Anaerobic aluminum-water electrochemical cell
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsIan Salmon McKay, Ruaridh R. Macdonald, Thomas B. Milnes
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Abstract
An anaerobic aluminum-water electrochemical cell that includes: a plurality of electrode stacks, each electrode stack comprising an aluminum or aluminum alloy anode, and at least one solid cathode configured to be electrically coupled to the anode; a liquid electrolyte between the anode and the at least one cathode; one or more physical separators between each electrode stack adjacent to the cathode; a housing configured to hold the electrode stacks, the electrolyte, and the physical separators; and a water injection port, in the housing, configured to introduce water into the housing. The electrolyte includes a hydroxide base at a concentration of at least 0.05 M to at most 3 M.
Claims18
An anaerobic aluminum-water electrochemical cell comprising:
- a plurality of electrode stacks, each electrode stack comprising a solid aluminum or aluminum alloy anode, in the form of a plate, the plate having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side, and at least one solid cathode disposed directly next to the first side of the plate and at least one cathode disposed directly next to the second side of the plate, wherein the cathode on the first side and the cathode on the second side are configured to be electrically coupled to the anode;
- a liquid electrolyte disposed between the anode and the at least one cathode on the first side and between the anode and the at least one cathode on the second side in each electrode stack;
- one or more physical separators, between each one of the electrode stacks, positioned between the cathode on the first side of one electrode stack and the cathode on the second side of an adjacent electrode stack;
- a housing configured to hold the electrode stacks, the electrolyte, and the physical separators;
- and
- a water injection port, in the housing, configured to introduce water into the housing, so that the water flows though the physical separators,
- wherein the electrolyte includes a hydroxide base at a concentration of 0.05 M to 3 M.
A method for generating an electrical current comprising introducing a liquid electrolyte into an electrochemical cell, the method comprising:
- providing the electrochemical cell, the electrochemical cell comprising:
- a plurality of electrode stacks, each electrode stack comprising a solid aluminum or aluminum alloy anode, in the form of a plate, the plate having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side, and at least one solid cathode disposed directly next to the first side of the plate and at least one cathode disposed directly next to the second side of the plate, wherein the cathode on the first side and the cathode on the second side are configured to be electrically coupled to the anode;
- one or more physical separators between each one of the electrode stacks, positioned between the cathode on the first side of one electrode stack and the cathode on the second side of an adjacent electrode stack;
- a housing configured to hold the electrode stacks, the electrolyte, and the physical separators;
- and
- a water injection port, in the housing, configured to introduce the electrolyte into the housing, so that the electrolyte flows through the physical separators;
- introducing the electrolyte between the anode and the at least one cathode on the first side and between the anode and the at least one cathode on the second side in each electrode stack;
- wherein the electrolyte includes a hydroxide base at a concentration of 0.05 M to 3 M.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.