Liquid Metal Alloy Energy Storage Device
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsDavid J. Bradwell, Gerbrand Ceder, Luis A. Ortiz, Donald R. Sadoway
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Abstract
An energy storage device configured to exchange energy with an external device includes a container having walls, a lid covering the container and having a safety pressure valve, a negative electrode disposed away from the walls of the container, a positive electrode in contact with at least a portion of the walls of the container, and an electrolyte contacting the negative electrode and the positive electrode at respective electrode/electrolyte interfaces. The negative electrode, the positive electrode and the electrolyte include separate liquid materials within the container at an operating temperature of the battery.
Claims20
An energy storage device configured to exchange energy with an external device, the energy storage device comprising:
- a container having walls;
- a lid that covers the container, the lid having a safety pressure valve;
- a negative electrode disposed away from the walls of the container;
- a positive electrode in contact with at least a portion of the walls of the container;
- and
- an electrolyte contacting the negative electrode and the positive electrode at respective electrode/electrolyte interfaces, wherein the negative electrode, the positive electrode and the electrolyte comprise separate liquid materials within the container at an operating temperature of the battery.
An energy storage device, comprising:
- a container having walls;
- a lid that covers the container;
- a negative electrode disposed away from the walls of the container;
- a positive electrode in contact with at least a portion of the walls of the container;
- and
- an electrolyte contacting the negative electrode and the positive electrode at respective electrode/electrolyte interfaces, wherein the electrolyte is liquid at an operating temperature of the energy storage device, wherein the negative electrode, the positive electrode, or both are liquid at the operating temperature of the energy storage device, and wherein the negative electrode comprises an active metal and at least one additional element that is present at an amount that (i) decreases a melting point of the negative electrode or (ii) reduces a thermodynamic activity of the active metal in the negative electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.