# US 2014/0193723 A1 · Conductivity control in electrochemical cells > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0193723 A1 - Document ID: US20140193723A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/150,156 - Filed: 2014-01-08 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-08 - Assignees: Sion Power Corporation - Applicants: Sion Power Corporation - Inventors: Karthikeyan Kumaresan; Yuriy V. Mikhaylik - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140193723A1 ## CPC - H01M 4/02: Electrodes composed of, or comprising, active material - H01M 4/66: Selection of materials - H01M 10/052: Li-accumulators - H01M 12/06: with one metallic and one gaseous electrode - H01M 12/08: composed of a half-cell of a fuel-cell type and a half-cell of the secondary-cell type - H01M 2004/021: {Physical characteristics, e.g. porosity, surface area} - 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 Electrochemical cells having desirable electronic and ionic conductivities, and associated systems and methods, are generally described. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An energy storage device, comprising: a first electrode comprising a first electrode active material and having a first electrode electronic conductivity; an electrolyte having an ionic conductivity; and a second electrode comprising a second electrode active material, wherein the first electrode electronic conductivity is less than or equal to about 200% of the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the first electrode electronic conductivity is from about 1% to about 200% of the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte. ### Claim 3 An energy storage device, comprising: a first electrode comprising a first electrode active material and having an electrode electronic conductivity of about 700 mS/cm or less; an electrolyte; and a second electrode comprising a second electrode active material. ### Claim 4 An energy storage device, comprising: a first electrode comprising a first electrode active material and a total pore volume; an electrolyte; and a second electrode comprising a second electrode active material, wherein: the energy storage device is configured such that the first and second electrode active materials undergo a reaction to form a volume of solid reaction product during operation of the energy storage device, and the total pore volume of the first electrode is between about 100% and about 300% of the volume of the solid reaction product formed when the reaction has proceeded to substantial completion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The energy storage device of claim 4, wherein: the first electrode has a first electrode electronic conductivity; the electrolyte has an ionic conductivity; and the first electrode electronic conductivity is less than or equal to about 200% of the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the second electrode has a second electrode electronic conductivity, and the second electrode electronic conductivity is less than or equal to about 200% of the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The energy storage device of claim 6, wherein the second electrode electronic conductivity is from about 1% to about 200% of the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the first electrode is a cathode, and the second electrode is an anode. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The energy storage device of claim 8, wherein the first electrode active material comprises sulfur. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The energy storage device of claim 9, wherein the device is capable of utilizing at least about 90% of the total sulfur in the energy storage device through at least 100 charge and discharge cycles subsequent to a first charge and discharge cycle, wherein 100% utilization corresponds to 1675 mAh per gram of total sulfur in the energy storage device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The energy storage device of claim 9, wherein the sulfur comprises elemental sulfur. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The energy storage device of claim 8, wherein the second electrode active material comprises lithium. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The energy storage device of claim 12, wherein the lithium comprises lithium metal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the first electrode is an anode, and the second electrode is a cathode. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the first electrode electronic conductivity is less than or equal to about 700 mS/cm. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the first electrode comprises a porous support structure comprising a plurality of pores, and the first electrode active material is at least partially disposed within the pores of the porous support structure. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The energy storage device of claim 16, wherein each pore of the plurality of pores has a pore volume, and the plurality of pores has a total pore volume defined by the sum of each of the individual pore volumes, and at least about 50% of the total pore volume is occupied by pores having cross-sectional diameters of between about 0.1 microns and about 10 microns. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The energy storage device of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the porous support structure is made of at least one of carbon, a metal carbide, a metal nitride, silicon, and a polymer. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is a zinc-air electrochemical cell. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is an aluminum-air electrochemical cell. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is a lithium-air electrochemical cell. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is a lithium-sulfur dioxide electrochemical cell. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is a lithium-thionyl chloride electrochemical cell. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is a lithium-sulfuryl chloride electrochemical cell.