Battery with Heterogeneous Flow-Through Porous Electrodes

摘要

The invention discloses general apparatus and methods for electrochemical energy conversion and storage via a membraneless laminar flow battery. In a preferred embodiment, the battery includes a flow-through porous anode for receiving a fuel and a porous electrolyte channel for transporting an electrolyte adjacent to the porous anode; a flow-through porous cathode is provided for transporting an oxidant; and a porous dispersion blocker is disposed between the electrolyte channel and the porous cathode, which inhibits convective mixing while allowing molecular diffusion and mean flow. Pore structure properties are selected for tuning convective dispersion, conductivity or other macroscopic properties. Specific materials, reactants, fabrication methods, and operation methods are disclosed to achieve stable charge/discharge cycles and to optimize power density and energy density.

主权项

1. Flow battery comprising:
an anode for receiving a fuel during discharge; a cathode for receiving an oxidant during discharge; wherein at least one of the anode and cathode is a flow-through porous electrode for receiving liquid fuel or liquid oxidant; an open or flow-through porous electrolyte channel for transporting a liquid electrolyte between the anode and cathode; and a porous dispersion blocker placed between the electrolyte channel and at least one flow-through electrode, which inhibits convective mixing between said electrolyte channel and electrode, while allowing molecular diffusion and mean flow.