JP2009211949A - Nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery in which rise in resistance is suppressed and short circuit is prevented, and which is superior in charge/discharge cycle characteristics, by enabling prevention of electrolytic solution shortage in an electrode layer, prevention of gap formation, and absorption of changes of the thickness of a cell. <P>SOLUTION: This nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a storage battery element equipped with a positive electrode, a negative electrode equipped with an active material containing an element to be alloyed with lithium, and a separator containing an electrolyte, and in which the separator has inclined reduced porosity toward a positive electrode side from a negative electrode side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery. More particularly, the present invention relates to a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having a multilayer separator whose function is selected.

  In recent years, in order to cope with air pollution and global warming, reduction of the amount of carbon dioxide has been strongly desired. In the automobile industry, there is a great expectation for reducing carbon dioxide emissions by introducing electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), and the development of secondary batteries for motor drive that holds the key to commercialization of these is thriving. Has been done.

  As a secondary battery for driving a motor, it is required to have extremely high output characteristics and high energy as compared with a consumer lithium ion secondary battery used in a mobile phone, a notebook personal computer or the like. Therefore, lithium ion secondary batteries having the highest theoretical energy among all the batteries are attracting attention, and are currently being developed rapidly.

  Generally, a lithium ion secondary battery includes a positive electrode in which a positive electrode active material or the like is applied to both surfaces of a positive electrode current collector using a binder, and a negative electrode in which a negative electrode active material or the like is applied to both surfaces of a negative electrode current collector using a binder. However, it has the structure connected through an electrolyte layer and accommodated in a battery case.

Conventionally, carbon / graphite-based materials that are advantageous in terms of charge / discharge cycle life and cost have been used for negative electrodes of lithium ion secondary batteries. However, since carbon / graphite-based negative electrode materials are charged / discharged by occlusion / release of lithium ions into / from graphite crystals, the charge / discharge capacity of a theoretical capacity of 372 mAh / g or more obtained from LiC ₆ which is the maximum lithium introduction compound. There is a disadvantage that cannot be obtained. For this reason, it is expected that it is difficult to obtain a capacity and energy density that satisfy the practical use level of the vehicle application with the carbon / graphite negative electrode material.

On the other hand, a battery using a material that is alloyed with lithium for a negative electrode is expected as a negative electrode material for a vehicle because the energy density is improved as compared with a conventional carbon / graphite negative electrode material. For example, the Si material occludes and releases 4.4 mol of lithium ions per mol as shown in the following reaction formula in charge and discharge, and Li ₂₂ Si ₅ has a theoretical capacity of about 2000 mAh / g.

  However, a lithium ion secondary battery using a material that is alloyed with lithium for the negative electrode has a large expansion and contraction of the positive electrode and the negative electrode during charging and discharging. For example, the volume expansion when lithium ions are occluded is about 1.2 times that of graphite, but about 4 times that of Si material. Accordingly, there is a disadvantage that the electrolyte solution between the electrodes is insufficient, and the capacity of charge / discharge is liable to decrease.

As a method of compensating for the shortage of electrolyte during charging and discharging, an electrolyte holding layer is formed on the separator substrate disposed between the positive and negative electrodes, so that the electrolyte solution between the electrodes due to swelling of the positive and negative electrodes A method for compensating for the shortage is disclosed (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-8730 A

  However, the lithium alloy negative electrode material has a larger volume expansion than the carbon / graphite negative electrode material when forming an alloy with lithium. For this reason, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 may not solve the problem of insufficient electrolyte in the electrode due to expansion and contraction during charging and discharging.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery in which an increase in internal resistance of an electrode is suppressed by solving a shortage of electrolytic solution in the electrode during charging and discharging.

  The present inventors have intensively studied to solve the above problems. As a result, it was found that the above problem can be solved by using a power storage element including a separator having a structure in which the porosity is decreased from the negative electrode side toward the positive electrode side between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The present invention has been completed.

