Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
Photochargeable air battery
 A photochargeable air battery is disclosed possessing a negative electrode 22 which discharges by oxidation of metal material 22a, a positive electrode 21 comprising a oxygen catalyst, electrolyte 23 filling the inside of battery case 27 between negative electrode 22 and positive electrode 21, and battery case 27 housing positive electrode 21, negative electrode 22 and electrolyte 23 in addition to possessing light receptor 22a which injects light into negative electrode 22. As a result, discharging is performed by oxidation of metal material 22a comprising negative electrode 22, while charging is performed by reducing the oxidized metal material by means of irradiating light from light receptor 27a onto the metal material 22 which is oxidized by this discharging. Consequently, a photochargeable air battery with a simplified construction which does not require a large amount of electrolyte or a switch, can be achieved since the cell reaction is not based on redox reactions and reduction of electrolyte 23 does not occur. On the other hand, by exciting electrons using light energy, it is also possible to electrically communicate photo-electrode 30 which reduces metal material 22a oxidized by these electrons to negative electrode 22. 
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
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Keiji Tsutomu Naoki Masaaki
Akuto Ogata Kato Takeuchi