Advanced metal-air battery having a ceramic membrane electrolyte

A method for discharging and recharging an air-metal battery comprising:

• oxidizing an alkali-metal-containing anode to produce alkali-metal ions;
• transporting the alkali-metal ions through an anolyte interposed between the anode and an ion-selective membrane;
• transporting the alkali-metal ions through an ion-selective membrane that is impermeable to water, wherein transporting the alkali-metal ions through an ion-selective membrane comprises transporting the alkali-metal ions through a dense layer, impermeable to the aqueous catholyte, sandwiched between porous layers, wherein the porous layers comprise a material that is ion-selective and conductive to the alkali-metal ions;
• transporting the alkali-metal ions through an aqueous catholyte solution;
• reducing oxygen molecules at a cathode to produce oxygen containing anions, wherein the cathode comprises a gas-diffusion layer that is hydrophobic but permeable to oxygen and a reaction layer containing one or more catalysts to reduce oxygen molecules during battery discharge and to produce oxygen molecules during battery recharge;
• reacting the alkali-metal ions with the oxygen containing anions generated at the cathode to produce a reaction product;
• and
• storing the reaction product as a solute dissolved in the aqueous catholyte solution.

An air-metal battery comprising:

• a cathode comprising a gas-diffusion layer that is hydrophobic but permeable to oxygen, and a reaction layer comprising one or more catalysts to reduce oxygen molecules during battery discharge to produce oxygen containing anions and to produce oxygen molecules during battery recharge;
• an alkali-metal-containing anode which is oxidized to produce alkali-metal ions;
• a catholyte solution in ionic communication with the cathode to conduct the alkali-metal ions and store, in the form of a dissolved solute, a reaction product produced by reacting the oxygen containing anions with the alkali-metal ions;
• and
• an ion-selective membrane interposed between the alkali-metal containing anode and the catholyte solution, the ion-selective membrane being conductive to the alkali-metal ions while being impermeable to the catholyte solution, wherein the ion-selective membrane comprises a dense layer, impermeable to the catholyte solution, sandwiched between porous layers, wherein the dense and porous layers comprise a material that is ion-selective and conductive to the alkali-metal ions.