Patent ID: 6887615

Claim:
A fluid-breathing voltaic battery, comprising: (a) a container; (b) a voltaic cell disposed within said container; and (c) a fluid exchange system comprising: (1) a microvalve having a first state and a second state, said microvalve being disposed in said container such that said microvalve is adapted to allow a fluid into said cell when said microvalve is in said first state and to substantially prevent said fluid from flowing into said cell when said microvalve is in said second state, said microvalve further comprising: (a) a body portion having at least one opening formed therein; (b) a shutter located adjacent to and substantially parallel with said body portion; and (c) first and second comb drives located adjacent said shutter; wherein said first and second comb drives cause said shutter to pivot with respect to said body portion so that said shutter is brought into and out of alignment with said opening of said body portion; and (2) a controller electrically connected to said microvalve, said controller being adapted to initiate a change of state in said microvalve.