  According to the present invention, since the electrolytic solution is held in the pore portion of the separator located between the negative electrode and the positive electrode, the electrolytic solution can be received from the separator into the electrode. In particular, since the separator has a structure in which the porosity is inclined to decrease from the negative electrode side to the positive electrode side, the expansion and contraction of the electrode is large, and a sufficient amount of electrolyte is retained on the negative electrode side where the electrolyte is insufficient. Can do. As a result, an increase in electrode resistance can be suppressed without falling short of the electrolyte due to expansion and contraction during charge and discharge, and thus a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery excellent in charge and discharge cycle characteristics can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the dimension ratio of drawing is exaggerated on account of description, and may differ from an actual ratio.

  The type of the battery of the present invention is not particularly limited, and is, for example, a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery. The structure and form of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention are not particularly limited, such as a stacked (flat) battery or a wound (cylindrical) battery, and can be applied to any conventionally known structure. In the present invention, it is preferable to have a laminated (flat type) battery structure. In the wound type (cylindrical) battery structure, it may be difficult to improve the sealing performance of the portion from which the positive electrode and the negative electrode lead terminal are taken out. For this reason, in a battery having a high energy density and a high output density mounted on an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle, there is a possibility that long-term reliability of the sealing performance of the lead terminal extraction site cannot be secured. On the other hand, the laminated type (flat type) structure is advantageous in terms of cost and workability because long-term reliability can be secured by a sealing technique such as simple thermocompression bonding.

  There is no particular limitation even when distinguished by the form of the electrolyte of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery. For example, the present invention can be applied to any of a liquid electrolyte type battery in which a separator is impregnated with a nonaqueous electrolytic solution, a polymer gel electrolyte type battery also called a polymer battery, and a solid polymer electrolyte (all solid electrolyte) type battery.

  Therefore, in the following description, a case where the battery of the present invention is a laminated (flat) nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery will be described as a representative embodiment, but the technical scope of the present invention is It is not limited only to the following forms.

  An exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a power storage device that includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode including an active material including an element alloying with lithium, and a separator including an electrolyte, and the separator is from the negative electrode side to the positive electrode side. This is a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having a structure in which the porosity decreases toward the bottom. According to such a form, since the electrolytic solution can be received from the separator into the electrode, a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery excellent in charge / discharge cycle characteristics can be obtained.

  As described above, the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention is constituted by a power storage element including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator. Hereinafter, a power storage element constituting the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Storage element]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a power storage element constituting the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention. The electricity storage element 10 constituting the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention has a structure in which a positive electrode 13 and a negative electrode 19 are laminated via a separator 16. Here, the positive electrode 13 includes a positive electrode mixture layer 12 and a positive electrode current collector 11, and has a structure in which the positive electrode mixture layer 12 is provided on one surface of the positive electrode current collector 11. The negative electrode 19 includes a negative electrode mixture layer 17 and a negative electrode current collector 18, and has a structure in which the negative electrode mixture layer 17 is provided on one surface of the negative electrode current collector 18.

  The separator 16 is composed of two layers of a first separator 15 in contact with the negative electrode mixture surface and a second separator 14 in contact with the positive electrode mixture surface. In FIG. 1, the separator 16 is composed of two layers. However, the separator 16 is not limited to the illustrated two-layer configuration, and may be composed of a single-layer separator or a multilayer separator. May be.

  It is preferable that the respective layers constituting the power storage element 10 are bonded by a bonding binder 20. By adopting such a configuration, the respective layers constituting the electrode are joined and integrated by the binder, so that a battery having improved vibration resistance can be obtained.

  The power storage element used for the non-aqueous electrolyte of the present invention is not limited to the above form, and other forms known in the art can also be used. However, from the viewpoint of workability and cost, as shown in FIG. A (cylindrical) form is preferable. That is, the power storage element used in the present invention is preferably formed by laminating a positive electrode and a negative electrode with a separator interposed therebetween. In a commonly used wound type (cylindrical) power storage element, each electrode and separator are rolled by applying tension, so that the positional deviation between the electrode and the separator hardly occurs. On the other hand, in the case of a stacked type (flat type) power storage element, only the tab portions are welded, and the layers are not integrally connected. There is a possibility that displacement, gaps, and deformation of the storage element shape may occur. The electricity storage device according to the present embodiment can prevent such problems because it can improve the followability to expansion and contraction and the adhesion between each layer by using a separator whose function is selected later and bonding with a binder. Is possible.

