IP Library Granted Patent US 11,495,830
Granted Patent B2
US 11,495,830 · App. 17/650,366 · Granted Nov 8, 2022

Electrochemical cell with TMCCC electrodes in an acetonitrile solvent including a dinitrile additive

Inventors: Majid Keshavarz (Pleasanton, CA); Daniel Friebel (San Carlos, CA); Peter Benjamin Herman (San Jose, CA); Grace Marjorie Yee (San Francisco, CA); Alex J. Klevay (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Natron Energy, Inc.
H01M10/0567H01M10/0569H01M2300/0028
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,495,830
App. No.
17/650,366
Granted
Nov 8, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method for a liquid electrolyte used in secondary electrochemical cells having at least one electrode including a TMCCC material, the liquid electrolyte enabling an increased lifetime while allowing for fast discharge to extremely high depth of discharge. The addition of dinitriles to liquid electrolytes in electrochemical cells in which energy storage is achieved by ion intercalation in transition metal cyanide coordination compounds (TMCCC) has the advantage of increasing device lifetime by inhibiting common chemical and electrochemical degradation mechanisms.

Claims (40)

1. An electrochemical cell, comprising:

an electrolyte including a quantity of water and a mononitrile solvent;

an anode electrode in electrical communication with said electrolyte, said anode electrode configured for absorbing and releasing a first portion of said quantity of water during an electrochemical operation of the electrochemical cell; and

a cathode electrode in electrical communication with said electrolyte, said cathode electrode configured for absorbing and releasing a second portion of said quantity of water during said electrochemical operation of the electrochemical cell;

wherein said anode electrode includes a first transition metal cyanide coordination compound material and said cathode electrode includes a second transition metal cyanide coordination compound different from said first transition metal cyanide coordination compound material; and

wherein said electrolyte includes one or more alkali metal salts in solution with said mononitrile solvent, and an additive disposed within said mononitrile solvent, said monotrile solvent includes one or more cell life-cycle degrading chemical reactions with one or more of said portions of water providing a first cell life cycle degradation rate R1; and

wherein said additive includes a dinitrile material; and

wherein said dinitrile material is configured for a non-consumptive disruption of said one or more cell life-cycle degrading chemical reactions with one or more of said portions of water producing a second cell-life degradation rate R2<R1.

2. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein each said transition metal cyanide coordination compound material includes a composition A x P y [R(CN) (6) ]z n(H 2 O), wherein A includes an alkali metal cation, wherein a P includes a transition metal cation, wherein R includes a transition metal cation, and wherein 0≤x≤2, y=1, 0.75≤z≤1, and 0≤n≤6.

3. The electrochemical cell of claim 2 wherein P of said cathode electrode includes at least one of manganese and iron; and wherein R of said cathode electrode includes at least one of manganese and iron.

4. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 in which said dinitrile material includes a linear dinitrile material.

5. The electrochemical cell of claim 4 in which said linear dinitrile material includes succinonitrile.

6. The electrochemical cell of claim 4 in which said linear dinitrile material includes adiponitrile.

7. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 having a weight ratio N of said solvent to said additive wherein 70:30<N<99:1.

8. The electrochemical cell of claim 2 wherein A includes one or more of Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs cations.

9. The electrochemical cell of claim 2 wherein P of said anode electrode includes at least one of manganese and iron; and wherein R of said anode electrode includes manganese.

10. The electrochemical cell of claim 3 wherein R for said anode electrode includes manganese.

11. An electrochemical cell, comprising:

an electrolyte including a quantity of water and a mononitrile solvent;

an anode electrode in electrical communication with said electrolyte; and

a cathode electrode in electrical communication with said electrolyte;

wherein said anode electrode includes a first transition metal cyanide coordination compound material and said cathode electrode includes a second transition metal cyanide coordination compound different from said first transition metal cyanide coordination compound material; and

wherein said electrolyte includes one or more alkali metal salts in solution with said mononitrile solvent, and an additive disposed within said mononitrile solvent, said monotrile solvent includes one or more cell life-cycle degrading chemical reactions with one or more of said portions of water providing a first cell life cycle degradation rate R1; and

wherein one or more of said transition metal cyanide coordination compound materials are configured for releasing one or more chemical species S, wherein S includes a component of said one or more of said transition metal cyanide coordination compound materials;

wherein said additive includes a dinitrile material; and

wherein said dinitrile material is configured for a non-consumptive disruption of said one or more cell life-cycle degrading chemical reactions with one or more of said portions of water producing a second cell-life degradation rate R2<R1.

