KR102485596B1 - Tubular high voltage Zinc air fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tubular high-voltage zinc metal fuel cell, and more particularly, is composed of a flexible tube shape, a slurry-type metal fuel is circulated along the inside of the tube, and connecting members for multi-stage connection are provided at both ends to enable multi-stage serial connection. It relates to a tubular high-voltage zinc metal fuel cell that has the advantages of being installed, free of form, easy to change capacity, replenishable for metal fuel, and easy to high voltage.
According to the present invention, a negative electrode collector having a hollow, a porous separator installed around the outside of the negative electrode collector, metal fuel supplied to the inside of the negative electrode collector, and an air cathode member installed around the outside of the separator In the tube-shaped zinc metal fuel cell, the metal fuel is circulated along the inside of the negative electrode current collector in the form of a slurry of zinc powder, a gelling agent, and an electrolyte, and one end of the tube is hollow and made of a conductive material. A connecting member is installed, and at the other end of the tube, a second connecting member that is combinable with the first connecting member, has a hollow, and is made of an insulating material is installed, and a plurality of pieces are connected in series while being coupled in multiple stages in the longitudinal direction. The high-voltage zinc metal fuel cell is the technical point.

Description

Tubular high voltage zinc metal fuel cell {Tubular high voltage Zinc air fuel cell}

The present invention relates to a tubular high-voltage zinc metal fuel cell, and more particularly, is composed of a flexible tube shape, a slurry-type metal fuel is circulated along the inside of the tube, and connecting members for multi-stage connection are provided at both ends to enable multi-stage serial connection. It relates to a tubular high-voltage zinc metal fuel cell that has the advantages of being installed, free of form, easy to change capacity, replenishable for metal fuel, and easy to high voltage.

In general, a zinc metal fuel cell (or zinc air fuel cell) is a next-generation battery that uses zinc metal as a fuel and generates electricity by collecting electrons generated by reacting zinc metal with external air in an electrolyte.

Such a zinc metal fuel cell uses oxygen in the air as a cathode active material, and a relatively large amount of zinc metal is charged in the anode, resulting in high energy density and low self-discharge, so that a constant voltage is maintained until the battery capacity is exhausted, Zinc oxide produced by electricity production is non-toxic and non-explosive, so it is environmentally friendly.

Here, the conventional zinc metal fuel cell is composed of a box shape in which a plurality of cells are continuously stacked, a cylindrical shape like a general battery, and a button shape like a cylindrical shape cut to a certain height.

That is, since all of the conventional zinc metal fuel cells are standardized and have a limited electrode area, there is a limit in increasing battery capacity during design, as well as a freely bent or non-bending type, which causes space limitations when installed in a narrow space. There were many problems that limited the application field.

In order to solve these problems, the zinc metal fuel cell is configured in the form of a flexible tube that can be freely bent or bent, rather than a square, cylindrical, or button shape unlike the prior art, so that the battery capacity can be easily adjusted and the design can be facilitated. In addition, the anode current collector is made in a tube shape to expand the application field by solving the space limitations, and the inside of the anode current collector is filled with zinc metal beads, and the electrolyte is supplied along the inside of the anode current collector. of tubular zinc metal fuel cells have been developed.

However, since the negative electrode current collector is simply made of a tube shape and is easily bent when rapid bending is required depending on the installation location, it is difficult to secure an internal space, so there is a problem in that care must be taken not to bend it during installation.

In addition, since the zinc metal beads gradually decrease in volume as the period of use passes due to the oxidation reaction in the electrolyte, the inconvenience of having to configure a complicated supply device to additionally supply new zinc metal beads before the electrical connection is cut off completely disappears. there is.

In addition, since only the liquid electrolyte is circulated along the inside, there is a very high risk of leakage of the electrolyte.

In addition, the conventional tubular zinc metal fuel cell can increase the output of the battery through length expansion and the discharge capacity through the expansion of the size of the fuel tank. Since it is impossible to connect it with , there is a limit that the voltage cannot be increased.

Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-0528580, registered on 2005.11.08. Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-0875105, registered on December 15, 2008. Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1010236, registered on 2011.01.17. Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1454448, registered on October 17, 2014.

