COPPER-BASED ENERGY STORAGE DEVICE AND METHOD

• Main Authors: IACOVANGELO CHARLES DOMINIC, ZAPPI GUILLERMO DANIEL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 19.06.2008
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRICITY; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY

An energy storage device is provided that includes a cathodic material in electrical communication with a separator. The cathodic material includes copper. The separator has a first surface that defines at least a portion of a first chamber, and a second surface that defines a second chamber. The first chamber is in ionic communication with the second chamber through the separator. The separator has at least one of the following attributes: the separator is a composite of alumina and a rare earth oxide, or the separator is a composite of alumina and a transition metal oxide, or the separator comprises a plurality of grains, and the grains define grain boundaries that define interstitial spaces, and the interstitial spaces defined by the grain boundaries are free of sodium aluminate prior to an initial electrical charging of the energy storage device or are free of the cathodic material after the initial electrical charging of the energy storage device, or the separator comprises a continuous phase of an alkali-metal-ion conductor and a continuous phase of a ceramic oxygen-ion conductor. Various systems and methods are provided, also.