JP2003062926A - Flexible metal thin film laminate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means for forming a desired metal thin film on the surface of a flexible material such as a fabric, a nonwoven fabric or the like without damaging the characteristics of the flexible material. SOLUTION: The flexible metal thin film laminate 100 is composed of carbon fiber fabric (carbon substrate) 101 having fine pores and a copper coating layer (metal thin film) 102 laminated on the fabric 101 and used as an electrode in a carbon battery. By this constitution, the charge capacity per a volume of the carbon battery can be increased and a lightweight and small-sized carbon battery having large charge capacity can be realized.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flexible metal thin film laminate, and more particularly to a metal thin film laminate which has a large storage capacity per volume and is suitable for a lightweight and small electrode.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is considered to form a metal film on the surface of a fiber or a non-woven fabric in order to add various metal characteristics such as conductivity and weather resistance to a woven fabric such as cotton or polyester or a non-woven fabric such as carbon. Conventionally, a method of forming a metal film by a vapor deposition method or a plating method has been used.

[0003]

However, due to the relationship with the metal film forming conditions such as the melting temperature of the metal, the materials such as the woven fabric are limited to those that can withstand the conditions. Further, it is difficult to control the thickness of the metal film to be formed by the conventional method, and it is difficult to produce a material having both advantages of a woven fabric or a non-woven fabric and a metal, such as impairing the flexibility of the woven fabric. It wasn't easy. Furthermore, since the conventional method is performed by batch processing, thickness variation between batches occurs, and it is not easy to mass-produce metal thin films having a uniform thickness at low cost.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and forms a desired metal thin film on the surface of a flexible material such as a woven cloth or a nonwoven cloth without impairing the characteristics of the flexible material. The purpose is to provide a means of doing.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible metal thin film laminate in which a metal thin film formed by arc spraying is laminated on the surface of a flexible material. .

The present invention (claim 2) is the flexible metal thin film laminate according to claim 1, wherein the flexible material is a carbon base material having fine pores. Also, preferably, the carbon base material is a woven or non-woven fabric of carbon fibers.

For example, when a battery is constructed by using a flexible metal thin film laminate in which a metal thin film is formed on the surface of a carbon substrate having fine pores as an electrode, the storage capacity of the battery is equal to the surface area of the electrode. Because of the proportionality, the flexibility and thinness of the flexible metal thin film laminate according to the present invention can increase the electrode surface area per volume of the battery to increase the storage capacity of the battery, and further reduce the weight of the battery. In addition, it is possible to reduce the size.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A flexible metal thin film laminate according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure of a flexible metal thin film laminate according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the flexible metal thin film laminate 100 is a carbon having fine pores. The fiber woven fabric (carbon base material) 101 and the copper coat (metal thin film) 102 laminated on the woven fabric 101 are used as electrodes in a carbon battery.

As shown in FIG. 2, the carbon fiber woven fabric 101 is a flexible woven fabric formed by plain weaving a plurality of carbon fiber bundles in a grid pattern. The fibers have fine irregularities on the surface, and the irregularities form fine pores. As the carbon fibers, known carbon fibers such as synthetic resin fibers carbonized by heating can be used. Further, instead of the carbon fiber woven fabric 101, a carbon fiber non-woven fabric may be used.

The thickness of the carbon base material of the present invention constituted by the woven cloth 101 is not particularly limited, but considering the thinness and flexibility of the electrode required for a high performance carbon battery, It is preferable that the thickness of the entire flexible metal thin film laminate having a metal thin film formed on the surface thereof is about several tens of μm.

On the other hand, the copper coat 102 is formed by arc (current) spraying. Specifically, a copper wire, which is a thermal spray material, is arc-melted by using a high frequency power source, and the molten copper is sprayed with high pressure air and sprayed onto the woven cloth 101. The atomized copper is sprayed onto the woven cloth and cooled to form a thin copper film, that is, a copper coat 102 on the surface of the woven cloth 101. The thickness of the copper coat 102 to be formed is not more than ten and several μm, preferably 2 to 10 μm. This is a range in which it is possible to most efficiently secure the conductivity, flexibility, and thinning of the flexible metal thin film laminate 100.

Control of the thickness of the copper coat 102 by arc spraying is performed, for example, by changing the diameter of a copper wire as a spray material or the spray pressure of air to adjust the size of the molten copper particles to be sprayed. However, the spraying is repeated a plurality of times so that the molten copper particles are adjusted to be fine to a certain extent and the thickness of the copper coat 102 formed by spraying once is about several μm. In order to form the uniform copper coat 102, it is preferable that the desired thickness be obtained. Thereby, the thickness of the copper sprayed once per arc spraying is set, and the same range of the woven cloth 101 is sprayed a predetermined number of times, whereby the copper coat 1 having a desired thickness is obtained.
02 can be formed.

The spraying of molten copper by arc spraying may be carried out manually by using an arc spraying gun for spraying copper melted from the tip, but the arc spraying gun is automatically mounted on an appropriate machine. This may be performed, but when mass-producing the flexible metal thin film laminate 100 having a constant thickness, it is preferable to use a machine for construction.

