TWI848445B - Device for removing anode attachments from zinc air batteries - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for removing anode attachments of a zinc-air battery. The zinc-air battery comprises: a base having a storage space filled with electrolyte; at least one anode plate comprising a metal frame, a metal mesh and at least one anode electrode; at least one cathode plate comprising a main board, a gas flow channel and at least one cathode electrode; and a vibration module comprising There is at least one ultrasonic oscillator installed in the anode plate or the base, which provides a predetermined voltage to the vibration module through a preset power supply unit to generate a predetermined vibration frequency, and maintains the vibration for a predetermined time, and generates ultrasonic vibration waves through the electrolyte to vibrate and peel off at least one zinc dendrite attached to the anode plate or inhibit the growth of the zinc dendrite.

Description

Device for removing anode attachments from zinc air batteries

The present invention provides a device for removing anode attachments of a zinc-air battery, and in particular, provides a device for physically removing zinc dendrites attached to the surface of the anode plate through a vibration module, without the need to frequently remove the anode plate inside the base and clean it with chemicals to achieve the original power of the zinc-air battery. The charging time of the zinc-air battery is used to remove zinc dendrites in three stages through a predetermined time and a predetermined frequency, so that large, medium and small dendrites are vibrated and removed in sequence, so that the zinc-air battery of the present invention can always maintain the optimized power.

According to the data, most of the world's electricity sources rely on the combustion of fossil fuels and coal, and the carbon dioxide produced by the combustion of fossil fuels and coal has become the main cause of the destruction of the earth's ozone layer. Therefore, we are constantly looking for green alternative energy sources (such as solar energy, hydropower, wind power, cogeneration and fuel cells, etc.) to reduce the pollution to the environment. Fuel cells are an excellent energy storage device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy through chemical reactions, and the biomass produced before and after the reaction process does not pollute the environment. Therefore, many people engaged in this industry have successively invested in the research and development of fuel cells.

The mainstream of fuel cell research and development is zinc-air fuel cells. Traditional zinc-air fuel cells (Zinc-Air Fuel Cell, ZAFC) are composed of: air cathode, metal (mainly zinc) anode and electrolyte storage space. Since the air cathode and metal anode are both immersed in the electrolyte, dendrites will grow on the surface of the metal anode after a period of use, causing rapid corrosion of the metal anode, reduced battery performance of the zinc-air fuel cell, acidification of the electrolyte and shortening of the battery life. Therefore, how to remove the dendrites from the metal anode has become an issue that those engaged in this industry are eager to solve.

Therefore, in view of the above problems and deficiencies, the inventor collected relevant information and, after multiple evaluations and considerations, designed the invention of the device for removing anode deposits from zinc-air batteries.

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a device for removing anode attachments of a zinc-air battery. The zinc-air battery comprises: a base having a liquid storage space filled with electrolyte; at least one anode plate including a metal frame, a metal mesh and at least one anode electrode; at least one cathode plate including a main board, a gas flow channel and at least one cathode electrode; a vibration module , which includes at least one ultrasonic oscillator installed in the anode plate or the base, which provides a predetermined voltage to the vibration module through a preset power supply unit to generate a predetermined vibration frequency, and maintains the vibration for a predetermined time, and generates ultrasonic vibration waves through the electrolyte to vibrate and peel off at least one zinc dendrite attached to the anode plate or inhibit the growth of the zinc dendrite. Through the above-mentioned structure, the vibration module can physically peel off the zinc dendrite attached to the surface of the anode plate, without the need to frequently remove the anode plate inside the base for cleaning with chemical agents, so as to achieve the original power of the zinc air battery. The charging time of the zinc-air battery is used to perform three-stage stripping of zinc dendrites at a predetermined time and frequency, so that large, medium and small zinc dendrites are vibrated and stripped in sequence, so that the zinc-air battery of the present invention can always maintain the optimized electrical power.

The secondary purpose of the present invention is that the predetermined voltage range is 48~72V and the power consumption is between 50~100W.

Another purpose of the present invention is that the predetermined vibration frequency range is 28~80KHz.

Another purpose of the present invention is that the predetermined time refers to a charging time of the oxygen generation reaction, and the charging time is first allocated 3/5 of the time to vibrate and peel large zinc dendrites at a low frequency of 28KHz; then 1/5 of the time is allocated to vibrate and peel medium-sized zinc dendrites at a medium frequency of 40KHz; and finally 1/5 of the time is allocated to vibrate and peel small zinc dendrites at a high frequency of 80KHz.

