High temperature electrochemical cell structures, and methods for making

• Main Authors: Adharapurapu Raghavendra Rao, Juetting Tobias Eicke, Basak Arunabh, Kumar Sundeep, Angeliu Thomas Martin, Rahmane Mohamed
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 31.10.2017
• Subjects: ALLOYS; ARTIFICIAL STONE; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CEMENTS; CERAMICS; CHEMISTRY; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDINGMATERIALS; CONCRETE; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; ELECTRICITY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; LIME, MAGNESIA; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; REFRACTORIES; SLAG; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

An electrochemical cell is described, including an anodic chamber and a cathodic chamber separated by an electrolyte separator tube, all contained within a cell case. The cell also includes an electrically insulating ceramic collar positioned at an opening of the cathodic chamber, and defining an aperture in communication with the opening; along with a cathode current collector assembly; and at least one metallic ring that has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) in the range of about 3 to about 7.5 ppm/° C., contacting at least a portion of a metallic component within the cell, and an adjacent ceramic component. An active braze alloy composition attaches and hermetically seals the ring to the metallic component and the collar. Sodium metal halide batteries that contain this type of cell are also described, along with methods for sealing structures within the cell.