TW202232816A - Fuel cell with multiple electric connectors - Google Patents

Abstract

A zinc-air fuel cell with multiple electric connectors includes: a case forming a space; multiple gas chambers disposed in the space; two air electrode layers disposed in the space and serving as positive electrodes for discharging; a metal layer disposed in the space and serving as a positive electrode for charging; a zinc material disposed in the space and serving as a negative electrode; multiple separators disposed in the space so that the air electrode layers, the zinc material and the metal layer are separately arranged; an electrolyte disposed in the space, capable of flowing to pass through the separators and in contact with the air electrode layers, the metal layer and the zinc material so that the air electrode layers, the zinc material and the metal layer are respectively electrically connected. Various embodiments of fuel cells and cell assemblies and methods of using the same are provided. Each fuel cell or cell assembly can simultaneously perform a charging function and a discharging function, the former by receiving electric currents from external charging devices, the latter by outputting an electric current to an electrical load.

Description

Fuel cell with multiple electrical connectors

This application claims priority to US Patent Application Serial No. 17/483,770 and a continuation of US Patent Application Serial No. 17/148,573, filed January 14, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention generally relates to a fuel cell. In particular, the present invention relates to an air fuel cell having a plurality of electrical connectors, each electrical connector serving as an electrode of an air fuel cell, the air fuel cell comprising a zinc negative electrode, an air positive electrode, a positive electrode for charging, and an electrolyte , the electrolyte system adjusts the activation mode and deactivation mode of the air fuel cell.

Fuel cell energy dominates the scientific field and involves the direct conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy. The fuel cell has a high density of energy in the process of generating energy, and the electric energy comes from the potential difference between the positive and negative electrodes, and at the same time, the pollution to the environment is small. Therefore, fuel cells are widely studied by academia and industry to lead a revolutionary improvement in global carbon (petrochemical) emissions, energy shortages and environmental pollution.

The internal configuration of a traditional zinc-air fuel cell (ZAFC) is mainly composed of an air electrode, a zinc anode, a liquid storage space and an electrolyte. Conventional zinc-air fuel cells (ZAFCs) are usually manually replaceable batteries. In other words, the electrodes or electrolytes of such batteries can only be manually replaced to regenerate their electrical capacity. Zinc-air fuel cells can be discharged or charged. The discharge reaction may involve the following half-reactions: (1) Negative electrode: I. Zn + 4OH ^- → Zn(OH) ₄ ^2- + 2e ^- II. Zn(OH) ₄ ^2- → ZnO + H ₂ O + 2OH ^- (2 ) Positive electrode: 1/2 O ₂ + H ₂ O + 2e ^- → 2OH ^- (3) The total reaction is: Zn + 1/2 O ₂ → ZnO

The charging reaction may involve the following half-reactions: (1) Cathode: I. ZnO + H ₂ O + 2OH ^- → Zn(OH) ₄ ^2- II. Zn(OH) ₄ ^2- + 2e ^- → Zn + 4OH ^- (2 ) anode: 2OH ^- → 1/2 O ₂ + H ₂ O + 2e ^- (3) Overall reaction: ZnO → Zn + 1/2 O ₂ (4) In the presence of alkaline electrolyte in electrolysis, ZnO is reduced to nanoscale zinc.

When left unused or used for a long time, the polarization, passivation and dendrite growth of the zinc anode lead to rapid corrosion of the zinc anode, poor performance of the zinc-air fuel cell, acidification of the electrolyte and shortened battery life due to the air electrode and zinc Continuous immersion of the anode in the electrolyte. Although there are available zinc-air fuel cell structures with three electrodes, they fail to solve problems such as high current charge and discharge and redox efficiency, and the leakage problem of zinc-air fuel cells remains unsolved. In addition, traditional fuel cells cannot effectively solve the cycle blocking problem of single cells and multi-cell series-parallel cells.

The main purpose of the present invention is to partially or completely remove the electrolytic solution in the battery when the zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors of the present invention is not in use, so as to further prevent the anode structure from contacting the electrolytic solution and stop electrification chemical reaction, and avoid damage or surface peeling of the anode structure or cathode structure, and prolong the shelf life or service life of air fuel cells.

The second object of the present invention is to design a zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors, the electrical connectors have positive and negative electrodes, so that a single battery itself can have a chemical reaction of charging or a chemical reaction of discharge at the same time, without the need for Manual replacement of electrodes or electrolytes.

Another object of the present invention is to input or output at least one of the zinc material and the electrolytic solution into or out of the zinc-air fuel cell of the present invention with a plurality of electrical connectors, so as to facilitate the replacement or renewal of the zinc material or the electrolytic solution The operation process doubles the efficiency of the operation process. Zinc-air fuel cells are designed to provide multiple gas chambers to reduce cycle blockage issues in a single cell.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell assembly capable of simultaneously performing a charging function and a discharging function. The fuel cell assembly may include a plurality of fuel cells arranged in a stacked configuration. The plurality of fuel cells can be wired in various wiring configurations to provide their own advantages in performing charging and discharging functions, as each configuration may be suitable for different applications.

In order to achieve the above objects, a zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors is provided. A zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: The outer shell, which forms a space inside the zinc-air fuel cell; The metal layer is arranged in the space and serves as the positive electrode of the charging function; The first air electrode layer and the second air electrode layer are arranged in the space and serve as the positive electrode of the discharge function, and the first air electrode layer and the second air electrode layer are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the metal layer; Zinc material, set in the space, and used as the negative electrode of charging function and discharging function; The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are each disposed between the metal layer and one of the first air electrode layer and the second air electrode layer, and each of the first and second conductive layers has a structure for accommodating zinc. the central recessed area of the material; A plurality of separators are respectively arranged between the first and second air electrode layers, the first and second conductive layers and the metal layer, so that the first and second air electrode layers, the first and second conductive layers and the metal layer arranged separately; an electrolyte, disposed in the space, the electrolyte can flow through the separator and be in contact with the air electrode layer, the metal layer and the zinc material, so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer are respectively electrically connected; and A plurality of air chambers are arranged in the space.

In addition, the electrolyte system is provided in the space via at least one of a plurality of gas cells that are configured to pass but not contain the electrolyte. And, the electrolyte system is installed in the space until it is lower than the level in the plurality of gas cells.

In order to achieve the above object, the zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors of the present invention includes: shell, forming space; A plurality of air chambers are arranged in the space; Two air electrode layers are arranged in the space and serve as positive electrodes for chemical reaction discharge; The metal layer is arranged in the space and acts as a positive electrode for chemical reaction charging; The zinc material is arranged in the space and used as a negative electrode to perform chemical reaction discharge together with the air electrode layer, or as a negative electrode to perform chemical reaction charging together with the metal layer; A plurality of separators are arranged in the space and are respectively arranged between the air electrode layer and the metal layer, so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer are arranged separately; and The electrolyte is arranged in the space, and the electrolyte can flow through the separator and contact the air electrode layer, the metal layer and the zinc material, so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer are respectively electrically connected.

The zinc material is selected from the group consisting of flowable zinc paste, zinc particles and zinc sheet. The embodiment of the conductive layer may be different from the selection corresponding to the zinc material. The flowable zinc paste can be in a "mortar-like" form, such as a mixture of zinc particles, a liquid, and some optional additives. The viscosity of flowable zinc paste is related to its circulation speed. The faster the cycle speed, the lower the viscosity, and the slower the cycle speed, the higher the viscosity.

Furthermore, when a flat surface for supporting the battery is used as a horizontal reference, the air electrode layer, the metal layer, and the zinc material are arranged to be vertically aligned with respect to the flat surface. This configuration differs from the upright position of the traditional lateral arrangement. The zinc material may include flowable zinc paste, zinc granules or zinc sheet.

The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors may further include a transmission device. The transport device is connected to the space and can output or input electrolyte, thereby changing the height position of the electrolyte in the space. By changing the total amount of electrolyte in the space and the internal structure of the height that the liquid can contact, the contact of the structure with the liquid at a specific height and the contact with the liquid at the position in the space can be avoided, and the damage of the specific structure or surface can be prevented. stripped.

The present invention is characterized in that the zinc material of the present invention is used as the negative electrode, and the air electrode layer and the metal layer are used as the positive electrode, respectively. The positive and negative electrodes may together or individually form multiple electrical connectors in a zinc-air fuel cell.

In addition, the transport device connecting the spaces can change the total amount of electrolyte and the liquid height of the electrolyte by removing most of the electrolyte from the space to avoid when the zinc-air fuel cell with multiple electrical connectors of the present invention is in storage or Contact of the electrolyte with the internal structure of the space when not in use also avoids undesired self-discharge or charging reactions of the zinc-air fuel cell with multiple electrical connectors of the present invention, and also avoids damage or surface peeling of the internal structure of the space, Therefore, the storage life or service life of the zinc-air fuel cell with multiple electrical connectors of the present invention is prolonged.

In addition to zinc-air fuel cells, the present invention also provides various embodiments of cell assemblies comprising a plurality of fuel cells as described above, which are arranged in a stacked configuration. Different configurations of battery packs can be achieved through various inter-cell and/or intra-cell connections. Each configuration can perform a corresponding charging function and a corresponding discharging function, and the battery assembly can perform the charging function and the discharging function at the same time.

In addition to the various embodiments of fuel cells and battery assemblies, it is yet another object of the present invention to enable the present disclosure to further provide methods of using fuel cells and/or battery assemblies to perform a process involving receiving power from one or more charging devices. A charging function of one or more currents also performs a discharging function involving sending one or more currents to one or more electrical loads. The charging function and the discharging function may be performed simultaneously or otherwise operated by the fuel cell or battery assembly. That is, the fuel cell or battery assembly may perform the charging function while performing the discharging, and vice versa.

These and other objects of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment shown in various figures and drawings.

In this disclosure, "battery cell", "battery", "cell" and "fuel cell" are used interchangeably to refer to the ability to maintain a certain electrical potential for Electrochemical devices that store energy in the form of electrical charges. In addition, electrochemical devices are capable of discharging or otherwise releasing stored energy in the form of electrical current through a discharge process, which typically passes through an electrical load, which receives or additionally consumes the stored energy. The current supplied by the battery to the load through the discharge process can be called the output current of the battery. The output current can be supplied at a specific output voltage which may or may not vary. After the energy stored in the battery has been depleted to a low value due to the discharge process, a charging or recharging process may be applied to the battery to restore or otherwise enhance the energy therein. The charging process usually involves applying a current (called charging current) to a depleted battery at a certain potential (called charging voltage) from an external energy source. After the charging process, the battery retains energy again, which can be released by another round of discharging.

Various exemplary embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure are hereinafter described in detail and shown in the accompanying drawings. In the description with reference to the drawings, unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals in the drawings denote elements having the same or similar functions. Not all possible embodiments consistent with the present disclosure are disclosed herein. Rather, only a few non-limiting illustrative embodiments are described below with reference to system examples in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure or in accordance with the details described in the scope of the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the present disclosure, are intended to illustrate or otherwise demonstrate the inventive principles of the present disclosure as applied to the various embodiments disclosed herein. Unless otherwise stated, references herein to any physical direction or orientation of the embodiments are for ease of explanation of the inventive concepts of the present disclosure by way of example and are not intended to limit the inventive concepts to the particular direction or orientation mentioned. For example, terms describing relative physical relationships such as "upward", "downward", "vertical", "horizontal", "on top of", " "underneath," "above," "below," "top," "bottom," and other derived adjectives, adverbs, or terms used for the sole purpose of describing The features of the embodiments, which may be illustrated in the drawings, are not limited to the features so constructed or operated only in a particular direction or orientation, unless such limitation is expressly stated in the description.

As those skilled in the art will understand, electronic device manufacturers may refer to a component by different names. This article does not intend to distinguish between components with different names, but not components that do not distinguish between different functions. In the following description and claims, the terms "include," "comprise," and "have" are used in an open-ended fashion and should therefore be construed to mean "including but not limited to." Although terms such as first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various constituent elements, such constituent elements are not limited by the terms. The terms are only used to distinguish constituent elements from other constituent elements in the specification. Claims may not use the same terms, but may use the terms first, second, third, etc. with respect to the order of the claimed elements. Therefore, in the following description, the first constituent element may be the second constituent element within the scope of the patent application.

When an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "connected to," "attached to," "coupled with," or "interconnected with ( When interlinked with)" another element or layer, it may be directly on or directly connected to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. Unless otherwise stated, the connection may be a fixed connection in which the two connection parts have no relative movement, or a resilient connection in which the two connection parts may have relative movement.

The various embodiments disclosed herein are presented by way of illustration to demonstrate the inventive features and benefits of the present disclosure. That is, the inventive principles of the present disclosure are not limited in application to the illustrative embodiments. Any application utilizing one or a combination of several of the inventive features described herein is within the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the scope of the claims presented herein.

Throughout this disclosure, the terms "cell structure" and "fuel cell" are used interchangeably throughout. FIG. 1 shows an example of an exploded view of the cell structure of a zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors corresponding to the present invention. For example, the battery structure 100 may have five electrical connectors and include elements such as the housing group 110, an air electrode layer, a metal layer 130, a zinc material 140, a conductive layer, and a plurality of separators. The battery structure 100 may have a plurality of assembled parts in structure, such as a left part, a right part and a center part, but the present invention is not limited to these.

Housing set 110 may include a plurality of housing elements. A plurality of housing elements together may form a housing group 110 as a battery housing of the battery structure 100 . For example, the housing group 110 may include a first case in the form of a frame, a second case in the form of a frame, a third case in the form of a frame, and a fourth case in the form of a frame, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first case, the second case, the third case and the fourth case may together form a space to accommodate other elements of the battery structure 100, define an air chamber to buffer the zinc air used for the five electrical connectors The input cycle or output cycle of the fluid of the fuel cell provides solid support for the cell structure 100 .

For example, the first case may be the left case 111 in the left part. The second housing may be the right housing 112 in the right side portion. The center case 113 may be the center case 113 at the center portion. The housing set 110 may further include a cover 114 connected to the central housing 113 to form a channel for fluid circulation. The fourth case may be an outer case 115 to accommodate the left case 111 , the right case 112 , the center case 113 and the cover 114 . Each case or cover may have complementary structures, such as one or more holes, for securing two pieces of the case or cover or for snapping the two pieces of case or cover to facilitate mutual engagement to obtain the battery structure 100 , so as to improve the air tightness and/or the leakage prevention performance of the battery structure 100 .

In some embodiments, the right housing 112 may have one or more holes 112H for engagement with the housing 115 . For example, hole 112H may help an adhesive (not shown) to temporarily hold right housing 112 and housing 115 by securing the frames of right housing 112 and housing 115 together. The right shell 112 and the outer shell 115 may be subjected to a subsequent insert molding method in the presence of the hole 112H and an adhesive (not shown) to form a permanent sealing structure, such as an air-tight and/or leak-proof battery structure. The left case 111 , the center case 113 , the cover 114 and the outer case 115 may have similar holes for similar purposes, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, two adjacent elements may have complementary features for mutual engagement. For example, the center housing 113 may have a center housing region 113C to correspond to the center cover 114C of the cover 114 . The central housing region 113C may have complementary recesses relative to the central cover 114C to facilitate the interengagement of two specific components for securing or snapping the two elements, but the invention is not so limited.

The casing group 110 may include a polyarylene material to enhance the mechanical strength of the battery structure 100 . For example, at least one of the left case 111 , the right case 112 , the center case 113 , the cover 114 and the outer case 115 may include polyarylene material. Polyarylene materials can improve the adhesion of the interface between two substantially different substances, such as between organic polymers and metallic materials. In addition, the polyarylene material may be subjected to insert molding to obtain either the case or the cover, so as to improve the airtightness and/or leak-proof performance of the battery structure 100 . The present invention can use the polyarylene material-based resin as the substrate of the insert molding method to encapsulate the components in the zinc-air fuel cell, so as to eliminate the liquid leakage problem in the prior art. For example, better air tightness can reduce the likelihood of gas leakage, and better leak tightness can reduce the likelihood of electrolyte leakage. The airtightness and/or leak resistance can increase the fluid tightness or reliability of the battery structure 100 .

The polyarylene material may be a thermoplastic with sulfonyl groups. In some embodiments of the present invention, the polyarylene material may be polyarylene (PSF, PSU), polyether arylene (PES, PESU), polyarylene ether arsenic (PAES), and polyphenylene arylene (PPSU, PPSF), but The present invention is not limited to this.

The left case 111 and the center case 113 together may form a first space, eg, the left space 101 in the left part. The left space 101 can accommodate and fix an air electrode layer, a metal layer, a zinc material, a conductive layer, a multi-layer separator and an electrolyte 170 . Similarly, the right housing 112 and the central housing 113 may together form a second space, such as the right space 102 in the right side portion. The right space 102 can accommodate and fix an air electrode layer, a metal layer, a zinc material, a conductive layer, a multi-layer separator and an electrolyte 170 .

The central housing 113 may have a plurality of air chambers, such as two air chambers, such as the first air chamber 103A and the second air chamber 103B. The air chambers may be disposed in the space, for example, the first air chamber 103A and the second air chamber 103B may be disposed in the left space 101 and the right space 102 . In other words, the first air chamber 103A, the second air chamber 103B, the left space 101 and the right space 102 may be connected to each other in terms of accommodation to facilitate continuous circulation of the fluid for the air fuel cell. Either the first plenum 103A or the second plenum 103B can independently assist in the fluid circulation of the buffered zinc metal fuel.

The center housing 113 may further have guide posts 113A, which are provided, for example, between the first air chamber 103A and the second air chamber 103B, or between the left space 101 and the right space 102, to assist in buffering or guiding the zinc metal fuel fluid circulation. Fluid circulation may include at least one of gas circulation and electrolyte circulation.

The cover 114 and the central housing 113 may together define the first plenum 103A or the second plenum 103B. The cover 114 may further have holes. For example, the cover 114 may have a first hole 114A and a second hole 114B. The first hole 114A and the second hole 114B may correspond to the first air chamber 103A and the second air chamber 103B, respectively. These holes may allow fluid to enter or leave the first plenum 103A or the second plenum 103B.

The housing 115 may further have an opening. For example, the housing 115 may have a first opening 115A and a second opening 115B. The first opening 115A and the second opening 115B may correspond to the first hole 114A and the second hole 114B, respectively. The openings may allow fluid to enter or leave the cell structure 100 by flowing through the first plenum 103A or through the second plenum 103B.

The air electrode group 120 may include two air electrode layers. For example, the air electrode group 120 may include a left air electrode layer 121 disposed and fixed in the left space 101 and a right air electrode layer 122 disposed and fixed in the right space 102 . The left air electrode layer 121 or the right air electrode layer 122 may collectively or individually function as a positive electrode discharged in a predetermined chemical reaction. The air electrode can be used as the anode of the air battery. The air electrode layer may include a metal mesh, a waterproof and breathable layer, and a catalytic layer that are pressed together. The air electrode layer can hold oxygen in the air as the positive electrode to react with the fuel (Al, Mg, Zn... etc.) in the negative electrode and with the electrolyte in the presence of activated carbon and catalyst to generate electricity.

The left air electrode layer 121 or the right air electrode layer 122 may respectively include a metal material such as Ni, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Each air electrode layer may further have extension bars to serve as electrical connectors for current. For example, the left air electrode layer 121 may have a left discharge positive electrical connector 121E, while the right air electrode layer 122 may have a right discharge positive electrical connector 122E.

The metal layer 130 may be disposed in one of the spaces, for example, in the left space 101 or the right space 102 . FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which the metal layer 130 is disposed in the left space 101 and located between the left air electrode layer 121 and the center case 113 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. The metal layer 130 may include a metal material such as Ni, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The metal layer 130 may further comprise a stainless steel layer, such as 316 stainless steel mesh. The metal layer 130 may serve as a positive electrode for charging in a chemical reaction. The metal layer 130 may further have extension bars to serve as electrical connectors for current. For example, the metal layer 130 may have a charging positive electrical connector 130E.

The zinc material 140 can be disposed in the space to act as a chemically active negative electrode for charge/discharge reactions. For example, the zinc material 140 may be a negative electrode to discharge in a chemical reaction together with the air electrode layer (positive electrode). Alternatively, the zinc material 140 may be the negative electrode to be charged in a chemical reaction together with the metal layer 130 (positive electrode). The zinc material 140 may include at least one of flowable zinc paste, zinc particles, and zinc plates for use as a fuel for the zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention. The flowable zinc paste may be in a mortar-like form, such as a mixture of zinc granules, a liquid, and some optional additives. The viscosity of flowable zinc paste is related to its circulation speed. The faster the cycle speed, the lower the viscosity. The liquid may include an electrolyte solution.

The conductive group may include two conductive layers disposed on both sides of the space, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the conductive group may include a left conductive layer 151 disposed and fixed in the left, ie, left, space 101 , and a right conductive layer 155 disposed and fixed in, the right, or right, space 102 . The conductive group may be positioned adjacent to the zinc material 140 or in further contact with the zinc material 140 .

In some embodiments, at least one of the left conductive layer 151 and the right conductive layer 155 may be in direct contact with the zinc material 140 to accommodate the zinc material 140 . The conductive layer may have grooves to accommodate the zinc material 140 . For example, the left conductive layer 151 may have a central region 152 and a peripheral region 153 . The central area 152 may be lower than the peripheral area 153 to form the left groove 154 . The left groove 154 can accommodate the zinc material 140 for chemical reaction. Similarly, the right conductive layer 155 may have a central region 156 and a peripheral region 157 . The central area 156 may be lower than the peripheral area 157 to form the right groove 158 . The right groove 158 can accommodate the zinc material 140 for chemical reaction.

One conductive layer can act as a structural electrode to accommodate the chemically active zinc material 140, so one of the conductive layers can support the zinc material 140 for chemical reactions. In addition, one of the conductive layers can act as a current channel to transfer electrons involved in chemical reactions. The material of the conductive layer may be conductive, chemically inert, and not involved in chemical reactions. The left conductive layer 151 or the right conductive layer 155 may respectively include a metal material such as Ni or Cu, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Each conductive layer may have extending strips to serve as electrical connectors for current flow. For example, left conductive layer 151 may have left negative electrical connector 151E; right conductive layer 155 may have right negative electrical connector 155E.

The zinc-air fuel cell with multiple electrical connectors of the present invention may have multiple gas chambers, eg, a first gas chamber 103A and a second gas chamber 103B. Zinc-air fuel cells with multiple electrical connectors of the present invention may advantageously have multiple plenums for buffering purposes. In addition to improving the circulation efficiency of the fuel, it can also promote the function of achieving a relative balance of internal pressure. The traditional cell structure with three electrical connectors only has a fuel circulation channel, which cannot achieve the efficiency of the balanced circulation of fuel and gas in space. Such a structure may easily lead to excessive pressure inside the battery, resulting in poor cycle and low cycle efficiency.

In the case of the zinc-air fuel cell with six electrical connectors of the present invention, the plenum group can be divided into four plenums or maintain a two plenum configuration. In terms of electrical connectors, this configuration can be equivalent to two zinc-air fuel cells connected in series or in parallel with three electrical connectors, and the design of the configuration is optional.

In the case of multiple buffer plenums, eg four buffer plenums, it is from two separate buffer plenums. In addition to the purpose of regulating efficiency, another purpose may be the separate circulation of fuel and gas to achieve the effect of asynchronous circulation. For example, asynchronous cycling may cycle only gas to increase discharge efficiency, or alternatively, only fuel to increase charge or discharge efficiency. Six or more air cells function similarly.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of partitions can be arranged in the space. For example, the partition plate 161 , the partition plate 162 and the partition plate 163 may be disposed in the left space 101 . Another partition 164 may be disposed in the right space 102 . In some embodiments, separator 161 , separator 162 , separator 163 , and separator 164 may each include a hydrophilic separator. A spacer may be disposed between two adjacent elements to isolate two adjacent elements, and an element may be disposed between two adjacent spacers. For example, the spacer 161 can be disposed between the left air electrode layer 121 and the left conductive layer 151, the spacer 162 can be disposed between the left conductive layer 151 and the metal layer 130, and the spacer 163 can be disposed between the metal layer 130 and the center shell Between the body 113, the separator 164 may be disposed between the right conductive layer 155 and the right air electrode layer 122, so that the left air electrode layer 121, the left conductive layer 151 (accommodating the zinc material 140), the metal layer 130, and the central case 113 , the right conductive layer 155 (accommodating the zinc material 140 ) and the right air electrode layer 122 are arranged separately. The separator may allow electrolyte 170 to flow therethrough.

FIG. 1A shows an exploded schematic view of the variation of FIG. 1 corresponding to the battery structure of the present invention. FIG. 1A shows a simplified battery structure with three electrical connectors of the present invention. The cell structure with five electrical connectors 100 and the simplified cell structure with three electrical connectors 100A may share the common feature of multiple air chambers to buffer fluid circulation. The main difference between the cell structure with five electrical connectors 100 and the simplified cell structure with three electrical connectors 100A is the optional right air electrode layer 122 and the optional right conductive layer 155 . Additionally, in a simplified cell structure with three electrical connectors 100A, the separator 164 may also be optional.

A simplified battery structure with three electrical connectors 100A can be used for single-sided vented applications. Simplified cell structures may be useful, for example, when one side of the cell is attached to a circuit board to limit the possibility of gas exchange. The configuration of the one-side air electrode results in a thinner structure, which simplifies the fabrication and molding procedures. A cell structure with five electrical connectors 100 with double-sided air electrodes is better for more gas exchange, resulting in higher discharge efficiency.