The present invention was invented to solve the above problems, and while maintaining a flexible form, a plurality of pieces can be connected in series in multiple stages, are not easily broken even when rapidly bent, and are easy to replenish metal fuel and prevent leakage of electrolyte. Its purpose is to provide a tubular high-voltage zinc metal fuel cell with

The object of the present invention is not limited to the object mentioned above, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood from the description below.

A tubular high-voltage zinc metal fuel cell according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a negative electrode current collector having a hollow, a porous separator installed around the outer side of the negative electrode current collector, a metal fuel filled inside the negative electrode current collector, In the tube-shaped zinc metal fuel cell including an air cathode member installed around the outside of the separator, the metal fuel is circulated along the inside of the negative electrode current collector in the form of a slurry of zinc powder, a gelling agent, and an electrolyte solution, and the tube A first connecting member having a hollow and made of a conductive material is installed at one end of the tube, and at the other end of the tube, a second connecting member that can be coupled to the first connecting member and has a hollow and is made of an insulating material is installed, and a plurality of them are installed in the longitudinal direction. It is characterized in that it is connected in series while being multi-stage coupled.

The end of the first connection member is provided with an insertion end at which a male screw is formed on an outer circumferential surface, and an end portion of the second connection member is provided with a receiving end at which a female screw corresponding to the male screw is formed on an inner circumferential surface so that the insertion end is inserted and screwed. characterized by being

The negative electrode current collector is characterized in that it is made of a spring shape.

The metal fuel is characterized in that it is circulated by a pump installed in a connection pipe connecting both ends of the tube.

It is characterized in that a filtering means for filtering out impurities from the metal fuel and a fuel tank for supplying the metal fuel are installed in the connection pipe.

The present invention according to the above configuration can expect the following effects.

First, connection members are installed at both ends, and metal fuel is formed in the form of a slurry, so that a series connection is possible when multi-stage coupling is performed in the longitudinal direction, so that high voltage can be output. In addition, since the negative electrode current collector is formed in the form of a spring, it is not easily bent despite rapid bending and maintains an internal space through which metal fuel passes, preventing leakage of metal fuel and making installation work convenient. In addition, since the metal fuel is circulated along the inside of the negative electrode current collector, the metal fuel can be easily replenished.

1 is a side view of a tubular high voltage zinc metal fuel cell according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a separation configuration diagram of a tubular high voltage zinc metal fuel cell according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a state diagram of a tubular high-voltage zinc metal fuel cell according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention in use.

The present invention uses zinc metal as anode fuel and air as an anode raw material to generate electricity by reacting zinc metal with hydroxide ions generated by the reduction reaction of oxygen contained in the air in an electrolyte. It is about metal fuel cells.

In particular, the tubular high-voltage zinc metal fuel cell according to the present invention maintains a flexible form and can be connected in series in multiple stages, is not easily bent even when rapidly bent, and is easy to replenish metal fuel and can prevent leakage of electrolyte. to be.

This feature is composed of a tube shape, and metal fuel in the form of a slurry composed of zinc powder, gelling agent, and electrolyte is circulated along the inside of the negative electrode current collector, and connection members for multi-stage connection are provided at both ends, respectively, and the negative electrode current collector is a spring (or It is achieved by a structure formed in the form of a coil).

Hereinafter, a tubular high voltage zinc metal fuel cell according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tubular high voltage zinc metal fuel cell 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a negative electrode current collector 10, a separator 20, metal fuel, an air cathode member 30, a first It is a tube including a first connecting member 40 and a second connecting member 50.

That is, the negative electrode current collector 10 and the metal fuel form the negative electrode, the air anode member 30 forms the positive electrode, and the negative electrode and the positive electrode are separated by the separator 20 and circulate along the inside of the negative electrode current collector 10. It is a structure in which the fuel reacts with the air introduced into the inside through the air anode member 30 to generate electricity.

First, the negative electrode current collector 10 forms a negative electrode together with metal fuel, and is formed in the form of a spring (or coil) so as to have an internal space in which metal fuel circulates, and is made of stainless steel, nickel, copper, gold, platinum It is preferable to be composed of a conductive material such as.

In addition, it is preferable that tin is plated on the surface of the metal that is a conductive material so that the negative electrode current collector 10 has corrosion resistance to an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide.

At this time, the negative electrode current collector 10 forms a spring shape by spirally winding a combination of a plurality of strands of units woven into a mesh structure to form a certain diameter so as to exhibit strong durability.

