Electrical cells and batteries and methods of making the same

• US 4,125,685 A
• Filed: 06/30/1977
• Issued: 11/14/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Polaroid Corporation (PLR IP Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Polaroid Corporation (PLR IP Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Chiklis, Charles K., Kinsman, Gordon F., Bloom, Stanley M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Skapars, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US05/811,469
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 429/162, 429/152, 429/149, 429/153, 429/122, 429/154, 429/217, 429/224, 429/229, 429/160
• US Class Current: 429/122
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/06 Electrodes for primary cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/66 Selection of materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/663 containing carbon or carbonaceous materials as conductive part, e.g. graphite, carbon fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/668 Composites of electroconductive material and synthetic resins
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/06 Dry cells, i.e. cells wherein the electrolyte is rendered non-fluid
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/48 with bipolar electrodes

Abstract

A laminar triplex structure for use in the manufacture of electrical cells and batteries, cells and batteries made therefrom, and methods of making the same. The laminate comprises a thin flat sheet of separator material, a layer of metallic particles on one surface of the separator sheet and adhered thereto with a binder, and a layer of conductive plastic adhered to the layer of metal particles. The laminate is made by the process of coating a dispersion of metal particles in a solution of a polymeric binder in an organic solvent over the separator, drying to remove the solvent, coating over the dried metal layer with a dispersion of conductive particles in a solution of a polymer in an organic solvent, and drying to remove the solvent.

Claims

1. An electrode subassembly, comprising a thin, flat sheet of liquid impervious conductive plastic, a thin, flat, dry layer of active anode particles adhesively bonded to said sheet, and a thin, flat, dry separator sheet of liquid permeable material adhesively bonded to said anode layer.

2. The subassembly of claim 1, in which said conductive plastic comprises a dispersion of carbon black in a thermoplastic elastomer.

3. The subassembly of claim 2, in which said elastomer is a radial teleblock copolymerof styrene and butadiene.

4. An electrode subassembly, comprising a thin, flat sheet of conductive plastic, a thin, flat, dry layer of zinc particles adhesively bonded to said sheet, and a thin, flat, dry cellophane separator adhesively bonded to said anode layer.

5. The subassembly of claim 4, in which said conductive plastic comprises a dispersion of carbon black in a thermoplastic elastomer.

6. The subassembly of claim 5, in which said thermoplastic elastomer is a radial teleblock copolymer of styrene and butadiene.

7. A subassembly for use in the manufacture of laminar batteries, comprising a dry sheet of liquid permeable separator material, a dry electrode layer of active anode particles in an adhesive binder matrix adhering to one side of said sheet, and a layer of liquid impervious conductive plastic adhering to said electrode layer, in which said conductive plastic comprises a dispersion of carbon particles in a thermoplastic elastomer, and in which said adhesive binder matrix comprises the same elastomer as said elastomer in said conductive plastic.

8. The subassembly of claim 7, in which said anode particles comprise a major proportion of zinc powder and a minor proportion of carbon black, and in which said separator material comprises regenerated cellulose.

9. A laminate for use in the manufacture of laminar batteries and comprising a dry sheet of separator material, an adherent dry electrode layer of active electrode particles in a binder matrix on one side of said separator sheet, and an adherent layer of liquid impervious conductive plastic on said electrode layer, said laminate being in elongated sheet form adapted to be cut into a plurality of unitary subassemblies.

10. The laminate of claim 9, in which said separator material is regenerated cellulose, and in which said conductive plastic comprises a dispersion of carbon particles in a thermoplastic elastomer.

11. The laminate of claim 10, in which said active electrode particles comprise a major proportion of zinc particles and a minor proportion of carbon particles.

12. The laminate of claim 11, in which said binder matrix comprises an elastomer of the same composition as said elastomer in said conductive plastic.

13. The laminate of claim 12, in which said elastomer is a radial teleblock copolymer of butadiene and styrene.

14. A laminate for use in the manufacture of laminar batteries and comprising a sheet of regenerated cellulose, an adherent electrode layer of zinc particles in a binder matrix on one side of said regenerated cellulose sheet, and an adherent layer of liquid impervious conductive plastic on said electrode layer, said layers being coextensive in their major dimensions.

15. A subassembly for use in the manufacture of laminar batteries, comprising a dry sheet of liquid permeable separator material, an electrode layer of dry active anode particles in an adhesive binder matrix adhering to one side of said sheet, a layer of liquid impervious conductive plastic adhering to said electrode layer, and a frame of insulating material adhering to said conductive plastic, having border portions extending beyond the borders of said conductive plastic, and formed with a central opening within the borders of said conductive plastic.

