ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL HAVING AIR CATHODE PARTIALLY INFUSED WITH CARBON DIOXIDE
An electrochemical cell has a cell assembly that has an anode, an air cathode infused with a liquid electrolyte, an ionically-conductive separator medium disposed between and coupling said anode and said air cathode, a housing enclosing said anode, said cathode, and said ionically-conductive separator medium, and a mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide disposed within said housing in gaseous communication with said air cathode, wherein said carbon dioxide comprises from about 0.04% to about 95% molar fraction of said mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
1 . An electrochemical cell comprising:
an anode,
an air cathode infused with a liquid electrolyte,
an ionically-conductive separator medium disposed between and coupling said anode and said air cathode,
a housing enclosing said anode, said cathode, and said ionically-conductive separator medium, and
a mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide disposed within said housing in gaseous communication with said air cathode;
wherein said carbon dioxide comprises from about 0.04% to about 95% molar fraction of said mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
2 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide comprises about 50% each by volume.
3 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said oxygen comprises oxygen as a constituent of air.
4 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of an anode current collector adjoining said anode and a cathode current collector adjoining said cathode.
5 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said housing further comprises at least one gas inlet port for receiving said oxygen and said carbon dioxide.
6 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises a solvent having a lithium salt dissolved therein.
7 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises an organic-solvent-based electrolyte including a lithium salt.
8 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises an ionic liquid.
9 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises an ionic liquid having a lithium salt dissolved therein.
10 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said ionically-conductive separator medium comprises a separator structure infused with a liquid electrolyte.
11 . The electrochemical cell of claim 10 , wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises a solvent having a lithium salt dissolved therein.
12 . The electrochemical cell of claim 10 , wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises an organic-solvent-based electrolyte including a lithium salt.
13 . The electrochemical cell of claim 10 , wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises an ionic liquid.
14 . The electrochemical cell of claim 10 , wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises an ionic liquid having a lithium salt dissolved therein.
15 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said ionically-conductive separator medium comprises an ionically-conductive separator structure.
16 . The electrochemical cell of claim 15 , wherein said ionically-conductive separator structure is infused with a liquid electrolyte.
17 . The electrochemical cell of claim 16 , wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises a solvent having a lithium salt dissolved therein.
18 . The electrochemical cell of claim 16 , wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises an organic-solvent-based electrolyte including a lithium salt.
19 . The electrochemical cell of claim 16 , wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises an ionic liquid.
20 . The electrochemical cell of claim 16 , wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises an ionic liquid having a lithium salt dissolved therein.
21 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said anode is lithium-based and said liquid electrolyte comprises a solvent having a lithium salt dissolved therein.
22 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said anode is lithium-based and wherein said liquid electrolyte comprises an organic-solvent-based electrolyte including a lithium salt.
23 . A method for operating an electrochemical cell comprising:
providing an enclosed cell assembly comprising
an anode,
an air cathode having a liquid electrolyte infused therein,
an ionically-conductive separator medium disposed between and coupling said anode and said air cathode,
a housing enclosing said anode, said air cathode, said ionically-conductive separator medium; and
selectively providing a mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide to an interior of said housing so as to be in gaseous communication with said air cathode;
wherein said carbon dioxide comprises from about 0.04% to about 95% molar fraction of said mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
24 . The method of claim 23 , wherein said mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide comprises a ratio of about 50% each by volume.
25 . The method of claim 23 , wherein said oxygen comprises air having said oxygen as a constituent thereof.