Bipolar Battery Stack With Common Redox Electrodes for Cell Balancing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Bipolar electrochemical batteries with a common electrode active material are needed to simplify assembly, reduce manufacturing costs, and enhance cell balancing, as current bipolar architectures require distinct formulations for positive and negative electrodes, leading to increased complexity and costs.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a common organic redox compound as the active material for both positive and negative electrodes, which can capture and donate electrons, allowing for a single formulation and easier electrode preparation, and incorporating electronically-conductive additives and organic binders to enhance conductivity and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If distinct formulations are used for positive and negative electrodes in bipolar batteries, then electrode performance is optimized, but manufacturing complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies homogeneity by using the same organic redox compound for both positive and negative electrodes, creating uniform electrode formulations across the bipolar battery stack. This eliminates the need for separate formulation processes for different electrode types, directly reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining performance through the compound's dual redox capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The organic redox compound serves multiple functions by acting as the active material for both positive and negative electrodes. This universal material replaces the need for distinct positive electrode materials (like lithium cobalt oxide) and negative electrode materials (like graphite), simplifying the supply chain and manufacturing processes while maintaining electrochemical performance.
2Reliability
If distinct formulations are used for positive and negative electrodes, then electrochemical performance is optimized, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By using identical organic redox compound formulations for both electrode types, the patent eliminates the need to purchase, store, and process multiple different active materials. This homogeneity directly reduces material costs and manufacturing overhead while the compound's inherent dual redox properties ensure electrochemical performance is maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of electrode material selection from using different materials for positive and negative electrodes to using the same material. This parameter change leverages the organic compound's ability to undergo both oxidation and reduction reactions, reducing material costs while preserving electrochemical functionality.
3Ease of manufacture
If a common active material is used for all electrodes, then manufacturing is simplified, but cell balancing becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies homogeneity by using the same organic redox compound for all electrodes, which automatically ensures identical capacitance values across the battery stack. This eliminates cell balancing issues entirely, as uniform electrodes with equal capacitance naturally balance each other, reversing the expected challenge into a benefit.
4Device complexity
If conventional monopolar architecture is used, then assembly is simpler, but energy density is lower
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of separate positive and negative electrode assemblies into a single bipolar electrode structure. By combining multiple electrochemical cells into one integrated bipolar unit with shared current collectors and electrolyte, the design achieves higher energy density while the modular stack architecture maintains assembly simplicity through repetitive unit stacking.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces manufacturing costs, simplifies the production process, and facilitates easier cell balancing by using a single redox compound, ensuring identical or adjustable electrode capacitances, thereby improving the efficiency and stability of bipolar electrochemical batteries.
Implementation Method 1
the electrodes comprising specific materials capable of reacting according to an oxidation-reduction reaction, whereby there is production of electrons at the origin of the electric current
Implementation Method 2
separated from each other by an electrolytic constituent (in general, a separator impregnated with a liquid electrolyte) which conducts lithium ions
Data Source
AI summary
A battery with a bipolar architecture that comprises two terminal current collectors between which a stack of n electrochemical cells is arranged, n being an integer at least equal to 2, wherein: each electrochemical cell comprises a positive electrode, a negative electrode and an electrolytic component arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; the n electrochemical cells are separated from one another by (n1) bipolar current collectors; and wherein the positive electrode and the negative electrode of each electrochemical cell comprise a common active material as active material, which is a redox-active organic compound comprising, respectively, at least one group able to capture electrons and at least one group able to donate electrons.