Figure 2 shows a schematic side view of an embodiment of a zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention. Accordingly, each of the left discharge positive electrical connector 121E, the right discharge positive electrical connector 122E, the charging positive electrical connector 130E, the left negative electrical connector 151E or the right negative electrical connector 155E can be used as the zinc air of the present invention. One of the five electrical connectors of the fuel cell. Structurally, the left negative electrical connector 151E can be arranged between the left discharge positive electrical connector 121E and the charging positive electrical connector 130E; the right negative electrical connector 155E can be arranged between the charging positive electrical connector 130E and the right discharge positive electrical connector 130E. between connectors 122E.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention. FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention. The first opening 115A or the second opening 115B may allow fluid to enter or leave the battery structure 100 . The fluid can be selected from the group consisting of gases, electrolytes and fuels. There may be holes on some shells, such as hole 112H on the right shell 112, to assist with alignment of the modeling, such as for insert molding.

Electrolyte 170 can be selectively filled to full level 170F, or circulated within first plenum 103A, second plenum 103B, left space 101, and right space 102, and flow through separators such as separator 161, separator 162 , separator 163 and separator 164 . The electrolyte 170 may be a liquid electrolyte, such as an electrolytic solution including an alkaline aqueous solution. The alkaline aqueous solution may include an electrolyte solute and a solvent. In some embodiments, the electrolyte solute may include a hydroxide, such as potassium hydroxide, and the solvent, such as water. Hydrophilic separators, such as those commercially available from DuPont, can selectively allow polar molecules such as water molecules, potassium ions, and hydroxide ions to flow therethrough, but not zinc, but the invention is not so limited. The electrolyte 170 may be in contact with at least one of the air electrode layer, the metal layer 130 and the zinc material 140 so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material 140 and the metal layer 130 are electrically connected to undergo a discharge reaction or a charge reaction, respectively.

5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the zinc-air fuel cell of the present invention with five electrical connectors in a horizontal position along line AA' of FIG. 4 . FIG. 5A shows the schematic perspective view of FIG. 5 corresponding to the embodiment of the zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention in a horizontal position. As shown in FIG. 5 , the air electrode group 120 including the left air electrode layer 121 and the right air electrode layer 122 , the metal layer 130 , and the zinc material 140 contained in the conductive group may be configured to be vertically aligned with respect to the flat surface, that is, , if the flat surface (not shown) used to support the cells is used as a horizontal reference, the stacked structure. For example, the left air electrode layer 121 may be the topmost layer, the zinc material 140 may be the bottommost layer, and the metal layer 130 may be disposed between the left air electrode layer 121 and the zinc material 140 . This novel configuration is different from the traditional horizontal alignment in the upright position.

The present invention relates to a fuel cell that uses zinc material and air for redox reaction, more specifically, the present invention relates to a zinc-air fuel cell, which has both an electrolyte and a zinc material as reaction materials, and through five electric The connector is electrically connected to other external electronic products. Fuel cells can be encapsulated by insert molding/injection molding using polysiloxane to reduce leakage problems of the prior art. The structure of the five electrical connectors can further facilitate the special use of two separate electrodes or single charging and simultaneous charging and discharging.

The zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention has a design of three positive electrodes and two negative electrodes, so that a single cell itself can experience the chemical reaction of charging and/or the chemical reaction of discharging simultaneously.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a cell assembly composed of a plurality of cell structures corresponding to a plurality of zinc-air fuel cells with five electrical connectors of the present invention. FIG. 6A shows a schematic side view of FIG. 6 corresponding to the present invention. FIG. 6B shows a schematic top view of FIG. 6 corresponding to the present invention. A battery assembly may include two or more battery structures of the present invention. For example, battery assembly 200 may include twelve battery structures such as battery structure 201, battery structure 202, battery structure 203, battery structure 204, battery structure 205, battery structure 206, battery structure 207, battery structure 208, battery structure 209, The battery structure 210 , the battery structure 211 , and the battery structure 212 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. At least one cell structure in the cell assembly 200 may correspond to the zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention.

A battery structure, taking the battery structure 201 as an example, may include a casing 115 for accommodating the first opening 115A, the second opening 115B, the right air electrode layer 122 of the air electrode group 120, the left discharge positive electrode electrical connector 121E, and the right discharge positive electrode electrical connector 121E. The connector 122E, the charging positive electrical connector 130E, the left negative electrical connector 151E and the right negative electrical connector 155E, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Similar reference numerals in other cell structures are omitted for simplicity. For a detailed description of the battery structure, please refer to the above description.

The battery structures in the battery assembly 200 may be interconnected. In some embodiments, one cell structure may be electrically connected in parallel to another cell structure. In some embodiments, one cell structure may be electrically connected in series to another cell structure. Furthermore, openings in adjacent cell structures can be connected to each other. Adjacent openings can be connected by connecting pipes. For example, two adjacent openings can be connected by connecting pipes. FIG. 6 shows that the battery assembly 200 may include a connecting pipe 210A, a connecting pipe 210B, a connecting pipe 210C, a connecting pipe 210D, a connecting pipe 210E, a connecting pipe 210F, a connecting pipe 210G, a connecting pipe 210H, a connecting pipe 210I, a connecting pipe 210J and a connecting pipe 210K, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second opening 115B of the battery structure 201 and the second opening 115B' of the battery structure 202 are connected by a connecting pipe 210E. Similarly, the first opening 115A of the battery structure 201 and the first opening 115A' of the battery structure 202 are connected by a connecting pipe 210F. Other adjacent openings in the cell structure can be connected in a similar manner.

Additionally, the battery assembly 200 may include a circulation tube stack 220 to allow fluid to be distributed to at least one of the battery structures through the connecting tubes. The fluid can be selected from the group consisting of gases, electrolytes and fuels. For example, the circulation tube set 220 may include a source circulation tube and a drain circulation tube. The source recycle tube may allow fluid to enter the battery assembly 200 , and the drain recycle tube may allow fluid to exit the battery assembly 200 .

FIG. 6 shows that the battery assembly 200 may include a first circulation pipe 221 and a second circulation pipe 222 . If the first circulation pipe 221 is a source circulation pipe, the second pipe may be a corresponding discharge circulation pipe. Alternatively, if the first circulation pipe 221 is a discharge circulation pipe, the second pipe may be a corresponding source circulation pipe. For example, if fluid enters the cell structure 201 of the cell assembly 200 through the second circulation pipe 222, the fluid may first flow through the first air chamber (not shown), the second air chamber (not shown), the left space of the cell structure 201 ( not shown) and right space (not shown), then enter battery structure 202, battery structure 203, battery structure 204, battery structure 205, battery structure 206, battery structure 207, battery structure 208, battery structure 209, battery structure 210, battery The structure 211 , the first air chamber (not shown), the second air chamber (not shown), the left space (not shown) and the right space (not shown) of the battery structure 212 , and then pass through the first circulation pipe 221 of the battery structure 212 away from the battery assembly 200, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Additionally, the battery assembly 200 may be equipped with one or more conditioning devices to facilitate fluid conditioning and/or circulation within and/or between at least one battery structure through connecting tubes. For example, the regulating device may include the fuel tank 230 and the circulation pump 233, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The circulation pump 233 can be used as a transmission device to facilitate the circulation of the fluid, or to facilitate the adjustment of the volume of the fluid to be distributed in the battery assembly 200, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The fuel tank 230 may provide the battery assembly 200 with chemicals, such as electrolytes, zinc materials, and combinations thereof, to buffer chemical reactions.

In some embodiments, the battery structure 100 of the present invention may further include an optional transfer device, such as a circulation pump 233 . The optional circulation pump 233 may help regulate the presence or absence of the electrolyte 170 in the battery structure 100, or further assist in activating or deactivating a predetermined chemical reaction. In the absence of sufficient electrolyte 170 in the battery structure 100, the predetermined chemical reaction may optionally be stopped or significantly deactivated as much as possible to overcome problems in conventional batteries or conventional accumulators. The input or output of the fluid regulated by the circulation pump 233 can change the height of the electrolyte 170 in at least one of the spaces so that the electrolyte 170 can contact different elements in at least one of the spaces, thereby changing the state of the battery structure 100 of the present invention. This is one of the features of the battery structure 100 of the present invention.

A transfer device may be connected to the space or gas chamber to regulate the entry or exit of fluids, such as gas and/or electrolyte 170 entry or exit. In addition, the transport device can adjust the height of the electrolyte 170 in the space. This height allows the electrolyte 170 to contact the air electrode set 120 (eg, left air electrode layer 121 or right air electrode layer 122), metal layer 130, or zinc material 140 to determine activation or deactivation of a predetermined chemical reaction. This method can avoid undesired self-discharge or charging reaction of the zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention when the cell structure 100 is in storage or not in use, and further avoid damage to the internal structure in the space or surface peeling, thereby prolonging the storage life or service life of the zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention.

In some embodiments, if the first plenum 103A, the second plenum 103B, the left space 101 and the right space 102 are connected to each other, the transfer device may adjust the electrolyte 170 to enter through the first plenum 103A and/or the second plenum 103B Input of left space 101 and right space 102. For example, the transport device may provide the battery structure 100 with at least one of a zinc material 140 and an electrolyte 170 under controlled conditions to increase the volume of the electrolyte 170 in the battery structure 100, optionally up to a full level 170F (Fig. 4). shown). The increase in the volume of the electrolyte 170 results in an increase in the height of the electrolyte 170 in the left space 101 and the right space 102 .

In some embodiments, if the first air chamber 103A, the second air chamber 103B, the left space 101 and the right space 102 are connected to each other, the transfer device may adjust at least one of the zinc material 140 and the electrolyte 170 from the left space 101 and the right space 102 passes through the output of the first air chamber 103A and/or the second air chamber 103B. For example, the transport device may expel at least one of the zinc material 140 and the electrolyte 170 out of the battery structure 100 under controlled conditions to reduce the volume of the at least one of the zinc material 140 and the electrolyte 170 in the battery structure 100 . The reduction in volume of the electrolyte 170 may result in a reduction in the height of the electrolyte 170 in the left space 101 and the right space 102 .

In some embodiments, if the first air chamber 103A, the second air chamber 103B, the left space 101 and the right space 102 are connected to each other, the transmission device can adjust the gas to pass through the first air chamber 103A and/or the second air chamber 103B. Inputs into left space 101 and into right space 102 . The gas may include at least one of oxygen and air. For example, the delivery device may provide the battery structure 100 with gas under controlled conditions to facilitate activation or continuation of a predetermined chemical reaction.

In some embodiments, if the first air chamber 103A, the second air chamber 103B, the left space 101 and the right space 102 are connected to each other, the transmission device can adjust the gas from the left space 101 and from the right space 102 through the first air chamber 103A and/or the output of the second air chamber 103B. The gas may include at least one of oxygen, air, oxygen-depleted air, and oxygen-depleted air. For example, the delivery device may exhaust gas from the cell structure 100 under controlled conditions to facilitate the continuation, deactivation or inhibition of a predetermined chemical reaction.

In some embodiments, the height of the electrolyte 170 may adjust the state of the cell structure 100 of the present invention. The state may include activation of a charge reaction, activation of a discharge reaction, deactivation of a discharge reaction, and deactivation of a predetermined chemical reaction.

For example, when the height of the electrolyte 170 is such that the electrolyte 140 is in contact with the air electrode stack 120 (eg, the left air electrode layer 121 or the right air electrode layer 122 ) and with the metal layer 130 and the zinc material 140 simultaneously, the cell structure 100 can be activated for discharge reaction.

For example, the battery structure 100 can be activated for charging when the height of the electrolyte 170 is such that the electrolyte 170 is in contact with the air electrode stack 120 (eg, left air electrode layer 121 or right air electrode layer 122 ), metal layer 130 , and zinc material 140 simultaneously reaction.

For example, when the height of electrolyte 170 is such that electrolyte 170 is in contact with air electrode set 120 (eg, left air electrode layer 121 or right air electrode layer 122 ), and zinc material 140 simultaneously, cell structure 100 may be activated for the discharge reaction.

For example, when the height of the electrolyte 170 is such that the electrolyte 170 is in contact with both the metal layer 130 and the zinc material 140, the battery structure 100 can be activated for the charging reaction.

For example, when electrolyte 170 is in exclusive contact with only one of air electrode set 120 (eg, left air electrode layer 121 or right air electrode layer 122 ), metal layer 130 , and zinc material 140 , cell structure 100 may be deactivated for chemical reaction.

The present invention enables at least one of the zinc material 140 and the electrolytic solution 170 to be input to or output from the zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors of the present invention through a transmission device, thereby facilitating replacement or renewal of the zinc material 140 or the electrolytic solution 170 Operation process to double the efficiency of the operation process.

The zinc-air fuel cell with multiple electrical connectors of the present invention can improve the reaction efficiency and charge-discharge performance of the fuel cell.

In some embodiments, the fuel tank 230 may have an air hole 230G, a fuel outlet 231O, and a fuel inlet 232I. The air holes 230G may help equalize the gas pressure in the fuel tank 230 . For example, excess gas in the fuel tank 230 may be exhausted through the air hole 230G. The fuel outlet 231O may be connected to a fuel pipe 231 connected to the first circulation pipe 221 . The fuel inlet 232I may be connected to another fuel pipe 232 connected to the circulation pump 233 .

