Battery separator

• US 20050079424A1
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duracell U.S. Operations, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Boulton, Jonathan M., Davis, Stuart M., Mao, Ou, Eylem, Cahit
• Granted Patent: US 7,914,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/247
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/417 Polyolefins
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/429 Natural polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/434 Ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/44 Fibrous material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/451 comprising layers of only organic material and layers containing inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/457 comprising three or more layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/489 Separators, membranes, diaphragms or spacing elements inside the cells, characterised by their physical properties, e.g. swelling degree, hydrophilicity or shut down properties
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/16 with organic electrolyte H01M6/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery includes a separator with a trapping layer that traps dissolved metal ions.

Claims

1. A battery, comprising:

a separator comprising a first layer, wherein the first layer comprises a first material that is capable of reducing a metal cation component of a dissolved ion.

2. The battery of claim 1, wherein the dissolved ion is a polyatomic ion.

3. The battery of claim 1, wherein the dissolved ion is a metal cation.

4. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first material has a reduction potential that is more negative than a reduction potential of the metal cation component of the dissolved ion.

5. The battery of claim 4, wherein the first material has a reduction potential that is from about ten millivolts to about 2,100 millivolts negative to the reduction potential of the metal cation component of the dissolved ion.

6. The battery of claim 4, wherein the first material has a reduction potential that is from about 500 millivolts to about 1,500 millivolts negative to the reduction potential of the metal cation component of the dissolved ion.

7. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first material has a reduction potential that is positive to the reduction potential of hydrogen.

8. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first material has a hydrogen gas evolution overpotential of from about 500 millivolts to about 750 millivolts measured at a H₂ evolution current density of one mA/cm² in alkaline electrolyte.

9. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises a metal.

10. The battery of claim 9, wherein the metal is bismuth, tin, zinc, or indium.

11. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises a metal oxide.

12. The battery of claim 11, wherein the metal oxide is titanium oxide, FeO, Fe₃O₄, NbO, or NbO₂.

13. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises a metal hydride.

14. The battery of claim 13, wherein the metal hydride is titanium hydride, zirconium hydride, or a misch-metal alloy hydride.

15. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises a salt.

16. The battery of claim 15, wherein the salt is a metal salt.

17. The battery of claim 16, wherein the metal salt is tin sulfide, bismuth sulfide, or iron sulfide.

18. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises an organic material.

19. The battery of claim 18, wherein the organic material comprises an oxalate or a tartrate.

20. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises an organic complexing agent.

21. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises a metalorganic material.

22. The battery of claim 21, wherein the metalorganic material is zinc diethyldithiocarbamate.

23. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first layer further comprises a matrix comprising a member selected from the group consisting of poly(acrylic acid), poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(ethyleneoxide), poly(vinylpyrrolidone), poly(acrylamide), poly(vinyl butyral), and poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid).

24. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first layer further comprises a second material, and the second material traps a product of a reaction between the first material and the dissolved ion.

25. The battery of claim 24, wherein the second material is titanium dioxide or zirconium dioxide.

26. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first layer has a thickness of from about one micron to about 500 microns.

27. The battery of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the first layer is from about 30 percent to about 70 percent of a thickness of the separator.

28. The battery of claim 1, wherein the battery further comprises a second layer that is adjacent to the first layer.

29. The battery of claim 28, wherein the second layer comprises a non-woven material.

30. The battery of claim 28, wherein the second layer comprises cellophane or grafted polyethylene.

31. The battery of claim 28, wherein the second layer comprises a second material that is capable of reducing a metal cation component of a dissolved ion.

32. The battery of claim 28, wherein the first layer contacts the second layer.

33. The battery of claim 28, wherein the first layer is separated from the second layer by at least one other layer.

34. The battery of claim 28, wherein the separator further comprises a third layer.

35. The battery of claim 34, wherein the first layer is disposed between the second layer and the third layer.

36. The battery of claim 34, wherein the second layer comprises cellophane or grafted polyethylene.

37. The battery of claim 36, wherein the third layer comprises cellophane.

38. The battery of claim 36, wherein the third layer comprises grafted polyethylene.

39. The battery of claim 36, wherein the first layer is disposed between the second layer and the third layer.

40. The battery of claim 34, wherein the second layer comprises a non-woven material and the third layer comprises cellophane or grafted polyethylene.

