Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090217963 | PHOTOVOLTAIC APPARATUS FOR CHARGING A PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MAKING - A method of making a plurality of photovoltaic cells ( | 09-03-2009 |
20100316935 | ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS CONNECTED IN FLUID FLOW SERIES - An electrochemical cell system for generating electrical power is disclosed. The electrochemical cell system comprises a plurality of fluidly connected electrochemical cells. Each electrochemical cell comprises an anode and a cathode. The anode is configured to permit a fluid comprising at least an electrolyte to flow in contact therewith to oxidize a fuel. The cathode is permeable to an oxidizer and is configured to receive electrons to reduce the oxidizer. The cathode and the anode are spaced apart to define a gap therebetween for receiving the fluid flow. The plurality of electrochemical cells are connected in fluid flow series such that, for each pair of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, the fluid flows from a first cell of the pair of cells to a second cell of the pair of cells. The plurality of electrochemical cells are connected electrically in series such that, for each pair of fluidly connected electrochemical cells, the cathode of the first cell of the pair is electrically connected to the anode of the second cell of the pair. | 12-16-2010 |
20110070506 | RECHARGEABLE ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL SYSTEM WITH A CHARGING ELECTRODE CHARGE/DISCHARGE MODE SWITCHING IN THE CELLS - One aspect of the present invention provides a rechargeable electrochemical cell system for generating electrical current using a fuel and an oxidant. The cell system comprises N electrochemical cells each comprising a fuel electrode, an oxidant electrode, a charging electrode, and an ionically conductive medium communicating the electrodes, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to two. Any number of cells may be used. The cell system includes a plurality of switches that are switcheable to a discharge mode coupling the oxidant electrode of each cell to the fuel electrode of the subsequent cell, a charge mode coupling the charging electrode of each cell to the fuel electrode of the subsequent cell, and a bypass mode coupling charging electrode or the oxidant electrode of a previous cell to the fuel electrode of a subsequent cell. | 03-24-2011 |
20110086278 | ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL WITH FLOW MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - An electrochemical cell includes a fuel electrode configured to operate as an anode to oxidize a fuel when connected to a load. An electrode holder includes a cavity for holding the fuel electrode, at least one inlet connected to the cavity on one side of the cavity and configured to supply an ionically conductive medium to the cavity, and at least one outlet connected to the cavity on an opposite side of the cavity and configured to allow the ionically conductive medium to flow out of the cavity. A plurality of spacers extend across the fuel electrode and the cavity in a spaced relation from each other to define a plurality of flow lanes in the cavity. | 04-14-2011 |
20110189551 | ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL WITH DIFFUSER - An electrochemical cell includes a first electrode configured to operate as an anode to oxidize a fuel when connected to a load. The first electrode includes a permeable electrode body configured to allow flow of an ionically conductive medium therethrough. An electrode holder includes a cavity for holding the first electrode. A diffuser is positioned in the cavity between the first electrode and the electrode holder with a gap formed between the diffuser and the electrode holder. The diffuser includes openings configured to allow flow of the ionically conductive medium therethrough and to distribute the flow through the first electrode. A second electrode is positioned in the cavity on a side of the first electrode that is opposite the diffuser, and is configured to operate as a cathode when connected to the load and in contact with the ionically conductive medium. | 08-04-2011 |
20110250512 | METAL-AIR ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL WITH HIGH ENERGY EFFICIENCY MODE - The present invention relates to a metal-air electrochemical cell with a high energy efficiency mode. | 10-13-2011 |
20110305959 | TUNED HYDROPHOBICITY - An electrochemical cell comprising an electrolyte comprising water and a hydrophobic ionic liquid comprising positive ions and negative ions. The electrochemical cell also includes an air electrode configured to absorb and reduce oxygen. A hydrophilic or hygroscopic additive modulates the hydrophobicity of the ionic liquid to maintain a concentration of the water in the electrolyte is between 0.001 mol % and 25 mol %. | 12-15-2011 |
20110316485 | ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL WITH STEPPED SCAFFOLD FUEL ANODE - An electrochemical cell includes a fuel electrode configured to operate as an anode to oxidize a fuel when connected to a load, and configured to operate as a cathode when connected to a power supply. The fuel electrode comprises a plurality of scaffolded electrode bodies, wherein the scaffolded electrode bodies are of varying size. The electrode bodies are of a larger size at positions distal from a charging electrode configured to act as an anode when connected to the power supply, and of a smaller size at positions proximal to the charging electrode. When connected to a load, the scaffolded electrode bodies-containing fuel electrode acts as the electrochemical cell anode and electrodeposited fuel is oxidized. | 12-29-2011 |
20120015264 | ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL WITH CATCH TRAY - An electrochemical cell includes a fuel electrode configured to operate as an anode to consume a fuel when the fuel electrode and an associated cathode are connected to a load. An ionically conductive medium either present or flowing through the electrochemical cell is configured to conduct ions and participate in electrochemical reactions between the anode and the cathode. The cell further includes a catch tray containing catalyst material to induce the ionization of precipitates of fuel and/or fuel additives that may separate in solid form from the fuel electrode. The catch tray may be positioned to prevent a congestion of the precipitates in the ionically conductive medium, or the waste of electrically disconnected fuel and/or additives. | 01-19-2012 |
