Patent ID: 10749168

Abstract:
An electrochemical cell or battery uses iron gall ink as an electrolyte. In some examples, mold, bacteria, or yeast are allowed to grow on the electrolyte. The ink is made by combining tannic or gallic acid from a material such as dehydrated tea with a metal or transition metal sulfate, such as iron sulfate, potassium sulfate, or manganese sulfate. Urea, a metal or transition metal salt, and glycerin can also be added to the electrolyte to assist in the ion-producing reaction. One example includes electrodes made from iron and graphite, and an electrolyte of iron-gall or iron-tannate ink. Another example uses a manganese based ink. Aluminum, potassium, or sodium tannate ink, urea, and graphite can be used to make a metal-air cell, in which the cell is open to the air. The ink can be used as a charge transport in a redox-flow electrochemical cell. Yet another example utilizes Bauxite residue, a waste product of aluminum manufacture. The Bauxite is used to form an ink and used in cells similar to those described above.