Sealed Lithium-Air Cell with Oxygen-Rich Electrolyte
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium-air cells have lower actual energy density due to pore blocking by reaction products and reliability issues stemming from their unsealable structure, which prevents efficient oxygen supply and handling.
Innovation Solution
A cell design featuring a cathode with a specific alkali metal compound and an anode with materials like alkali metals, tin, titanium, boron, nitrogen, silicon, or carbon, allowing reactions that occur without oxygen involvement, enabling a sealed structure and higher theoretical capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If lithium-air cells use a porous cathode structure to enable oxygen supply, then theoretical energy density is improved, but actual energy density deteriorates due to pore blocking by reaction products
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts oxygen from the atmospheric environment and incorporates it directly into the electrolyte composition. By formulating the electrolyte to contain dissolved oxygen (such as in oxygen-saturated organic electrolytes or oxygen-containing ionic liquids), the cell eliminates dependence on porous cathode structures and atmospheric oxygen diffusion, thereby preventing pore blocking issues while maintaining high energy density
Solution Approach 2:
The electrolyte acts as an intermediary that directly provides oxygen to the cathode reaction sites. Instead of relying on atmospheric oxygen to diffuse through porous structures, the oxygen is pre-dissolved in the electrolyte, creating a direct oxygen supply pathway that bypasses the porous cathode structure entirely and eliminates the pore blocking problem
2Use of energy by moving object
If lithium-air cells are designed with an unsealable structure to allow atmospheric oxygen transport, then oxygen supply is improved, but reliability and handleability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a sealed cell environment where the electrolyte itself provides the oxygen needed for reactions. By using oxygen-containing electrolytes (such as ionic liquids with oxygen functional groups or oxygen-saturated organic electrolytes), the cell becomes self-contained and can be hermetically sealed, eliminating the need for openings to atmospheric oxygen while maintaining reliable oxygen supply for the cathode reaction
Solution Approach 2:
The electrolyte serves as an intermediary oxygen carrier that enables the cell to be sealed. Instead of requiring direct access to atmospheric oxygen through openings, the oxygen is transported and delivered through the electrolyte medium, allowing the cell to be completely sealed while maintaining reliable oxygen supply and improving handleability
3Quantity of substance
If lithium-air cells use organic electrolytes to achieve higher theoretical capacity, then charging and discharging capacity is improved, but pore blocking by reaction products worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the oxygen supply function from the porous cathode structure and transfers it to the electrolyte. By formulating electrolytes with high oxygen content (such as ionic liquids containing oxygen functional groups or oxygen-saturated organic electrolytes), the cell achieves high charging and discharging capacity without requiring porous structures that are susceptible to blocking by reaction products like Li2O2 or Li2O
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the oxygen supply mechanism from diffusion through porous structures to direct dissolution and transport in the electrolyte. By adjusting electrolyte composition to maximize oxygen solubility and concentration (using oxygen-containing ionic liquids or oxygen-saturated organic electrolytes), the cell achieves high capacity while eliminating the pore blocking problem associated with traditional porous cathode designs
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 cell achieves high theoretical voltage and capacity, is cost-effective, and environmentally friendly, with the ability to be discharged and recharged multiple times without oxygen supply issues.
Implementation Method 1
the cathode undergoes a reaction in which the alkali metal changes its form from A2O to A2O2 (wherein A is an alkali metal atom) or vice versa when the cells are charged or discharged
Implementation Method 2
an electrolyte
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a cell that has a high theoretical voltage and theoretical capacity, and can be discharged and recharged multiple times. The cell includes a cathode, an anode, and an electrolyte, wherein the cathode contains a cathode active material containing an alkali metal compound represented by the formula (1):AxOy (1)(wherein A is an alkali metal atom, x is 0.5 to 2.5, and y is 0.5 to 2.5), the anode contains an anode active material containing at least one selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal, tin, titanium, boron, nitrogen, silicon, and carbon, and the cathode, the anode, and the electrolyte are hermetically sealed in the cell.