In some embodiments, the circulation pump 233 may have a fuel outlet 232O and a fuel inlet 222I. Fuel outlet 232O may be connected to fuel tube 232, which is connected to fuel inlet 232I. The fuel inlet 222I may be connected to the second circulation pipe 222 . Electrolyte and/or zinc material may enter the first circulation pipe 221 of the cell assembly 200 from the fuel outlet 231O of the fuel tank 230 along the circulation direction 233D through the fuel pipe 231 . The electrolyte and/or zinc material may pass through the second circulation pipe 222 along the circulation direction 233D from the second opening 115B of the cell assembly 200 and enter the fuel inlet 222I of the circulation pump 233 . The electrolyte and/or zinc material may be returned from the fuel outlet 232O of the circulation pump 233 to the fuel inlet 232I of the fuel tank 230 through the fuel line 232 to complete the cycle.

As described above, the plurality of electrical connectors of the zinc-air fuel cell according to the present invention will enable the fuel cell to perform charging and discharging functions simultaneously. That is, the zinc-air fuel cell according to the present invention is capable of sending electric energy stored in the fuel cell to a load that dissipates or otherwise consumes electric energy through a discharge function, while being charged by an external power source through a charging function to restore or otherwise consume the electric energy. The electrical energy stored in the fuel cell is supplemented in other ways. The unique feature of performing both charging and discharging functions makes fuel cells in accordance with the present disclosure a versatile and advantageous power source option in many practical applications over existing alternative technologies, which typically require the fuel cell to cease functioning as a load and inevitably interrupt the action. For example, a transport vehicle, such as an electric moped or scooter that uses such a battery as its primary source of power, will need to interrupt its travel and stop at a charging station when the battery is low and the battery does not support simultaneous charging and discharging. or a battery replacement station to recharge or replace the battery. In contrast, a fuel cell according to the present disclosure would enable an electric moped to continue driving while the fuel cell is charged by an external power source, such as a solar panel mounted on the moped and electrically coupled to the fuel cell. In this way, the moped is able to get a longer range than would otherwise be possible without interrupting its travel for battery charging or replacement.

Another advantageous example of a unique feature that can utilize the simultaneous charge/discharge functionality of the fuel cells of the present disclosure is flying drones. Flying drones are used for a growing range of applications, including surveillance, delivery, agriculture, entertainment, etc., while longer-flying drones (i.e. the time interval the drone can remain in the air) are almost always used in a variety of applications Preferred. The trade-off is obvious when drones try to extend flight time by using large-capacity batteries, which are inevitably heavier, which is not conducive to long-duration flights. However, with the fuel cell of the present invention, an external power source can be used to charge the fuel cell while the fuel cell provides power to the propeller of the flying drone. For example, a flying drone may be equipped with one or more generators, such as wind turbines, capable of generating electricity from the wind or airflow passing through the wind turbine while the drone is in the air. The electricity generated by the turbine generator can charge the fuel cell through the charging operation, and the fuel cell drives the propeller of the drone through the discharging operation, so that the drone can fly. Various methods of simultaneously charging and discharging a fuel cell of the present disclosure are described in further detail below.

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the fuel cell 100 (ie, the cell structure 100) has five electrical connectors, namely 130E, 151E, 155E, 121E and 122E. When the fuel cell 100 performs a charging function, the electrical connector 130E is electrically coupled to the metal layer 130 , which is the positive electrode of the fuel cell 100 . Electrical connector 121E is electrically coupled to left air electrode layer 121 and electrical connector 122E is electrically coupled to right air electrode layer 122 . When the fuel cell 100 performs a discharge function, both the left air electrode layer 121 and the right air electrode layer 122 serve as the positive electrode of the fuel cell 100 . Specifically, when the fuel cell 100 discharges the electrolyte 170 in the left space 101, the left air electrode layer 121 serves as a positive electrode for the discharge operation, and when the fuel cell 100 discharges the electrolyte 170 in the right space 102, the right air electrode layer 122 is used as a positive electrode for discharge operations. Additionally, each of the electrical connectors 151E and 155E is electrically coupled to the zinc material 140 , which is the negative electrode of the fuel cell 100 , when the fuel cell 100 performs one or both of a charging function and a discharging function. Specifically, the electrical connector 151E is electrically coupled to the zinc material 140, which is in contact with or close to the left conductive layer 151, which acts as a negative electrode when the fuel cell 100 discharges the electrolyte 170 in the left space 101. Similarly, electrical connector 155E is electrically coupled to zinc material 140 that is in contact with or proximate to right conductive layer 155, which acts as a negative electrode when fuel cell 100 discharges electrolyte 170 in right space 102.

As can be seen, the fuel cell 100 can be modeled or conceptually viewed as two cells as shown in FIG. 7, each of the two cells corresponding to each of the left space 101 and the right space 102, respectively electrochemical reactions that take place inside. Specifically, FIG. 7 shows a two-cell circuit model 700 of a fuel cell 100 having cells 701 corresponding to the electrochemical (ie, charging and discharging) reactions taking place in the left space 101 and cells 702 corresponding to the right space 102 electrochemical reactions that take place inside. Each of batteries 701 and 702 has two distinct positive nodes or terminals, one for charging operations and the other for discharging operations. The positive charging node of battery 701 and the positive charging node of battery 702 are coupled together to electrode 130E of fuel cell 100 because left space 101 and right space 102 share a common metal layer, metal layer 130 . The positive discharge node of cell 701 is coupled to electrode 121E of fuel cell 100 , while the positive discharge node of cell 702 is coupled to electrode 122E of fuel cell 100 . In addition, each of the batteries 701 and 702 has a negative node or terminal for the charging and discharging functions of the respective battery. The negative electrode of battery 701 is coupled to electrode 151E of fuel cell 100 , while the negative electrode of battery 702 is coupled to electrode 155E of fuel cell 100 .

When the fuel cell 100 performs both a charging function (ie, a charging operation) and a discharging function (ie, a discharging operation), the fuel cell 100 may be placed in one of two different configurations. Specifically, the fuel cell 100 may be configured such that the cells 701 and 702 are connected in parallel or in series when performing a discharge function, as described below.

Figure 8A shows a configuration 800 of fuel cell 100 in which cells 701 and 702 are connected in parallel because fuel cell 100 performs both discharge and charge functions. Specifically, when the fuel cell 100 is placed in the configuration 800, the fuel cell 100 drives an electrical load 820 (eg, a motor) through a discharge operation, while the fuel cell 100 is charged through a charge operation, that is, receives power from an external power source 810 (eg, , solar panels) generated electricity. As shown in Figure 8A, cells 701 and 702 are connected in parallel when they are driving load 820 with current 825 (ie, fuel cell 100 is performing a discharge function) because electrodes 121E and 122E are electrically coupled at the same potential, while electrodes 151E and 155E is also electrically coupled at the same potential. Meanwhile, when batteries 701 and 702 receive current 815 from external power source 810, they are connected in parallel (ie, fuel cell 100 is performing a charging function). Since the batteries 701 and 702 are connected in parallel when driving the load 820, the potential of the positive and negative terminals of the load 820 is substantially equal to the terminal voltage of the battery 701 (ie, the voltage difference between the electrodes 121E and 151E), which is also equal to the battery The terminal voltage of 702 (ie, the voltage difference between electrodes 122E and 155E). For example, the terminal voltage of battery 701 and the terminal voltage of battery 702 may be approximately 12 volts (V), which is also the voltage that fuel cell 100 applies across load 820 .

FIG. 8B shows a configuration 805 of fuel cell 100 in which cells 701 and 702 are connected in series because fuel cell 100 performs a discharge function while fuel cell 100 also performs a charge function at the same time. Specifically, when the fuel cell 100 is placed in the configuration 805 , the fuel cell 100 drives an electrical load 820 (eg, a motor) through a discharge operation, while the fuel cell 100 is charged through a charge operation, that is, receives power from the external power sources 830 and 840 . (for example, solar panels). As shown in Figure 8B, cells 701 and 702 are connected in series because they are driving load 820 with current 826 (ie, fuel cell 100 is performing a discharge function) because electrodes 151E and 122E are electrically coupled together at the same potential, while electrodes 151E and 122E are electrically coupled together at the same potential. 121E and 155E are electrically coupled to the positive and negative terminals of load 820, respectively. At this time, when the fuel cell 100 performs the charging function at the same time, the batteries 701 and 702 are connected in a quasi-parallel connection. That is, while batteries 701 and 702 have their respective positive charging terminals (ie, electrodes 130E) coupled together, their negative charging terminals (ie, electrodes 151E and 155E) are not electrically coupled together. Specifically, in configuration 805, the positive charging terminals of batteries 701 and 702 are electrically coupled together through electrode 130E to both a first external power source (ie, external power source 830) and a second external power source (ie, external power source 840). The positive terminals of batteries 701 and 702 (ie electrodes 151E and 155E) are not electrically coupled together. As shown in FIG. 8B , electrode 151E is electrically coupled to the negative terminal of external power source 830 and electrode 155E is electrically coupled to the negative terminal of external power source 840 . Therefore, when the fuel cell 100 performs the charging operation, the battery 701 is charged by the current 835 generated by the external power source 830 , and the battery 702 is charged by the current 845 generated by the external power source 840 . Meanwhile, the fuel cell 100 performs a discharge operation by driving the load 820 with the current 826 generated by the cells 701 and 702 . Since batteries 701 and 702 are connected in series, the potential across the positive and negative terminals of load 820 is substantially equal to the terminal voltage of battery 701 (ie, the voltage difference between electrodes 121E and 151E) and the voltage difference between battery 702 (ie, electrodes 122E and 155E) ) of the terminal voltages. For example, the terminal voltage of battery 701 and the terminal voltage of battery 702 may each be approximately 12 volts (V), so the voltage applied by fuel cell 100 to load 820 may be approximately 12V+12V=24V.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic perspective view of the fuel cell 100 . FIG. 9 is basically the same perspective view of the fuel cell 100 shown in FIG. 3 , with only a different orientation, ie, an upright orientation. The vertical direction of the fuel cell 100 is consistent with the direction of the cell assembly 200 shown in FIG. 6 , wherein a plurality of fuel cells 100 can be used to embody one, more or all of the cell structures 201 - 212 . Notably, the upright position of the fuel cell 100 as shown in FIG. 6 allows the plenums 103A and 103B as shown in FIG. 4 to remain above the full level 170F of the electrolyte 170 so that the plenums 103A and 103B can act as conditioning , directing or otherwise buffering the effect of gas circulation and electrolyte circulation inside the fuel cell 100 so that the internal pressure of the fuel cell 100 can be adjusted and balanced accordingly to facilitate the operation of each of the plurality of fuel cells 100 in the cell assembly 200 An internal electrolyte cycle, as described elsewhere in this disclosure.

10A shows a schematic diagram of a wiring configuration 1091 showing how the fuel cell 100 may be wired or otherwise electrically coupled with one or more charging devices and one or more electrical loads to achieve the configuration 800 of FIG. 8A, wherein the battery 701 and 702 is configured to be connected in parallel for charging and discharging operations of the fuel cell 100 . Compared to the perspective view of the fuel cell 100 in FIG. 3 , the electrode 122E shown in FIG. 10A is folded about 90 degrees toward the electrode 121E, so that the electrode 122E is short-circuited with the electrode 121E. Similarly, electrode 155E is folded approximately 90 degrees toward electrode 151E, shorting electrode 155E to electrode 151E. In addition, the external power source 810 is electrically coupled to the fuel cell 100 via a pair of wires 1011 and 1012 , and the load 820 is electrically coupled to the fuel cell 100 via a pair of wires 1021 and 1022 . Specifically, wire 1011 couples the positive terminal of external power source 810 to electrode 130E of fuel cell 100, while wire 1012 couples the negative terminal of external power source 810 to electrode 151E of fuel cell 100 (and thus is also electrically connected to electrode 155E). In addition, lead 1021 couples the positive terminal of load 820 to electrode 121E of fuel cell 100 (and thus is also electrically connected to electrode 122E), while lead 1022 couples the negative terminal of load 820 to electrode 151E of fuel cell 100 (and thus is also electrically connected to electrode 122E) electrode 155E).

The shorting of electrodes 121E and 122E and the shorting of electrodes 151E and 155E are required to place fuel cell 100 in configuration 800 . Instead of folding down electrodes 122E and 155E to short-circuit with electrodes 121E and 151E, respectively, other short-circuiting mechanisms may be employed. For example, electrodes 121E and 122E can be shorted by electrical conductors such as wires, and electrodes 151E and 155E can likewise be shorted. As another example, a metal (eg, nickel) or other conductive sheet can be made into an L-shaped sheet and used as a common electrode in place of electrodes 121E and 122E, so that the left air electrode layer 121 of the fuel cell 100 and the right air electrode Layer 121 is shorted. Likewise, an L-shaped sheet metal sheet or conductor may serve as a common electrode in place of electrodes 151E and 155E, thereby shorting the left conductive layer 151 and the right conductive layer 155 of the fuel cell 100 .