12. The electrochemical cell of claim 11 wherein said one or more of said transition metal cyanide coordination compound materials includes a composition of the formula M x O y H z , and wherein M includes one or more transition metals including manganese, 0<x≤1, 0<y≤2, and 0≤z≤2.

13. An electrochemical cell, comprising:

an electrolyte including a quantity of water and a mononitrile solvent;

an anode electrode in electrical communication with said electrolyte; and

a cathode electrode in electrical communication with said electrolyte;

wherein said anode electrode includes a first transition metal cyanide coordination compound material and said cathode electrode includes a second transition metal cyanide coordination compound different from said first transition metal cyanide coordination compound material; and

wherein said electrolyte includes one or more alkali metal salts in solution with said mononitrile solvent, and an additive disposed within said mononitrile solvent, said monotrile solvent includes one or more cell life-cycle degrading chemical reactions with one or more of said portions of water providing a cell life cycle degradation rate R1 having a chemical reaction configured to form one or more chemical species S; and

wherein said additive includes a dinitrile material; and

wherein said dinitrile material is configured for a non-consumptive disruption of said one or more cell life-cycle degrading chemical reactions with one or more of said portions of water producing a second cell-life degradation rate R2<R1.

14. The electrochemical cell of claim 13 wherein said one or more of said transition metal cyanide coordination compound materials includes a composition of the formula M x O y H z , and wherein M includes one or more transition metals including manganese, 0<x≤1, 0<y≤2, and 0≤z≤2.

15. The electrochemical cell of claim 13 wherein said one or more chemical species S includes a composition of the formula M x O y H z , and wherein M includes one or more transition metals including manganese, 0<x≤1, 0<y≤2, and 0≤z≤2.

16. The electrochemical cell of claim 15 wherein said species S includes a manganese oxide.

17. The electrochemical cell of claim 13 wherein said one or more chemical species S includes an amide composition configured from a reaction product between said mononitrile and said quantity of water.

18. The electrochemical cell of claim 17 wherein said species S includes an acetamide.

Assignments (8)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 10, 2025
From: NATRON (ASSIGNMENT FOR THE BENEFIT OF CREDITORS), LLC
To: MERCURIA INVESTMENTS US, INC.
Reel/Frame 072829/0132 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 8, 2025
From: NATRON ENERGY, INC.
To: NATRON (ASSIGNMENT FOR THE BENEFIT OF CREDITORS), LLC
Reel/Frame 072836/0466 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 3, 2025
From: NATRON INTERMEDIATE, INC.; NATRON HOLDINGS, INC.; NATRON ENERGY, INC.
To: MERCURIA INVESTMENTS US, INC.
Reel/Frame 071480/0329 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 1, 2025
From: MERCURIA INVESTMENTS US, INC.
To: NATRON ENERGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 070705/0013 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 26, 2024
From: NANODIMENSION III, L.P.; NANODIMENSION IV, L.P.; ND CAPITAL OPPORTUNITY FUND I, L.P.; THE EIGER TRUST
To: NATRON ENERGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 069450/0867 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 21, 2024
From: NATRON ENERGY, INC.
To: MERCURIA INVESTMENTS US, INC.
Reel/Frame 068748/0393 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 8, 2024
From: NATRON ENERGY, INC.
To: NANODIMENSION III, L.P.; NANODIMENSION IV, L.P.; ND CAPITAL OPPORTUNITY FUND I, L.P.; THE EIGER TRUST
Reel/Frame 068520/0081 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 8, 2022
From: KESHAVARZ, MAJID, MR.; FRIEBEL, DANIEL, DR.; HERMAN, PETER BENJAMIN, MR.; YEE, GRACE MARJORIE, MS.; KLEVAY, ALEX J., MR.
To: NATRON ENERGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 058932/0777 →