Composite anode structure for aqueous electrolyte energy storage and device containing same

1. An anode electrode suitable for an aqueous electrolyte energy storage device, the anode electrode comprising a solid mixture of a NASICON material and an electrochemical double layer capacitive and/or pseudocapacitive material comprising an activated carbon having an electrical resistivity greater than 0.001 ohm-cm.

2. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the NASICON material formula is A x B y (PO 4 ) 3 , where A is an alkali ion, or combination of alkali ions, B is a multivalent metal ion, P is at least 80 atomic percent phosphorus, O is oxygen, 0.95≦x≦3.05, and 1.95≦y≦2.05.

3. The electrode of claim 2 , wherein the NASICON material formula is AB 2±δ1 (PO 4 ) 3±δ2 , where A comprises at least 5 atomic percent Na, B comprises at least 50 atomic percent Ti, and δ1 and δ2 each independently vary between zero and 0.05.

4. The electrode of claim 3 , wherein the NASICON material is a solid solution of Na x Li (1-x) Ti 2 (PO 4 ) 3 , where 0.05≦x≦1 and the activated carbon has a surface area between 400 and 1500 m 2 /g.

5. The electrode of claim 4 , wherein the anode electrode comprises a mixture of a NaTi 2 (PO 4 ) 3 NASICON material and the activated carbon, the mixture having a NaTi 2 (PO 4 ) 3 :activated carbon mass ratio ranging from 0.5:9 to 9.5:0.5.

6. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the anode electrode has a specific capacity of at least 50 mAh/g in aqueous electrolyte with alkali ions as functional ions.

7. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the anode electrode has a physical and electrochemical stability of at least 500 cycles in which a state of charge swing is at least 75% without displaying any loss in energy storage function.

8. An energy storage device, comprising:

a plurality of electrochemical energy storage cells connected electrically in parallel or series, wherein each cell comprises:

a negative anode electrode of claim 1 ;

a positive cathode electrode;

a separator; and

an aqueous electrolyte,

wherein the charge storage capacity of the anode electrode is less than the charge storage capacity of the cathode;

wherein water in the electrolyte locally electrolyzes to form hydrogen and OH − species at the anode electrode of at least one of the plurality of cells when the charge storage capacity of the ion insertion material resident in the anode electrode is exceeded upon charging of the device; and

wherein alkali cation species from the electrolyte insert and extract into and out of the NASICON material regardless of what kind of alkali species is resident in the NASICON material.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein:

the device comprises a hybrid energy storage device;

the cathode electrode in operation reversibly inserts and extracts alkali metal cations; and

the anode electrode stores the hydrogen species capacitively or pseudocapacitively and stores the metal cations through a combination of ion insertion and at least one of capacitive and pseudocapacitive storage.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the activated carbon has a surface area of 600-3000 m 2 /g as determined by the BET method, the insertion material comprises NaTi 2 (PO 4 ) 3 , and in use, the activated carbon protects the NaTi 2 (PO 4 ) 3 material from corrosion by gettering corrosive species comprising at least one of OH − and hydrogen species that evolve during charging.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the device comprises a plurality of cells grouped and connected in parallel, where the groups of parallel connected cells are then connected electrically in series with no cell-level battery management system.

12. The device of claim 8 , wherein:

the storage capacity of the anode electrode available before water begins electrolysis at the anode electrode/electrolyte interface is 50-90% of the charge storage capacity of the cathode electrode;

a mass ratio of the anode electrode to the cathode electrode is less than 1; and

an ion storage capacity of the anode in mAh is less than an ion storage capacity of the cathode in mAh.

13. The device of claim 9 , wherein:

the cathode electrode comprises a material having a formula A x M y O z , where A is one or more of Li, Na, K, Be, Mg, and Ca, where x is within a range of 0 to 1, before use and within a range of 0 to 10, during use; M comprises any one or more transition metals, where y is within a range of 1 to 3, and z is within a range of 2 to 7;

the anode electrode comprises a combination of activated carbon and NaTi 2 (PO 4 ) 3 ; and

the electrolyte comprises one or more of 0.1 to 10 M SO 4 2− , NO 3 − , ClO 4 − , PO 4 3− , CO 3 2− , Cl − , CH 3 COO − or OH − anions, one or more of 0.1 to 10 M Li + , Na + , K + , Ca 2+ or Mg 2+ cations, and a pH of 4-10.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the cathode electrode comprises a doped or undoped cubic spinel λ-MnO 2 -type material or a Na 0.44 MnO 2 tunnel structured orthorhombic material, and the electrolyte comprises at least one of Na 2 SO 4 , Li 2 SO 4 , NaClO 4 , LiClO 4 , NaNO 3 , LiNO 3 , or MnClO 4 solvated in water.

15. The device of claim 13 , wherein:

the cathode electrode comprises a doped or undoped cubic spinel LiMn 2 O 4 ;

the electrolyte comprises at least one of Li 2 SO 4 , LiClO 4 , LiNO 3 , or MnClO 4 solvated in water; and

the electrolyte is sodium free and contains no solvated sodium ions, but contains one or more of Li, K, Ca, Mn, and Mg solvated cations.

16. The device of claim 9 , wherein the cathode electrode comprises a material having a formula KMFe(CN) 6 , wherein M is at least one transition metal, and a Prussian blue type crystal structure, and the electrolyte comprises at least one of Na 2 SO 4 , K 2 SO 4 or Li 2 SO 4 solvated in water.

17. The device of claim 8 , wherein:

the OH − species increase a pH proximal to the anode electrode surface and wherein the increase in pH lowers the voltage stability window of the electrolyte locally, thereby reducing or eliminating further hydrogen evolution; and

the hydrogen species formed on charging of the at least one cell combines with the OH′ species upon discharging of the same at least one cell.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein at least a portion of the hydrogen species formed on charging of the at least one cell is stored in, on or at the anode electrode.

19. The device of claim 18 , wherein the anode electrode further comprises a hydrogen storage material.

20. The device of claim 8 , wherein:

a first cell of the plurality of cells in the device comprises a lower charge storage capacity as manufactured than a second cell of the plurality of cells in the device;

the first cell experiences overcharge and undercharge conditions during discharging and charging; and

the device lacks a cell level voltage monitoring and a current control circuit.

21. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the anode electrode comprises a solid free standing anode electrode on a current collector and the anode electrode comprises a porous crystalline structure that is filled with the electrolyte.

22. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the anode electrode comprises a solid solution of the ion intercalation material and the electrochemical double layer capacitive and/or pseudocapacitive material having a porous crystalline structure that is filled with the electrolyte.