Lithium-Air Electrolyte Membrane for Wide-Temperature Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium-air secondary batteries face performance deterioration due to side reactions between carbon-based electrodes and organic-solvent-based electrolytes, leading to volatility, leakage, and instability at high temperatures, making it difficult to operate consistently across various temperature conditions.
Innovation Solution
A lithium-air battery is developed using an electrolyte membrane manufactured with an inorganic melt admixture containing nitrogen-oxide compounds, which has a low eutectic point, and a cathode produced through a Joule heating reaction with a metal precursor and carbon material, enabling stable operation from low to high temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If an organic-solvent-based liquid electrolyte is used in lithium-air batteries, then the battery can operate with conventional materials, but the electrolyte is highly volatile, evaporates during charging and discharging, leaks, and becomes unstable at high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the electrolyte by transitioning from organic solvent-based liquid electrolyte to inorganic solid electrolyte. This parameter change eliminates volatility and thermal instability while maintaining manufacturability through established solid-state battery fabrication techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining inorganic solid electrolyte with carbon-based electrodes and lithium metal, creating a hybrid system that leverages the advantages of each material while mitigating their individual disadvantages, particularly the reactivity issues between organic electrolytes and carbon electrodes.
2Device complexity
If an organic-solvent-based liquid electrolyte is used in lithium-air batteries, then the battery can be constructed with standard components, but side reactions occur between the carbon-based electrode and the electrolyte, deteriorating battery performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the organic solvent component from the electrolyte system, replacing it with inorganic solid electrolyte. This extraction eliminates the source of side reactions between organic solvents and carbon electrodes, preventing performance deterioration while maintaining a relatively simple device architecture.
3Reliability
If a separator is immersed in an inorganic melt admixture and then dried, then the electrolyte membrane can be manufactured with low eutectic point for stable operation, but the manufacturing process requires additional steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-preparing the inorganic melt admixture with specific composition ratios of nitrogen-oxide compounds before immersion. This preliminary preparation ensures the admixture achieves the desired low eutectic point properties, enabling reliable low-temperature operation while the immersion and drying steps become routine manufacturing operations.
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
The battery achieves stable operation across a wide temperature range and enhances power output, with the electrolyte membrane's low eutectic point and the Joule heating method allowing for efficient catalyst synthesis and improved battery performance.
Implementation Method 1
an inorganic melt admixture (e.g., solution) including two or more nitrogen-oxide compounds
Implementation Method 2
a cathode, manufactured by reducing a metal at a fast speed on a carbon material... manufactured by reducing a metal at a fast speed on a carbon material
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are an electrolyte membrane for a lithium-air battery, a method of manufacturing the same, a cathode for a lithium-air battery, a method of manufacturing the same, and a lithium-air battery including the electrolyte membrane and the cathode. Particularly, the lithium-air battery includes i) an electrolyte membrane, which is manufactured using an inorganic melt admixture including two or more nitrogen-oxide compounds and thus may have a very low eutectic point, and ii) a cathode, which is manufactured by reducing a metal at a fast speed on a carbon material. As such, the lithium-air battery is capable of stably operating even at low temperatures and providing high power output.