  1 includes a separator 16, a positive electrode mixture layer 12 formed on one surface of the separator 16, and a negative electrode mixture layer 15 formed on the other surface of the separator 16. One unit cell layer is included. Furthermore, a single battery layer is formed on both surfaces of the positive electrode current collector 11 and the negative electrode current collector 18, and a plurality of electric storage elements (stacked type) 30 or an electric storage element (bipolar type) 40 shown in FIG. The single cell layer and a plurality of current collectors can be laminated. Here, FIG. 3 shows an example of a power storage element using a bipolar electrode. 3 uses a bipolar electrode 22 in which a positive electrode mixture layer 12 is formed on one surface of a current collector 21 for a bipolar electrode, and a negative electrode mixture layer 15 is formed on the other surface. ing.

  Hereinafter, although the member which comprises the electrical storage element 10 of this invention is demonstrated, it is not restrict | limited only to the following form, A conventionally well-known form can be employ | adopted similarly.

[Negative electrode mixture layer]
The negative electrode mixture layer contains a negative electrode active material, and if necessary, a conductive agent for increasing electrical conductivity, a binder for the mixture, an electrolyte (polymer matrix, ion conductive polymer, electrolyte, etc.), and ion conductivity are increased. And further comprising an electrolyte supporting salt (lithium salt) for the purpose.

  The compounding ratio of the components contained in the negative electrode mixture layer is not particularly limited, and can be adjusted by appropriately referring to known knowledge about the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery. Moreover, there is no restriction | limiting in particular also about the thickness of a mixture layer, The conventionally well-known knowledge about a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery can be referred suitably. For example, the thickness of the mixture layer is about 2 to 100 μm.

(Negative electrode active material)
The negative electrode active material used in the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it can reversibly occlude and release lithium, but preferably contains an element that forms an alloy with lithium. By using an element that forms an alloy with lithium, it is possible to obtain a high-capacity battery having a higher energy density than conventional carbon-based materials.

  The element alloying with lithium is not limited to the following, but specifically, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, Al, In, Zn, H, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ru, Rh, Ir, Pd, Pt, Ag, Au, Cd, Hg, Ga, Tl, C, N, Sb, Bi, O, S, Se, Te, Cl, and the like. Among these, it is preferable that at least one element selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, Al, In, and Zn is included from the viewpoint that a battery having excellent capacity and energy density can be configured. It is particularly preferable to contain an element of Si, Sn. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

In addition, carbon materials such as graphite, soft carbon, and hard carbon, metal materials, lithium-transfer metal composite oxides such as lithium-titanium composite oxide (lithium titanate: Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ ), and other conventional materials A known negative electrode active material can be used. In some cases, two or more negative electrode active materials may be used in combination.

(Conductive agent)
The conductive agent refers to an additive blended to improve conductivity. The electrically conductive agent used for the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention is not particularly limited, and conventionally known ones can be used. Examples thereof include carbon materials such as carbon black such as acetylene black, graphite, and carbon fiber. When the conductive agent is included, an electronic network inside the mixture layer is effectively formed, which can contribute to improvement of the output characteristics of the battery.

(Binder for mixture)
The negative electrode mixture layer may contain a mixture binder. In the present invention, the “mixture binder” means a binder added to the mixture layer for the purpose of binding the active materials or the active material and the current collector to maintain the electrode structure, which will be described later. Used separately from “bonding binder”.

  The binder for a mixture that can be used in the present invention is not limited to the following, but includes polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl acetate, polyimide, acrylic resin, and the like. Examples thereof include thermosetting resins such as thermoplastic resins, epoxy resins, polyurethane resins, and urea resins, and rubber-based materials such as styrene butadiene rubber (SBR).

(Electrolyte / Supporting salt)
Examples of the electrolyte include, but are not limited to, ion conductive polymers (solid polymer electrolytes) including lithium salts such as polyethylene oxide (PEO), polypropylene oxide (PPO), and copolymers thereof. There is nothing.