Therefore, the negative current collector 10 allows the electrolyte solution included in the metal fuel to pass in and out through the pitch of the spring, is not easily distorted even when rapidly bent, and maintains the shape of the spring while maintaining the internal space in which the metal fuel circulates. get enough

Next, the isolation film 20 is installed around the outside of the negative electrode current collector 10, preventing direct electrical contact between the metal fuel constituting the negative electrode, the negative electrode current collector 10, and the air cathode member 30. will be.

At this time, the separator 20 is a polyolefin film, such as polypropylene or polyethylene, that is watered so that hydroxide ions generated in the air cathode member 30 pass smoothly while electrically separating the anode current collector 10 and the air cathode member 30. It is preferable to be composed of a hydrophilic treatment to get wet.

Next, the metal fuel is circulated along the inside of the anode current collector 10 and oxidized to generate electrons as a (-) electrode, which is composed of zinc powder, a gelling agent, and an electrolyte solution.

That is, since the metal fuel is in the form of a slurry, the probability of leakage of the electrolyte is greatly reduced compared to the conventional tubular zinc metal fuel cell in which only the electrolyte is circulated when the inside of the negative electrode current collector 10 is circulated.

On the other hand, the metal fuel should be in a form in which continuous electrical contact between the zinc powders in the negative electrode current collector 10 is hindered so that a plurality of tubes are connected in series in multiple stages along the longitudinal direction to output a high voltage.

That is, the metal fuel is formed in a form in which the gelling agent partially covers the zinc powder, and physically prevents continuous electrical contact between the zinc powders inside the negative electrode current collector, thereby enabling series connection.

To this end, the gelling agent is preferably composed of a polymer material that does not conduct electricity, such as polyacrylic acid. Also, the ratio of the zinc powder, the gelling agent, and the electrolyte solution is preferably configured such that the gelling agent can block continuous electrical contact between the zinc powders.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, in order to circulate the metal fuel into the negative electrode current collector 10, a pump 70 and a fuel tank 90 are sequentially installed in the connection pipe 60 connecting both ends of the tube. it is desirable to be

Here, when the zinc powder of the metal fuel is oxidized to generate electricity and precipitated as zinc oxide, the volume is reduced and consumed. At this time, unlike the conventional tubular zinc metal fuel cell, the fuel tank 90 does not need to be replaced with a new one. Replenish metal fuel.

However, as shown in FIG. 3, the connection pipe 60 has filtration for filtering out impurities such as zinc oxide included in the metal fuel circulated through the inside of the negative electrode current collector 10 at the front end of the pump 70. Preferably, means 80 are also provided.

Next, the air cathode member 30 is installed around the outer side of the separator 20, and is a (+) electrode that receives electrons from the negative electrode current collector 10 and reduces oxygen contained in the external air.

That is, the air cathode member 30 generates hydroxide ions by inducing a reduction reaction of oxygen contained in the external air using electrons transferred from the anode current collector 10 .

The hydroxide ions move to the anode current collector 10 through the electrolyte by the concentration gradient, and at this time, chemical energy is converted into electrical energy by oxidation of zinc metal and reduction of oxygen.

Here, the air cathode member 30 is preferably composed of an air cathode 31, a sheet member 32, and a film member 33 as shown in FIG. The air cathode 31 is composed of a cathode current collector 31b and a catalyst electrode 31a.

The positive electrode current collector 31b receives electrons from the negative electrode current collector 10 and supplies them to the catalyst electrode 31a. It has a porous mesh structure and is made of a conductive material such as stainless steel, nickel, copper, gold, or platinum. It is preferable to be composed of.

The catalytic electrode 31a is a mixture of an oxygen reduction catalyst, activated carbon, and a combination, and is coated on the inner surface of the cathode current collector 31b to generate hydroxide ions by receiving electrons from oxygen contained in the external air and water of the electrolyte solution. It is to facilitate the reduction reaction of oxygen when it is produced.

The activated carbon provides a site on which the oxygen reduction catalyst can be supported in the form of particles, and the binding agent binds the activated carbon in the form of particles and the oxygen reduction catalyst so that it can be manufactured in the form of a sheet.

