Clad material for battery negative electrode lead material, method of manufacturing clad material for battery negative electrode lead material and battery

• US 10,454,089 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2016
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Metals (Thailand) Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Metals (Thailand) Ltd.
• Inventors: Oda, Yoshimitsu, Watanabe, Keita
• Primary Examiner(s): Schleis, Daniel J.
• Application Number:
  US15/097,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20160308198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/01 all layers being exclusively metallic making layered metal workpieces by pressure cladding B23K20/22; making coatings with a metallic material characterised by its composition C23C30/00
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 19/03 based on nickel
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 9/00 Alloys based on copper
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/531 Electrode connections inside a battery casing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/534 characterised by the material of the leads or tabs
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/536 characterised by the method of fixing the leads to the electrodes, e.g. by welding
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

This clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material is constituted of a clad material of a three-layer structure including a first layer constituted of pure Ni, a second layer constituted of pure Cu and a third layer constituted of pure Ni. The thickness of a first diffusion layer formed between the first layer and the second layer and the thickness of a second diffusion layer formed between the second layer and the third layer are at least 0.5 μm and not more than 3.5 μm.

Claims

1. A clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material, comprising:

a clad material of a three-layer structure prepared by stacking a first layer constituted of pure Ni containing at least 99.0 mass % of Ni, a second layer constituted of pure Cu containing at least 99.75 mass % of Cu and a third layer constituted of pure Ni containing at least 99.0 mass % of Ni in this order, wherein

the thickness of a first diffusion layer formed between the first layer and the second layer and the thickness of a second diffusion layer formed between the second layer and the third layer are at least 0.5 μ

m and not more than 2.8 μ

m, and

a dispersion in the thickness of the first diffusion layer and a dispersion in the thickness of the second diffusion layer are not more than 1.3 μ

m.

2. The clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material according to claim 1, wherein

a dispersion in the thickness of the first diffusion layer and a dispersion in the thickness of the second diffusion layer are not more than 1.0 μ

m.

3. The clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material according to claim 1, wherein

the thickness of the first diffusion layer and the thickness of the second diffusion layer are at least 0.5 μ

m and not more than 2.0 μ

m.

4. The clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material according to claim 1, wherein

the thickness of the second layer is larger than the thickness of the first layer and the thickness of the third layer.

5. A method of manufacturing a clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

preparing a clad material by rolling a first layer constituted of pure Ni containing at least 99.0 mass % of Ni, a second layer constituted of pure Cu containing at least 99.75 mass % of Cu and a third layer constituted of pure Ni containing at least 99.0 mass % of Ni in a state stacked in this order thereby bonding the first layer, the second layer and the third layer to each other; and

forming a first diffusion layer having a thickness of at least 0.5 μ

m and not more than 3.5 μ

m between the first layer and the second layer and a second diffusion layer having a thickness of at least 0.5 μ

m and not more than 3.5 μ

m between the second layer and the third layer by holding the clad material under a temperature condition of at least 650°

C. and not more than 850°

C. for at least 10 seconds and not more than 5 minutes and continuously heat-treating the clad material while transporting the clad material into a continuous furnace.

6. The method of manufacturing a clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material according to claim 5, wherein

heat treatment is so performed in the step of forming the first diffusion layer and the second diffusion layer that the pure Ni of the first layer is diffused into the second layer and the pure Cu of the second layer is diffused into the first layer thereby forming the first diffusion layer containing an Ni—

Cu alloy and that the pure Cu of the second layer is diffused into the third layer and the pure Ni of the third layer is diffused into the second layer thereby forming the second diffusion layer containing an Ni—

Cu alloy.

7. The method of manufacturing a clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material according to claim 5, wherein

the clad material is held under the temperature condition of at least 650°

C. and not more than 850°

C. for at least 10 seconds and not more than 3 minutes and continuously heat-treated in the step of forming the first diffusion layer and the second diffusion layer.

8. The method of manufacturing a clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material according to claim 7, wherein

the clad material is held under a temperature condition of at least 700°

C. and not more than 850°

C. for at least 10 seconds and not more than 3 minutes and continuously heat-treated in the step of forming the first diffusion layer and the second diffusion layer.

9. The method of manufacturing a clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material according to claim 8, wherein

the clad material is held under a temperature condition of at least 800°

C. and not more than 850°

C. for at least 10 seconds and less than 1 minute and continuously heat-treated in the step of forming the first diffusion layer and the second diffusion layer.

10. The method of manufacturing a clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material according to claim 5, wherein

the clad material is so continuously heat-treated in the step of forming the first diffusion layer and the second diffusion layer that a dispersion in the thickness of the first diffusion layer and a dispersion in the thickness of the second diffusion layer are not more than 1.3 μ

m.

11. The method of manufacturing a clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material according to claim 10, wherein

the clad material is so continuously heat-treated in the step of forming the first diffusion layer and the second diffusion layer that a dispersion in the thickness of the first diffusion layer and a dispersion in the thickness of the second diffusion layer are not more than 1.0 μ

m.

12. The method of manufacturing a clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material according to claim 5, wherein

the clad material is so continuously heat-treated in the step of forming the first diffusion layer and the second diffusion layer that the thickness of the first diffusion layer and the thickness of the second diffusion layer are at least 0.5 μ

m and not more than 2.0 μ

m.

13. The method of manufacturing a clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material according to claim 5, wherein

the step of preparing the clad material includes the steps of:

forming a bonded material by bonding the first layer, the second layer and the third layer to each other by rolling,

performing heat treatment on the bonded material, and

preparing the clad material by rolling the bonded material subjected to the heat treatment.

14. The method of manufacturing a clad material for a battery negative electrode lead material according to claim 5, further comprising a step of performing skin pass rolling on the clad material provided with the first diffusion layer and the second diffusion layer.

15. A battery comprising:

a battery negative electrode lead material constituted of a clad material of claim 1; and

a battery negative electrode, constituted of an Ni-plated steel plate or an Ni—

Fe alloy, to which the battery negative electrode lead material is resistance-welded in a state where the first layer or the third layer is in contact therewith.

16. The battery according to claim 15, wherein

a dispersion in the thickness of the first diffusion layer and a dispersion in the thickness of the second diffusion layer are not more than 1.0 μ

m.

17. The battery according to claim 15, wherein

the thickness of the first diffusion layer and the thickness of the second diffusion layer are at least 0.5 μ

m and not more than 2.0 μ

m.