Energy devices and methods for the fabrication of energy devices
AssigneeSuperior MicroPowders LLC
InventorsMark J. Hampden-Smith, Toivo T. Kodas, Plamen Atanassov, Paolina Atanassova, Klaus Kunze, Paul Napolitano, David Dericotte, Rimple Bhatia
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Abstract
Energy devices such as batteries and methods for fabricating the energy devices. The devices are small, thin and lightweight, yet provide sufficient power for many handheld electronics.
Claims33
A battery comprising an anode and a cathode, wherein said cathode comprises:
- a) a gas diffusion layer;
- b) a current collector disposed on said gas diffusion layer;
- c) a carbon conductor layer disposed on said current collector wherein said carbon conductor layer comprises carbon particles dispersed in hydrophobic matrix;
- and
- d) an electrocatalyst layer comprising electrocatalyst particles dispersed throughout a matrix having a lower hydrophobicity than said hydrophobic matrix,
- wherein said current collector, said carbon conductor layer and said electrocatalyst layer have a total average thickness of not greater than about 100 μm.
A battery comprising an anode and a cathode, wherein said cathode comprises:
- a) a gas diffusion layer;
- b) a current collector disposed on said gas diffusion layer;
- c) a gradient functional layer disposed over said current collector;
- and
- d) a separator;
- wherein said gradient functional layer comprises carbon particles and electrocatalyst particles, wherein the concentration of carbon particles relative to electrocatalyst particles through said gradient functional layer decreases from said current collector to said separator.
A battery as recited in clai 13, wherein said gas diffusion layer comprises a porous tetrafluoroethylene fluorocarbon polymer.
A battery comprising an anode and a cathode, wherein said cathode comprises:
- a) a gas diffusion layer;
- b) a current collector disposed on said gas diffusion layer;
- c) an electrocatalyst layer disposed over said current collector;
- and
- d) a separator;
- wherein said electrocatalyst layer comprises electrocatalyst particles in intimate electrical contact with said current collector and wherein said current collector and said electrocatalyst layer have a total average thickness of not greater than about 30 μm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.