Lithium-Air Batteries for Long-Range EVs

Method of manufacturing a tabless stacked cell for lithium-air batteries to improve energy density. The manufacturing process has three steps: 1. Preparing the cathode slurry with a specific composition of conductive carbon black, mesoporous carbon, and lithium salt. 2. Coating the slurry onto a current collector to form a thin, flexible cathode layer. 3. Stacking the cathode layers without tabs to create a tabless stacked cell. The thin, flexible cathode layers eliminate the need for protruding tabs that can limit stacking density. The slurry composition promotes capacity and cycling stability in the thin cathode.

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Efficient metal-air battery for vehicles like cars, boats, and heavy trucks that solves the problems of degradation, passivation, and byproduct clogging in metal-air batteries. The battery design includes features like inertizing the anode when not in use, ultrasonic cleaning of the anode during operation, and an oxygen concentrator. An inert gas separates the anode from the electrolyte when not in use to prevent passivation. Ultrasonic transducers clean the anode during operation to remove byproducts. An oxygen concentrator provides concentrated oxygen to the cathode.

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Lithium-air battery structure that decouples electrochemical reactions from solid product storage to improve battery performance. The battery has separate electrodes for electrochemical reaction and solid product storage. During discharge, oxygen from the air electrode dissolves in the electrolyte and reacts with lithium ions to form soluble lithium superoxide. This superoxide then quickly converts to solid lithium peroxide in the solid product storage electrode. By decoupling the reaction and storage steps, it prevents solid product accumulation on the air electrode and reduces resistance.

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Lithium-air battery cell with a solid organic catalyst in the cathode that allows use of lithium metal anodes without protection barriers. The cathode catalyst is a p-type organic lithium salt that promotes oxygen reduction. It avoids issues like catalyst migration and electrolyte degradation. The solid catalyst can be combined with a n-type organic catalyst and carbon. The organic catalysts replace soluble catalysts used in prior lithium-air batteries.

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Lithium-air battery with a solid organic catalyst in the cathode that doesn't migrate to the anode, improving performance and safety. The cathode uses a solid p-type electroactive organic catalyst lithium salt instead of a soluble catalyst. This prevents catalyst migration to the anode, reducing degradation, hysteresis, and capacity fade. The fixed catalyst also allows using Li metal in the anode without protection. The battery can be primary or rechargeable.

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Cathode for lithium-air batteries with improved capacity and lifetime. The cathode is made of a carbon foam with open cells that provides channels for air flow. The carbon foam structure is coated with an electrode material inside the open cells. This allows the electrode material to be fixed in place and the air to flow through the foam, preventing discharge product buildup on the surface. It also enables better electrolyte penetration. The open cell carbon foam cathode improves capacity and cycle life of lithium-air batteries compared to dense cathode materials.

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Lithium-air battery with improved cycle life for energy storage applications. The battery contains a non-aqueous electrolyte with a specific liquid amount per unit area of the positive electrode. This amount ranges from 4.1 to 6.4 μL/cm² based on the discharge capacity. The battery also optionally has separators, a solid electrolyte layer, and a negative electrode current collector. The precise electrolyte volume helps suppress lithium peroxide buildup during discharge, preventing oxygen diffusion hindrance and degradation.

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Lithium-air battery with improved performance, a method for making it, and using it in electric vehicles. The battery has a unique cathode design with a gas diffusion layer filled with air and coated with conductive carbon. This allows reversible oxygen cycling and high efficiency. The battery is made by stacking the cathode, separator, and anode under inert gas, impregnating the separator with a specific electrolyte, and encapsulating it to allow air penetration.

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Control system for dynamic, adaptive multi-cell metal air batteries that optimizes performance and efficiency while addressing unique challenges of these batteries. The system monitors battery output and dynamically adjusts parameters like flow rate, rotation rate, and resistive load for individual cells based on real-time data. This allows customized operation that balances power demands and battery conditions. It also provides rapid shutdown without hydrogen gas production and quick restart. The system leverages the mechanical advantages of dynamic batteries to optimize performance and efficiency.

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Extending the cruising range of electric vehicles by using graphene-based metal-air batteries. The system involves optimizing the graphene-based metal-air battery (GMAB) operation, continuously monitoring and managing auxiliary power sources, and recovering energy during braking. The GMAB is connected to a flow control system, electrolyte management system, auxiliary power sources, and real-time monitoring. The flow control regulates electrolyte circulation, temperature control maintains optimal temperature, and buffer tanks replenish electrolyte. The real-time monitoring calculates battery charge states and switches power between sources. A regenerative braking system recovers kinetic energy. This system optimizes GMAB performance and continuously supplies power to extend electric vehicle range.

