Adaptable electrical component
AssigneeCity University of Hong Kong
InventorsChunyi Zhi, Funian Mo
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Abstract
A system and a method for an adaptable electrical component including a first electrode and a second electrode; the first electrode being spaced apart from the second electrode; a polymer electrolyte disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode; a housing retaining the first electrode, second electrode and the polymer electrolyte; wherein the polymer electrolyte is a thermoresponsive polymer electrolyte, such that one or more characteristics of the polymer electrolyte changes in response to a temperature exceeding a threshold.
Claims40
An adaptable electrical component comprising:
- a first electrode and a second electrode;
- the first electrode being spaced apart from the second electrode;
- a polymer electrolyte disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode;
- a housing retaining the first electrode, second electrode and the polymer electrolyte;
- wherein the polymer electrolyte is a thermoresponsive polymer electrolyte, such that one or more characteristics of the polymer electrolyte changes in response to a temperature exceeding a threshold.
An adaptable electrical component in accordance with claim 13, wherein the anode comprises a zinc foil and the cathode comprises one or more manganese dioxide rods or a manganese dioxide sheet.
An adaptable electrical component, the adaptable electrical component is an adaptable battery, wherein the adaptable electrical component comprises:
- an anode, a cathode, the anode being spaced away from the cathode;
- a polymer electrolyte disposed between the anode and the cathode;
- a separator element being disposed between the anode and the cathode;
- a current collector, the current collector being a planar element having at least two sides, the cathode being disposed on a side of the current collector that faces the anode;
- the anode comprising a zinc;
- the cathode comprising manganese dioxide;
- the polymer electrolyte being a thermoresponsive polymer electrolyte, the polymer electrolyte is changeable between a first phase and a second phase, the polymer electrolyte changes from a first phase to the second phase when the temperature of the polymer electrolyte exceeds a threshold;
- and the polymer electrolyte changes from a second phase to a first phase when the temperature of the polymer electrolyte reduces to below the threshold;
- in a first phase the polymer electrolyte being electrically conductive such that in the first phase ions being able to freely migrate between the anode and the cathode, and;
- in a second phase the polymer electrolyte being less conductive than when in the first phase such that in the second phase ions being inhibited from moving between the anode and the cathode thereby shutting down or reducing operation of the electrical component.
A method synthesizing an electrolyte for a battery, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a first monomer and a second monomer;
- mixing the first monomer and second monomer;
- adding an initiator to initiate a polymerization process, wherein the polymerization process is a free radical polymerization process to form the electrolyte and wherein the electrolyte is a copolymer electrolyte.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.