The supporting salt (lithium salt), but are not limited _{to, LiPF 6, LiBF 4, LiClO} 4, LiAsF 6, LiTaF 6, LiAlCl 4, Li 2 B 10 C l10, LiCF 3 SO 3, Li (CF 3 SO ₂ ) ₂ N, Li (C ₂ F ₅ SO ₂ ) ₂ N, bispentafluoroethylsulfonylimide lithium (LiBETI), and the like.

[Positive electrode mixture layer]
The positive electrode mixture layer includes a positive electrode active material, and further includes a conductive agent, a binder for the mixture, an electrolyte, an electrolyte supporting salt, and the like as necessary. Since the components other than the positive electrode active material among the components of the positive electrode mixture layer are the same as those described above, the description thereof is omitted here. The compounding ratio of the components contained in the positive electrode mixture layer and the thickness of the positive electrode mixture layer are not particularly limited, and conventionally known knowledge about the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery can be appropriately referred to.

(Positive electrode active material)
The positive electrode active material of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a material capable of occluding and releasing lithium, and a positive electrode active material usually used for lithium ion secondary batteries can be used. Specifically, lithium-transition metal composite oxides are preferable, and examples thereof include Li—Mn composite oxides such as LiMn ₂ O ₄ and Li—Ni composite oxides such as LiNiO ₂ . In some cases, two or more positive electrode active materials may be used in combination.

[Current collector]
The positive electrode current collector and the negative electrode current collector that can be used in the present invention are not particularly limited, and conventionally known ones can be used. Specifically, it is composed of at least one current collector material selected from the group consisting of iron, chromium, nickel, manganese, titanium, molybdenum, vanadium, niobium, aluminum, copper, silver, gold, platinum, and carbon. Current collectors can be used. Although the thickness of a collector is not specifically limited, Usually, it is about 1-100 micrometers.

[Separator]
In the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention, a separator is provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The separator used in the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention has a structure in which the porosity is decreased from the negative electrode side toward the positive electrode side. In the present invention, the “inclined porosity” refers to a porosity that decreases continuously or stepwise.

  Since the negative electrode has a larger volume expansion during charging / discharging than the positive electrode, the problem of insufficient electrolyte is mainly caused on the negative electrode side. The separator of the present invention is impregnated with an electrolytic solution, and the electrolytic solution is held in the pores of the separator. For this reason, the separator functions as an electrolyte receiving layer that is insufficient due to the expansion and contraction of the electrode. By disposing a material with a high porosity that can secure a sufficient amount of electrolyte solution as a separator on the negative electrode side where electrolyte shortage occurs, the increase in electrode resistance is suppressed without falling short of electrolyte. Is possible.

  In addition, since a material with a high porosity is rich in cushioning properties, it is possible to absorb changes in cell thickness due to electrode expansion and contraction by increasing the porosity of a part of the separator on the negative electrode side. Become. That is, a part of the separator having a large porosity can function as a buffer layer that absorbs changes in cell thickness. Furthermore, since the separator material having a high porosity is rich in flexibility and can follow the expansion and contraction of the electrode, it is possible to suppress the generation of a partial gap between the electrode and the separator. Thus, by increasing the porosity of the separator on the negative electrode side, it is possible to effectively prevent the generation of voids generated on the negative electrode side.

  On the other hand, the strength generally increases as the porosity decreases. By reducing the porosity of the separator on the positive electrode side, it is possible to provide a strength sufficient to exhibit the function of preventing a short circuit of current when the two electrodes are in contact.

  Thus, the separator of the present invention has both a portion with a small porosity on the positive electrode side and a portion with a large porosity on the negative electrode side, thereby providing an electrolyte solution receiving layer, a buffer layer, a void prevention layer, and a short-circuit prevention layer. The function can be demonstrated. As described above, the direction of the inclination of the porosity is preferably reduced from the negative electrode side to the positive electrode side because these functions can be effectively exhibited, but a separator increasing from the negative electrode side to the positive electrode side is used. You can also

  The separator is not particularly limited as long as it has an inclined porosity, and may be composed of a single separator or a structure in which a plurality of separators are laminated. In the case of using a single separator, for example, a single layer material whose porosity changes continuously or stepwise may be used. Moreover, you may use the laminated body which laminated | stacked the several separator material from which a porosity differs, and inclined the porosity in steps. From the viewpoint that it is easy to impart a desired function and adjust the porosity, it is preferably composed of multiple layers, more preferably two layers. Hereinafter, although the case where a separator has a multilayer structure is explained in full detail, the form of a separator is not necessarily limited to this, The separator of the single layer structure mentioned above can be used similarly.

