Polar solvent based device for storage and thermal capture of electrical energy

An assembly comprising:

• a plurality of devices mounted on a common hydrophobic substrate;
• and
• a plurality of traces interconnecting selected ones of the plurality of the devices, each of the plurality of devices comprising:
• a cathode electrode comprising graphene sheets;
• an anode electrode comprising graphene sheets, the anode electrode having a first side opposite a second side, the anode electrode being spaced apart from the cathode electrode to define a gap between the first side of the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, an electrical potential existing between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode;
• and
• a protic or aprotic polar liquid comprising a gap portion positioned in the gap and a reservoir portion positioned adjacent the second side of the anode electrode, wherein adding energy to at least one of the cathode electrode, the anode electrode, and the liquid causes at least a first portion of the liquid to flow from the reservoir portion into the gap portion, the first portion of the liquid contacting the cathode electrode and self-ordering upon contact with the cathode electrode to (a) form an exclusion zone devoid of solutes, precipitates, and suspended solids, and (b) increase the electrical potential between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode.

An electrical energy storage device comprising:

• a polar solution;
• a hydrophilic first electrode comprising graphene sheets, the first electrode being at least partially submerged in the solution;
• a second electrode comprising graphene sheets, the second electrode being at least partially submerged in the solution, at least one of the first and second electrodes being porous;
• an exclusion zone defined between the first and second electrodes, the solution comprising an exclusion zone portion positioned in the exclusion zone alongside the first electrode, the exclusion zone portion self-ordering into a polarized crystalline structure devoid of solutes, precipitates, and suspended solids, the solution further comprising a reservoir zone portion positioned outside the exclusion zone, the exclusion zone portion and the reservoir zone portion each having a volume;
• and
• an electrical potential between the first and second electrodes, wherein increasing the electrical potential causes the volume of the exclusion zone portion to increase, and the volume of the reservoir zone portion to decrease.

An electrical energy storage device comprising:

• a dielectric polar solution;
• a first electrode comprising graphene sheets, the first electrode being at least partially submerged in the solution;
• a second electrode comprising graphene sheets, the second electrode being at least partially submerged in the solution, at least one of the first and second electrodes being porous;
• and
• means for modifying a volume of a portion of the solution located between the first and second electrodes, the portion of the solution self-ordering to form an exclusion zone alongside the first electrode that excludes solutes, precipitates, and suspended solids, the volume of the self-ordered portion determining a magnitude of an electrical potential between the first and second electrodes.