10B shows a schematic diagram of a wiring configuration 1092 showing how the fuel cell 100 may be wired or otherwise electrically coupled with one or more charging devices and one or more electrical loads to achieve the configuration 805 of FIG. 8B, wherein the battery 701 and 702 is configured to be connected in series for discharging operation of the fuel cell 100 and in pseudo-parallel connection for charging operation of the fuel cell 100 . Electrode 151E is electrically coupled to electrode 122E using wire 1051 as shown in FIG. 10B. The external power source 830 is electrically coupled to the fuel cell 100 via a pair of wires 1031 and 1032 , and the external power source 840 is electrically coupled to the fuel cell 100 via a pair of wires 1041 and 1042 . Specifically, wire 1031 couples the positive terminal of external power source 830 to electrode 130E of fuel cell 100 , and wire 1032 couples the negative terminal of external power source 830 to electrode 151E of fuel cell 100 . Likewise, lead 1041 couples the positive terminal of external power source 840 to electrode 130E of fuel cell 100 and lead 1042 couples the negative terminal of external power source 840 to electrode 155E of fuel cell 100 . Additionally, the load 820 is electrically coupled to the fuel cell 100 via a pair of wires 1021 and 1023 . Specifically, wire 1021 couples the positive terminal of load 820 to electrode 121E of fuel cell 100 and wire 1023 couples the negative terminal of load 820 to electrode 155E of fuel cell 100 .

Equivalent configurations to those shown in Figures 8B and 10B are readily obtained by swapping batteries 701 and 702 in the configuration. An equivalent configuration is shown in FIG. 10C as wiring configuration 1093 in which cells 701 and 702 are configured to be connected in series for discharge operation of fuel cell 100 and in pseudo-parallel connection for charge operation of fuel cell 100 . As shown in FIG. 10C, wire 1052 is used to electrically couple electrode 121E and electrode 155E. The connections between the fuel cell 100 and the external power sources 830 and 840 remain the same as in FIG. 10B . Load 820 is electrically coupled to fuel cell 100 via a pair of wires 1024 and 1022 . Specifically, lead 1024 couples the positive terminal of load 820 to electrode 122E of fuel cell 100 and lead 1022 couples the negative terminal of load 820 to electrode 151E of fuel cell 100 .

FIG. 11 shows a flow diagram of an example process 1100 for simultaneously performing charging and discharging functions using a fuel cell. Process 1100 may employ fuel cell 100 to implement charge-discharge configuration 800 of FIG. 8A, wherein fuel cell 100 sends current 825 to load 820 by performing a discharge function while receiving current 815 from external power source 810 by performing a charge function. Process 1100 may wire fuel cell 100 with one or more charging devices and one or more electrical loads, such as how fuel cell 100 is wired as shown in FIG. 10A . Process 1100 may include blocks 1110 , 1120 , 1130 , 1140 , 1150 , and 1160 . Process 1100 may begin at block 1110.

At block 1110, the process 1100 includes providing a fuel cell capable of performing both charging and discharging functions. For example, the fuel cell 100 may be provided at block 1110 . The fuel cell may include a housing that forms an interior space of the fuel cell, and a plurality of plenums (eg, plenums 103A and 103B) disposed within the space. The fuel cell may further include a first air electrode layer and a second air electrode layer (eg, a left air electrode layer 121 and a right air electrode layer 122 ) disposed in the space. Each of the first air electrode layer and the second air electrode layer may serve as a positive electrode for the discharge function of the fuel cell. The fuel cell may also include a metal layer (eg, metal layer 130 ) disposed within the space. The metal layer can serve as the positive electrode for the charging function of the fuel cell. The fuel cell may also include a zinc material (eg, zinc material 140 ) disposed within the space. Zinc material can be used as a negative electrode for the charging and discharging functions of fuel cells. In some embodiments, the fuel cell may further include a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer (eg, the left conductive layer 151 and the right conductive layer 155 ), which are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the metal layer 130 , wherein the zinc material is A central recessed region (eg, left recess 154 or right recess 158 ) is provided in each of the first and second conductive layers. The fuel cell may also include a plurality of separators (eg, separators 161 , 162 , 163 and 164 ) disposed in the space. A plurality of separators are respectively arranged between the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer, so that the first and second air electrode layers, the first and second conductive layers and the metal layer are arranged separately. Finally, the fuel cell may also include an electrolyte (eg, electrolyte 170) disposed within the space. The electrolyte can flow through the separator and contact the first and second air electrode layers, the metal layer, and the zinc material, so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material, and the metal layer are electrically connected, respectively. Furthermore, the electrolyte system is provided in the space via at least one of the plurality of gas cells configured to pass but not contain the electrolyte. Furthermore, the electrolyte is placed in the space until it is at a level lower than the plurality of gas cells. Process 1100 may proceed from block 1110 to block 1120.

At block 1120, the process 1100 includes providing a charging device (eg, external power source 810), wherein the charging device has a positive terminal and a negative terminal. Process 1100 may proceed from block 1120 to block 1130 .

At block 1130, the process 1100 includes providing an electrical load (eg, load 820), where the load has a positive terminal and a negative terminal. Process 1100 may proceed from block 1130 to block 1140.

At block 1140, the process 1100 includes electrically coupling the positive terminal of the charging device to the metal layer of the fuel cell. For example, as shown in configuration 800 , the positive terminal of external power source 810 is electrically coupled to electrode 130E, which in turn is electrically coupled to metal layer 130 of fuel cell 100 . Process 1100 may proceed from block 1140 to block 1150.

At block 1150, the process 1100 includes electrically coupling the positive terminal of the load to each of the first and second air electrode layers of the fuel cell. For example, as shown in configuration 800 , the positive terminal of load 820 is electrically coupled to electrode 121E, which in turn is electrically coupled to left air electrode layer 121 . In addition, the positive terminal of load 820 is also electrically coupled to electrode 122E, which in turn is electrically coupled to right air electrode layer 122 . Process 1100 may proceed from block 1150 to block 1160.

At block 1160, the process 1100 includes electrically coupling the negative terminal of the charging device and the negative terminal of the load to the zinc material of the fuel cell. For example, as shown in configuration 800, the negative terminal of external power source 810 is electrically coupled to both electrode 151E and electrode 155E, which in turn are electrically coupled to fuel cell 100 via left and right conductive layers 151 and 155, respectively 140 of the zinc material. In addition, the negative terminal of load 820 is also electrically coupled to both electrode 151E and electrode 155E.

Following process 1100, the fuel cell is configured to perform both a charging function and a discharging function according to the configuration 800 of Figure 8A. Specifically, the fuel cell is configured to perform a charging function by receiving current (eg, current 815 ) from a charging device. At the same time, the fuel cell performs a discharge function by sending current (eg, current 825 ) to a load (eg, load 820 of FIG. 8A ).

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart of an example process 1200 for simultaneously performing charging and discharging functions using a fuel cell. Process 1200 may employ fuel cell 100 to implement charge-discharge configuration 805 of FIG. 8B, wherein fuel cell 100 sends current 826 to load 820 by performing a discharge function, while simultaneously discharging current 826 from external power sources 830 and 840, respectively, by performing a charge function Currents 835 and 845 are received. Process 1200 may wire fuel cell 100 with one or more charging devices and one or more electrical loads, such as how fuel cell 100 is wired as shown in FIG. 10B or 10C. Process 1200 may include blocks 1210 , 1220 , 1230 , 1240 , 1250 , 1260 , 1270 , and 1280 . Process 1200 may begin at block 1210.

At block 1210, the process 1200 includes providing a fuel cell capable of performing both charging and discharging functions. For example, at block 1210 the fuel cell 100 may be provided. The fuel cell may include a housing that forms an interior space of the fuel cell, and a plurality of plenums (eg, plenums 103A and 103B) disposed within the space. The fuel cell may also include a metal layer (eg, metal layer 130 ) disposed within the space. The metal layer can serve as the positive electrode for the charging function of the fuel cell. The fuel cell may further include a first air electrode layer and a second air electrode layer (eg, left air electrode layer 121 and right air electrode layer 122 ) disposed in the space and on opposite sides of the metal layer. Each of the first air electrode layer and the second air electrode layer may serve as a positive electrode for the discharge function of the fuel cell. The fuel cell may also include a zinc material (eg, zinc material 140 ) disposed within the space. Zinc material can be used as a negative electrode for the charging and discharging functions of fuel cells. In some embodiments, the fuel cell may further include a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer (eg, the left conductive layer 151 and the right conductive layer 155 ), which are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the metal layer 130 , wherein the zinc material is A central recessed region (eg, left recess 154 or right recess 158 ) is provided in each of the first and second conductive layers. Specifically, the first conductive layer may be disposed between the metal layer and the first air electrode layer, and the second conductive layer may be disposed between the metal layer and the second air electrode layer. The fuel cell may also include a plurality of separators (eg, separators 161 , 162 , 163 and 164 ) disposed in the space. A plurality of separators are respectively disposed between the air electrode layer, the first and second conductive layers and the metal layer, so that the first and second air electrode layers, the first and second conductive layers and the metal layer are arranged separately. Finally, the fuel cell may also include an electrolyte (eg, electrolyte 170) disposed within the space. The electrolyte can flow through the separator and contact the first and second air electrode layers, the metal layer, and the zinc material so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material, and the metal layer are electrically connected, respectively. In addition, the electrolyte system is provided in the space via at least one of the plurality of gas cells configured to pass but not contain the electrolyte. Furthermore, the electrolyte is placed in the space until it is at a level lower than the plurality of gas cells. Process 1200 may proceed from block 1210 to block 1220.

At block 1220, the process 1200 includes providing a first charging device (eg, external power source 830) and a second charging device (eg, external power source 840), wherein each of the first and second charging devices has a positive terminal and a negative terminal . Process 1200 may proceed from block 1220 to block 1230.

At block 1230, the process 1200 includes providing a load (eg, load 820), where the load has a positive terminal and a negative terminal. Process 1200 may proceed from block 1230 to block 1240.

At block 1240, the process 1200 includes electrically coupling the positive terminal of each of the first and second charging devices to a metal layer of the fuel cell. For example, as shown in configuration 805 , the positive terminal of external power source 830 and the positive terminal of external power source 840 , both are electrically coupled to electrode 130E, which in turn is electrically coupled to metal layer 130 of fuel cell 100 . Process 1200 may proceed from block 1240 to block 1250.

At block 1250, the process 1200 includes electrically coupling the positive terminal of the load to the first air electrode layer of the fuel cell. For example, as shown in configuration 805 , the positive terminal of load 820 is electrically coupled to electrode 121E, which in turn is electrically coupled to left air electrode layer 121 . Process 1200 may proceed from block 1250 to block 1260.

At block 1260, the process 1200 includes electrically coupling the negative terminal of the first charging device to a zinc material disposed in the central recessed region of the first conductive layer of the fuel cell. For example, as shown in configuration 805, the negative terminal of external power source 830 is electrically coupled to electrode 151E, which in turn is electrically coupled to zinc material 140 disposed in left recess 154 of left conductive layer 151 of fuel cell 100. Process 1200 may proceed from block 1260 to block 1270.

At block 1270, the process 1200 includes electrically coupling the negative terminal of the second charging device and the negative terminal of the load to a zinc material disposed in the central recessed region of the second conductive layer of the fuel cell. For example, as shown in configuration 805, the negative terminal of external power source 840 is electrically coupled to electrode 155E, which in turn is electrically coupled to zinc material 140 disposed in right groove 158 of right conductive layer 155 of fuel cell 100. In addition, the negative terminal of load 820 is also electrically coupled to electrode 155E. Process 1200 may proceed from block 1270 to block 1280.

At block 1280, the process 1200 includes electrically coupling the second air electrode layer of the fuel cell to a zinc material disposed in the central recessed region of the first conductive layer of the fuel cell. For example, as shown in configuration 805, electrode 122E electrically coupled to right air electrode layer 122 is electrically coupled to electrode 151E, which is electrically coupled to a zinc material disposed in left groove 154 of left conductive layer 151 of fuel cell 100 140.

Following process 1200, the fuel cell is configured to perform both charging and discharging functions according to configuration 805 of Figure 8B. Specifically, the fuel cell is configured by receiving a first current (eg, current 835 ) from a first charging device (eg, external power source 830 ) and by receiving a first current (eg, external power source 840 ) from a second charging device (eg, external power source 840 ). The second current (eg, current 845 ) performs the charging function. At the same time, the fuel cell performs a discharge function by sending current (eg, current 826 ) to a load (eg, load 820 of FIG. 8B ).

