SEPARATOR FOR ALKALINE BATTERIES, AND ALKALINE BATTERY USING SAME

• US 20170005311A1
• Filed: 09/16/2016
• Published: 01/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kuraray Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Kuraray Company Limited
• Inventors: HAYAKAWA, Tomohiro, KAWAI, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 10,461,294 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/417 Polyolefins
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/423 Polyamide resins
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/429 Natural polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/4295 Natural cotton, cellulose or wood
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/44 Fibrous material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/491 Porosity
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/494 Tensile strength
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/045 characterised by aqueous electrolyte

Abstract

Provided are an alkaline battery separator suitably used for an alkaline battery, and an alkaline battery using the separator. The separator includes a nonwoven fabric including subject fibers; at least a part of the subject fibers containing a chelate forming fiber having a chelate formable functional group being capable of forming a chelate with a metal ion. The alkaline battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, the above-described separator placed therebetween, and an electrolyte.

Claims

1. An alkaline battery separator comprising a nonwoven fabric, wherein

the nonwoven fabric comprises subject fibers;

at least a part of the subject fibers comprise a chelate forming fiber; and

the chelate forming fiber has a chelate formable functional group introduced into a fiber material and is capable of forming a chelate with a metal ion.

2. The separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the chelate formable functional group is an aminopolycarboxylic group.

3. The separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the chelate forming fiber is a fiber having a chelate formable functional group introduced into a cellulosic fiber.

4. The separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subject fibers comprise a chelate forming fiber and an additional fiber other than the chelate forming fiber.

5. The separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the proportion of the chelate forming fiber in the nonwoven fabric is 1 to 30% by mass.

6. The separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subject fibers in the nonwoven fabric further comprise an alkaline-resistant fibrillated fiber.

7. The separator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the alkaline-resistant fibrillated fiber comprises a cellulosic fibrillated fiber.

8. The separator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the mass ratio of chelate forming fiber to alkaline-resistant fibrillated fiber (chelate forming fiber/alkaline-resistant fibrillated fiber) is in a range from 2/98 to 60/40.

9. The separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subject fibers in the nonwoven fabric further comprise a shape retainable fiber.

10. The separator as claimed in claim 9, wherein the shape retainable fiber comprises a polyvinyl alcohol fiber.

11. The separator as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the mass ratio of chelate forming fiber to shape retainable fiber (chelate forming fiber/shape retainable fiber) is in a range from 2/98 to 70/30.

12. The separator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the subject fibers in the nonwoven fabric further comprise a shape retainable fiber.

13. The separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the separator has an impurity metal adsorption rate of 0.5 mg or higher per 1 g of separator.

14. The separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the separator has an air permeability of 1 to 500 cc/cm²/sec.

15. The separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the separator has a thickness of 50 to 300 μ

m.

16. An alkaline battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator placed therebetween, and an electrolyte, wherein the separator is the separator recited in claim 1.