Bipolar electrode-electrolyte unit

US5955215A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Dornier GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Peter Kurzweil · Markdorf, DE
• Ottmar Schmid · Markdorf, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 21, 1997
• Grant date: Sep 21, 1999
• Expiry date: Jul 21, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02E60/50
• WIPO field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A bipolar electrode-electrolyte unit for an electrochemical cell includes a barrier layer, at least two carrier layers and at least two active layers, and an electrolyte. The active layers comprise an electroactive material with low resistance and high capacitance. The barrier layer is electrically conducting, is impermeable to matter, and is made of compressed carbon, impregnated carbon, compressed and impregnated carbon, plastic-bonded carbon or carbon-coated sheet metal. The carrier layers, each located between a barrier layer and an active layer, form an electrically conducting porous three-dimensional structure with a large specific surface that contains a material selected from the group consenting of carbon fiber papers, carbon fiber films, carbon fiber mats, carbon fiber fabrics, compressed graphite flakes and carbon fibers, conducting plastic, and carbon produced by pyrolysis or dehydration of organic materials.