Molten salt lithium cells
OwnerIan D. Raistrick, Jaime Poris +1inventors
InventorsIan D. Raistrick, Jaime Poris, Robert A. Huggins
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Abstract
Lithium-based cells are promising for applications such as electric vehicles and load-leveling for power plants since lithium is very electropositive and light weight. One type of lithium-based cell utilizes a molten salt electrolyte and is operated in the temperature range of about 400.degree.-500.degree. C. Such high temperature operation accelerates corrosion problems and a substantial amount of energy is lost through heat transfer. The present invention provides an electrochemical cell (10) which may be operated at temperatures between about 100.degree.-170.degree. C. Cell (10) comprises an electrolyte (16), which preferably includes lithium nitrate, and a lithium or lithium alloy electrode (12).
Claims3
A method of processing lithium comprising the steps of:
- providing a quantity of an electrolyte, said electrolyte including lithium moieties and a mixture of nitrate moieties, and said electrolyte having a melting point in the range of about 100.degree. to about 170.degree. C.;
- contacting said electrolyte with a quantity of elemental lithium;
- and,
- selectively conducting lithium ions between said quantity of electrolyte and said quantity of elemental lithium
- heating said quantity of electrolyte to a temperature in the range of about 100.degree. to about 170.degree. C. to form a molten state thereof, and maintaining said temperature and said molten state during the selectively conducting step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.