Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120219852 | NEGATIVE ELECTRODE FOR A LITHIUM ION BATTERY - A negative electrode for a lithium ion battery includes an active electrode material, a conductive additive, and a binder for holding the active electrode material and the conductive additive together. The binder is chosen from polyethyleneimine, copolymers of polyethyleneimine, amine functionalized polyamides, proteins, and combinations thereof. | 08-30-2012 |
20120231321 | INTEGRAL BI-LAYER SEPARATOR-ELECTRODE CONSTRUCTION FOR LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES - A porous bi-layer separator composed of a first layer with a contacting array of non-conducting particles overlaid with a second layer of a microporous polymer layer, may be fabricated on the electrode surface of the anode of a lithium-ion battery to form an integral electrode-separator construction. The bi-layer separator may prevent development of a direct electronic path between the anode and cathode of the battery while accommodating electrolyte solution and enabling passage of lithium ions. Such an integral separator should be mechanically robust and tolerant of elevated temperatures. Exemplary bi-layer separators may be fabricated by sequential deposition of solvent-containing slurries and polymer solutions with subsequent controlled evaporation of solvent. The elevated temperature performance of lithium-ion battery cells incorporating such integral electrode-bi-layer separators was demonstrated to exceed the performance of similar cells using commercial and experimental single layer polymer separators. | 09-13-2012 |
20120308872 | SEPARATORS FOR A LITHIUM ION BATTERY - A separator for use in a lithium ion battery to provide a physical and electrically insulative mechanical barrier between confronting inner face surfaces of a negative electrode and a positive electrode may be formed predominantly of heat-resistant particles. The heat-resistant particles, which have diameters that range from about 0.01 μm to about 10 μm, are held together as a thin-layered, handleable, and unified mass by a porous inert polymer material. The high content of heat-resistant particles amassed between the confronting inner face surfaces of the negative and positive electrodes provides the separator with robust thermal stability at elevated temperatures. Methods for making these types of separators by a phase-separation process are also disclosed. | 12-06-2012 |
20120309860 | METHODS OF MAKING LITHIUM ION BATTERY SEPARATORS - A porous thin-film polymer separator for use in a lithium ion battery may be formed by a phase separation method in which hydrophobic-treated ceramic particles are used to help induce the formation of a tortuous, interconnected network of pores coextensively across the thickness of the separator. As part of the phase separation method, a wet thin-film layer is formed from a polymer slurry that comprises a polymer solvent in which a polymer material is dissolved and the hydrophobic-treated ceramic particles are dispersed. The wet thin-film layer is subsequently exposed to a polymer non-solvent to form a solvent-exchanged thin-film precipitated polymer layer which is then heated to produce the separator. | 12-06-2012 |
20130131200 | MAKING A LITHIUM ION BATTERY SEPARATOR - A porous polymer separator for use in a lithium ion battery is formed by a temperature-induced phase separation method. The porous polymer separator includes a polymer matrix having opposed major faces and a network of pore openings that extends between the major faces and permits intrusion of a lithium-ion conducting electrolyte solution. As part of the temperature-induced phase separation method, a single phase polymer solution that includes a polymer material dissolved in a miscible mixture of a real polymer solvent and a polymer non-solvent is prepared at an elevated temperature above room temperature. A film is then formed from the single phase polymer solution and cooled to phase-separate the polymer material into a solid polymer precipitate. Additional polymer non-solvent is then used to remove the real polymer solvent from the solid polymer precipitate followed by drying. | 05-23-2013 |
20130175998 | BATTERY DEPOWER FOR AUTOMOBILE BATTERIES - Methods and systems for depowering an automotive battery in a controlled manner. The methods comprise (i) providing a depowering medium comprising one or more non-ionic electric conductors (for example, a carbon conductor) dispersed in a substantially non-ionic aqueous medium; (ii) contacting terminals of the battery with the depowering medium; and (iii) maintaining contact between the depowering medium and terminals for a period of time sufficient to depower the battery. The systems comprise (i) the depowering medium; and (ii) a container configured to receive a battery and the depowering medium such that the battery body is contacted with the depowering medium prior to the terminals. | 07-11-2013 |
20130224602 | ELECTRODE-SEPARATOR INTEGRAL SEGMENT FOR A LITHIUM ION BATTERY - A method of making a separator for an electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery includes electrospinning a non-woven polymer fiber mat onto a collection face of a collector substrate. The separator may be formed entirely of the electrospun non-woven polymer fiber mat or it may be a multi-layer composite that contains other components in addition to the electrospun non-woven polymer fiber mat. The collector substrate comprises an electrode (positive or negative) optionally covered with a ceramic particle layer such that electrospinning of the non-woven polymer fiber mat forms an electrode-separator integral segment. The electrode-separator integral segment may then be assembled into an electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery. | 08-29-2013 |