Another purpose of the present invention is that the ultrasonic oscillators are multiple, and the ultrasonic oscillators are arranged in a mixed manner with different powers and frequencies, and are arranged in the metal mesh of the anode plate in a hollow rectangle, rectangular array, hollow ring or circular array, and the distance between adjacent ultrasonic oscillators ranges from 5 to 10 cm.

Another object of the present invention is that the ultrasonic oscillator is single and is disposed in the metal frame of the anode plate.

Another object of the present invention is that the ultrasonic oscillator is single and is disposed on the inner wall or outer wall of the base.

1: Zinc air battery

11: Base

110: Liquid storage space

111:Electrolyte

12: Anode plate

121:Metal frame

122:Metal mesh

123: Anode electrode

13: Cathode plate

130: Gas flow channel

1300: Opening

131: Motherboard

132: Cathode electrode

14: Zinc dendrites

15: Tray

2: Vibration module

21: Ultrasonic oscillator

[Figure 1] is a partial three-dimensional appearance diagram of the zinc air battery of the present invention.

[Figure 2] is a partial three-dimensional exploded view of the zinc air battery of the present invention.

[Figure 3] is a three-dimensional exploded view of the anode plate and cathode plate of the present invention.

[Figure 4] is a side cross-sectional view of the zinc-air battery of the present invention during operation.

[Figure 5] is a diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention in which an oscillation module is installed in a zinc air battery.

[Figure 6] is a second embodiment diagram of the present invention in which an oscillation module is installed in a zinc air battery.

[Figure 7] is a diagram of the third embodiment of the present invention in which an oscillation module is installed in a zinc air battery.

[Figure 8] is a diagram of the fourth embodiment of the present invention in which an oscillation module is installed in a zinc air battery.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose and effect, the technical means and structure adopted by the present invention are described in detail in the following figure for the preferred embodiment of the present invention to facilitate a complete understanding.

Please refer to Figures 1 to 4, which are partial three-dimensional appearance diagrams of the zinc-air battery of the present invention, partial three-dimensional exploded diagrams of the zinc-air battery, three-dimensional exploded diagrams of the anode plate and cathode plate, and side cross-sectional diagrams of the zinc-air battery in operation. It can be clearly seen from the figures that the zinc-air battery 1 of the present invention includes: a base 11, an anode plate 12 and a cathode plate 13, and a vibration module 2 is provided in the zinc-air battery 1, and its main components and features are described in detail as follows:

The base 11 has a liquid storage space 110 filled with electrolyte 111.

At least one anode plate 12 includes a metal frame 121 inserted and immersed in the liquid storage space 110, and a metal mesh 122 is installed inside the metal frame 121 for the electrolyte 111 to flow and react chemically, and at least one anode electrode 123 is protruding from the top of the metal frame 121 to form an electrical connection with a preset power output terminal (not shown in the figure), and the preset power output terminal refers to a metal wire that forms an electrical connection through welding or an electrical connector.

At least one cathode plate 13 includes a main board 131 inserted and immersed in the liquid storage space 110, and a gas flow channel 130 for external air to enter is provided inside the main board 131, and two openings 1300 for air to enter and exit the gas flow channel 130 are provided above the main board 131, and at least one cathode electrode 132 is provided above the main board 131 to form an electrical connection with another preset power output terminal (not shown in the figure), and the other preset power output terminal refers to a metal wire that forms an electrical connection through welding or an electrical connector.

The vibration module 2 includes at least one ultrasonic vibrator 21 installed in the anode plate 12 or the base 11. A preset power supply unit (not shown in the figure, for example, a charger that can provide a DC voltage) provides a predetermined voltage to the vibration module 2 to generate a predetermined vibration frequency, and maintains vibration for a predetermined time. Ultrasonic vibration waves are generated through the electrolyte 111 to vibrate and peel off at least one zinc dendrite 14 attached to the anode plate 12 or inhibit the growth of the zinc dendrite 14.

The base 11 is further provided with a tray 15 on its bottom surface for collecting vibration-exfoliated zinc dendrites 14.

The predetermined voltage range is 48~72V (volts), and the power consumption is between 50~100W (watts); and the predetermined vibration frequency range is 28~80KHz (kilohertz); the predetermined time refers to a charging time of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and the charging time first allocates 3/5 of the time to vibrate and peel large zinc dendrites 14 at a low frequency of 28KHz; then allocates 1/5 of the time to vibrate and peel medium-sized zinc dendrites 14 at a medium frequency of 40KHz; and finally allocates 1/5 of the time to vibrate and peel small zinc dendrites 14 at a high frequency of 80KHz.

