Electrochemical cells having an electrolytic solution comprising a covalent inorganic oxyhalide solvent

Claim 2

An electrochemical cell consisting essentially of an oxidizable active anode material; a solid, non-consumable, electrically conducting, inert cathode current collector selected from the group consisting of the alkaline earth metals, the Group III A metals, the Group IV A metals, the Group V A metals, the transition metals, the rare earth metals, and semiconductors; said anode material being more electropositive than said cathode current collector and thus said anode material is oxidized during operation of said cell; and an electrolytic solution consisting essentially of a liquid, electrochemically reducible, covalent inorganic oxyhalide or thiohalide solvent and a solute dissolved therein, said inorganic solvent being free of sulfur dioxide; said inorganic solvent being electrochemically reduced upon the surface of said cathode current collector, whereby said inorganic solvent in conjunction with said oxidizable anode material serves as a source of electrical energy during operation of said cell.

Claim 3

The electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said active anode material is lithium.

Claim 4

The electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said active anode material is sodium.

Claim 5

The electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said inorganic solvent includes at least one oxyhalide of phosphorus, sulfur or selenium.

Claim 6

The electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said inorganic solvent is selected from the group consisting of phosphorus oxychloride, monofluorophosphoryl dichloride, monobromophosphoryl dichloride, phosphorus oxybromide, thiophosphoryl chloride, thiophosphoryl bromide, thionyl chloride, thionyl bromide, sulfuryl chloride, selenium oxychloride, and mixtures thereof.

Claim 7

The electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said inorganic solvent is thionyl chloride or sulfuryl chloride.

Claim 8

The electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said inorganic solvent is phosphorus oxychloride.

Claim 9

The electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said solute provides at least one anion having the formula X - , MX 4 - , M'X 6 - , and M"X 6 = , where M is an element selected from the group consisting of aluminum and boron; M' is an element selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, arsenic and antimony; M" is an element selected from the group consisting of tin, zirconium and titanium; and X is a halogen; said solute further providing at least one cation selected from the group consisting of alkali metals, the alkaline earth metals, the lanthanides, POCl 2 + , SOCl + , SO 2 Cl + , and R 4 N + , where R is a radical selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl and isobutyl.

Claim 10

The electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said solute includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of lithium tetrachloroaluminate, lithium tetrachloroborate, lithium tetrafluoroborate, lithium hexafluorophosphate, lithium hexafluoroarsenate, lithium hexafluoroantimonate, lithium hexachloroantimonate, lithium hexachlorostannate, lithium hexachlorozirconate, lithium hexachlorotitantate and lithium chlorosulfate.

Claim 11

The electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said solute includes a Lewis acid.

Claim 12

The electrochemical cell of claim 10 wherein said solute further includes a Lewis base having the general formula A m B n where A is an element selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and the rare earth elements; B is an element selected from the group consisting of fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine and oxygen; and m and n are integers.

Claim 13

The electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein one of the products of the discharge of said cell is the halide of said anode material, the halogen in said halide originating from said inorganic solvent.

Claim 14

An electrochemical cell consisting essentially of an oxidizable active anode material; a solid, non-consumable, electrically conducting, inert cathode current collector; said anode material being more electropositive than said cathode current collector and thus said anode material is oxidized during operation of said cell; and an electrolytic solution consisting essentially of a liquid, electrochemically reducible covalent inorganic oxyhalide or thiohalide solvent and a solute dissolved therein; said inorganic solvent being selected from the group consisting of thionyl bromide, monobromophosphoryl dichloride, phosphorus oxybromide, thiophosphoryl bromide, selenium oxychloride, mixtures thereof, and mixtures thereof with phosphorus oxychloride, monfluorophosphoryl dichloride, thionyl chloride, sulfuryl chloride, or thiophosphoryl chloride; said inorganic solvent being free of sulfur dioxide; said inorganic solvent being electrochemically reduced upon the surface of said cathode current collector, whereby said inorganic solvent in conjunction with said oxidizable anode material serves as a source of electrical energy during operation of said cell.

Claim 15

An electrochemical cell consisting essentially of an oxidizable active anode material; a solid, non-consumable, electrically conducting, inert cathode current collector; said anode material being more electropositive than said cathode current collector and thus said anode material is oxidized during operation of said cell; and an electrolytic solution consisting essentially of a liquid, electrochemically reducible covalent inorganic oxyhalide or thiohalide solvent and a solute dissolved therein; said inorganic solvent being selected from the group consisting of thionyl bromide, monobromophosphoryl dichloride, phosphorus oxybromide, thiophosphoryl bromide, selenium oxychloride, mixtures thereof, and mixtures thereof with phosphorus oxychloride, monfluorophosphoryl dichloride, thionyl chloride, sulfuryl chloride, or thiophosphoryl chloride; said inorganic solvent being free of sulfur dioxide; said inorganic solvent being electrochemically reduced upon the surface of said cathode current collector, whereby said inorganic solvent in conjunction with said oxidizable anode material serves as a source of electrical energy during operation of said cell.

Claim 16

The electrochemical cell of claim 13 wherein said anode material is lithium.

Claim 17

The electrochemical cell of claim 1 wherein said solvent includes at least one thiohalide of phosphorus.

Claim 18

An electrochemical cell consisting essentially of an oxidizable active anode material; a solid, non-consumable electrically conducting, inert cathode current collector; said anode material being more electropositive than said cathode current collector and thus said anode material is oxidized during operation of said cell; and an electrolytic solution consisting essentially of a liquid, electrochemically reducible covalent inorganic oxyhalide or thiohalide solvent and a solute dissolved therein; said inorganic solvent comprising phosphorus oxychloride and a cosolvent material selected from the group consisting of thionyl bromide, monobromophosphoryl dichloride, phosphorus oxybromide, thiophosphoryl bromide, selenium oxychloride, monofluorophosphoryl dichloride, thionyl chloride, sulfuryl chloride, or thiophosphoryl chloride; said inorganic solvent being free of sulfur dioxide; said inorganic solvent being electrochemically reduced upon the surface of said cathode current collector, whereby said inorganic solvent in conjunction with said oxidizable anode material serves as a source of electrical energy during operation of said cell.

Claim 19

An electrochemical cell consisting essentially of an oxidizable active anode material; a solid, non-consumable electrically conducting, inert cathode current collector; said anode material being more electropositive than said cathode current collector and thus said anode material is oxidized during operation of said cell; and an electrolytic solution consisting essentially of a liquid, electrochemically reducible covalent inorganic oxyhalide or thiohalide solvent and a solute dissolved therein; said inorganic solvent comprising phosphorus oxychloride and a cosolvent material selected from the group consisting of thionyl bromide, monobromophosphoryl dichloride, phosphorus oxybromide, thiophosphoryl bromide, selenium oxychloride, monofluorophosphoryl dichloride, thionyl chloride, sulfuryl chloride, or thiophosphoryl chloride; said inorganic solvent being free of sulfur dioxide; said inorganic solvent being electrochemically reduced upon the surface of said cathode current collector, whereby said inorganic solvent in conjunction with said oxidizable anode material serves as a source of electrical energy during operation of said cell.

Claim 20

The electrochemical cell of claim 16 wherein said anode material is lithium.

Claim 21

The electrochemical cell of claim 17 wherein said cosolvent is thionyl chloride or sulfuryl chloride.

Claim 22

The electrochemical cell of claim 16 wherein said cosolvent is thionyl chloride or sulfuryl chloride.