For some applications, two or more fuel cells described elsewhere herein may be combined into a cell assembly, similar to how fuel cells 201-212 are combined or otherwise integrally formed in cell assembly 200, wherein two or more of the cell assemblies A plurality of fuel cells collectively perform a charging function and a discharging function at the same time. 13 shows a charge-discharge wiring configuration including a battery pack 1300, a plurality of charging devices 1310(01), 1310(02), . . . , 1310(11), 1310(12) and an electrical load 1320. The cell assembly 1300 includes twelve fuel cells 1301 to 1312 arranged in a stacked structure, as shown in FIG. 13 . Each of the twelve fuel cells 1301 - 1312 may be implemented by the fuel cell 100 configured in the charge-discharge configuration 800 . That is, each of the fuel cells 1301-1312 is wired according to the wiring configuration 1091 of FIG. 10A, except that in FIG. 13 the fuel cells 1301-1312 collectively charge one electrical load, the load 1320. As shown in FIG. 13 , each of the fuel cells 1301 to 1312 has its electrode 122E folded toward the electrode 121E and thus short-circuited with the electrode 121E. In addition, each of the fuel cells 1301-1312 has a corresponding electrode 155E that is short-circuited to the electrode 151E in a similar manner. For example, the electrode 155E of the fuel cell 1301, marked as 155E(01) in the figure, is short-circuited with the electrode 151E of the fuel cell 1301, marked as 151E(01). Furthermore, the electrode 122E of the fuel cell 1301 labeled 122E(01) is short-circuited with the electrode 121E of the fuel cell 1301 labeled 121E(01). Likewise, electrode 155E of fuel cell 1302, labeled 155E(02), is shorted to electrode 151E of fuel cell 1302, labeled 151E(02). Electrode 122E of fuel cell 1302, labeled 122E(02), is shorted to electrode 121E of fuel cell 1302, labeled 121E(02). That is, the left conductive layer 151 of each of the fuel cells 1301-1312 is electrically coupled to the corresponding right conductive layer 155, and the left air electrode layer 121 of each of the fuel cells 1301-1312 is electrically coupled to the corresponding right conductive layer 155 the right air electrode layer 122.

In addition, the cell assembly 1300 includes a plurality of wires for performing a plurality of inter-cell connections, that is, an electrical connection between every two adjacent fuel cells 1301 to 1312 . Specifically, for each of the fuel cells 1301-1311, the corresponding electrode 155E is electrically coupled to the electrode 122E of the subsequent fuel cell in the stack. For example, lead 1340(01) is used to electrically couple electrode 155E of fuel cell 1301 (labeled 155E(01)) to electrode 122E of fuel cell 1302 (labeled 122E(02)). Likewise, lead 1340(02) is used to electrically couple electrode 155E of fuel cell 1302 labeled 155E(02) to electrode 122E of fuel cell 1303 labeled 122E(03). In this manner, an inter-cell connection is performed for every two adjacent fuel cells of the cell assembly 1300, the final inter-cell connection being made by the electrode 155E of the fuel cell 1311 labeled 155E(11) and the electrode 155E labeled 122E(12). The wire 1340 (11) between the electrodes 122E of the fuel cell 1312 is achieved. Accordingly, cell assembly 1300 includes a total of eleven inter-cell connections spanning fuel cells 1301-1312. That is, the total number of inter-cell connecting wires, ie, the wires 1340(01)-1340(11), is one (1) less than the total number of fuel cells in the battery assembly 1300, ie, the fuel cells 1301-1312. The eleven inter-cell connections essentially connect the fuel cells 1301-1312 in series with each other, so that the cell assembly 1300 performs the discharge function.

The battery assembly 1300 performs the charging function by receiving the charging current from the plurality of charging devices 1310(01)-1310(12). Specifically, each of the fuel cells 1301-1312 is electrically coupled to a corresponding one of the charging devices 1310(01)-1310(12) by a pair of wires, which is consistent with how the fuel cell 100 is wired to the wiring configuration of FIG. 10A Device 810 is charged in the same manner in 1091 . For example, fuel cell 1301 is electrically coupled to charging device 1310(01) by a pair of leads 1311(01) and 1312(01), wherein lead 1311(01) is electrically coupled to electrode 130E of fuel cell 1301, in FIG. 13 Labeled 130E(01), to the positive terminal of charging device 1310(01) and wherein wire 1312(01) is electrically coupled to electrode 151E of fuel cell 1301 labeled 151E(01) to the negative of charging device 1310(01) terminal. Fuel cell 1301 thus receives charging current 1315(01) carried by wire 1311(01) from charging device 1310(01) to charge fuel cell 1301 as part of the charging operation performed by battery assembly 1300. Likewise, as part of the charging operation performed by the battery assembly 1300, the remainder of the fuel cells 1301-1312 each receive their respective charging current from the charging device coupled to it, and finally the fuel cell 1312, which via wire 1311(12) receives from Charging device 1310(12) receives charging current 1315(12).

While performing the charging function, the battery assembly 1300 also simultaneously performs the discharging function. As described above, eleven inter-cell connections (eg, wires 1340(01), 1340(02), . component 1300 to perform a discharge function. For example, battery assembly 1300 may perform a discharge function by sending current 1325 to electrical load 1320. Since the fuel cells 1301-1312 are electrically connected in series when performing the discharging function, the electrical load 1320 is coupled to the battery assembly 1300 by a pair of wires 1321 and 1322, wherein the wire 1321 is electrically coupled to the fuel cell 1301 marked as 122E(01). The electrode 122E of the fuel cell 1312 is electrically coupled to the positive terminal of the load 1320, and wherein the wire 1322 is electrically coupled to the negative terminal of the load 1320 from the electrode 151E of the fuel cell 1312, labeled 151E(12). That is, the electrical load 1320 is electrically coupled to the air electrode layer of the first fuel cell (ie, the fuel cell 1301 ) of the stack structure of the cell assembly 1300 and the last fuel cell (ie, the fuel cell 1312 ) of the stack structure of the cell assembly 1300 . between the conductive layers.

Accordingly, the battery pack 1300 performs the charging function by receiving twelve charging currents 1315(01)-1315(12) from the charging devices 1310(01)-1310(12), and at the same time by sending the current through the wire 1321 1325 to perform a discharge function to drive the load 1320. Notably, when the fuel cells 1301-1312 are connected in series to perform a discharge function, each of the fuel cells 1301-1312 individually receives charging current from the respective charging device to which it is coupled.

FIG. 14 shows another charge-discharge wiring configuration of the present disclosure, which includes a battery assembly 1400, a plurality of charging devices 1410(01), 1410(02), . . . , 1410(11), 1410(12), and electrical loads 1420. Like the battery assembly 1300 , the battery assembly 1400 also includes twelve fuel cells arranged in a stacked structure, namely, the fuel cells 1401 to 1412 . Each of the twelve fuel cells 1401 - 1412 of the battery assembly 1400 may be implemented by the fuel cell 100 configured in the charge-discharge configuration 800 . That is, each of the fuel cells 1401-1412 is wired according to the wiring configuration 1091 of FIG. 10A, except that the fuel cells 1401-1412 of FIG. 10A collectively charge one electrical load, the load 1420. As shown in FIG. 14 , each of the fuel cells 1401 to 1412 has its electrode 122E folded toward the electrode 121E and thus short-circuited with the electrode 121E. In addition, each of the fuel cells 1401-1412 has a corresponding electrode 155E that is short-circuited to the electrode 151E in a similar manner. That is, the left conductive layer 151 of each of the fuel cells 1401-1412 is electrically coupled to the corresponding right conductive layer 155, and the left air electrode layer 121 of each of the fuel cells 1401-1412 is electrically coupled to the corresponding right conductive layer 155 the right air electrode layer 122.

Similar to the fuel assembly 1300, the cell assembly 1400 also includes a plurality of wires for forming a plurality of inter-cell connections, that is, an electrical connection between each adjacent two of the fuel cells 1401-1412. Unlike the inter-cell connections of fuel assembly 1300, there are a total of twenty-two inter-cell connections in fuel assembly 1400. The twenty-two inter-cell connections can be divided into two groups: each inter-cell connection has eleven individual connections. Specifically, the first set of inter-cell connections collectively connect the fuel cells 1401-1412 to each other in series for the battery assembly 1400 to perform a discharge function, and the second set of inter-cell connections collectively connect the fuel cells 1401-1412 to each other in series to Used in the battery pack 1400 to perform the discharge function. The first set of eleven inter-cell connections is made of wires 1440(01), 1440(02), ..., 1440(11) that connect the inter-cell connections on fuel cells 1401-1412 to the wires 1340(01) to 1340(11) are basically the same for the fuel cell assembly 1300. That is, the electrode 155E of each of the fuel cells 1401-1412 is electrically coupled to the electrode 122E of the next fuel cell in the stack through the wires 1440(01)-1440(11).

The second set of eleven inter-cell connections is made by wires 1470(01), 1470(02), . . . , 1470(11) in FIG. 14 . Specifically, the electrode 130E of each of the fuel cells 1401-1412 is electrically coupled to the electrode 155E of the next fuel cell in the stack. For example, wire 1470(01) is used to electrically couple electrode 130E of fuel cell 1401 (labeled 130E(01) in the figure) to electrode 155E of fuel cell 1402 (labeled 155E(02)). Likewise, lead 1470 (02) is used to electrically couple electrode 130E of fuel cell 1402, labeled 130E (02), to electrode 155E of fuel cell 1403. In this manner, a second set of inter-cell connections is made for every two adjacent fuel cells of the cell assembly 1400, the last connection in the second set being made by the electrode 130E of the fuel cell 1411 labeled 130E(11) and the It is achieved by wire 1470(11) between electrodes 155E of fuel cell 1412 of 155E(12). Accordingly, the cell assembly 1400 includes a total of twenty-two inter-cell connections on the fuel cells 1401-1412. The first set of 11 inter-cell connections connect the fuel cells 1401-1412 to each other in series for the cell assembly 1400 to perform the discharge function, and the second set of 11 inter-cell connections connect the fuel cells 1401-1412 to each other in series for the battery Component 1400 to perform a charging function. It is worth noting that the total number of inter-cell connecting wires in the first group, ie, wires 1440(01)-1440(11), is one (1) less than the total number of fuel cells in the battery assembly 1400. Similarly, the total number of inter-cell connecting lines in the second set, ie, lines 1470(01)-1470(11), is also one (1) less than the total number of fuel cells in the battery assembly 1400.

The battery pack 1400 performs the charging function by receiving charging current from an external power source. In some embodiments, the external power source can be composed of a plurality of charging devices connected in series. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the charging devices 1410(01), 1410(02), . . . , 1410(12) are electrically coupled in series by a plurality of wires 1481, 1482, . The battery pack 1400 performs a charging function by receiving current from an external power source. As shown in FIG. 14 , the charging devices 1410 ( 01 ) to 1410 ( 12 ) connected in series as external power sources are electrically coupled to the battery assembly 1400 by a pair of wires 1411 and 1412 , wherein the wires 1411 connect the charging devices 1410 ( 12 ) is connected to electrode 130E of fuel cell 1412, labeled 130E(12) in the figure, and wherein wire 1412 connects the negative terminal of charging device 1410(01) to electrode 151E of fuel cell 1401, labeled 151E( 01). The battery pack 1400 thus performs the charging function by receiving the current 1415 via the wires 1411 from the series-connected charging devices 1410(01)-1410(12). It is worth noting that the number of charging devices connected in series is arbitrary. The number of charging devices may be greater than, equal to, or less than the number of fuel cells in battery assembly 1400 . In general, the more charging devices are connected in series, the battery pack 1400 can perform the charging function by receiving a greater current 1415 and/or a higher voltage across electrodes 130E(12) and 151E(01), thereby enabling charging Functions are more efficient.

While performing the charging function, the battery assembly 1400 also simultaneously performs the discharging function. As described above, eleven inter-cell connections (eg, wires 1440(01)-1440(11) in FIG. 14) essentially connect the fuel cells 1401-1412 in series for the cell assembly 1400 to perform the discharge function. For example, battery assembly 1400 may perform a discharging function by sending current 1425 to electrical load 1420, which is electrically coupled to battery assembly 1400 via a pair of wires 1421 and 1422. Wire 1421 is coupled between the positive terminal of load 1420 and electrode 122E of fuel cell 1401 labeled 122E(01) in the figure. Wire 1422 is coupled between the negative terminal of load 1420 and electrode 151E of fuel cell 1412 labeled 151E(12) in the figure. That is, the electrical load 1420 is electrically coupled between the air electrode layer of the first fuel cell (ie the fuel cell 1401 ) of the stack structure of the cell assembly 1400 and the electrical conduction of the last fuel cell (ie the fuel cell 1412 ) of the stack structure of the cell assembly 1400 between layers.

Accordingly, the battery pack 1400 performs the charging function by a single charging current from the series-connected charging devices 1410(01)-1410(12), namely the current 1415, while performing the discharging by sending the current 1425 through the wire 1421 function to drive the load 1420. It is worth mentioning that the fuel cells 1401 to 1412 are connected in series to perform both the charging function and the discharging function.