The metal frame 121 of the anode plate 12 is made of copper (Cu) or copper alloy; the metal mesh 122 of the anode plate 12 is made of zinc (Zn) or zinc alloy; the main plate 131 of the cathode plate 13 is made of manganese dioxide (MnO2) and carbon (graphite); the electrolyte 111 is made of potassium hydroxide (KOH); and the zinc dendrite 14 is made of zinc oxide (ZnO) in the form of dendritic crystals.

When the zinc-air battery 1 is in operation, the cathode plate 13 undergoes two different reactions: during the discharge process, a reduction reaction is performed on the surface of the cathode plate 13, and oxygen must be reduced to hydroxide ions (OH-), which is called oxygen reduction reaction (ORR); conversely, during the charging process, hydroxide ions must be oxidized to oxygen, which is also called oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

When the zinc-air battery 1 is discharged, the reaction generated by the cathode plate 13 is:

O2+2H2O+4e-→4OH-

When the zinc-air battery 1 is discharged, the reaction generated by the anode plate 12 is:

Zn+4OH-→Zn2++2e-

When the zinc-air battery 1 is charged, the reaction generated by the cathode plate 13 is:

Zn2++2e-→Zn(S)+4OH-

When the zinc-air battery 1 is charged, the reaction generated by the anode plate 12 is:

4OH-→O2+2H2O+4e-

Please refer to Figures 5 to 8, which are the first, second, third and fourth embodiments of the present invention in which a vibration module is set in a zinc air battery, wherein the vibration module 2 further includes a control circuit board (not shown) electrically connected to the predetermined power supply unit, and the control circuit board is electrically connected to the ultrasonic oscillator 21 using a wire (not shown in the figure). The vibration module 2 including the control circuit board and at least one ultrasonic oscillator has been included in the known technology, so no additional drawings are drawn or detailed description is made through text. FIG. 5 discloses a vibration module 2 in which the ultrasonic oscillator 21 is single and is disposed in the metal frame 121 of the anode plate 12; FIG. 6 discloses a vibration module 2 in which the ultrasonic oscillator 21 is single and is disposed on the inner wall surface or the outer wall surface of the base 11; and FIGS. 7 and 8 disclose a vibration module 2 in which there are multiple ultrasonic oscillators 21, and these ultrasonic oscillators 21 are arranged in a mixed manner with different powers and frequencies, and are hollow. A rectangle (as shown in FIG. 8), a rectangular array (not shown in the figure, but a simple modification of FIG. 8), a hollow ring (as shown in FIG. 7) or a circular array (not shown in the figure, but a simple modification of FIG. 7) is arranged in the metal mesh 122 of the anode plate 12, and the distance between adjacent ultrasonic oscillators 21 ranges from 5 to 10 cm (centimeter). The aforementioned distance is used to optimize the vibration peeling effect of the multiple ultrasonic oscillators 21 on the zinc dendrites 14.

When the zinc-air battery 1 of the present invention is actually operated, it mainly removes the anode attachment during its charging process (i.e., oxygen evolution reaction (OER)). A better method is: for example, the scheduled charging time of the zinc-air battery 1 is 5 hours, and the control circuit board of the vibration module 2 first allocates 3 hours to vibrate and peel off the large zinc dendrites 14 at a low frequency of 28KHz. After 3 hours, the large zinc dendrites 14 are almost all peeled off and fall down to the tray 15 at the bottom. Another hour is allocated to vibrate and peel the medium-sized zinc dendrites 14 at a medium frequency of 40KHz. Similarly, after one hour, the medium-sized zinc dendrites 14 are also peeled off and fall into the bottom tray 15. Finally, one hour is allocated to vibrate and peel the small zinc dendrites 14 at a high frequency of 80KHz. The vibration sequence of low, medium and high frequencies is applied by multiple ultrasonic vibrators 21 of different powers and frequencies, so that large, medium and small zinc dendrites 14 fall into the tray 15 in sequence, which can optimize the vibration peeling effect. After the zinc-air battery 1 has been operating for a long time, the electrolyte can be extracted, and then the tray 15 can be taken out and the zinc dendrites 14 can be cleaned with water, and then the cleaned tray 15 can be placed back in place. Through the above-mentioned operation mode, the service life of the zinc-air battery 1 of the present invention can be maximized.

