# US 12,003,003 B2 · Metal-air battery including electrolyte beads > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,003,003 B2 - Document ID: US12003003B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/219,311 - Filed: 2021-03-31 - Published: 2021-07-22 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-01-10 - Assignees: Lyten, Inc. - Applicants: Lyten, Inc. - Inventors: Bruce Lanning; Michael W. Stowell; Anurag Kumar; Hossein-Ali Ghezelbash - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12003003B2 ## CPC - H01M 6/38: by mechanical means - H01M 12/065: {with plate-like electrodes or stacks of plate-like electrodes} - H01M 4/42: Alloys based on zinc - H01M 4/463: {Aluminium based} - H01M 4/466: {Magnesium based} - H01M 4/583: Carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx - H01M 4/861: {with a gradient in the porosity} - H01M 4/9016: {Oxides, hydroxides or oxygenated metallic salts} - H01M 4/9041: {Metals or alloys (H01M4/92 takes precedence)} - H01M 4/92: Metals of platinum group (H01M4/94 {, H01M4/9058} take precedence) - H01M 10/0566: Liquid materials - H01M 50/4295: {Natural cotton, cellulose or wood} - H01M 50/449: having a layered structure - H01M 50/70: Arrangements for stirring or circulating the electrolyte - H01M 2004/021: {Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area} - H01M 2300/002: Inorganic electrolyte - H01M 2300/0025: Organic electrolyte - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract In some implementations, a metal air battery includes a body defined by a metal anode and a cathode, a first separator layer disposed on the metal anode, a second separator layer disposed on the cathode, and a plurality of beads disposed within the body. The beads may confine a liquid electrolyte, and may be configured to release the liquid electrolyte into interior portions of the battery in response to a compression of the cathode into the body of the battery. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A battery comprising: a body defined by a metal anode and a cathode; a first separator layer disposed on the metal anode; a second separator layer disposed on the cathode; and a plurality of beads disposed within the body and confining a liquid electrolyte, the beads configured to release the liquid electrolyte into interior portions of the battery in response to a compression of the cathode into the body of the battery. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The battery of claim 1, wherein the plurality of beads are further configured to electrophoretically migrate within the body in response to exposure of the beads to an electric field. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The battery of claim 2, wherein the migration of at least some of the beads is configured to distribute the liquid electrolyte throughout the interior portions of the body of the battery. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The battery of claim 1, wherein the beads are further configured to remain in a dormant state in an absence of the compression of the cathode into the body of the battery. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The battery of claim 1, wherein the beads are further configured to rupture in response to the compression of the cathode into the body of the battery. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The battery of claim 1, wherein the compression is associated with an activation of the battery by a user. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The battery of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second separator layers includes a cellulose material infused with hydroxyl (OH−) ions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The battery of claim 1, wherein the metal anode includes one or more of magnesium, zinc, or aluminum. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The battery of claim 1, wherein the cathode includes a carbon-based textured scaffold. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The battery of claim 9, wherein the carbon-based textured scaffold includes a plurality of catalytic sites configured to participate in one or more of an oxidation chemical reaction or a reduction chemical reaction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The battery of claim 10, wherein the plurality of catalytic sites are doped with manganese, manganese oxide (MnO), and platinum. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The battery of claim 9, wherein the carbon-based textured scaffold includes: an outer region including a plurality of macroporous pathways configured to distribute oxygen and water vapor supplied by ambient air throughout the cathode and into the interior portions of the body; and an inner region including a plurality of mesoporous pathways interconnected with the plurality of macroporous pathways and configured to drain an excess quantity of the water vapor from the cathode. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The battery of claim 12, wherein each macroporous pathway has a diameter greater than approximately 50 nanometers, and each mesoporous pathway has a diameter between approximately 2 and 30 nanometers. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The battery of claim 12, wherein the mesoporous pathways are defined by a plurality of N-doped graphene particles fused together. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The battery of claim 12, wherein the inner region of the cathode further includes a plurality of microporous pathways connected to the mesoporous pathways and interconnected with the macroporous pathways. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The battery of claim 12, wherein the inner region of the cathode has a thickness between approximately 0.1 and 50 microns, and the outer region of the cathode has a thickness between approximately 10 and 50 microns. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The battery of claim 9, wherein the carbon-based textured scaffold is a graded three-dimensional (3D) mesoporous-to-microporous open channeled graphene structure. ### Claim 18 (depends on 9) The battery of claim 9, wherein the carbon-based textured scaffold has a surface area greater than approximately 1,000 m2/g.