Half-envelope separator assemblies on individual plates

• US 4,327,163 A
• Filed: 11/14/1980
• Issued: 04/27/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors Auto OOO (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Wheadon, Ellis G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Walton, Donald L.
• Application Number:
  US06/206,712
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 429/130, 429/136, 429/137, 429/138, 429/139, 429/131, 429/246
• US Class Current: 429/139
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/14 Assembling a group of electrodes or separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/466 U-shaped, bag-shaped or folded
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

An electric storage battery having an electrochemically active cell element comprising juxtaposed positive and negative polarity electrode plates each at least partially encased in a sheath of microporous dendrite-suppressing battery separator material. Each of the sheaths is sealed along three of its peripheral borders and open on the fourth. The several plates are arranged in the cell element such that the opening in the sheaths for the positive plates face a direction opposite to the direction faced by the openings in the sheaths for the negative plates and such that the sheaths on adjacent plates overlap in the region between adjacent plates.

Claims

1. An electric storage battery having an electrochemically active cell element comprising:

an electrode plate having upper, lower and first and second lateral edges defining two opposing electrode faces;

an electrode sheath encasing at least part of said electrode plate, said electrode sheath comprising two sheets of microporous dendrite-suppressing battery separator material, each of said sheets overlying one of said electrode faces and being defined at least in part by peripheral borders which extend beyond and substantially parallel to said edges, said borders of each of said sheets being joined to the borders of the other of said sheets outboard said edges such as to prevent dendrite growth thereat;

a counterelectrode plate having upper, lower and first and second lateral edges defining two opposing counterelectrode faces;

a counterelectrode sheath encasing at least part of said counterelectrode plate, said counterelectrode sheath comprising two sheets of microporous dendrite-suppressing battery separator material, each of said sheets overlying one of said counterelectrode faces and being defined at least in part by peripheral borders which extend beyond and substantially parallel to said edges, said borders of each of said sheets being joined to the borders of the other of said sheets outboard said edges such as to prevent dendrite growth thereat;

an opening in each of said sheaths for ready ingress and egress of battery electrolyte to and from said sheaths during cycling; and

said respectively sheathed electrode and counterelectrode being juxtaposed in face-to-face relation such that said opening in said electrode sheath faces a direction opposite to the direction faced by the opening in said counterelectrode sheath and the respective sheaths overlap each other in the region of said element lying between adjacent plates;

whereby a continuous barrier of said separator material is provided between adjacent plates, at least one sheath border is interposed between all proximate edges of adjacent plates for reduced dendrite edge growth, and electrolyte mobility within the element is enhanced.

2. An electric storage battery having an electrochemically active cell element comprising:

an electrode plate having upper, lower and first and second lateral edges defining two opposing electrode faces;

an electrode sheath encasing slightly more than one half of said electrode plate, said electrode sheath comprising two sheets of microporous dendrite-suppressing battery separator material, each of said sheets overlying one of said electrode faces and being defined at least in part by peripheral borders which extend beyond and substantially parallel to said edges, said borders of each of said sheets being joined to the borders of the other of said sheets outboard said edges such as to prevent dendrite growth thereat;

a counterelectrode plate having upper, lower and first and second lateral edges defining two opposing counterelectrode faces;

a counterelectrode sheath encasing slightly more than one half of said counterelectrode plate, said counterelectrode sheath comprising two sheets of microporous dendrite-suppressing battery separator material, each of said sheets overlying one of said counterelectrode faces and being defined at least in part by peripheral borders which extend beyond and substantially parallel to said edges, said borders of each of said sheets being joined to the borders of the other of said sheets outboard said edges such as to prevent dendrite growth thereat;

an opening in each of said sheaths for ready ingress and egress of battery electrolyte to and from said sheath during cycling; and

said respectively sheathed electrode and counterelectrode being juxtaposed in face-to-face relation such that said opening in said electrode sheath faces a direction opposite to the direction faced by the opening in said counterelectrode sheath and the respective sheaths overlap each other between adjacent plates at substantially only the center of said element;

whereby a continuous barrier of said separator material is provided between adjacent plates, at least one sheath border is interposed between all proximate edges of adjacent plates for reduced dendrite edge-growth, and electrolyte mobility within the element is enhanced.