FIG. 15 shows yet another charge-discharge wiring configuration of the present disclosure, which includes a battery assembly 1500 , a plurality of charging devices 1530( 01 ) to 1530 ( 12 ) and 1540 ( 01 ) to 1540 ( 12 ), and an electrical load 1520 . Similar to the cell assembly 1300 and the cell assembly 1400 , the cell assembly 1500 also includes twelve fuel cells arranged in a stacked structure, namely, the fuel cells 1501 to 1512 . Each of the twelve fuel cells 1501 - 1512 of the battery assembly 1500 may be implemented by the fuel cell 100 configured in the charge-discharge configuration 805 . For example, each of the fuel cells 1501-1512 in FIG. 15 are wired according to the wiring configuration 1093 of FIG. 10C, except that the fuel cells 1501-1512 of FIG. 15 collectively charge an electrical load, load 1520. As can be seen, for each of the fuel cells 1501-1512, an intra-cell connection is made by a wire (eg, wire 1052 in Figure 10C) that electrically shorts electrode 121E and electrode 155E of the corresponding fuel cell. For example, wire 1550 ( 01 ) implements the intra-cell connection of fuel cell 1501 , while wire 1550 ( 02 ) implements the intra-cell connection of fuel cell 1502 . For each fuel cell in the stack of cell assembly 1500, the intra-cell connection is achieved, and the final intra-cell connection is made by connecting electrodes 121E labeled 121E(12) in FIG. ) electrodes 155E are electrically short-circuited. The battery assembly 1500 thus includes a total of twelve inter-cell connections made by wires 1550(01), 1550(02), . . . , 1550(12). Notably, the total number of interconnecting wires within the cell is equal to the total number of fuel cells in the battery assembly 1500 . It is also worth noting that cell assembly 1500 differs from cell assemblies 1300 and 1400 in that, for each of fuel cells 1501-1512, left conductive layer 151 is not electrically shorted to corresponding right conductive layer 155. Likewise, the left air electrode layer 121 of each of the fuel cells 1501 to 1512 is not electrically shorted to the corresponding right air electrode layer 122 .

In addition to intra-cell connections, battery assembly 1500 also includes a plurality of wires for making inter-cell connections. Specifically, the cell assembly 1500 includes a total of 11 inter-cell connections, each of which electrically couples the electrode 151E of the fuel cell to the electrode 122E of the next fuel cell in the stack of the cell assembly 1500 . For example, lead 1560(01) is used to electrically short electrode 151E of fuel cell 1501 labeled 151E(01) in FIG. 15 and electrode 122E of fuel cell 1502 labeled 122E(02) in the drawing. Inter-cell connections are made in the same manner, for each of the remaining fuel cells of cell assembly 1500, namely between electrode 151E of fuel cell 1502 and electrode 122E of fuel cell 1503, and between electrode 151E of fuel cell 1503 and fuel cell 1503. Between the electrodes 122E of the cell 1504, and so on, the final inter-cell connection is between the electrode 151E labeled 151E(11) in the diagram of the fuel cell 1511 and the electrode 122E labeled 122E(12) in the diagram of the fuel cell 1512 connection between. Notably, the total number of inter-cell connecting lines is one (1) less than the total number of fuel cells in the battery assembly 1500 .

The battery assembly 1500 performs the charging function by each of the fuel cells 1501-1512 receiving two charging currents from two external power sources, respectively. For example, fuel cell 1501 receives two charging currents, one from charging device 1530(01) and the other from charging device 1540(01). The charging devices 1530(01) and 1540(01) are wired to the fuel cell 1501 according to the wiring configuration 1093 of FIG. 10C. In fact, each of the fuel cells 1501-1512 are wired according to the wiring configuration 1093, the last being the fuel cell 1512, which is wired to the charging devices 1530(12) and 1540(12).

While performing the charging function, the battery assembly 1500 may also simultaneously perform the discharging function. Specifically, battery assembly 1500 may perform a discharge function by sending current 1525 to electrical load 1520, which is electrically coupled to battery assembly 1500 via a pair of wires 1521 and 1522. Wire 1521 is coupled between the positive terminal of load 1520 and electrode 122E of fuel cell 1501 labeled 122E(01) in FIG. 15 . Wire 1522 is coupled between the negative terminal of load 1520 and electrode 151E labeled 151E(12) in the drawing of fuel cell 1512. That is, the electrical load 1520 is electrically coupled between the second air electrode layer of the first fuel cell (ie, the fuel cell 1501 ) of the stack structure of the cell assembly 1500 and the last fuel cell (ie, the fuel cell 1512 ) of the stack structure of the cell assembly 1500 . between the first conductive layers.

The twelve intra-cell connections and eleven inter-cell connections of the battery assembly 1500 together connect the fuel cells 1501 to 1512 in series, so that the electrochemical reaction in the left space 101 and the electrochemical reaction in the right space 102 of each fuel cell are The chemical reaction system is electrically connected with the fuel cells 1501 to 1512 in series. That is, the cells 701 and 702 of each of the fuel cells 1501-1512, as modeled in the circuit model 700, are thus connected in series, resulting in a total of 24 half-spaces electrically connected in series, each half-space (ie The left space 101 or the right space 102) is charged by one of the charging devices 1530(01)-1530(12) and 1540(01)-1540(12). This wiring configuration essentially doubles the output voltage provided by the battery pack to the load compared to that provided by the configuration of Figure 13 or Figure 14, making the wiring configuration of Figure 15 a suitable choice when a higher output voltage is required to drive the load. For example, modeled by battery 701 or 702 , battery assembly 1500 would be able to provide a total of 24V across the positive and negative terminals of load 1520 assuming electrochemical reactions in each half-space can produce a voltage of 1 volt (V). In contrast, each of battery assembly 1300 and battery assembly 1400 can only provide a total of 12V across loads 1320 and 1420, respectively.

It is worth noting that the fuel cell and battery assembly according to the present disclosure can perform both charging and discharging functions, but does not require the use of any fuel cell or battery assembly of the present disclosure. That is, each fuel cell or battery assembly described herein may be used to perform only one of the charging and discharging functions, although performing both the charging and discharging functions simultaneously is possible and desirable in many applications. Each fuel cell or battery assembly of the present disclosure may perform a charging function, a discharging function, or both at any time, depending on the specific requirements of use.

The features and benefits of the present disclosure are described with reference to the various embodiments detailed above. Accordingly, the present disclosure should not be limited to these exemplary embodiments, which illustrate some possible non-limiting combinations of features, which may exist alone or in other combinations of features.

The above-described embodiments merely illustrate some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, which are used to illustrate the technical solutions of the problems to be solved, and do not limit the present disclosure in any way. The scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the above-mentioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that any person familiar with the technical solutions disclosed in the present disclosure can modify or change the technical solutions described in the above-mentioned embodiments, and equivalently replace Some technical features of the present disclosure. However, these modifications, changes and substitutions do not separate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and are included within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the patent application scope.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that many modifications and changes can be made to the apparatus and method while retaining the teachings of the present invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as being limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims. extra note

The subject matter described herein sometimes illustrates different components contained within or connected with different other components. It should be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary and that in fact many other architectures that achieve the same functionality may be implemented. Conceptually, any arrangement of components that achieve the same function is effectively "related" to achieve the desired function. Thus, any two components combined herein to achieve a particular function can be considered to be "associated" with each other to achieve the desired function, regardless of architecture or intervening components. Likewise, any two components so associated could also be considered to be "operably connected" or "operably coupled" to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated could also be considered to be "operably connected" or "operably coupled" to each other to achieve the desired functionality To be "operably couplable" to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include, but are not limited to, physically mateable and/or physically interactable components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interactable components and/or logically interactable and/or logically interactable components .

Furthermore, with respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular term herein, those skilled in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as appropriate to the context and/or application. For the sake of clarity, various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein.

In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that terms used herein, and particularly in the appended claims in general, eg, the subject-matter of the appended claims are generally intended to be "open-ended" terms, eg, the terms "" Including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", the word "having" should be interpreted as "having at least", the word "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to" and the like. Those of skill in the art will further appreciate that if a specific number of an introduced patent claim is intended to be cited, such intent will be expressly recited in the claimed claim, and in the absence of such citation no such citation exists intention. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain references to the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce the claims. However, use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" would limit any particular claim containing such an introduced claim statement to Contains only one realization of such a statement, even if the same patentable scope includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" such as "a" and/or "an" should also be interpreted as "at least one" or "one or more"; so is the use of the definite article used to introduce a statement of the scope of the claim. Furthermore, even if a specific quantity of the introduced claimed scope is explicitly recited, one skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be construed to refer to at least the recited quantity, eg, "two" without other modifiers. A pure citation" means at least two citations, or two or more citations. Furthermore, where a convention is used similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc.", typically such a structure is intended to be understood by those skilled in the art in the sense that the convention is understood, eg, "Have A, B, and C "A system with at least one of" will include, but not be limited to, systems with A only, B only, C only, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B and C together, etc. system. In those cases where the convention is similar to the use of "at least one of A, B or C, etc.", generally such constructions are intended to be understood by those skilled in the art in the sense that the convention would be understood, eg, "Have the "At least one system" will include, but is not limited to, systems with A only, B only, C only, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B and C together, etc. Those skilled in the art will further understand that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase that presents two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, the scope of the claim, or the drawings, should be construed to be considered to include one term , the possibility of one of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" would be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B".

Although patented subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that patented subject matter defined in the scope of the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claimed scope.

100: Battery Structure 100A: electrical connector 101: Left Space 102: Right space 103A: First air chamber 103B: Second air chamber 110: Shell group 111: Left housing 112: Right housing 112H: Hole 113: Central housing 113A: Guide post 113C: Central housing area 114: Cover 114A: The first hole 114B: Second hole 114C: Central cover 115: Shell 115A, 115A': first opening 115B, 115B': Second opening 120: Air electrode group 121: Left air electrode layer 121E: Left discharge positive electrical connector 122: Right air electrode layer 122E: Right discharge positive electrical connector 130: metal layer 130E: charging positive electrical connector 140: Zinc material 151: Left conductive layer 151E: Left Negative Electrical Connector 152,156: Central District 153,157: Outer Zone 154: Left groove 155: Right conductive layer 155E: Right negative electrical connector 158: Right groove 161~164: Partition 170: Electrolyte 170F: full level 200: Battery pack 201~212: Battery structure 210A~210K: connecting pipe 220: Circulation tube set 221: First Circulation Tube 222I: Fuel inlet 222: Second circulation tube 230: Fuel tank 230G: Air hole 231: Fuel pipe 231O: Fuel exports 232: Fuel pipe 232: Fuel inlet 232O: Fuel exports 233: Circulation pump 233D: Loop Direction 700: Dual Battery Circuit Model 701, 702: Batteries 800,805: Configuration 810, 830, 84: External power supply 815, 825, 826, 835, 845: Current 820: Electrical load 1011, 1012, 1021, 1022, 1023, 1031, 1032, 1041, 1042, 1051, 1052, 1321, 1322, 1340(01)~1340(11), 1440(01)~1440(11), 1470(01) ~1470(11), 1481~1491, 1521, 1522, 1550(01)~1550(12): Lead wire 1091~1093: Wiring Configuration 1300, 1400, 1500: battery components 1301~1312, 1401~1412, 1501~1512: fuel cells 1315: charging current 1320, 1420, 1520: Electrical loads 1325, 1525: Current 1410(01)~1410(12), 1530(01)~1530(12), 1540(01)~1540(12): Charging device

In order to clearly illustrate the specific embodiments according to the present disclosure or the technical solutions according to the prior art, a brief description of the accompanying drawings required by the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art is provided below. Obviously, the drawings described below are illustrative of certain embodiments of the present disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without any creative effort, other drawings can also be derived from these drawings or obtained in other ways.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an exploded view of the battery structure of the present invention.

FIG. 1A shows an exploded schematic view of the variation of FIG. 1 corresponding to the battery structure of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of the embodiment of the zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of FIG. 1 corresponding to the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention.

3A shows another schematic view of the simplified perspective of FIG. 1A corresponding to the battery structure of the present invention in an upright position.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic front view of an embodiment of a zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention.

4A shows another schematic view of the simplified front view of FIG. 1A corresponding to the cell structure of the present invention in an upright position.

Figure 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view along line AA' of Figure 4 of the embodiment of the zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention in a horizontal position.

FIG. 5A shows the schematic perspective view of FIG. 5 corresponding to the embodiment of the zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention in a horizontal position.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a cell assembly composed of a plurality of cell structures corresponding to a plurality of zinc-air fuel cells with five electrical connectors of the present invention.

FIG. 6A shows a schematic side view of FIG. 6 corresponding to the present invention.

FIG. 6B shows a schematic top view of FIG. 6 corresponding to the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a circuit model of the zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8A shows the wiring configuration of the zinc-air fuel cell of the present disclosure modeled by the circuit model of FIG. 7 , including a charging device and an electrical load.

FIG. 8B shows another wiring configuration of the zinc-air fuel cell of the present disclosure modeled by the circuit model of FIG. 7 , which includes two charging devices and one electrical load.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present invention.

10A shows the wiring configuration of the zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present disclosure configured in accordance with FIG. 8A.

FIG. 10B shows the wiring configuration of the zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present disclosure configured in accordance with FIG. 8B .