20130319599 | NON-WOVEN POLYMER FIBER MAT FOR USE IN A LITHIUM ION BATTERY ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL - A method of making a non-woven polymer fiber mat that includes one or more polymer fibers and particles intermingled with the one or more polymer fibers is disclosed. The method, more specifically, includes simultaneously electrospinning the one or more polymer fibers and spraying the particles onto a collection face of a collector substrate. Once formed, the non-woven polymer fiber mat may be incorporated into an electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery. | 12-05-2013 |
20140023931 | PHYSICALLY CROSS-LINKED GEL ELECTROLYTE - An electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery has a physically cross-linked gel electrolyte situated between a negative electrode and a positive electrode. The gel electrolyte includes a block co-polymer host and a liquid electrolyte, which can transport lithium ions, absorbed into the block co-polymer host. The block co-polymer host includes poly(alkylene oxide) block units and physically cross-linkable block units. A few preferred physically cross-linkable block units that may be employed include polyamide block units and poly(terephthalate)ester block units. | 01-23-2014 |
20140038024 | COMPOSITE SEPARATOR FOR USE IN A LITHIUM ION BATTERY ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL - A composite separator and a method of making a composite separator are disclosed. The composite separator includes one or more electrospun polymer fibers and ceramic particles. And the method of making a composite separator includes electrospinning a first non-woven polymer fiber mat, applying ceramic particles over the first non-woven polymer fiber mat, and then electrospinning a second non-woven polymer fiber mat over the first non-woven polymer fiber mat and the ceramic particles. Once formed, the composite separator may be incorporated into an electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery. | 02-06-2014 |
20140220233 | DIRECT FORMATION OF A SEPARATOR WITH A PROTECTIVE EDGE ON AN ELECTRODE - A method for forming integral separator-electrodes for a battery. The method comprises providing a continuous electrode sheet having an electrode active material deposited on a current collector. The method includes forming a plurality of individual electrodes from the continuous electrode sheet. Each electrode is formed having a center region and a plurality of edges. A separator coating having a substantially uniform thickness is applied to the center region and the plurality of edges of each electrode. The separator coating layer is larger in size than the electrode active material coated area. | 08-07-2014 |
20140265557 | SINGLE-LITHIUM ION CONDUCTOR AS BINDER IN LITHIUM-SULFUR OR SILICON-SULFUR BATTERY - A sulfur-containing electrode has a binder comprising a single-lithium ion conductor. The electrode may be used a cathode in a lithium-sulfur or silicon-sulfur battery. | 09-18-2014 |
20140272526 | POROUS SEPARATOR FOR A LITHIUM ION BATTERY AND A METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME - A porous separator for a lithium ion battery is disclosed herein. The porous separator includes a non-woven membrane and a porous polymer coating. The porous polymer coating is formed on a surface of the non-woven membrane, or is infused in pores of the non-woven membrane, or is both formed on the surface of the non-woven membrane and infused in pores of the non-woven membrane. | 09-18-2014 |
20140272569 | COATING FOR SEPARATOR OR CATHODE OF LITHIUM-SULFUR OR SILICON-SULFUR BATTERY - A battery with a sulfur-containing cathode, an anode, and a separator between the cathode and the anode has a coating comprising a single-lithium ion conductor on at least one of the cathode or the separator. | 09-18-2014 |
20150037651 | POROUS COMPOSITE STRUCTURES FOR LITHIUM-ION BATTERY SEPARATORS - Micro-fibrillated cellulose nanofibers (or other suitable fibrillated organic polymer nanofibers) are dispersed with ceramic particles (such as alumina or silica powder) in water suspension and formed into a suitable porous mat shape by wet-laying the suspension on a suitable mesh structure. After removal of the mat from the mesh and drying, the suitably proportioned cellulose nanofibers/ceramic powder composite may be coated with a thin porous polymer layer to further fix the particles between the fibers and strengthen the resulting composite membrane for use as a separator layer between the electrode layers of an electrochemical cell. The strength and temperature resistance of the composite separator layer make it particularly useful in lithium-ion batteries for vehicle traction motors. | 02-05-2015 |
20150056492 | CROSS-LINKED MULTILAYER POROUS POLYMER MEMBRANE BATTERY SEPARATORS - A cross-linkable polyolefin composition (polyethylene, polypropylene or an ethylene-propylene copolymer) is coextruded with ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene to form two-layer separator membranes, or three-layer separator membranes, for lithium-ion battery cells. In three-layer separator membranes, the cross-linkable polyolefin is formed as the outer faces of the separator for placement against facing surfaces of cell electrodes. The polymer materials initially contain plasticizer oil, which is removed from the extruded membranes, and the extruded membranes are also stretched to obtain a suitable open pore structure in the layered membranes to provide for suitable infiltration with a liquid electrolyte. The cross-linked polyolefin layer provides strength at elevated temperatures and the lower-melting, ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene layer provides the separator membrane with a thermal shutdown capability. | 02-26-2015 |