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A vehicle power supply system that improves cold weather performance of electric vehicles by combining a lithium-ion battery pack with an aluminum-air battery pack. The aluminum-air battery acts as a range extender in cold conditions when the lithium-ion pack cannot provide sufficient voltage and current. The aluminum-air pack is connected to the lithium-ion pack and a heating device. The electrolyte tank between them contains electrolyte. Pumps move electrolyte between the tanks and packs during operation. This allows the aluminum-air pack to take over when needed for stable power in cold weather.

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Maximizing energy density of metal-air batteries by optimizing porosity of the anode layer. The method involves controlling the charging and discharging rates based on the anode porosity. This allows maximizing energy density for a given application environment. The porosity is around 0.2-0.9. The method involves calculating the C-rate based on the anode porosity using a formula. This formula is derived from experiments to find the optimal C-rate for a given porosity.

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Lithium air battery with improved cycle life by supplying water vapor to the cathode. The battery has a lithium air cell and a separate water vapor supply unit containing a basic metal compound and water. The water vapor supply unit provides water vapor to the cathode during operation. This prevents carbonate formation by dissolving carbon dioxide in the water vapor, reducing lithium carbonate buildup and improving battery cycle life.

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Protected lithium electrode structure for lithium-air batteries to improve cycle life and prevent performance degradation. The protected electrode has a sealed negative electrode layer of lithium metal, alloy, or compound between the current collector and separator. This sealing prevents lithium dendrites from growing and dispersing during charging/discharging. A separate layer captures any fine lithium powder that does escape, confining it and preventing it from dispersing in the electrolyte. This prevents lithium loss and maintains battery performance over multiple cycles.

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A lithium oxygen battery design that improves the cycling stability and coulombic efficiency of the lithium metal anode by protecting it from electrolyte decomposition. The battery has a shell with oxygen supply holes on both sides. The anode, diaphragm, and cathode are stacked inside the shell. This allows oxygen to enter through the anode side holes during discharge, preventing anode-electrolyte reaction. During charge, oxygen enters through the cathode side holes. The cathode porosity allows oxygen transfer without clogging. This prevents electrolyte decomposition and corrosion of the anode, improving cycling stability and coulombic efficiency.

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Lithium-air battery with a lithium alloy anode that enables high energy density without the typical issues of conventional anodes like low capacity and decomposition. The anode uses a lithium alloy that provides high electronic and ionic conductivity along with chemical stability during charging and discharging. This allows the lithium alloy anode to avoid decomposition and capacity fade issues seen in conventional anodes. The lithium alloy anode also enables thicker discharge product layers without significant energy density loss compared to conventional anodes. The battery also includes an oxygen cathode, a solid electrolyte membrane, and a lithium-containing separator.

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A metal-air battery system for electric vehicles that uses metal-air batteries to extend the driving range of the vehicle by supplementing the lithium-ion batteries. The system has both lithium-ion batteries and metal-air batteries. The metal-air batteries can charge the lithium-ion batteries when needed, allowing the vehicle to drive further than just using the lithium-ion batteries alone. This increases the continuous use time of the lithium batteries and the maximum trip distance. The metal-air batteries also have advantages like low cost, long life, and environmental friendliness compared to lithium-ion batteries.

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Lithium-air battery with catalyst particles to control discharge product and improve efficiency. The battery has a negative electrode with lithium, a positive electrode with catalyst particles for generating LiO2, and an oxygen-based positive electrode active material. The catalyst particles control whether LiO2 is generated and its amount. This provides a lithium-air battery that generates the high-efficiency LiO2 discharge product instead of lower-efficiency Li2O2 or Li2O.

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A chemically stable lithium-containing metal oxide anode for lithium-air batteries that can provide high energy density and prevent deterioration during charging and discharging. The anode contains a lithium-containing metal oxide like Li0.10La0.63TiO3-δ (0≤δ≤1.0) that has spinel, perovskite, anti-perovskite, garnet, or silicate crystal structures. The lithium-containing metal oxide anode provides stability against radicals and decomposition during electrochemical reactions compared to conventional carbon-based anodes.

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Lithium air battery design that improves charge/discharge efficiency, cycle life, and prevents leakage compared to conventional lithium air batteries. The battery has a unique housing with a sealed space for the anode and an open air receiving area for the cathode. This prevents moisture ingress into the anode while allowing air access for the cathode. The anode is a lithium metal, the cathode is a porous material, and an electrolyte separates them. This configuration enables stable cycling with high capacity, long life, and reduced polarization compared to conventional lithium air batteries.

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