Metal air scavenger - an energy harvesting technology for powering electronics and robotics
AssigneeThe Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
InventorsJames Henry PIKUL, Min WANG
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Abstract
Provided are metal-air scavenger systems that use metal surfaces to harvest energy for powering microelectronic devices; such devices can be attached to exposed metal surfaces and then generate power by electrochemically oxidizing the metal surface. The disclosed devices can be configured to effect relative motion between the device and the metal, thus allowing the device to utilize an entire metal surface to generate power and also allowing the device to feed metal to itself to generate power.
Claims30
A power cell, comprising:
- an electrolyte, the electrolyte being characterized as being solid or semi-solid;
- and
- a cathode in electronic communication with the electrolyte, the cathode being configured to support reduction of oxygen from an environment exterior to the power cell;
- and
- an electrical load in electronic communication with the cathode,
- the power cell being (a) configured to reversibly place the electrolyte into stationary electronic communication with a metal exterior to the power cell, (b) configured to effect relative motion between the electrolyte and a metal exterior to the power cell.
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A method of powering an electrical load, comprising:
- with an electrical load in electronic communication with (i) a power cell that comprises an electrolyte and a cathode configured to support reduction of oxygen from an environment exterior to the power cell and (ii) a metal anode, the metal anode being a metal exterior to the power cell,
- effecting oxidation of the metal anode and reduction of environmental oxygen so as to power the electrical load.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.