ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL WITH SINTERED CATHODE AND BOTH SOLID AND LIQUID ELECTROLYTE

1 . An electrochemical cell comprising:

an anode comprising electrochemically-active material;

a cathode comprising electrochemically-active, porous, liquid-permeable, sintered, ceramic material; and

a solid-state, liquid-impermeable electrolyte medium disposed between said anode and said cathode.

2 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , said cathode having porosity of from about 10% to about 30%.

3 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said electrochemically-active, porous, liquid-permeable, sintered, ceramic material of said cathode comprises an intercalatable material.

4 . The electrochemical cell of claim 3 , wherein said intercalatable material comprises at least one of the group of materials consisting of

LiNi x CO 2−x Mn x O 2 , wherein 0≦x≦0.5;

LiCoO 2 ;

LiNi x CO 1−x O 2 , wherein 0.1≦x≦0.9;

LiMn 2 O 4 ; and

LiFePO 4 .

5 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said solid-state, liquid-impermeable electrolyte medium is affixed to said cathode.

6 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein a perimeter of said solid-state, liquid-impermeable electrolyte medium is affixed to said cathode by binder material.

7 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said binder material comprises at least one of a polytetrafluoroethylene, a polyvinylidene fluoride, an ethylene-propylene-diene rubber, a polyethylene oxide, a UV-curable acrylate, and a UV-curable methacrylate.

8 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said solid-state, liquid-impermeable electrolyte medium is affixed to said cathode in face-contacting relationship.

9 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said solid-state, liquid-impermeable electrolyte medium is affixed to said cathode in face-contacting relationship by a polymer-gel electrolyte binder.

10 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said solid-state, liquid-impermeable electrolyte material comprises amorphous material.

11 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said solid-state, liquid-impermeable electrolyte material comprises glass material.

12 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said solid-state, liquid-impermeable electrolyte material comprises thin-film glass material.

13 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said solid-state, liquid-impermeable electrolyte material comprises thin-film glass material coated upon said cathode.

14 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said solid-state, liquid-impermeable electrolyte medium comprises ceramic material.

15 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said solid-state, liquid-impermeable electrolyte medium comprises glass ceramic material.

16 . The electrochemical cell of claim 15 , wherein said glass ceramic material is about 50 to about 500 μm thick.

17 . The electrochemical cell of claim 15 , wherein said glass ceramic material comprises a lithium super-ionic-conductor polycrystalline ceramic material.

18 . The electrochemical cell of claim 17 , wherein said lithium super-ionic-conductor polycrystalline ceramic material comprises at least one lithium-metal phosphate from the group having a formula Li 1+x+r (Ti 2−y Ge y ) 2−x (Al 2−z Ga z ) x Si r P 3−y O 12 where 0.0≦x≦0.9, 0.0≦y≦2.0, 0.0≦z≦2.0 and 0.0≦r≦1.0.

19 . The electrochemical cell of claim 18 , wherein said at least one lithium-metal phosphate contains a predominant crystalline phase comprising at least one of

Li 1+x (M, Al, Ga) x (Ge 1−y Ti y ) 2−x (PO 4 ) 3 where X≦0.8 and 0≦Y≦1.0, and where M is an element selected from the group consisting of Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb and

a compound having the formula L 1+x+y Q x Ti 2−x Si y P 3−y O 12 where 0≦X≦0.4 and 0≦Y≦0.6, where Q is Al or Ga.

20 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said solid-state, liquid-impermeable electrolyte medium comprises a layer of glass ceramic material disposed adjacent a layer of glass material wherein said layer of glass material is disposed adjacent said anode.

21 . The electrochemical cell of claim 20 , wherein said glass material comprises thin-film glass material.

22 . The electrochemical cell of claim 20 , wherein said glass material comprises at least one of a lithium silicate, a lithium borate, a lithium aluminate, a lithium phosphate, a lithium phosphorus oxynitride, a lithium silicosulfide, a lithium germanosulfide, a lithium lanthanum oxide, a lithium titanium oxide, a lithium borosulfide, a lithium aluminosulfide, a lithium phosphosulfide and a lithium lanthanum zirconate.

23 . The electrochemical cell of claim 22 , wherein said glass material comprises thin-film glass material.

24 . The electrochemical cell of claim 20 , wherein said glass ceramic material is from about 50 to about 500 μm thick.

25 . The electrochemical cell of claim 20 , wherein said glass ceramic material comprises a lithium super-ionic-conductor polycrystalline ceramic material.

26 . The electrochemical cell of claim 25 , wherein said lithium super-ionic-conductor polycrystalline ceramic material comprises at least one lithium-metal phosphate from the group having a formula Li 1+x+r (Ti 2−y Ge y ) 2−x (Al 2−z Ga z ) x Si r P 3−y O 12 where 0.0≦x≦0.9, 0.0≦y≦2.0, 0.0≦z≦2.0 and 0.0≦r≦1.0.

27 . The electrochemical cell of claim 26 , wherein said at least one lithium-metal phosphate contains a predominant crystalline phase comprising at least one of

Li 1+x (M, Al, Ga) x (Ge 1−y Ti y ) 2−x (PO 4 ) 3 where X≦0.8 and 0≦Y≦1.0, and where M is an element selected from the group consisting of Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb and

a compound having the formula L 1+x+y Q x Ti 2−x Si y P 3−y O 12 where 0≦X≦0.4 and 0≦Y≦0.6, where Q is Al or Ga.

28 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , further comprising a liquid electrolyte infused substantially throughout said cathode.

29 . The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein said electrochemically-active material of said anode comprises lithium metal.