Carbon/carbon materials useful as NA/S battery container/current collector
AssigneeSpace Systems/Loral, Inc.
InventorsDonald C. Briggs, Harold L. Hillesland, Brian D. Lewis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention is directed to an electrically conductive current collector suitable for use in corrosive environments at high temperatures. The current collector comprises a shaped carbon/carbon material consisting of a woven arrangement of substantially continuous carbon filaments having a high tensile modulus impregnated with carbon particulate. The invention is also directed sodium/sulfur batteries employing same, generally as the current collector/container.
Claims14
An electrically conductive current collector having a region suitable for use in contact with a corrosive environment, characterized in that substantially the entire said region of said current collector comprises a shaped, substantially impermeable carbon/carbon material woven of substantially continuous carbon filaments in toe configuration, impregnated with carbon particulate, which carbon filaments have a tensile modulus greater than about 70 million lbs/in.sup.2 and wherein said toe configuration comprises up to about 5000 carbon filaments.
An electrochemical battery comprising:
- (1) an anodic reaction zone containing a molten alkali metal reactant anode in electrical contact with an external circuit;
- (2) a cathodic reaction zone containing a cathodic reactant comprising a molten liquid electrolyte which is electrochemically reactive with said anodic reactant and a current collector having at least a region exposed to said cathodic reactant;
- and (3) a cation-permeable barrier to mass liquid transfer interposed between and in contact with said anodic and cathodic reaction zones, said current collector being in electrical contact with both said cation-permeable barrier and said external circuit, wherein the improvement comprises:
- employing as said current collector in said device a current collector having a region suitable for use in contact with a corrosive environment, characterized in that substantially the entire said region of said current collector comprises a shaped, substantially impermeable carbon/carbon material woven of substantially continuous carbon filaments in toe configuration, impregnated with carbon particulate, which carbon filaments have a tensile modulus greater than about 70 million lbs/in and wherein said toe configuration comprises up to about 5000 carbon filaments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.