Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M4/00—Electrodes
  • H01M4/02—Electrodes composed of, or comprising, active material
  • H01M4/36—Selection of substances as active materials, active masses, active liquids
  • H01M4/58—Selection of substances as active materials, active masses, active liquids of inorganic compounds other than oxides or hydroxides, e.g. sulfides, selenides, tellurides, halogenides or LiCoFy; of polyanionic structures, e.g. phosphates, silicates or borates
  • H01M4/583—Carbonaceous material, e.g. graphite-intercalation compounds or CFx
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M4/00—Electrodes
  • H01M4/02—Electrodes composed of, or comprising, active material
  • H01M4/62—Selection of inactive substances as ingredients for active masses, e.g. binders, fillers
  • H01M4/624—Electric conductive fillers
  • H01M4/625—Carbon or graphite
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M4/00—Electrodes
  • H01M4/86—Inert electrodes with catalytic activity, e.g. for fuel cells
  • H01M4/96—Carbon-based electrodes
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
  • Y02E60/10—Energy storage using batteries
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
  • Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
  • Y02E60/50—Fuel cells

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a laminate container which is leak proof, water and air tight for storing energy storage cells More specifically, the present invention relates to a flexible sealed container which allows for materials to be extended from the interior to the exterior of the container while maintaining a leak proof water and air tight enclosure
• the prior art describes various laminate materials that may be used for dual graphite energy storage systems and also in the field of electrochemical devices
• Such a defect may be caused by the heat sealing process, diminishing the thickness of the polymer layer, or the edges of the metal terminal or feedthrough may cut through to the enclosed metallic foil, or by similar events It would therefore be useful to develop a fitment which overcomes these problems
• lithium is known to be highly reactive in humid air Therefore, batteries are manufactured in an environment of low humidity and often in a vacuum or protective atmosphere
• lithium negative electrodes anodes
• electrolytes and moist air This results in formation of lithium powder with a very high surface area This is undesirable because lithium powder, and especially high surface area lithium, reacts violently with moisture and air
• Composite anode alternatives have been suggested to overcome such problems, but they are prone to a large loss of capacity as compared to metallic lithium
• U S Patent Nos 4,840,280 and 4,615,926 disclose the typical packaging technology It is typical to have headspace above the contents of the container which contains an oxygen scavenger The scavenger is held in the headspace by a permeable film between the contents and the scavenger Such a construction is not suitable for protecting lithium cells because communication between the scavenger and the cell contents is unacceptable
• a multiple film container has peelable layers which permits easy access to the contents Layers of film which easily separate from one another should never be used for protecting lithium cells because the contents are highly volatile and should never be exposed while in use
• a container for maintaining a leak free environment including a package material of at least two layers physically attached to one another a fitment for maintaining the leak free environment and an extending material disposed within the fitment by compression
• a fitment for creating a leak proof seal the fitment being made up of a heat sealable material
• Figure 1 is a front schematic showing a football shaped fitment in relation to the laminant container containing feedthrough holes
• Figure 1 (b) is a schematic showing a top view of the fitment, showing the fitment with tab materials extending from the internal portion of the fitment to the external portion of the fitment,
• Figure 1 (c) is a top schematic view showing a completed laminated film container incorporating a fitment and tab extension from the internal portion of the fitment to the external portion of the fitment,
• Figure 2 is a schematic showing a top view of the frame shaped fitment, the design including tab materials extending from the internal portion of the fitment to the external portion of the fitment, and
• Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the multi-layer laminant material and the adherence to a fitment
• a container made in accordance with the present invention is generally shown at 10 in Figure 1
• the container 10 includes a package material 14 of at least two layers which are fixably attached to one another, a fitment 12 for maintaining the leak free environment and an extending material 28 which extends outside the container 10 whereby the extending material 28 is disposed within the fitment 12
• extending material 28 as used herein the term is meant to include but is not limited to, electrodes, leads, hoses, and other similar materials known to those of skill in the art to be found in a battery, i e terminals pressure relief valves, sensors
• 'package material 14 as used herein, the term is meant to include, but is not limited to layers which together formulate the container 10 for containing a battery These layers can include polymeric materials, strength and tear resistant layers 18, sealants 26, heat resistant materials 16 and other materials known to those of skill in the art to be useful in a battery container 10
• fitment 12 as used herein, the term is intended to include, but is not limited to a piece of material which is used to allow for a material to extend from the internal portion of the container to the external of the container while maintaining a leak proof, water and/or air tight seal by compression
• the fitment 12 can be made of a polymer or other heat sealable material as are known to those of skill in the art
• the fitment 12 is in the shape of a football, elliptical, as seen in Figure 1
• the fitment 12 can be of any shape which can be used to seal the container 10
• the fitments feedthrough holes provide a compression fitting between the package and the extending material
• the fitment 12 is in the form of a frame This is best depicted in Figure 2
• the fitment 12 includes tab materials 13 which extend from the internal portion of the fitment 12 to the external portion of the fitment 12
• a package material 14 of the present invention includes a laminate 30 which is provided for use as a protective covering for inhibiting penetration of oxygen and/or oxygen and water therethrough, or other undesirable materials
• the laminate 30 functions to protect the contents of the container 10
• the laminate 30 can protect components of an electrochemical cell such as a lithium battery
• the laminate 30 includes at least two layers, one of which has a polymeric layer for heat sealing layers of the laminate 30 to one another, and the other is an oxygen and/or moisture barrier
• the laminate 30 insulates as well as inhibits transport and transmission of electricity Further, the laminate 30 inhibits transport and transmission of oxygen and water through the laminate 30
• the laminate 30 includes two or more layers having, when combined, the characteristics of flexibility, electrical insulation, adhesiveness, and stability in the presence of water
• a heat sealable polymeric layer can constitute one of the two layers
• An oxygen/water barrier is included in the laminate 30 as described above
• the container 10 is in the form of a bag or pouch having an opening adaptable to be heat sealed and a peripheral layer with inner and outer surfaces, layers between such surfaces where at least one of the layers comprises the polymeric material which forms a heat seal to itself to seal such opening and wherein the polymeric heat sealing material constitutes the inner layer
• the inner heat sealing layer is made of an electrically insulating polymeric material, a metal foil layer on the outside of the insulating sealant layer, and an outer layer of a durable polymeric material having a tensile strength of at least 9,000 psi
• the metal foil layer is sandwiched between the
• the laminate 30 which forms the container 10 is constituted by seven layers arranged from interior layer (the layer facing the contents of the container 10) to exterior layer (the surface facing the environment and away from the contents)
• the layers include heat sealable polymeric layer, olefin based adhesive polymer, polyamide or polyester or a bonded polyolefin based polymer, olefin based adhesive, metal foil layer, olefin based adhesive polymer, and an exterior polyamide or polyester based polymer layer
• a suitable multi-layer packaging laminate 30 having four layers is constituted by an interior heat sealable layer 16, exterior layer of polyester or polyamide resin, a central structural layer, preferably made of a metal foil, with an adhesive bonding polyolefin or EAA or EVA layer disposed between the barrier layer and the interior layer
• Oxygen scavenging agents 22 can be selected from a group of metal oxides, carbides, hydroxides, carbonates, sulfites, carbonyls, siiicides, and mixtures thereof
• One particularly suitable oxygen scavenging agent 22 comprises fine particles of copper oxide supported on particles of aluminum Where the oxygen scavenging agent 22 is incorporated into one of the polymeric layers, it can be so combined by mixing together pellets of polymeric material and particles of a metal compound having a reducing property, such as copper oxide, and then extruding such mixture to form a sheet thereof
• oxygen scavenging agent 22 is incorporated between layers, it is preferred that such agent 22 be incorporated closest to the foil and between the polyethylene and nylon layers in an exemplary seven layer configuration
• oxygen scavenging agent 22 is to be incorporated into and extruded with one of the polymeric layers, it is preferred that it be coextruded with polyethylene polymer
• the scavenger 22 should not absorb or come in contact with the solvent associated with the battery.
• oxygen scavenging agents 22 can be used in the invention.
• oxygen scavengers customarily used in the field of food and drug preservatives can be used as the oxygen scavenger in the present invention.
• an oxygen scavenger having a reducing property and being substantially insoluble in water is preferably used.
• the oxygen scavenger can be used in combination with an assistant such as a hydroxide, carbonate, sulfite, thiosulfate, tertiaryphosphate, secondary phosphate, organic acid salt or halide of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal, or active carbon, active alumina or activated clay according to need.
• an assistant such as a hydroxide, carbonate, sulfite, thiosulfate, tertiaryphosphate, secondary phosphate, organic acid salt or halide of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal, or active carbon, active alumina or activated clay according to need.
• the oxygen scavenger should have an average particle size smaller than 10 microns desirably smaller than 4 x 10 6 meter (micron), especially smaller than 1 x 10 6 meter (micron)
• oxygen absorber materials are triggered by the presence of even a small amount of humidity in the air Examples are sulfide salts such as potassium sulfite which becomes highly oxygen attractive (oxophilic) in the wet state
• the oxygen scavenger potassium sulfite (K 2 SO 3 ) can be mixed with a carrier material
• Another gas absorption composition consists of fine particles of copper oxide supported on particles or spheres or high surface area alumina In the reduced state, copper oxide is a highly effective oxygen scavenger capable of eliminating up to 99% of oxygen present in gases which can penetrate the laminate 30
• One such copper based oxygen absorber is available from Engelhard of Ely ⁇ a, Ohio under the designation CU-0226 in 14 to 20 mesh spheres which needs to be ground to about 10 microns and which have typical properties as listed below in Table I
• pellets of a copolymer used in one of the layers of the laminate 30 is mixed with an oxygen scavenger such as the CU-0226 in a batch wise, high speed, stirring vane-type mixture
• the mixture can then be pelletized by a pelletizer comprising an extruder having a screw
• a multi-layer laminate 30 comprising the pelletized mixture and other layers can be produced by a multi-layer sheet forming machine comprising extruders for the various layers which are then formed in a suitable dye, cooled on a cooling roller, and advanced by means of a take-up device
• the oxygen scavenger, in its particle form can be placed between the extruded layers before they are laminated together in the dye
• the films of the invention are preferably made by coextrusion process, though other processes are acceptable so long as the resulting film is functionally integral for the life of the container 10 and prevents intrusion of oxygen into the compartment occupied by the battery
• a water absorbing agent can also be used in combination with the oxygen scave
• the present invention provides an improved container 10 which maintains a leak proof environment throughout the life of the container 10
• the container 10 is used for an electrochemical battery, or a dual graphite battery assembly, which maintains integrity of the battery over a prolonged life cycle as compared to presently used battery assemblies
• the container 10 of the present invention can also include an agent 22 to take up oxygen or oxygen and water preventing attack of the reactive components of the container 10
• the above discussion provides a factual basis for the use of the container 10 of the present invention
• the methods used with and the utility of the present invention can be shown by accompanying figures
• the container 10 of the present invention can be used in association with a variety of products and is not limited in its uses based on the above examples

Landscapes

• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Electrochemistry (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
• Sealing Battery Cases Or Jackets (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=26874105

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 2001
  • 2001-01-26 AU AU2001233067A patent/AU2001233067A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-01-26 WO PCT/US2001/002780 patent/WO2001056095A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2001-01-26 JP JP2001555149A patent/JP2003521099A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 2001-01-26 BR BR0104245-9A patent/BR0104245A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2001-01-26 CA CA002365624A patent/CA2365624A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-01-26 EP EP01905158A patent/EP1204995A1/en not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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