20120068667 | ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL SYSTEM WITH A PROGRESSIVE OXYGEN EVOLVING ELECTRODE / FUEL ELECTRODE - One aspect of the present invention provides an electrochemical cell system comprising at least one electrochemical cell configured to be selectively connected to a load to discharge the cell by generating electrical current using a fuel and an oxidant. The electrochemical cell system may alternatively be connected to a power supply to recharge the cell. The electrochemical cell system comprises a plurality of electrodes and electrode bodies therein. The electrochemical cell system further comprises a switching system configured to permit progressive movement of the anodes used for charging each electrochemical cell, maintaining a minimum distance from a progressively moving cathode that is the site of fuel growth. | 03-22-2012 |
20120098499 | BATTERY RESETTING PROCESS FOR SCAFFOLD FUEL ELECTRODE - An electrochemical cell includes a fuel electrode configured to operate as an anode to oxidize a fuel when connected to a load. The cell also includes an oxidant electrode configured to operate as a cathode to reduce oxygen when connected to the load. The fuel electrode comprises a plurality of scaffolded electrode bodies. The present invention relates to an electrochemical cell system and method of resetting the electrochemical cell by applying a charge (i.e. voltage or current) to the cell to drive oxidation of the fuel, wherein the fuel electrode operates as an anode, and the second cell operates as a cathode, removing uneven distributions of fuel that may cause premature shorting of the electrode bodies to improve capacity, energy stored, and cell efficiency. | 04-26-2012 |
20120121992 | METAL-AIR CELL WITH HYDROPHOBIC AND HYGROSCOPIC IONICALLY CONDUCTIVE MEDIUMS - A rechargeable cell includes an air electrode for absorbing and reducing oxygen to a reduced oxygen species during discharge and oxidizing the reduced oxygen species during recharge to evolve oxygen. An outer surface of the air electrode is permeable to oxygen and water. A fuel electrode of the cell includes a metal fuel that it oxidizes during discharge and reduces during recharge. First and second ionically conductive layers of the cell have an interface therebetween. The first layer is between an inner surface of the air electrode and the interface. The second layer is an ionic liquid between an inner surface of the fuel electrode and the interface. The first layer is hygroscopic and the ionic liquid is hydrophobic so water absorbed through the air electrode is essentially prevented from diffusing across the interface into the ionic liquid. | 05-17-2012 |
20120139496 | MULTI-MODE CHARGING OF HIERARCHICAL ANODE - One aspect of the present invention provides an electrochemical cell system comprising at least one electrochemical cell configured to be connected to a power supply to recharge the cell. The electrochemical cell system comprises a plurality of electrodes and electrode bodies therein. The electrochemical cell system further comprises a switching system configured to permit modifications of the configuration of anodes and cathodes during charging of the electrochemical cell, and a controller configured to control the switching system. The controller is configured to selectively apply the electrical current to a different number of said electrode bodies based on at least one input parameter so as to adjust a rate and density of the growth of the electrodeposited metal fuel | 06-07-2012 |
20120202127 | ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL SYSTEM WITH SHUNT CURRENT INTERRUPT - An electrochemical cell system is configured to utilize an ionically conductive medium flowing through a plurality of electrochemical cells. One or more disperser chambers are provided to disrupt or minimize electrical current flowing between the electrochemical cells, such as between the cathode of one cell and the anode of a subsequent cell by dispersing the ionically conductive medium. Air is introduced into the disperser chamber to prevent the formation of foamed ionically conductive medium, which may reconnect the dispersed ionically conductive medium, allowing the current to again flow therethrough. | 08-09-2012 |
20130115523 | IMMERSIBLE GASEOUS OXIDANT CATHODE FOR ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL SYSTEM - An electrochemical cell system is configured to utilize an oxidant reduction electrode module containing an oxidant reduction electrode mounted to a housing to form a gaseous oxidant space therein that is immersed into the ionically conductive medium. A fuel electrode is spaced from the oxidant reduction electrode, such that the ionically conductive medium may conduct ions between the fuel and oxidant reduction electrodes to support electrochemical reactions at the fuel and oxidant reduction electrodes. A gaseous oxidant channel extending through the gaseous oxidant space provides a supply of oxidant to the oxidant reduction electrode, such that the fuel electrode and the oxidant reduction electrode are configured to, during discharge, oxidize the metal fuel at the fuel electrode and reduce the oxidant at the oxidant reduction electrode, to generate a discharge potential difference therebetween for application to a load. | 05-09-2013 |
20130115532 | INTERNAL CONVECTION CELL - An electrochemical cell includes a permeable fuel electrode configured to support a metal fuel thereon, and an oxidant reduction electrode spaced from the fuel electrode. An ionically conductive medium is provided for conducting ions between the fuel and oxidant reduction electrodes, to support electrochemical reactions at the fuel and oxidant reduction electrodes. A charging electrode is also included, selected from the group consisting of (a) the oxidant reduction electrode, (b) a separate charging electrode spaced from the fuel and oxidant reduction electrodes, and (c) a portion of the permeable fuel electrode. The charging electrode is configured to evolve gaseous oxygen bubbles that generate a flow of the ionically conductive medium. One or more flow diverters are also provided in the electrochemical cell, and configured to direct the flow of the ionically conductive medium at least partially through the permeable fuel electrode. | 05-09-2013 |