CA1149446A - High energy electrochemical power cell - Google Patents
High energy electrochemical power cellInfo
- Publication number
- CA1149446A CA1149446A CA000375809A CA375809A CA1149446A CA 1149446 A CA1149446 A CA 1149446A CA 000375809 A CA000375809 A CA 000375809A CA 375809 A CA375809 A CA 375809A CA 1149446 A CA1149446 A CA 1149446A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- high energy
- power cell
- electrochemical power
- cell according
- oxychloride
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02E60/10—Energy storage using batteries
Landscapes
- Battery Electrode And Active Subsutance (AREA)
- Primary Cells (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An improved high energy electrochemical power cell is obtained by adding cupric chloride to the high surface area carbon black cathode of a lithium-inorganic electrolyte cell.
An improved high energy electrochemical power cell is obtained by adding cupric chloride to the high surface area carbon black cathode of a lithium-inorganic electrolyte cell.
Description
~14!~446 This invention relates in general to improvements in high energy electrochemical power cells and in particular to an improved lithium-inorganic electrolyte electrochemical cell.
Lithium-inorganic electrolyte cells are capable of providing high energy densities at ambient temperature. These cells employ a lithium anode, a solution of a highly soluble lithium salt such as lithium tetra-chloroaluminate in an oxychloride solvent such as phosphorous oxychloride, thionyl chloride or sulfuryl chloride as the electrolyte and a high surface area carbon black cathode. A novel feature of these cells is that the oxy-chloride serves the dual purpose of being a solvent for the lithium salt and acting as a cathode depolarizer. One of the hest known of these lithium-inorganic electrolyte cells is the lithium-thionyl chloride cell which has been demonstrated to deliver energy densities of the order of 250 watt hours per pound at ambient temperature.
A difficulty encountered, however, with the carbon black cathodes of the lithium-thionyl chloride cells is that while they show slight polariza-tion at low discharge rates, they suffer from excessive polarization at high discharge rates.
It has recently been suggested in Great Britain patent application o GB 2,003,651A, to L~Ro Giattino, published 14 March, 1979, that the lithium-thionyl chloride cell could be benefited by adding copper to the cell. The difficulty with copper as the additive, however, is that copper is unstable in the electrolyte and partially goes into solution and is deposited on the lithium anode. This deposition decreases the shelf life of the cell as well as causing a worsening of the voltage delay.
The general object of this invention is to provide an improved high energy electrochemical power cell. A more particular object of the invention is to provide an improved lithium-inorganic electrolyte j ~.
~'9~446 cell wherein cathode polarization at high discharge rates is reduced.
It has now been found that the foregoing objects can be attained by adding cupric chloride to a high surface area carbon black cathode of a lithium-thionyl chloride cell.
Cupric chloride is insoluble in thionyl chloride solutions and undergoes reduction in the solid state at about 3.56 volts versus a lithium reference. Thus, when high surface area carbon black cathodes are prepared using about 20 to 25 weight percent of cupric chloride as additive, cupric chloride undergoes reduction concurrently with thionyl chloride and enables the cathode to sustain higher currents without as much polarization as occurs with carbon cathodes made without the cupric chloride additive.
A carbon paste electrode with cupric chloride additive is prepared by adding about 21.7 weight percent of cupric chloride to a high surface area carbon black.
When the carbon black electrode with cupric chloride additive is incorporated in a lithium-thionyl chloride system, experiments with laboratory cells indicates that the carbon black paste electrode con-taining the cupric chloride additive increases the current carrying capabilities of carbon cathodes as compared to the carbon black paste electrode without the cupric chloride additive. Thus, carbon cathodes containing cupric chloride additive can deliver cell voltages above 3 volts at current densities up to 50 mA/cm whereas carbon cathodes without the cupric chloride additive can deliver cell voltages above 3 volts at current densities only up to 25 mA¦cm2. The improvement allows the cathode potential and cell voltages to be maintained at high levels out to current densities which are encountered in such applications as laser designators. Moreover, the reduction in cathode polarization decreases release of entropic heat and thereby results in the enhancement of cell safety.
In the high energy electrochemical power cells of the invention, in lieu of thionyl chloride, one may use other oxychloride solvents such as phosphorous oxychloride and sulfuryl chloride. Similarly, in lieu of lithium tetrachloroaluminate as the solute, one may use other highly soluble lithium salts.
~1~9~46 ~he high surface area carbon black used should have a surface area of about 50 m2/gm to 1000 m21gm. Preferred for use in the invention is Shawinigan black, a carbon black having a surface area of about 60 m /gm.
I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details as described for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.
* denotes trademark
Lithium-inorganic electrolyte cells are capable of providing high energy densities at ambient temperature. These cells employ a lithium anode, a solution of a highly soluble lithium salt such as lithium tetra-chloroaluminate in an oxychloride solvent such as phosphorous oxychloride, thionyl chloride or sulfuryl chloride as the electrolyte and a high surface area carbon black cathode. A novel feature of these cells is that the oxy-chloride serves the dual purpose of being a solvent for the lithium salt and acting as a cathode depolarizer. One of the hest known of these lithium-inorganic electrolyte cells is the lithium-thionyl chloride cell which has been demonstrated to deliver energy densities of the order of 250 watt hours per pound at ambient temperature.
A difficulty encountered, however, with the carbon black cathodes of the lithium-thionyl chloride cells is that while they show slight polariza-tion at low discharge rates, they suffer from excessive polarization at high discharge rates.