From the disclosure of Figures 1 to 8 above, it can be understood that the main technical feature of the device for removing anode attachments of the zinc-air battery of the present invention is that at least one ultrasonic oscillator 21 is installed in the base 11 or the anode plate 12, so that the vibration module 2 can physically peel off the zinc dendrites 14 attached to the surface of the anode plate 12, without the need to frequently remove the anode plate 12 inside the base 11 and clean it with chemicals in order to achieve the original electrical power of the zinc-air battery 1. And through the charging time of the zinc air battery 1, the charging time is carried out in three stages through the predetermined time and predetermined frequency to peel off the zinc dendrites, so that the large, medium and small zinc dendrites 14 are vibrated and peeled off in sequence, so that the zinc air battery 1 of the present invention can always maintain the optimized power. The present invention is applied in the field of metal air fuel cells and has excellent practicality, so a patent application is filed to seek patent protection.

The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Therefore, all simple modifications and equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings should be included in the patent scope of the present invention and should be stated.

In summary, the device for removing anode deposits from zinc-air batteries of the present invention can achieve its efficacy and purpose when in use. Therefore, the present invention is truly an invention with excellent practicality. In order to meet the application requirements for invention patents, an application is filed in accordance with the law. We hope that the review committee will approve this case as soon as possible to protect the inventor's hard work. If the review committee of the Jun Bureau has any doubts, please feel free to write to us for instructions. The inventor will do his best to cooperate and will be grateful for the convenience.

1: Zinc air battery

11: Base

110: Liquid storage space

111:Electrolyte

12: Anode plate

121:Metal frame

122:Metal mesh

123: Anode electrode

14: Zinc dendrites

15: Tray

2: Vibration module

21: Ultrasonic oscillator

Claims (7)

A device for removing anode attachments of a zinc-air battery, the zinc-air battery comprising: a base having a liquid storage space filled with electrolyte inside; at least one anode plate, comprising a metal frame inserted and immersed in the liquid storage space, and a metal mesh for the electrolyte to flow and react chemically is arranged inside the metal frame, and at least one anode electrode is protruding above the metal frame to form an electrical connection with a preset power output terminal; at least one cathode plate, comprising a main board inserted and immersed in the liquid storage space, and a gas flow channel for external air to enter is arranged inside the main board, and two openings are arranged above the main board for air to enter and exit the gas flow channel, and a gas flow channel is arranged above the main board. At least one cathode electrode electrically connected to another preset power output terminal; and a vibration module, which includes a plurality of ultrasonic oscillators installed in the anode plate or the base, arranged in a mixed manner with different powers and frequencies and arranged in the metal mesh of the anode plate in a hollow rectangle, rectangular array, hollow ring or circular array, and adjacent to The ultrasonic oscillator has a spacing range of 5-10 cm. A preset power supply unit provides a preset voltage to the vibration module to generate a preset vibration frequency, and maintains the vibration for a preset time. The ultrasonic vibration wave is generated through the electrolyte to vibrate and peel off at least one zinc dendrite attached to the anode plate or inhibit the growth of the zinc dendrite. A device for removing anode deposits from a zinc-air battery as described in claim 1, wherein the predetermined voltage range is 48~72V and the power consumption is between 50~100W. A device for removing anode deposits from a zinc air battery as described in claim 1, wherein the predetermined vibration frequency range is 28~80KHz. The device for removing anode deposits from a zinc-air battery as described in claim 1, wherein the predetermined time refers to a charging time for the oxygen generation reaction, wherein 3/5 of the charging time is first allocated to vibrate and peel large zinc dendrites at a low frequency of 28KHz; 1/5 of the charging time is allocated to vibrate and peel medium-sized zinc dendrites at a medium frequency of 40KHz; and finally 1/5 of the charging time is allocated to vibrate and peel small zinc dendrites at a high frequency of 80KHz. The device for removing anode deposits from a zinc air battery as described in claim 1, wherein the vibration module further includes a control circuit board electrically connected to the predetermined power supply unit, and the control circuit board is electrically connected to the ultrasonic oscillator using a wire. The device for removing anode deposits of a zinc-air battery as described in claim 1, wherein the metal frame of the anode plate is made of copper or a copper alloy; the metal mesh of the anode plate is made of zinc or a zinc alloy; the main plate of the cathode plate is composed of manganese dioxide and carbon (graphite); the electrolyte is composed of potassium hydroxide; and the zinc dendrite is composed of zinc oxide in the form of dendritic crystals. The device for removing anode deposits from a zinc-air battery as described in claim 1, wherein the base is further provided with a tray on its bottom surface for collecting vibration-exfoliated zinc dendrites.

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