrochemical stack is in electrical communication with an electrical load.

[0058] Embodiment 23. A method of forming an electrode assembly comprising sealing an edge of a portion of a conductive fabric to create an edge-sealed conductor, the conductive fabric comprising fibers having ends, the sealing step including providing penetration of a sealant into the conductive fabric to create a sealed edge extending around the periphery of the portion of the conductive fabric, the sealant embedding ends of the fibers disposed along at least one edge, the sealant optionally providing tension throughout the conductive fabric.

[0059] Embodiment 24. The method of embodiment 23, further comprising the step of adhering an edge-sealed conductor to the framed ion exchange membrane, the adhering defining a pocket space between a portion of the conductive fabric and the ion exchange membrane.

[0060] Embodiment 25. The method of embodiment 24, wherein the bonding step comprises ultrasonic welding.

[0061] Any of the above embodiments can be performed manually or in an automated manner. Any of the above embodiments can be performed in a batch, semi-batch, or continuous manner, such as a roll-to-roll process.

[0062] For example, the frame can be sealed to each portion (e.g., square, rectangular) of the conductive fabric in succession. This can be accomplished, for example, by applying (spreading) a sealant to each portion of the conductive fabric in a batch-type fashion and then sealing the frame to the sealing areas of the conductive fabric in a batch-type fashion.

[0063] Attachment of the frame to the ion exchange membrane can be done manually or in an automated manner. Attachment of the frame to the ion exchange membrane can be done in a batch, semi-batch, or continuous manner.

Claims

1. A portion of a conductive fabric, the conductive fabric comprising fibers having ends; the portion of the textile fabric defining a border around the portion of the textile fabric; the at least one edge sealing portion is sealed by a sealant that is permeated into the conductive fabric; a portion of a conductive fabric, the sealant embedding the ends of the fibers disposed along the at least one edge; A frame, the sealing portion of the at least one edge and the frame are overlapped and attached to each other; a frame, wherein the sealing portion of the at least one edge and the frame are optionally directly sealed to each other; A sealed electrode assembly comprising:

2. The sealed electrode of claim 1 , wherein the sealant and the frame comprise the same material.

3. 10. The sealed electrode of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sealant and the frame comprises one or more of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, or any combination thereof.

4. The sealed electrode of claim 1 , wherein the sealing portion and the frame are integral with one another, and the sealing portion and the frame of the at least one edge are optionally ultrasonically welded together.

5. The closed electrode of claim 1 , wherein the conductive fabric is a woven fabric.

6. The closed electrode of claim 1 , wherein the conductive fabric is a nonwoven fabric.

7. The sealed electrode of claim 1 , wherein the sealed portion extends around substantially the entire periphery of the portion of the conductive fabric.

8. The sealed electrode of claim 7 , wherein the sealed portion provides tension across the conductive fabric.

9. The sealed electrode of claim 1 , wherein the sealing portion defines a width of from about 2 mm to about 10 mm.

10. The sealed electrode of claim 1 , wherein the sealant extends beyond the edge of the portion of the textile fabric.

11. (a) a first framed electrode, (1) A first portion of a conductive fabric, comprising: the first portion of the conductive fabric defines a border around the first portion; a first portion of the conductive fabric, the at least one edge sealed portion being sealed with a sealant that has permeated into the conductive fabric and that embeds ends of fibers disposed along the edge; and (2) a first frame, the sealing portion of the at least one edge is sealed to the first frame; a first framed electrode comprising: (b) a second framed electrode, (1) a second portion of the conductive fabric, the second portion of the conductive fabric defines a border around the second portion; a second portion of the conductive fabric, the at least one edge sealed portion being sealed with a sealant that has permeated into the conductive fabric, the sealant embedding ends of fibers disposed along the edge; and (2) a second frame, the sealing portion of the at least one edge is sealed to the second frame; a second framed electrode comprising: (c) an ion exchange membrane, the first frame and the ion exchange membrane define a first pocket space between the first portion of the conductive fabric and the ion exchange membrane; an ion exchange membrane, wherein the second frame and the ion exchange membrane define a second pocket space between the second portion of the conductive fabric and the ion exchange membrane; and An electrode assembly comprising:

12. The electrode assembly of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first pocket space and the second pocket space defines a depth of from about 0 mm to about 1 mm.

13. 12. The electrode assembly of claim 11, wherein: (a) the first frame is sealed to the ion exchange membrane using a sealant to form the first pocket space; (b) the second frame is sealed to the ion exchange membrane using a sealant to form the second pocket space; or both (a) and (b).

14. 12. The electrode assembly of claim 11, wherein: (a) the first frame is sealed to the ion exchange membrane by applied pressure to form the first pocket space; (b) the second frame is sealed to the ion exchange membrane by applied pressure to form the second pocket space; or both (a) and (b).

15. The electrode assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first frame defines a thickness within a range from about 80 micrometers to about 1000 micrometers.

16. The electrode assembly of claim 11 , wherein the sealant extends beyond the edge of the first portion of the conductive fabric.

17. An electrochemical cell stack comprising one or more electrodes according to claim 1.

18. An electrochemical cell stack comprising one or more electrode assemblies according to claim 11.

19. 20. The electrochemical cell stack of claim 17, wherein the plurality of electrodes are held in place by application of pressure between end plates flanking the plurality of electrodes.

20. 20. The electrochemical cell stack of claim 17, wherein the fiber fabric of the electrodes is wetted by active material.

21. An electrochemical cell stack comprising a plurality of the electrode assemblies of claim 11.

22. 22. The electrochemical cell stack of claim 21, wherein the conductive fabric of the electrodes is wetted by active material.

23. The electrochemical stack of claim 17 , wherein the electrochemical stack is in electrical communication with an electrical load.

24. sealing an edge of a portion of a conductive fabric to produce an edge-sealed conductor, the conductive fabric comprising fibers having ends. Including, the sealing step includes providing penetration of a sealant into the conductive fabric to produce a sealed edge extending around the portion of the conductive fabric; the sealant embeds the ends of the fibers disposed along the at least one edge; A method of forming an electrode assembly, wherein the sealant optionally provides tension across the conductive fabric.

25. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of adhering the edge-sealed conductor to a framed ion exchange membrane, said adhering defining a pocket space between the portion of the conductive fabric and the ion exchange membrane.

26. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the bonding step comprises ultrasonic welding.

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