It has recently been suggested in Great Britain patent application o GB 2,003,651A, to L~Ro Giattino, published 14 March, 1979, that the lithium-thionyl chloride cell could be benefited by adding copper to the cell. The difficulty with copper as the additive, however, is that copper is unstable in the electrolyte and partially goes into solution and is deposited on the lithium anode. This deposition decreases the shelf life of the cell as well as causing a worsening of the voltage delay.
The general object of this invention is to provide an improved high energy electrochemical power cell. A more particular object of the invention is to provide an improved lithium-inorganic electrolyte j ~.
~'9~446 cell wherein cathode polarization at high discharge rates is reduced.
It has now been found that the foregoing objects can be attained by adding cupric chloride to a high surface area carbon black cathode of a lithium-thionyl chloride cell.
Cupric chloride is insoluble in thionyl chloride solutions and undergoes reduction in the solid state at about 3.56 volts versus a lithium reference. Thus, when high surface area carbon black cathodes are prepared using about 20 to 25 weight percent of cupric chloride as additive, cupric chloride undergoes reduction concurrently with thionyl chloride and enables the cathode to sustain higher currents without as much polarization as occurs with carbon cathodes made without the cupric chloride additive.
A carbon paste electrode with cupric chloride additive is prepared by adding about 21.7 weight percent of cupric chloride to a high surface area carbon black.
When the carbon black electrode with cupric chloride additive is incorporated in a lithium-thionyl chloride system, experiments with laboratory cells indicates that the carbon black paste electrode con-taining the cupric chloride additive increases the current carrying capabilities of carbon cathodes as compared to the carbon black paste electrode without the cupric chloride additive. Thus, carbon cathodes containing cupric chloride additive can deliver cell voltages above 3 volts at current densities up to 50 mA/cm whereas carbon cathodes without the cupric chloride additive can deliver cell voltages above 3 volts at current densities only up to 25 mA¦cm2. The improvement allows the cathode potential and cell voltages to be maintained at high levels out to current densities which are encountered in such applications as laser designators. Moreover, the reduction in cathode polarization decreases release of entropic heat and thereby results in the enhancement of cell safety.
In the high energy electrochemical power cells of the invention, in lieu of thionyl chloride, one may use other oxychloride solvents such as phosphorous oxychloride and sulfuryl chloride. Similarly, in lieu of lithium tetrachloroaluminate as the solute, one may use other highly soluble lithium salts.
~1~9~46 ~he high surface area carbon black used should have a surface area of about 50 m2/gm to 1000 m21gm. Preferred for use in the invention is Shawinigan black, a carbon black having a surface area of about 60 m /gm.
I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details as described for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.
* denotes trademark
Claims (20)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. In a high energy electrochemical power cell employing lithium as the anode, a solution of a highly soluble lithium salt in an oxychloride solvent as the electrolyte and a high surface area carbon black cathode, the improve-ment of preparing the cathode by adding cupric chloride to the high surface area carbon black so that the initial cathode composition is a mixture of high surface area carbon black and cupric chloride and incorporating said cathode in the lithium-oxychloride solvent system to reduce cathode polariza-tion at high discharge rates.
2. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 1 using about 20 to 25 weight percent cupric chloride as the additive.
3. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 2 wherein the lithium salt is lithium tetrachloroaluminate.
4. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 3 wherein the oxychloride solvent is selected from the group consisting of phosphorous oxychloride, thionyl chloride, and sulfuryl chloride.
5. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 4 wherein the oxychloride solvent is phosphorous oxychloride.
6. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 4 wherein the oxychloride solvent is thionyl chloride.
7. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 4 wherein the oxychloride solvent is sulfuryl chloride.
8. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claims 1,2, or 5, wherein the high surface area carbon black has a surface area of about 50 m2/gm to 1000 m2/gm.
9. In a high energy electrochemical power cell employing lithium as the anode, a solution of lithium tetrachloroaluminate in thionyl chloride as the electrolyte, and a carbon black cathode having a surface area of about 60 m2/gm, the improvement of preparing the cathode by adding about 20 to 25 weight percent of cupric chloride to the carbon black so that the initial cathode composition is a mixture of carbon black having a surface area of about 60 m2/gm and about 20 to 25 percent of cupric chloride and incorporating said cathode in the lithium-oxychloride solvent system to reduce cathode polarization at high discharge rates.
10. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 2 wherein the oxychloride solvent is selected from the group consisting of phosphorous oxychloride, thionyl chloride, and sulfuryl chloride.
11. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 10 wherein the oxychloride solvent is phosphorous oxychloride.
12. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 10 wherein the oxychloride solvent is thionyl chloride.
13. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 10 wherein the oxychloride so vent is sulfuryl chloride.
14. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 10 wherein the high surface area carbon black has a surface area of about 50 m2/gm to 1000 m2/gm.
15. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 2 wherein the high surface area carbon black has a surface area of about 50 m2/gm to 1000 m2/gm.
16. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 15 wherein the lithium salt is lithium tetrachloroaluminate.
17. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 16 wherein the oxychloride solvent is selected from the group consisting of phosphorous oxychloride, thionyl chloride, and sulfuryl chloride.
18. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 17 wherein the oxychloride solvent is phosphorous oxychloride.
19. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 17 wherein the oxychloride solvent is thionyl chloride.
20. A high energy electrochemical power cell according to claim 17 wherein the oxychloride solvent is sulfuryl chloride.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US17151580A | 1980-07-23 | 1980-07-23 | |
| US171,515 | 1980-07-23 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1149446A true CA1149446A (en) | 1983-07-05 |
Family
ID=22624020
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000375809A Expired CA1149446A (en) | 1980-07-23 | 1981-04-21 | High energy electrochemical power cell |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1149446A (en) |
-
1981
- 1981-04-21 CA CA000375809A patent/CA1149446A/en not_active Expired
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |