Thin printable flexible electrochemical cell and method of making the same
First Claim
1. A battery including an electrochemical cell, said electrochemical cell comprising:
- a substrate having an inner surface;
a first electrochemical layer covering some portion of said inner surface;
a second electrochemical layer covering another portion of said inner surface and adjacent to said first electrochemical layer;
an electrolyte layer substantially covering and in electrical contact with both said first electrochemical layer and said second electrochemical layer; and
a covering layer covering said electrolyte layer and bound to said substrate to form a pouch for sealing said electrolyte layer in an interior of said cell.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A thin printed flexible electrochemical cell with a high moisture and oxygen barrier polymer film sealed and folded package featuring a printed cathode deposited on a highly conductive carbon printed cathode collector with a zinc foil anode or printed anode placed adjacent to the cathode. After the cell components are added to the special laminated polymer substrate, the web is processed automatically on a modified high-speed commercial horizontal pouch filling machine to complete the cell assembly process. In this process a starch coated paper separator layer may be inserted over the anode and the cathode, and then the aqueous electrolyte solution is added to the cell. To complete the process, all four edges of the cell are heat sealed to confine the cell components within the cell cavity and each cell is trimmed off the continuous web.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A battery including an electrochemical cell, said electrochemical cell comprising:
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a substrate having an inner surface;
a first electrochemical layer covering some portion of said inner surface;
a second electrochemical layer covering another portion of said inner surface and adjacent to said first electrochemical layer;
an electrolyte layer substantially covering and in electrical contact with both said first electrochemical layer and said second electrochemical layer; and
a covering layer covering said electrolyte layer and bound to said substrate to form a pouch for sealing said electrolyte layer in an interior of said cell.
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2. The battery of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of said electrochemical cells electrically connected together all sharing said substrate in common.
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3. The battery of claim 1, wherein said substrate is comprised of a sheet of material folded over itself to form said covering layer, wherein said inner surface is bound to itself to form said pouch.
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4. The battery of claim 3, wherein said sheet of material includes a plurality of laminated layers.
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5. The battery of claim 4, wherein said plurality of laminated layers includes a structural layer having an integrated barrier and/or a heat sealing layer.
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6. The battery of claim 4, wherein said plurality of laminated layers include:
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an inner layer including a polymer film and/or a heat sealing coating;
a high moisture layer including a barrier polymer;
a first adhesive layer for connecting said inner layer to said high-moisture layer;
an outer structural layer including an orientated polyester; and
a second adhesive layer for connecting said high-moisture layer to said outer structural layer.
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7. The battery of claim 4, wherein said plurality of laminated layers include a metalized layer.
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8. The battery of claim 1, wherein said first electrochemical layer is comprised of a cured and/or dried ink.
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9. The battery of claim 8, wherein said ink includes one or more of manganese dioxide, carbon, NiOOH, silver oxides Ag2O and/or AgO, HgO, oxygen O2 in the form of an air cell, and Vanadium oxide VO2.
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10. The battery of claim 8, wherein said second electrochemical layer is comprised of a strip of material laminated to said substrate.
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11. The battery of claim 10, wherein said strip of material includes one or more of zinc.
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12. The battery of claim 8, wherein said second electrochemical layer is comprised of a cured and/or dried ink.
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13. The battery of claim 12, wherein said ink includes one or more of zinc, nickel, cadmium, metal hydrides of the AB2 and the AB3 types, iron, and FeS2.
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14. The battery of claim 8, further comprising a first collector layer between said first electrochemical layer and said substrate, said first collector layer having a higher conductivity than said first electrochemical layer and said substrate.
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15. The battery of claim 14, wherein said first collector layer is comprised of a cured and/or dried conductive ink.
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16. The battery of claim 15, further comprising a second collector layer between said second electrochemical layer and said substrate, said second collector layer having a higher conductivity than said second electrochemical layer and said substrate.
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17. The battery of claim 16, wherein said second collector layer is comprised of a cured and/or dried conductive ink.