For example, a carbon fiber woven cloth 101 is used by using an apparatus for reciprocating an arc spray gun in the width direction of the woven cloth 101.
The woven fabric 101 as a belt-shaped member wound in a roll shape.
The arc spray gun at a constant speed and the arc spray gun is also reciprocated at a constant speed.
It is possible to continuously perform arc spraying. After forming the copper coat 102 on the strip-shaped woven fabric 101 in this way,
By cutting into a desired size, it is possible to easily mass-produce the flexible metal thin film laminate 100 of constant quality in which the copper coat 102 having a uniform film pressure is formed.

The metal sprayed on the flexible metal thin film laminate 100 is not limited to copper. For example, other metals such as zinc and lithium may be sprayed on the carbon fiber woven cloth 100 so that the battery The flexible metal thin film laminate of the present invention used as an electrode can be constructed.

3 and 4 show an example of use of the flexible metal thin film laminate 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the flexible metal thin film laminate 100 having the copper coat 102 formed thereon is a positive electrode, and the flexible metal thin film laminate 100a having the zinc coat 103 formed thereon is a negative electrode.
Woven cloth 101 of each flexible metal thin film laminate 100, 100a
Is impregnated with a suitable electrolytic solution to form an insulating separator 104.
The positive electrode and the negative electrode are insulated with each other, and the sheet 105 including the flexible metal thin film laminates 100 and 100a and the insulating separator 104 is connected to the battery main body 1 as shown in FIG.
Bend to 06 and store. This flexible metal thin film laminate 1
Since 00 and 100a have the flexibility of the woven cloth 101, they can be folded into a desired shape or wound into a roll.

In the carbon battery constructed as described above, the flexible metal thin film laminates 100, 10 are connected from an appropriate power source.
When a voltage is applied between 0a, the ions in the electrolytic solution are adsorbed and held on the surface of the carbon fiber of each of the flexible metal thin film laminates 100 and 100a, and the ions also collect in the fine pores of the carbon fiber. The electric charge is accumulated by being adsorbed and held.

The flexible metal thin film laminate 100, 100
Since a can be formed into a thin film with a specific surface area of 600 to 1000 m ³ per gram and is extremely lightweight,
By using this as an electrode, it is possible to increase the storage capacity per volume of the carbon battery, and it is possible to realize a lightweight and small-sized carbon battery having a large storage capacity.

Although the flexible metal thin film laminate is used as the electrode of the battery in this embodiment, the application of the flexible metal thin film laminate according to the present invention is limited to the electrode. It is not intended to be used for various purposes such as medical bed pads for pulse voltage therapy, fireproof materials, weatherproof materials for tents, antibacterial materials, etc., depending on the characteristics of various metals to be laminated. Is possible.

In the formation of the metal thin film by arc spraying, the temperature of the metal sprayed on the surface of the flexible material is low, for example, about 40 to 50 ° C. Therefore, the kind of flexible material is also carbon fiber. It is not limited, and various types of flexible materials that can withstand the temperature of arc spraying, such as natural plant fibers, synthetic fibers and synthetic resin sheets can be used.

[0021]

As described above, according to the flexible metal thin film laminate of the present invention, since the metal thin film formed by arc spraying is laminated on the surface of the flexible material,
Since the temperature of the metal sprayed on the surface of the flexible material becomes relatively low, the performance required for the flexible material is small and the metal thin film can be formed on various flexible materials. Moreover, the thickness of the formed metal thin film can be easily controlled, and the characteristics of the formed metal thin film can be exhibited without impairing the characteristics of the flexible material. Further, it is easy to mass-produce a flexible metal thin film laminate having a metal thin film having a uniform thickness at low cost.

Further, according to the present invention, since the flexible material is a carbon base material having fine pores, it is possible to realize a lightweight electrode used for a carbon battery. This can be expected to increase the storage capacity per volume of the carbon battery.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a sectional structure of a flexible metal thin film laminate 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the structure of a carbon fiber woven fabric 101. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a carbon battery using flexible metal thin film laminates 100 and 100a.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a structure of a carbon battery using the flexible metal thin film laminates 100 and 100a, which has a partially broken surface.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 Flexible metal thin film laminate 101 Carbon fiber woven cloth (carbon base material) 102 Copper coating (metal thin film)

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kazuo Nakamura             3-305-104, 1-3, Fujisawadai, Tomitabayashi, Osaka Prefecture F-term (reference) 4F100 AB01B AD11A AR00A BA02                       DG12A DG15A EH56B GB41                       JG10 JK17A JL03 JM02B                 5G307 GA06 GC02

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A flexible metal thin film laminate comprising a flexible material and a metal thin film formed by arc spraying on the surface of the flexible material. 2. The flexible metal thin film laminate according to claim 1, wherein the flexible material is a carbon base material having fine pores. 3. The flexible metal thin film laminate according to claim 2, wherein the carbon substrate is a woven or non-woven fabric of carbon fibers.