Metal-air battery
AssigneeWorcester Polytechnic Institute
InventorsAdam C. Powell, Hongyi Sun, Mahya Shahabi, Yu Zhong
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Abstract
A metal-air battery and methods for generating electricity in a metal-air battery are described herein. The battery and the method includes heating an anhydrous salt to obtain a molten salt electrolyte; contacting the molten salt electrolyte to at least one cathode communicating with air; reducing air at the cathode to obtain oxygen ions for diffusing through the molten salt electrolyte; oxidizing at least one metal anode by the oxygen ions in the electrolyte thereby generating electricity and forming a metal anode oxide; and cooling at least one section of the metal-air battery for precipitating the metal anode oxide.
Claims11
A method for generating electricity in a metal-air battery, the method comprising:
- heating an anhydrous salt to obtain a molten salt electrolyte;
- contacting the molten salt electrolyte to at least one cathode submerged in a bath of the molten salt electrolyte;
- injecting air through pores in the cathode for communication with oxygen in the air;
- reducing oxygen from air at the cathode to obtain oxygen ions for diffusing into the molten salt electrolyte;
- oxidizing at least one metal anode by the oxygen ions in the electrolyte to obtain positive ions of the metal anode thereby generating electricity and forming a dissolved metal anode oxide;
- and
- cooling at least one section of the metal-air battery for precipitating the metal anode oxide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.