FIG. 10C shows another wiring configuration of the zinc-air fuel cell with five electrical connectors of the present disclosure configured in accordance with FIG. 8B .

11 shows a flowchart of an exemplary process for simultaneously charging and discharging a fuel cell.

12 shows a flow diagram of another exemplary process for simultaneously charging and discharging a fuel cell.

Figure 13 shows a wiring configuration of a cell assembly consisting of zinc-air fuel cells, wherein each cell is wired according to the configuration of Figure 10A.

Figure 14 shows another wiring configuration for a cell assembly consisting of zinc-air fuel cells, where each cell is wired according to the configuration of Figure 10A.

Figure 15 shows a wiring configuration of a cell assembly consisting of zinc-air fuel cells, where each cell is wired according to the configuration of Figure 10C.

100: Battery Structure

103A: First air chamber

103B: Second air chamber

112H: Hole

113A: Guide post

115: Shell

115A: First opening

115B: Second opening

121E: Left discharge positive electrical connector

122E: Right discharge positive electrical connector

122: Right air electrode layer

130E: charging positive electrical connector

151E: Left Negative Electrical Connector

155E: Right conductive layer

170: Electrolyte

170F: full level

A-A': Line A-A'

Claims (39)

A zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors, comprising: an outer shell that forms a space inside the zinc-air fuel cell; A plurality of air chambers are arranged in the space; Two air electrode layers are arranged in the space and serve as positive electrodes for a chemical reaction discharge; a metal layer disposed in the space and used as a positive electrode for the chemical reaction charging; A zinc material is arranged in the space, and acts as a negative electrode to perform the chemical reaction discharge together with the air electrode layer, or act as a negative electrode to perform the chemical reaction charge together with the metal layer; A plurality of separators are arranged in the space and are respectively arranged between the air electrode layer and the metal layer, so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer are arranged separately; and An electrolyte is disposed in the space, the electrolyte can flow through the separator and contact the air electrode layer, the metal layer and the zinc material, so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer are respectively charged with electricity connected, wherein the plurality of gas chambers are configured to receive the electrolyte, and wherein the electrolyte is disposed within the space via at least one of the plurality of gas chambers configured to pass through but not receive The electrolyte, and wherein the electrolyte is disposed within the space until at a level below the plurality of gas cells. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as claimed in claim 1, wherein the casing comprises a polyarylene material, and the casing is formed by an insert molding method to prevent leakage of the electrolyte. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as described in claim 1, further comprising: A transfer device is connected to the space to adjust a height of the electrolyte in the space. The zinc-air fuel cell with electrical connectors of claim 3, wherein the transfer device regulates either the input of the electrolyte into the space and the output of the electrolyte from the space, or both. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors of claim 3, wherein the transmission device regulates one of the input and output of a gas into the space, or both. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as claimed in claim 3, wherein when the height causes the electrolyte to contact the air electrode layer, the metal layer and the zinc material simultaneously, the plurality of electrical connections The zinc-air fuel cell of the device is activated for a charging reaction or for a discharging reaction. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as claimed in claim 3, wherein when the height causes the electrolyte to contact the air electrode layer and the zinc material simultaneously, the zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors The fuel cell is activated for a discharge reaction. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as claimed in claim 3, wherein when the height causes the electrolyte to contact the metal layer and the zinc material simultaneously, the zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors The battery is activated for a charging reaction. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the electrolyte is in contact with one of the air electrode layer, the metal layer and the zinc material, the one with the plurality of electrical connectors The zinc-air fuel cell is deactivated for a chemical reaction. The zinc-air fuel cell with electrical connectors of claim 1, wherein the gas chamber buffers a cycle of a gas or the electrolyte. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as described in claim 1, further comprising: Two conductive layers are disposed on both sides of the space adjacent to and in contact with the zinc material to accommodate the zinc material. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors of claim 11, wherein at least one of the conductive layers has a peripheral region and a central region, and wherein the central region is lower than the peripheral region to form a recess slot to accommodate the zinc material. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as claimed in claim 1, wherein the zinc material comprises flowable zinc paste, zinc particles or a zinc plate. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air electrode layer comprises a first air electrode layer and a second air electrode layer, and wherein the first air electrode layer, the metal The layer, the zinc material and the second air electrode layer are aligned vertically. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first air electrode layer is an uppermost layer, the zinc material is a lowermost layer, and the metal layer is disposed on the first air electrode between the electrode layer and the zinc material. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of gas chambers are connected to each other. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as described in claim 1, further comprising: One or more guide posts, each guide post is disposed between two adjacent ones of the plurality of air chambers to guide a circulation of at least one of the zinc material, the electrolyte and a gas. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors of claim 1, wherein the plurality of air chambers are configured to balance an internal pressure of the zinc-air fuel cell. The zinc-air fuel cell with a plurality of electrical connectors as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the air electrode layers comprises a metal mesh, a waterproof and breathable layer and a catalytic layer. A method for simultaneously performing a charging function and a discharging function with a fuel cell, the fuel cell comprising: an outer shell that forms a space inside the fuel cell; a metal layer disposed in the space and used as a positive electrode for the charging function; Two air electrode layers are arranged in the space and serve as a positive electrode of the discharge function; a zinc material, which is arranged in the space and serves as a negative electrode for the charging function and the discharging function; A plurality of separators are arranged in the space and are respectively arranged between the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer, so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer are arranged separately; and An electrolyte is disposed in the space, the electrolyte can flow through the separator and contact the air electrode layer, the metal layer and the zinc material, so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer are respectively charged with electricity connection; and A plurality of air chambers are arranged in the space, wherein the electrolyte is disposed within the space via at least one of the plurality of gas cells configured to pass but not contain the electrolyte, and wherein the electrolyte is arranged in the space until it is at a level lower than the plurality of gas chambers; The method contains: providing the fuel cell; providing a charging device having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; providing an electrical load having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; electrically coupling the positive terminal of the charging device to the metal layer of the fuel cell; electrically coupling the positive terminal of the electrical load to the two air electrode layers; and The negative terminal of the charging device and the negative terminal of the electrical load are electrically coupled to the zinc material. The method of claim 20, wherein the charging device comprises a solar panel, or wherein the charging device comprises a wind turbine. The method of claim 20, wherein the charging device comprises a solar panel, or wherein the charging device comprises a wind turbine. The method of claim 20, wherein the charging device comprises a solar panel, or wherein the charging device comprises a wind turbine. The method of claim 23, wherein the conductive layers are electrically coupled to each other by an L-shaped conductor. A method for simultaneously performing a charging function and a discharging function with a fuel cell, wherein the fuel cell comprises: an outer shell that forms a space inside the fuel cell; a metal layer disposed in the space and used as a positive electrode for the charging function; A first air electrode layer and a second air electrode layer are disposed in the space and serve as the positive electrode of the discharge function, and the first and second air electrode layers are disposed on opposite sides of the metal layer; a zinc material, which is arranged in the space and serves as a negative electrode for the charging function and the discharging function; A first conductive layer and a second conductive layer, each disposed between the metal layer and one of the first air electrode layer and the second air electrode layer, in the first and second conductive layers each has a central recessed area for accommodating the zinc material; A plurality of separators are respectively arranged between the first and the second air electrode layers, the first and the second conductive layers and the metal layer, so that the first and the second air electrode layers, the first and the second conductive layer and the metal layer are arranged separately; An electrolyte is disposed in the space, the electrolyte can flow through the separator and contact the air electrode layer, the metal layer and the zinc material, so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer are respectively charged with electricity connection; and A plurality of air chambers are arranged in the space, wherein the electrolyte is disposed within the space via at least one of the plurality of gas cells configured to pass but not contain the electrolyte, and wherein the electrolyte is disposed in the space until it is at a level lower than the plurality of gas chambers; The method contains: providing the fuel cell; providing a first charging device and a second charging device, each having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; providing an electrical load having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; electrically coupling the positive terminal of each of the first and second charging devices to the metal layer of the fuel cell; electrically coupling the positive terminal of the electrical load to the first air electrode layer; electrically coupling the negative terminal of the first charging device to the zinc material contained in the central recessed region of the first conductive layer; electrically coupling the negative terminal of the second charging device and the negative terminal of the electrical load to a zinc material contained in the central recessed region of the second conductive layer; and The second air electrode layer is electrically coupled to the zinc material contained in the central recessed region of the first conductive layer. The method of claim 25, wherein the charging device comprises a solar panel, or wherein the charging device comprises a wind turbine. A battery assembly capable of simultaneously performing a charging function and a discharging function, the battery assembly comprising a plurality of fuel cells arranged in a stacked structure, each of the plurality of fuel cells comprising: an outer shell, tied to the interior of each fuel cell to form a space; a metal layer disposed in the space and used as a positive electrode for the charging function; an air electrode layer, which is arranged in the space and serves as a positive electrode of the discharge function; a zinc material, which is arranged in the space and serves as a negative electrode for the charging function and the discharging function; A plurality of separators are respectively disposed between the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer, so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer are arranged separately; and an electrolyte capable of flowing through the separator and in contact with the air electrode layer, the metal layer and the zinc material, so that the air electrode layer, the zinc material and the metal layer are electrically connected, respectively; a plurality of air chambers are arranged in the space; and Connecting wires between multiple batteries, wherein the electrolyte is disposed in the space via at least one of the plurality of gas chambers configured to pass but not contain the electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte is disposed in the space up to a level below the plurality of gas cells, and Wherein each of the plurality of inter-cell connecting lines electrically couples the zinc material of a corresponding fuel cell in the stack structure to the air electrode layer of the next fuel cell in the stack structure. The cell assembly of claim 27, wherein the total number of inter-cell connecting lines is one less than the total number of fuel cells in the stack. The battery assembly of claim 27, wherein the battery assembly performs the charging function by receiving a corresponding current in the metal layer of each of the plurality of fuel cells. The cell assembly of claim 27, wherein the cell assembly is capable of driving an electrical load electrically coupled between an air electrode layer of a first fuel cell in the stack and a last fuel in the stack between the zinc material of the cell, and wherein the cell component performs the discharge function by sending an electrical current from the air electrode layer of the first fuel cell to the electrical load. The battery pack of claim 27, wherein: The plurality of inter-battery connecting lines are a first group of inter-battery connecting lines, The battery assembly further includes a second set of inter-battery connecting wires, and Each of the second set of inter-cell connections electrically couples the metal layer of the corresponding fuel cell in the stack to the zinc material of the next fuel cell in the stack. The cell assembly of claim 31, wherein the total number of inter-cell connecting lines in the second group is one less than the total number of fuel cells in the stacked structure. The battery pack of claim 31, wherein the battery pack performs the charging function by receiving an electrical current through a metal layer of a last fuel cell in the stack, and wherein the electrical current is provided by an external power source, The external power source is electrically coupled between the metal layer of the last fuel cell in the stack and the zinc material of a first fuel cell in the stack. The battery assembly of claim 33, wherein the external power source comprises a plurality of charging devices connected in series. The cell assembly of claim 31, wherein the cell assembly is capable of driving an electrical load electrically coupled between an air electrode layer of a first fuel cell in the stack and a last fuel in the stack between the zinc material of the cell, and wherein the cell component performs the discharge function by sending an electrical current from the air electrode layer of the first fuel cell to the electrical load. The battery assembly of claim 27, wherein the air electrode layer is a second air electrode layer, the battery assembly further comprising: a first air electrode layer, each of the first and second air electrode layers is disposed on opposite sides of the metal layer; a first conductive layer; a second conductive layer; and A plurality of battery inner connecting lines, in: Each of the first and second conductive layers has a central recessed area for accommodating the zinc material, The first conductive layer is disposed between the metal layer and the first air electrode layer, The second conductive layer is disposed between the metal layer and the second air electrode layer, Each of the plurality of inter-cell connecting lines couples the zinc material of the corresponding fuel cell of the stack to the second air electrode layer of the next fuel cell by coupling the first conductive layer of the corresponding fuel cell to the second air electrode layer of the next fuel cell. the air electrode layer of the next fuel cell of the stack structure, and Each of the plurality of intra-cell connecting wires electrically couples the first air electrode of the corresponding fuel cell to the second conductive layer of the corresponding fuel cell. The battery assembly of claim 36, wherein the battery assembly performs the charging function by each of the plurality of fuel cells receiving two currents in its metal layer, wherein the two currents are charged by two Means are provided, each charging device being coupled between the metal layer and each of the first and second conductive layers of the corresponding fuel cell. The cell assembly of claim 36, wherein the cell assembly is capable of driving an electrical load electrically coupled to a second air electrode layer of a first fuel cell in the stack and a second air electrode of the stack Finally between the first conductive layer of the fuel cell, and wherein the cell assembly performs the discharge function by sending a current from the second air electrode layer of the first fuel cell to the electrical load. The cell assembly of claim 36, wherein the total number of inter-cell connections is one less than the total number of fuel cells in the stack, and wherein the total number of intra-cell connections is equal to the total number of fuel cells in the stack .

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