3. An electric storage battery having an electrochemically active cell element comprising:

an electrode plate having upper, lower and first and second lateral edges defining two opposing electrode faces;

an electrode sheath encasing at least part of said electrode plate, said electrode sheath comprising two sheets of microporous dendrite-suppressing battery separator material, each of said sheets overlying one of said electrode faces and being defined at least in part by peripheral borders which extend beyond and substantially parallel to said edges, said borders of each of said sheets being joined to the borders of the other of said sheets outboard said upper, lower and one of said lateral edges such as to prevent dendrite growth thereat;

a counterelectrode plate having upper, lower and first and second lateral edges defining two opposing counterelectrode faces;

a counterelectrode sheath encasing at least part of said counterelectrode plate, said counterelectrode sheath comprising two sheets of microporous dendrite-suppressing battery separator material, each of said sheets overlying one of said counterelectrode faces and being defined at least in part by peripheral borders which extend beyond and substantially parallel to said edges, said borders of each of said sheets being joined to the borders of the other of said sheets outboard said upper, lower, and one of said lateral edges such as to prevent dendrite growth thereat;

an opening in each of said sheaths for ready ingress and egress of battery electrolyte to and from said sheath during cycling; and

said respectively sheathed electrode and counterelectrode being juxtaposed in face-to-face relation such that said opening in said electrode sheath faces a direction opposite to the direction faced by the opening in said counterelectrode sheath and the respective sheaths overlap each other between adjacent plates;

whereby a continuous barrier of said separator material is provided between adjacent plates, at least one sheath border is interposed between all proximate edges of adjacent plates for reduced dendrite edge growth, and electrolyte mobility within the element is enhanced.

4. An electric storage battery having an electrochemically active cell element comprising:

an electrode plate having upper, lower and first and second lateral edges defining two opposing electrode faces;

an electrode sheath encasing slightly more than one half of said electrode plate, said electrode sheath comprising two sheets of microporous dendrite-suppressing battery separator material, each of said sheets overlying one of said electrode faces and being defined at least in part by peripheral borders which extend beyond and substantially parallel to said edges, said borders of each of said sheets being joined to the borders of the other of said sheets outboard said upper, lower and one of said lateral edges such as to prevent dendrite growth thereat;

a counterelectrode plate having upper, lower and first and second lateral edges defining two opposing counterelectrode faces;

a counterelectrode sheath encasing slightly more than one half of said counterelectrode plate, said counterelectrode sheath comprising two sheets of microporous dendrite-suppressing battery separator material, each of said sheets overlying one of said counterelectrode faces and being defined at least in part by peripheral borders which extend beyond and substantially parallel to said edges, said borders of each of said sheets being joined to the borders of the other of said sheets outboard said upper, lower and one of said lateral edges such as to prevent dendrite growth thereat;

an opening in each of said sheaths for ready ingress and egress of battery electrolyte to and from said sheath during cycling; and

said respectively sheathed electrode and counterelectrode being juxtaposed in face-to-face relation such that said opening in said electrode sheath faces a direction opposite to the direction faced by the opening in said counterelectrode sheath and the respective sheaths overlap each other between adjacent plates at substantially only the vertical center of said element;

whereby a continuous barrier of said separator material is provided between adjacent plates, at least one sheath border is interposed between all proximate edges of adjacent plates for reduced dendrite edge growth, and electrolyte mobility within the element is enhanced.

5. An electric storage battery having an electrochemically active cell element comprising:

an electrode plate having upper, lower and first and second lateral edges defining two opposing electrode faces;

an electrode sheath encasing slightly more than one half said electrode plate, said electrode sheath comprising two sheets of microporous dendrite-suppressing battery separator material, each of said sheets overlying one of said electrode faces and being defined at least in part by peripheral borders which extend beyond and substantially parallel to said edges, said borders of each of said sheets being joined to the borders of the other of said sheets outboard said edges such as to prevent dendrite growth thereat, said borders outboard said upper and lower edges being fused together and said border outboard any one of said lateral edges being a fold at the junction of said sheets;

a counterelectrode plate having upper, lower and first and second lateral edges defining two opposing counterelectrode faces;

a counterelectrode sheath encasing slightly more than one half of said counterelectrode plate, said counterelectrode sheath comprising two sheets of microporous dendrite-suppressing battery separator material, each of said sheets overlying one of said counterelectrode faces and being defined at least in part by peripheral borders which extend beyond and substantially parallel to said edges, said borders of each of said sheets being joined to the borders of the other of said sheets outboard said edges such as to prevent dendrite growth thereat, said borders outboard said upper and lower edges being fused together and said border outboard one of said lateral edges being a fold at the junction of said sheets;

an opening in each of said sheaths for ready ingress and egress of battery electrolyte to and from said sheath during cycling; and

said respectively sheathed electrode and counterelectrode being juxtaposed in face-to-face relation such that said opening in said electrode sheath faces a direction opposite to the direction faced by the opening in said counterelectrode sheath and the respective sheaths overlap each other between adjacent plates at substantially only the vertical center of said element;

whereby a continuous barrier of said separator material is provided between adjacent plates, at least one sheath border is interposed between all proximate edges of adjacent plates for reduced dendrite edge growth and electrolyte mobility within the element is enhanced.