The sheet member is installed around the outside of the air anode 31 to block the leakage of the electrolyte solution wet from the separator 20 and at the same time provides a ventilation path so that outside air flows into the air cathode 31. is to provide

That is, the sheet member 32 is required to have porosity and hydrophobicity to achieve the above object, and for this purpose, it is preferably made of polytetrafluoroethylene material.

The film member 33 is installed around the outside of the sheet member 32, and is preferably made of a polymer material having a network structure so that external air can flow smoothly into the inside as a finishing member.

Next, the first connecting member 40 and the second connecting member 50 are respectively installed at one end and the other end of the tube, and a series connection is made by combining a plurality of tubes in multiple stages in the longitudinal direction so that a high voltage can be output. make it possible

Here, the first connecting member 40 and the second connecting member 50 have a structure in which a hollow is formed to pass the metal fuel and has a shape corresponding to each other so as to be coupled to each other.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, an insertion end 41 having a male screw 41a formed on an outer circumferential surface is formed at the end of the first connecting member 40, and an insertion end 41 is formed at the end of the second connecting member 50. ) is inserted into the receiving end 51 formed with a female screw 51a corresponding to the male screw 41a on the inner circumferential surface is formed. That is, the metal fuel flows along the inside of the insertion end 41 of the first connecting member 40 .

However, as shown in FIG. 1, the first connecting member 40 and the second connecting member 50 are sealing members made of Teflon resin or the like to prevent metal fuel from leaking to the outside when installed at one end and the other end of the tube ( 42) is preferably finished with (52).

In addition, in order to be connected in series by combining a plurality of tubes in multiple stages through the first connecting member 40 and the second connecting member 50, one of the first connecting member 40 and the second connecting member 50 is electrically connected. It is preferable that one is made of a conductive metal material and the other is made of an insulating material that does not conduct electricity.

Therefore, if a plurality of tubes are connected in multiple stages through the first connecting member 40 and the second connecting member 50, even if the metal fuel circulates inside the tube, the first connecting member 40 and the second connecting member 50 By being connected in series by the material of the tube and the shape of the metal fuel, it is possible to output as many high voltages as the number of connected tubes.

The above embodiment is merely an example, and other embodiments variously modified therefrom are possible to those skilled in the art.

Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should include not only the above embodiments but also variously modified other embodiments according to the technical spirit of the invention described in the claims below.

10: negative electrode current collector
20: isolation membrane
30: air anode member
31: air anode
31a: catalytic electrode
31b: positive electrode current collector
32: seat member
33: film member
40: first connecting member
41: insertion end
41a: male thread
42: sealing member
50: second connecting member
51: acceptance stage
51a: female thread
52: sealing member
60: connector
70: pump
80: filter means
90: fuel tank
100: tubular high voltage zinc metal fuel cell

Claims (5)

Zinc metal in the form of a tube including a hollow anode current collector, a porous isolation film installed around the outside of the cathode current collector, metal fuel supplied to the inside of the cathode current collector, and an air cathode member installed around the outside of the isolation film. In a fuel cell,
a first connection member having a hollow structure and installed at one end of the air cathode member; and
A second connecting member having a hollow structure, having a shape capable of being coupled to the first connecting member, and installed at the other end of the air cathode member,
An insertion end for coupling with a second connecting member is formed at an end of the first connecting member,
An receiving end into which the insertion end is inserted is formed at an end of the second connecting member,
A tubular high-voltage zinc metal fuel cell, characterized in that the metal fuel is circulated while a plurality of zinc metal fuel cells are coupled in multiple stages in the longitudinal direction through first and second connecting members. According to claim 1,
The negative electrode current collector is made in the form of a spring,
Tubular high voltage zinc metal fuel cell, characterized in that the metal fuel is passed between the spring pitch. According to claim 1,
A male screw is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the insertion end,
A female screw is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the receiving end to be screwed with the male screw,
Tubular high-voltage zinc metal fuel cell, characterized in that the metal fuel flows along the inside of the insertion end. According to claim 2 or 3,
The metal fuel is a tubular high voltage zinc metal fuel cell, characterized in that circulated by a pump installed in a connection pipe connecting both ends of the tube. According to claim 4,
A tubular high-voltage zinc metal fuel cell, characterized in that a filtering means for filtering out impurities from the metal fuel and a fuel tank for supplying the metal fuel are installed in the connection pipe.

Images