NON-WOVEN POLYMER FIBER MAT FOR USE IN A LITHIUM ION BATTERY ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL
First Claim
1. A method of making a non-woven polymer fiber mat for disposition between a negative electrode and a positive electrode in an electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a collector substrate that includes a collection face;
(b) positioning the collection face of the collector substrate into deposition alignment with both an electrospinning apparatus and an electrospraying apparatus; and
(c) forming a non-woven polymer fiber mat onto the collection face of the collector substrate, the non-woven polymer fiber mat comprising a fibrous web of one or more polymer fibers and particles dispersed throughout the fibrous web, the non-woven polymer fiber mat being formed by at least the steps of;
(c1) electrospinning the fibrous web of one or more polymer fibers onto the collection face; and
, simultaneously;
(c2) electrospraying the particles towards the collection face of the collector substrate so that the particles become intermingled with the polymer fiber(s).
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Accused Products
Abstract
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.
37 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of making a non-woven polymer fiber mat for disposition between a negative electrode and a positive electrode in an electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery, the method comprising:
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(a) providing a collector substrate that includes a collection face; (b) positioning the collection face of the collector substrate into deposition alignment with both an electrospinning apparatus and an electrospraying apparatus; and (c) forming a non-woven polymer fiber mat onto the collection face of the collector substrate, the non-woven polymer fiber mat comprising a fibrous web of one or more polymer fibers and particles dispersed throughout the fibrous web, the non-woven polymer fiber mat being formed by at least the steps of; (c1) electrospinning the fibrous web of one or more polymer fibers onto the collection face; and
, simultaneously;(c2) electrospraying the particles towards the collection face of the collector substrate so that the particles become intermingled with the polymer fiber(s). - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9)
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8. The method set forth in 1 further comprising:
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removing the non-woven polymer fiber mat from the collector substrate; and incorporating the non-woven polymer fiber mat into an electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery.
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10. A method of making a non-woven polymer fiber mat for disposition between a negative electrode and a positive electrode in an electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery, the method comprising:
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(a) providing a collector substrate that includes a collection face; (b) electrospinning a fibrous web of one or more polymer fibers onto the collection face of the collector substrate; and (c) spraying particles towards the collection face of the collector substrate; wherein step (b) and step (c) are performed simultaneously to fabricate a non-woven polymer fiber mat includes the fibrous web of the polymer fiber(s) and the particles dispersed throughout the fibrous web, the non-woven polymer fiber mat having a thickness that ranges anywhere from about 5 μ
m to about 50 μ
m and a porosity that ranges anywhere from about 30% to about 90%. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of making a non-woven polymer fiber mat for disposition between a negative electrode and a positive electrode in an electrochemical battery cell of a lithium ion battery, the method comprising:
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(a) positioning a collection face of a collector substrate in deposition alignment with both an electrospinning apparatus and an electrospraying apparatus; (b) generating an electric field between the collector substrate and each of the electrospinning apparatus and the electrospraying apparatus, the electric field being such that an electrical potential difference of the same polarity exists (1) between the electrospinning apparatus and the collector substrate and (2) between the electrospraying apparatus and the collector substrate; (c) pushing a polymer liquid conducive to electrospinning through an orifice of the electrospinning apparatus so that an electrically charged jet of the polymer liquid is ejected towards the collection face of the collector substrate; (d) pushing a liquid conducive to electrospraying through an orifice of the electrospraying apparatus so that an electrically charged spray of the liquid is ejected towards the collection face of the collector substrate; and (e) collecting a non-woven polymer fiber mat on the collection face of the collector substrate, the non-woven polymer fiber mat comprising (1) a fibrous web of one or more polymer fibers derived from the electrified jet of the polymer liquid conducive to electrospinning and (2) particles derived from the electrified spray of the liquid conducive to electrospraying which are dispersed throughout the fibrous web of the polymer fiber(s), the polymer fiber(s) having a diameter in the range of about 10 nm to about 10 μ
m and the particles having diameters in the range of about 50 nm to about 5 μ
m. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification