Light transparent multilayer moisture barrier for electrochemical celltester and cell employing same

• US 5,681,666 A
• Filed: 08/08/1996
• Issued: 10/28/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Duracell Incorporated (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fenn, John B., Treger, Jack, Wei, Guang, Lagos, Bryan Christopher, Gibbard, H. Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): NUZZOLILLO, MARIA
• Application Number:
  US08/695,092
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 429/90, 429/92, 429/93, 324/435, 340/646
• US Class Current: 429/90
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/117 Inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/121 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/128 with two or more layers of only inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/129 with two or more layers of only organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/141 for protecting against humidity
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/24 adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion thermal insulation H01M10/658
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5044 Cells or batteries structurally combined with cell condition indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8445 multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/846 comprising getter material or desiccants

Abstract

A light transparent moisture barrier useful for preventing moisture from destroying the effectiveness of a moisture sensitive cell condition tester on an electrochemical cell comprises a plurality of very thin; alternating layers of an inorganic material and an organic material on a flexible, polymeric substrate. The layers are not laminated, but are formed on the substrate by a deposition or coating process and the thickness of any layer is less than 5 microns. The organic material is a hydrophobic polymer and the inorganic material is a metal oxide, nitride, a glass or silicon,

Claims

1. A light transparent, multilayer composite comprising at least three alternating layers of a water insoluble inorganic material selected from the group consisting of at least one inorganic compound, silicon and mixture thereof and a water insoluble organic material wherein the thickness of said inorganic compound layers and said organic compound layers ranges between about 100 to 10,000 angstroms and between about 100 angstroms to 5 microns, respectively.

2. A composite according to claim 1 wherein the number of said alternating layers is at least four.

3. A composite according to claim 1 having a moisture vapor transmission rate no greater than 15 micrograms of water per square inch of surface area over a twenty four hour period.

4. A composite according to claim 2 in which the outer layers are polymeric.

5. A composite according to claim 4 having at least three layers of said inorganic material and at least three layers of said organic material.

6. A composite according to claim 1 in which said organic material is hydrophobic.

7. A composite according to claim 6 in which said inorganic material comprises a glass.

8. A composite according to claim 7 wherein said glass comprises a tin-lead-phosphor-oxyfluoride.

9. A composite according to claim 8 having a moisture vapor transmission rate no greater than 15 micrograms of water per square inch of surface area over a twenty four hour period.

10. A composite according to claim 1 wherein said organic material comprises an acrylic polymer having hydrocarbon chains of at least six carbon atoms.

11. A composite according to claim 1 wherein said inorganic material is selected from the group consisting essentially of a nitride, an oxide, and mixture thereof.

12. A composite according to claim 11 wherein said organic material comprises a hydrophobic polymer.

13. A composite according to claim 12 having a moisture vapor transmission rate no greater than 15 micrograms of water per square inch of surface area over a twenty four hour period.

14. A composite according to claim 13 having at least three layers of said inorganic material and at least three layers of said organic material.

15. A composite according to claim 14 having a moisture vapor transmission rate no greater than 5 micrograms of water per square inch of surface area over a twenty four hour period.

16. A composite according to claim 15 wherein said moisture vapor transmission rate is no greater than 2 of water per square inch of surface area over a twenty four hour period.

17. A composite according to claim 1 having a moisture vapor transmission rate no greater than 2 micrograms of water per square inch of surface area over a twenty four hour period.

18. A cell according to claim 17 wherein said organic material comprises a hydrophobic polymer.

19. A process for making a non-laminated, light transparent, multilayer, thin film composite comprising alternating layers of a water insoluble inorganic material selected from the group consisting of at least one inorganic compound, silicon and mixture thereof and a water insoluble organic material wherein the thickness of said inorganic compound layers and said organic compound layers ranges between about 100 to 10,000 angstroms and between about 100 angstroms to 5 microns, respectively, said process comprising depositing a first layer of said inorganic material on a substrate and then depositing a first layer of solid organic material on said first inorganic material layer, followed by depositing a second layer of said solid inorganic material onto said first layer of organic material and then depositing a second layer of said organic material on said second layer of said inorganic material.