16. A subassembly for use in the manufacture of laminar batteries, comprising a dry sheet of liquid permeable cellophane, an electrode layer of zinc particles in a dry adhesive binder matrix adhering to one side of said sheet, a layer of liquid impervious conductive plastic adhering to said electrode layer, and a frame of thermoplastic insulating material sealed to said conductive plastic and formed with a central opening.

17. A laminar electrical cell, comprising a first sheet of conductive plastic, a cathode layer adhering to a central region of said first sheet and comprising a slurry dispersion of manganese dioxide and carbon particles in an aqueous solution of electrolytes, a cellophane separator adhereing to said cathode layer, a second sheet of conductive plastic overlying said first sheet and covering said separator, and an anode layer comprising zinc particles adhered to said second sheet with an adhesive binder and in intimate contact with said cellophane separator.

18. The electrical cell of claim 17, in which said anode layer and said second sheet are coextensive with said separator.

19. A laminar electrical cell, comprising a first sheet of conductive plastic, a first electrode layer adhering to a central region of said first sheet and comprising a slurry dispersion of first electrode particles in an aqueous solution of electrolytes, a separator adhering to said first electrode layer and having borders extending beyond the boundaries of said first electrode layer, a second sheet of conductive plastic overlying said first sheet and covering said separator, and a second electrode layer comprising second electrode particles adhered to said second sheet with an adhesive binder and in contact with and coextensive with said separator.

20. A thin, flat laminar battery, comprising a stack of cells connected in series and terminated at each end by conductive plastic sheets, each of said cells comprising a cathode layer adhering to one side of one of said plastic sheets and consisting essentially of a dispersion of manganese dioxide and carbon particles in an aqueous solution of electrolytes essentially free of polymeric binders, a cellophane separator in contact with said cathode layer and having border portions extending beyond the confines of said cathode layer, and an anode layer in contact with the other side of said separator and comprising zinc particles mechanically connected to a confronting surface of another of said conductive plastic sheets with an adhesive binder, said anode layer having boundaries in registry with the boundaries of said separator and being wet by an aqueous solution of electrolytes with a viscosity of about 1 centipoise, said cells being sealed about their peripheries by insulating frames of thermoplastic material between each adjacent pair of said conductive plastic sheets and being sealed to each other and to the borders of said conductive plastic sheets.

21. A laminate for use in the manufacture of laminar batteries and comprising a dry sheet of regenerated cellulose, an adherent dry electrode layer of active electrode particles in a binder matrix adhered to a central region of one surface of said regenerated cellulose sheet, and a layer of liquid impervious conductive plastic adhering to said electrode layer and to portions of said surface of said regenerated cellulose sheet beyond said electrode layer.

22. A subassembly for use in the manufacture of laminar batteries comprising a dry sheet of regenerated cellulose, an electrode layer of zinc particles in a dry adhesive binder matrix adhering to a central region of one surface of said regenerated cellulose sheet, a liquid impervious conductive plastic layer comprising a dispersion of carbon black in a teleblock copolymer of styrene and butadiene adhering to said electrode layer and to portions of said surface of said regenerated cellulose sheet beyond said electrode layer, and a frame of thermoplastic insulating material comprising a teleblock copolymer of styrene and butadiene and from 0 to 30 parts by weight of polystyrene per 100 parts by weight of insulating material adhered to said conductive plastic layer.

23. A laminate useful in the manufacture of electrical cells and comprising a layer of powdered metal adhered to at least a portion of one surface of a smooth sheet of regenerated cellulose with a polymeric binder.

24. The laminate of claim 23, in which said powdered metal layer contains a minor proportion of carbon particles.

25. The laminate of claim 24, in which said powdered metal is zinc.

26. The laminate of claim 25, in which said polymeric binder is an elastomeric teleblock copolymer of butadiene and styrene.

27. A laminate for use in the manufacture of laminar batteries and comprising a sheet of regenerated cellulose, an adherent electrode layer of active electrode particles in a binder matric adhered to a central region of one surface of said regenerated cellulose sheet, and a layer of liquid impervious conductive plastic adhering to said electrode layer and to portions of said surface of said regenerated cellulose sheet beyond said electrode layer, said laminate being of uniform thickness and said conductive plastic layer being of varying thickness to accommodate the thickness of said electrode layer.