Catalyzed, high energy density, metal-air battery
An air-cathode battery includes a porous cathode current collector with an air interface, an ionic liquid electrolyte disposed in pores of the porous cathode current collector; a metal anode, and a separator in contact with the ionic liquid electrolyte and coupled between the porous cathode current collector and the metal anode. The porous cathode current collector is an ionogel formed from a silica sol-gel or a carbonized resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogel and the pores are functionalized with a thiol group-containing species that is functionalized with one or more catalytic nanoparticles or the pores are electroplated with catalytic metal.
1. An air-cathode battery comprising:
a porous cathode current collector with an air interface;
an ionic liquid electrolyte disposed in pores of the porous cathode current collector;
a metal anode; and
a separator in contact with the ionic liquid electrolyte and coupled between the porous cathode current collector and the metal anode;
wherein the porous cathode current collector is an ionogel comprised of a silica sol-gel and the pores are functionalized with a thiol group-containing species that is functionalized with one or more catalytic nanoparticles.
2. The air-cathode battery of claim 1 , wherein the thiol group containing species is a mercaptosilane.
3. The air cathode battery of claim 1 , wherein the porous cathode current collector comprises conductive carbon particles.
4. The air cathode battery of claim 1 , wherein the pores have a diameter of 10 nm to 10 μm.
5. The air cathode battery of claim 1 , wherein the ionic liquid is thermally stable up to 350° C. and has a viscosity at 25° C. of 10 cP to 200 cP.
6. The air cathode battery of claim 1 , wherein the metal of the metal anode comprises lithium.
7. The air cathode battery of claim 1 , wherein the pore diameters have a polydispersity of 1.5 or less.
8. The air cathode battery of claim 1 , wherein the pores are functionalized with gold nanoparticles and the gold nanoparticles have an average particle diameter of 5 nm to 150 nm.
9. A method of making an air cathode battery comprising:
a porous cathode current collector made by the steps comprising:
synthesizing a silica sol-gel porous material;
optionally drying the silica sol-gel to form a silica aerogel;
adding an ionic liquid electrolyte;
optionally adding carbon nanoparticles or a pre-formed carbon mat to make the porous material conductive;
functionalizing pores of the porous material with a thiol group containing species, then functionalizing the thiol group containing species with catalytic nanoparticles, or electroplating the pores with a catalytic metal; and
assembling the porous cathode current collector into the air cathode battery.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein adding the ionic liquid electrolyte is performed prior to or during synthesizing of the silica sol-gel, and the ionic liquid electrolyte acts as a solvent for the synthesizing.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein adding the ionic liquid electrolyte is performed after synthesizing of the silica sol-gel, and a solvent used in the synthesizing step is removed.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein gold nanoparticles are added to the porous material in in a weight percent based on the weight of the porous material in an amount of 0.001 to 5%.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein carbon nanoparticles are added during the synthesizing of the silica sol-gel.
14. An air-cathode battery comprising:
a porous cathode current collector with an air interface;
an ionic liquid electrolyte disposed in pores of the porous cathode current collector;
a metal anode; and
a separator in contact with the ionic liquid electrolyte and coupled between the porous cathode current collector and the metal anode;
wherein the porous cathode current collector is an ionogel comprised of a silica sol-gel and the pores are electroplated with catalytic metal.
15. The air cathode battery of claim 14 , wherein the pores are electroplated with gold and a layer of electroplated gold is 1 nm to 50 nm in thickness.
16. The air cathode battery of claim 14 , wherein the ionic liquid electrolyte comprises an imidazolium cation.
17. The air cathode battery of claim 14 , wherein the pore diameters have a polydispersity of 1.1 or less.
18. The air cathode battery of claim 14 , wherein the porous cathode current collector comprises conductive carbon particles in an amount sufficient to meet a percolation threshold at which a complete electrical network is formed throughout the cathode current collector.
19. The air cathode battery of claim 18 , wherein the catalytic nanoparticles are present in the porous material in a weight percent based on the weight of the porous material in an amount of 0.001 to 5%.