# US 12,603,319 B2 · Self-charging electrochemical cells > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,603,319 B2 - Document ID: US12603319B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/322,949 - Filed: 2023-05-24 - Published: 2024-01-25 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2021-07-21 - Assignees: Wattrii, Inc. - Applicants: Wattrii, Inc. - Inventors: Jangwoo Kim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12603319B2 ## CPC - H01M 8/188: {by recharging of redox couples containing fluids; Redox flow type batteries} - H01M 4/38: of elements or alloys - H01M 4/625: {Carbon or graphite} - H01M 4/661: {Metal or alloys, e.g. alloy coatings (H01M4/669 take precedence)} - H01M 10/0567: characterised by the additives - H01M 10/0569: characterised by the solvents - H01M 12/08: composed of a half-cell of a fuel-cell type and a half-cell of the secondary-cell type - 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 Self-charging electrochemical cells, including self-charging batteries that incorporate such self-charging electrochemical cells, the electrochemical cells including a cathode including a cathode active material, an electrolyte including a solvent and a salt dissolved in the solvent, the electrolyte being in contact with the cathode, where the cathode active material is transformed into a discharge product during or after a discharge of the self-charging electrochemical cell and a solubility of the cathode active material in the electrolyte is less than a solubility of the discharge product in the electrolyte. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electrochemical cell, comprising: a cathode, the cathode including a total amount of a cathode active material that can store a total number of cathodic electrons; an anode, the anode including a total amount of an anode active material that can store a total number of anodic electrons; an electrolyte, the electrolyte including a solvent and a salt dissolved in the solvent; the electrolyte being in contact with the cathode; wherein the cathode active material is transformed into a discharge product during or after a discharge of the electrochemical cell; a solubility of the cathode active material in the electrolyte is less than a solubility of the discharge product in the electrolyte; the soluble discharge product acts as a redox shuttle during discharge of the electrochemical cell by transporting electrons from the cathode to the anode; and wherein the cathode, the anode, and the electrolyte are enclosed within a sealed and gas-impermeant cell housing. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, further comprises a cathode current collector associated with the cathode, the cathode current collector including a metal or a metal alloy that includes one or more of molybdenum, titanium, and zirconium. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, further comprising an anode current collector associated with the anode, the anode current collector including a metal or a metal alloy that includes one or more of molybdenum, titanium, and zirconium. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, further comprising a separator. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein the cathode active material includes a reducible gas. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein the discharge product includes a reducing agent, the reducing agent selected so that an oxidation product of the reducing agent is a gas. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein the discharge product includes one or more reactive species capable of independent existence, each reactive species having one or more unpaired electrons. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein the discharge product includes a polar material including two elements, wherein a difference in electronegativity between the two elements is greater than or equal to 0.5. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein an actual measured discharge specific capacity of the electrochemical cell is larger than a calculated discharge specific capacity for the electrochemical cell, provided that the calculated discharge specific capacity is based on the total number of cathodic electrons. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein an actual measured discharge specific capacity of the electrochemical cell is larger than a calculated discharge specific capacity for the electrochemical cell, provided that the calculated discharge specific capacity is based upon the total number of anodic electrons. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein the total number of anodic electrons is less than the total number of cathodic electrons. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein the solubility of the cathode active material in the electrolyte is less than 1.0 mole/liter at room temperature. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the solubility of the cathode active material in the electrolyte to the solubility of the discharge product in the electrolyte is less than 0.5. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein the solvent has a molecular weight that is less than or equal to 200 g/mol. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein one or both of the anode active material and the discharge product is a metal, a metal alloy, or a metal complex. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the anode active material includes a surface coating layer that is electrically conductive. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein the cathode includes one or more of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein one or more of the cathode and the anode further comprises an electrically-conductive material that is a porous carbon material selected from carbon black, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, carbon dots, activated carbon, graphite, graphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, and graphene nanoribbons. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The electrochemical cell of claim 18, wherein the porous carbon material is doped with one or more heteroatoms selected from boron, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorous, fluorine, chlorine, and bromine. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The electrochemical cell of claim 1, wherein one or both of the cathode and the anode includes one or more of a polymeric binder, a plasticizer, and a carboxylic acid.