BATTERY WITH PROTECTIVE PACKAGING

• US 20110076550A1
• Filed: 12/08/2010
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KLA Corporation
• Original Assignee: Front Edge Technology, Inc
• Inventors: LIANG, Jiuh-Ming, NIEH, Kai-Wei
• Granted Patent: US 8,679,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/175
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0436 Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0562 Solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0585 of accumulators having only flat construction elements, i.e. flat positive electrodes, flat negative electrodes and flat separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4235 Safety or regulating additives or arrangements in electrodes, separators or electrolyte H01M10/4242 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/11 having a chip structure, e.g. micro-sized batteries integrated on chips
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/121 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/147 Lids or covers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/148 characterised by their shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/193 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/40 Printed batteries , e.g. thin film batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/42 Grouping of primary cells into batteries H01M6/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4911 including sealing

Abstract

A battery comprises at least one battery cell on a support, the battery cell comprising a plurality of electrodes about an electrolyte, and having a surface. A thermoplastic material covers the surface of the battery cell, the thermoplastic material comprising a nitrogen permeability or oxygen permeability that is less than 20 cm³*mm/(m²*day). A cap covers the thermoplastic material.

Claims

1. A battery comprising:

(a) at least one battery cell on a support, the battery cell comprising a plurality of electrodes about an electrolyte, and having a surface;

(b) a thermoplastic material covering the surface of the battery cell, the thermoplastic material comprising a nitrogen permeability or oxygen permeability that is less than 20 cm³*mm/(m²*day); and

(c) a cap covering the thermoplastic material.

2. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic material comprises a water permeability of less than 0.1 g·

mil/(in²·

day).

3. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic material comprises an elastic modulus of less than 1 GPa.

4. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic material comprises poly(vinylidene chloride), thermoplastic polyurethanes, or mixtures thereof.

5. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic material comprises latex.

6. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic material comprises a thickness of less than 50 microns.

7. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the cap comprises metal, ceramic or polymer.

8. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the battery cell comprises edges, and comprising an external coating covering at least a portion of the edges of the battery cell.

9. A battery according to claim 8 wherein the external coating is composed of poly(vinylidene chloride).

10. A battery according to claim 1 wherein the battery cell comprises lithium.

11. A battery fabrication process comprising:

(a) fabricating at least one battery cell on a support, the battery cell comprising a plurality of electrodes about an electrolyte;

(b) selecting a thermoplastic material comprising a nitrogen permeability or oxygen permeability that is less than 20 cm³*mm/(m²*day); and

(c) forming a protective package around the battery cell by laminating the battery cell to the thermoplastic material and a cap.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein (b) comprises laminating a thermoplastic film to a cap to form a laminated thermoplastic cap, and thereafter, laminating the laminated thermoplastic cap to the battery cell.

13. A method according to claim 11 wherein the thermoplastic material comprises a thermoplastic film, and wherein the thermoplastic film is laminated to a metal foil.

14. A method according to claim 11 wherein (b) comprises coating a cap with a liquid layer of thermoplastic material to form a laminated thermoplastic cap, and thereafter, laminating the laminated thermoplastic cap to the battery cell.

15. A method according to claim 11 wherein (b) comprises coating the battery cell with a liquid thermoplastic material to form a laminated thermoplastic battery cell, and thereafter, laminating a cap to the laminated thermoplastic battery cell.

16. A battery comprising:

(a) at least one battery cell on a support, the battery cell comprising a plurality of electrodes about an electrolyte, and having a surface;

(b) a first polymer layer and a second polymer layer covering the surface of the battery cell; and

(c) a cap covering the first and second polymer layers.

17. A battery according to claim 16 wherein the total water permeability of the polymer layers is less than 0.1 g·

mil/(in²·

day)4 g*mm/(m²*day).

18. A battery according to claim 16 wherein the nitrogen permeability or oxygen permeability through the thickness of the polymer layers is less than 20 cm³*mm/(m²*day).

19. A battery according to claim 16 wherein the first polymer layer comprises polyethylene (PE) and the second polymer layer comprises ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH).

20. A battery fabrication process comprising:

(a) fabricating at least one battery cell on a support, the battery cell comprising a plurality of electrodes about an electrolyte;

(b) forming a laminated polymer cap by laminating a plurality of polymer layers to a cap; and

(c) laminating the laminated polymer cap to the battery cell.

21. A battery fabrication process comprising:

(a) fabricating at least one battery cell on a support, the battery cell comprising a plurality of electrodes about an electrolyte;

(b) forming a polymer laminated battery cell by laminating a plurality of polymer layers to the battery cell; and

(c) laminating a cap to the polymer laminated battery cell.

22. A battery comprising:

(a) at least one battery cell on a support, the battery cell comprising a plurality of electrodes about an electrolyte, and having a surface;

(b) a thermoset material covering the surface of the battery cell, the thermoset material having;

(i) a water permeability of less than 0.1 g·

mil/(in²·

day);

(ii) a nitrogen permeability of less than 20 cm³*mm/(m²*day);

(iii) an oxygen permeability of less than 20 cm³*mm/(m²*day); and

(iv) an elastic modulus of less than 2 GPa; and

(c) a cap covering the surface of the thermoset material.

23. A battery according to claim 22 wherein the thermoset material comprises thermoset polyurethane.

24. A battery comprising:

(a) a substrate comprising a first surface comprising a first battery cell having a first non-contact surface with a central portion and a peripheral portion;

(b) a first polymer covering the central portion of the non-contact surface;

(c) a second polymer covering the peripheral portion of the non-contact surface, the second polymer being a different polymer than the first polymer; and

(d) a cap covering the exposed surface of the first and second polymers.

25. A battery according to claim 24 wherein the first polymer comprises an elastic modulus of less than 1 GPa.

26. A battery according to claim 25 wherein the second polymer comprises:

(i) a water permeability of less than 0.1 g·

mil/(in²·

day);

(ii) a nitrogen permeability of less than 20 cm³*mm/(m²*day); and

(iii) an oxygen permeability of less than 20 cm³*mm/(m²*day).

A battery according to claim 24 wherein the first polymer comprises surlyn or polyurethane and the second polymer comprises epoxy or PVDC.