Lithium-air battery

Abstract

The battery may include an anode, a cathode disposed opposite the anode, a separator disposed between the anode and the cathode, an electrolyte dispersed throughout the cathode and in contact with the anode, and a dual pore system. The anode may be configured to release a plurality of lithium ions. The cathode may include a plurality of pathways defined by a plurality of porous non-hollow carbonaceous spherical particles and may include a plurality of carbonaceous structures, each based on the coalescence of a group of porous non-hollow carbonaceous spherical particles. The dual pore system may be disposed in the cathode and may have a shape and orientation defined by the plurality of carbonaceous structures. In some aspects, the dual pore system may be configured to receive gaseous oxygen from the ambient atmosphere.

Claims

1. It is a lithium-air battery, A-scatter, A cathode formed in an arrangement of carbonaceous structures and positioned opposite the anode, wherein the cathode is A plurality of pores defined by the first group of carbonaceous structures, wherein the pores are configured to allow oxygen supplied from ambient air to enter the cathode, A plurality of interconnected pathways defined by the second group of carbonaceous structures, wherein the interconnected pathways are configured to diffuse the oxygen throughout the cathode, One or more cavities formed inside or attached to each of the aforementioned paths, each cavity configured to store lithium metal, The cathode, including, An electrolyte dispersed throughout the entire cathode, wherein the electrolyte is in fluid contact with the anode, One or more openings configured to selectively expose at least a portion of the plurality of pores to the ambient air, The lithium-air battery comprising the above-mentioned features.

2. The lithium-air battery according to claim 1, wherein the anode is made of lithium metal.

3. A lithium-air battery, A-scatter, A cathode formed in an arrangement of carbonaceous structures and positioned opposite the anode, wherein the cathode is A plurality of pores defined by the first group of carbonaceous structures, wherein the pores are configured to allow oxygen supplied from ambient air to enter the cathode, A plurality of interconnected pathways defined by the second group of carbonaceous structures, wherein the interconnected pathways are configured to diffuse the oxygen throughout the cathode, One or more cavities formed inside or attached to each of the aforementioned paths, each cavity configured to store lithium metal, The cathode, including, An electrolyte dispersed throughout the entire cathode, wherein the electrolyte is in fluid contact with the anode, One or more openings configured to selectively expose at least a portion of the plurality of pores to the ambient air, Equipped with, A lithium-air battery in which each carbonaceous structure is based on the aggregation of carbon nanoonion (CNO) particles of the corresponding group.

4. The lithium-air battery according to claim 3, wherein each carbonaceous structure further comprises a plurality of interconnected graphene flakes.

5. The lithium-air battery according to claim 3, wherein each carbonaceous structure further comprises one or more of the following: flat graphene, wrinkled graphene, curved graphene, or porous non-hollow spherical particles.

6. The lithium-air battery according to claim 3, wherein the CNO particles have a radius between 5 nanometers and 500 nanometers.

7. The lithium-air battery according to claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the CNO particles of the first group of carbonaceous structures have a radius greater than 100 nanometers.

8. The lithium-air battery according to claim 7, wherein each of the at least some of the CNO particles includes a plurality of cavities.

9. The lithium-air battery according to claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the CNO particles of the first group of carbonaceous structures are configured to be hydrophobic.

10. The lithium-air battery according to claim 9, wherein the hydrophobic CNO particles of the first group of carbonaceous structures suppress the movement of water droplets along the surface toward one or more of the plurality of pores.

11. The lithium-air battery according to claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the CNO particles of the second group of carbonaceous structures are configured to be hydrophilic.

12. The lithium-air battery according to claim 11, wherein the hydrophilic CNO particles of the second group of carbonaceous structures enable water droplets to form a continuous water film along the surface of each of the hydrophilic CNO particles.

13. The lithium-air battery according to claim 12, wherein the continuous water film is in equilibrium due to cohesive forces within the continuous water film and adhesive forces between the continuous water film and the respective surfaces of the hydrophilic CNO particles.

14. The lithium-air battery according to claim 12, wherein the surface tension associated with the continuous water film prevents the water droplets of the continuous water film from accumulating on the cathode.

15. The lithium-air battery according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the cavity has a diameter between 0.6 nanometers and 6.6 nanometers.

16. The lithium-air battery according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of other interconnected pathways defined by the third group of carbonaceous structures, wherein the plurality of other interconnected pathways are configured to remove undesirable by-products from at least a portion of the interconnected pathways defined by the second group of carbonaceous structures.

17. The lithium-air battery according to claim 1, further comprising a separator disposed between the anode and the cathode.

18. The anode further comprises a protective layer disposed on the anode, and the protective layer is A polymer network deposited on one or more exposed surfaces of the anode, wherein the polymer network includes a carbonaceous structure grafted with a plurality of crosslinked fluorinated polymer chains, The polymer network and the lithium fluoride (LiF) film formed from lithium supplied by the anode, A lithium-air battery according to claim 1, comprising the features described above.

19. The lithium-air battery according to claim 18, further comprising an outer layer deposited on the lithium fluoride film, wherein the outer layer comprises one or more polymers or epoxy-encapsulated ion conductors.

20. The lithium-air battery according to claim 1, wherein each of the carbonaceous structures comprises a three-dimensional (3D) stack of graphene nanosheets.

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