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18. The battery of claim 1, further comprising a first collector layer between said first electrochemical layer and said substrate, said first collector layer having a higher conductivity than said first electrochemical layer and said substrate.
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19. The battery of claim 18, wherein said first collector layer is comprised of a cured and/or dried conductive ink.
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20. The battery of claim 19, further comprising a second collector layer between said second electrochemical layer and said substrate, said second collector layer having a higher conductivity than said second electrochemical layer and said substrate.
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21. The battery of claim 1, wherein said battery includes series and/or parallel connections for connecting to an electronic application circuit thereby allowing the use of unit cells.
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22. The battery of claim 1, wherein said electrolyte layer includes an absorbent separator layer soaked in electrolyte.
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23. The battery of claim 22, wherein said electrolyte includes one or more of:
- zinc chloride, ammonium chloride, zinc acetate, zinc bromide, zinc Iodide, zinc tartrate, zinc per-chlorate, potassium hydroxide, and sodium hydroxide.
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24. The battery of claim 22, wherein said electrolyte includes a polymeric thickener and/or gel having one or more of:
- carboxymethylcellulose;
polyvinyl alcohol;
a starch and/or modified starch;
ethyl and/or hydroxyl-ethyl cellulose;
methyl cellulose;
polyethylene oxide; and
polyacryamide.
- carboxymethylcellulose;
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25. The battery of claim 1, wherein one or both of said first electrochemical layer and said second electrochemical layer have been modified via treatment with corona and/or plasma.
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26. A battery including an electrochemical cell, said electrochemical cell comprising:
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a substrate including a multi-layer laminate and having;
an outer surface, and an inner surface, wherein said substrate forms a fold over itself, such that said inner surface forms a first inner side and a second inner side on opposite sides of an interior of said cell, and said outer surface defines a first outer side and a second outer side on opposite sides of the exterior of said battery cell;
a collector layer, including a first cured and/or dried conductive ink, at least partially covering said first inner side;
a first electrochemical layer, including a second cured and/or dried ink, at least partially covering said collector layer;
a second electrochemical layer on one of said first inner side and said second inner side, wherein, if said second electrochemical layer is on said first inner side, said second electrochemical layer is adjacent to said first electrochemical layer;
an electrolyte layer in contact with both said first electrochemical layer and said second electrochemical layer and between said first inner side and said second inner side; and
a connecting layer for connecting a portion of an outer perimeter of said first inner side to a portion of an outer perimeter of said second inner side to bind said first inner side to said second inner side for holding said substrate in the folded position, thereby forming a pouch for containing said electrolyte in the interior of said cell.
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27. A method for manufacturing a thin battery including an electrochemical cell, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a web of a multi-layer laminate substrate;
punching or cutting a cutout from said substrate printing a collector layer of conductive ink on an inner surface of said web;
printing a first electrochemical layer, including an ink, over some portion of said collector layer;
applying a second electrochemical layer on said substrate;
applying a sealing layer on some part of said substrate;
folding said substrate to form a pouch, such that said sealing layer attaches an inside of a first portion of said substrate to an inside of a second portion of said substrate, such that said first electrochemical layer, said second electrochemical layer, and said absorbent layer are captured within said pouch between the insides of said first and second portions, wherein said folding forms an opening to the interior of said pouch;
adding an electrolyte through said opening;
sealing said opening to substantially seal said electrolyte within the interior of said pouch; and
cutting said substrate to provide one or more of said electrochemical cells into said battery, wherein electrical access to one or both of said first electrochemical layer and said second electrochemical layer is provided through said cutout.
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28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of providing an absorbent layer for contacting a portion of both said first electrochemical layer and said second electrochemical layer, wherein, during or subsequent to said adding an electrolyte step, at least a portion of said electrolyte is absorbed by said absorbent layer.
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29. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of treating one or more of said first electrochemical layer, said second electrochemical layer, and said collector layer with corona or plasma.
Specification