41. The battery of claim 40, wherein the first layer is disposed between the second layer and the third layer.

42. The battery of claim 34, wherein the second layer comprises a second material that is capable of reducing a metal cation component of a dissolved ion.

43. The battery of claim 34, wherein the second layer comprises a second material that is capable of sorbing a metal cation component of a dissolved ion.

44. The battery of claim 42, wherein the third layer is a non-woven material.

45. The battery of claim 44, wherein the third layer is disposed between the first layer and the second layer.

46. The battery of claim 40, wherein the separator further comprises a fourth layer.

47. The battery of claim 46, wherein the fourth layer comprises a second material that is capable of reducing a metal cation component of a dissolved ion.

48. The battery of claim 47, wherein the first layer is disposed between the third layer and the fourth layer.

49. The battery of claim 46, wherein the fourth layer comprises cellophane.

50. The battery of claim 46, wherein the fourth layer comprises grafted polyethylene.

51. The battery of claim 46, wherein the fourth layer contacts the second layer.

52. The battery of claim 46, wherein the fourth layer contacts the first layer.

53. The battery of claim 46, wherein the fourth layer is separated from the first layer by at least one layer.

54. The battery of claim 46, wherein the separator further comprises a fifth layer.

55. The battery of claim 54, wherein the fourth layer comprises cellophane.

56. The battery of claim 54, wherein the fourth layer comprises grafted polyethylene.

57. The battery of claim 54, wherein the fifth layer comprises a second material that is capable of reducing a metal cation component of a dissolved ion.

58. The battery of claim 57, wherein the first layer and the fifth layer are disposed between the third layer and the fourth layer.

59. The battery of claim 1, wherein the dissolved ion comprises Cu(OH)₄²⁻

or Cu(OH)₄³⁻

.

60. The battery of claim 1, wherein the battery further comprises a cathode and the dissolved ion originates from the cathode.

61. The battery of claim 1, wherein the separator further comprises cellophane or grafted polyethylene.

62. The battery of claim 61, wherein a thickness of the cellophane or grafted polyethylene is from about ten percent to about 25 percent of a thickness of the separator.

63. The battery of claim 1, wherein the separator further comprises a non-woven material.

64. The battery of claim 63, wherein the non-woven material comprises polyvinyl alcohol fibers.

65. The battery of claim 63, wherein the non-woven material has a thickness of from about 30 microns to about 120 microns.

66. The battery of claim 63, wherein the non-woven material has a thickness of from about 25 percent to about 60 percent of a thickness of the separator.

67. The battery of claim 1, wherein the battery further comprises an anode and a cathode, and wherein the separator is disposed between the anode and the cathode.

68. The battery of claim 67, wherein the separator further comprises a second layer comprising a non-woven material.

69. The battery of claim 68, wherein the second layer is adjacent to the anode.

70. The battery of claim 67, wherein the separator further comprises a second layer comprising cellophane or grafted polyethylene.

71. The battery of claim 70, wherein the second layer is adjacent to the anode.

72. The battery of claim 70, wherein the second layer is adjacent to the cathode.

73. The battery of claim 70, wherein the separator further comprises a third layer.

74. The battery of claim 73, wherein the third layer comprises cellophane.

75. The battery of claim 73, wherein the third layer comprises grafted polyethylene.

76. The battery of claim 74, wherein the second layer is adjacent to the anode and the third layer is adjacent to the cathode.

77. The battery of claim 67, wherein the cathode includes a copper material.

78. The battery of claim 67, wherein the cathode includes a copper oxide or a copper hydroxide.

79. The battery of claim 78, wherein the cathode includes a copper oxide.

80. The battery of claim 67, wherein the cathode includes a member selected from the group consisting of ferrates, permanganates, nickel oxide, nickel oxyhydroxide, cobalt oxide, cobalt oxyhydroxide, manganese oxides, or bismuth oxides.

81. The battery of claim 67, wherein the battery further comprises an alkaline electrolyte.

82. A battery, comprising:

a cathode comprising a copper oxide;

an anode comprising zinc; and

a separator between the cathode and the anode, the separator comprising;

a first layer comprising cellophane,

a second layer comprising bismuth,

a third layer comprising zirconium dioxide, and

a fourth layer comprising a non-woven material.

83. The battery of claim 82, wherein the copper oxide is CuO.

84. The battery of claim 83, wherein the second layer further comprises a polyacrylic acid gel.

85. The battery of claim 84, wherein the third layer further comprises poly(ethyleneoxide).