Processes for the alkaliation or re-alkaliation of an electrode active material
AssigneeHydro-Quebec
InventorsKamyab AMOUZEGAR, François LAROUCHE, Pascal CHAMPAGNE, Georges HOULACHI, Patrick BOUCHARD, Karim ZAGHIB
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Abstract
Processes are described for the direct or indirect electrochemical alkaliation of an alkali metal deficient electrochemically active material. The processes include an electrolysis step either during the alkaliation of the alkali metal deficient electrochemically active material on an electrode current collector (direct) or during the regeneration of a reducing agent used for the alkaliation of the electrochemically active material (indirect).
Claims19
A process for the electrochemical alkaliation of an electrochemically active material, the process comprising the steps of:
- a) obtaining a working electrode comprising a working electrode material on a current collector, the working electrode material comprising the electrochemically active material, optionally a binder and/or an electronically conductive material;
- b) introducing the working electrode in an electrochemical reactor in continuous and/or batch mode with an inert counter electrode, and a solution comprising an alkali metal salt in a solvent, wherein the alkali metal salt comprises at least one of an alkali metal sulfate or an alkali metal bicarbonate;
- c) applying a direct current between the working electrode and the counter electrode to obtain an alkaliated electrode comprising an alkaliated electrochemically active material;
- and
- d) removing the alkaliated electrode obtained in step (c) from the electrochemical reactor;
- wherein the electrochemically active material comprises a metal oxide, metal phosphate, metal silicate, metal sulfate, or a partially alkaliated metal oxide, metal phosphate, metal silicate, or metal sulfate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.