Solid electrolytes strengthened by metal dispersions
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsRobert J. Lauf, Chester S. Morgan
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Abstract
An improvement in solid electrolytes of advanced secondary batteries of the sodium-sulfur, sodium-halogen, and like combinations is achieved by providing said battery with a cermet electrolyte containing a metal dispersion ranging from 0.1 to 10.0 vol. % of a substantially nonreactive metal selected from the group consisting essentially of Pt, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Nb, their alloys, and their physical mixtures in the elemental or uncombined state, the remainder of said cermet being an ion-conductive ceramic material.
Claims7
In a secondary battery, a solid electrolyte comprising:
- an ion-conductive sodium beta-alumina ceramic material;
- and
- a discontinuous metal phase dispersed throughout said ceramic material and selected from the group consisting of Pt, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Nb and alloys and mixtures thereof.
A method of inhibiting battery degradation during cycling comprising providing a battery with a cermet solid electrolyte employing a finely dispersed phase of metal particulates selected from the group consisting essentially of Pt, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Nb, their alloys, and their physical mixtures in the elemental or uncombined state, said metal phase comprising from about 0.1 to 10.0 vol. % of the ultimate article, essentially uniformly dispersed within a solid electrolyte sodium beta-alumina ceramic material which constitutes the volume balance of said electrolyte.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.