In the present invention, the porosity of the separator means the ratio of the total volume of pores (pores) existing inside the separator to the volume of the separator. The method for measuring the porosity is not particularly limited. For example, the porosity can be calculated from the bulk density ρ of the final product separator and the true density ρ _{0 of the} raw material constituting the separator using the following formula. Here, “bulk density” refers to a density that takes into account the pores inside the separator, and “true density” refers to a theoretical density that does not consider the pores of the raw materials constituting the separator. Further, the volume of pores (micropores) existing in the separator can be measured by measuring the pore distribution by the mercury intrusion method, and obtained as a ratio to the volume of the separator.

  Whether or not the porosity of the separator is inclined can be confirmed, for example, by observing the cross section of the separator using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the separator includes a first separator that is bonded to the negative electrode mixture surface and a second separator that is bonded to the positive electrode mixture surface. In the present embodiment, the porosity of the first separator is larger than the porosity of the second separator. In such a configuration, the first separator having a large porosity on the negative electrode side serves as an electrolyte solution receiving layer, a buffer layer, and a void prevention layer, while the second separator having a small porosity on the positive electrode side prevents a short circuit. It becomes possible to play the role of the layer.

(First separator)
In this embodiment, a 1st separator says the separator joined to a negative electrode mixture surface, and is a layer which mainly plays the role of an electrolyte solution receiving layer, a buffer layer, and a space | gap prevention layer.

  The porosity of the first separator of the present embodiment is preferably 50% to 90%, more preferably 55% to 85%, and particularly preferably 60% to 80%. If the separator arranged on the negative electrode side is within such a range, it is possible to suppress an increase in resistance due to insufficient electrolyte and to improve the cycle characteristics of the battery. Furthermore, since the separator having the porosity in the above range is rich in flexibility, it can absorb the change in cell thickness accompanying the expansion and contraction of the electrode, and can prevent the generation of voids between the electrode surface and the separator layer. It becomes.

  The first separator is preferably made of a nonwoven fabric. Non-woven fabrics can easily have properties such as thickness and void ratio within a desired range by selecting a production method and raw materials, so that physical properties corresponding to the expansion and contraction of the negative electrode can be selected. In addition, since the nonwoven fabric is excellent in electrolyte retention, impregnation and sponge effect, it can function as a buffer layer and an electrolyte receiving layer when the electrode is expanded and contracted. In the present invention, the term “nonwoven fabric” refers to a fabric obtained by bonding or intertwining fibers by thermal / mechanical or chemical action.

  The nonwoven fabric used in the present invention is preferably one in which fibers are bonded at random. Since the nonwoven fabric has no directionality in strength, elongation, etc., the separator made of the nonwoven fabric can flexibly cope with the expansion and contraction of the electrode. For this reason, generation | occurrence | production of the space | gap between the separator and electrode layer which brings about cell resistance increase can be suppressed. On the other hand, since the porous film which is a conventionally known separator material has directionality with respect to strength and elongation, the flexibility with respect to expansion and contraction is small, and voids are easily generated. Moreover, it is difficult to produce a porous film having a high porosity and high strength. Thus, a separator employing a non-woven fabric is advantageous because it is superior in terms of cost in addition to the ability to follow the expansion and contraction of the electrode as compared with the case of using a separator such as a conventional porous film.

  Examples of the nonwoven fabric include, but are not limited to, rayon, glass nonwoven fabric, polyester, aramid, polyimide, cotton, acetate, and ceramic. Among these, a nonwoven fabric made of a paper-based cellulose rayon is particularly preferable.

(Second separator)
In this embodiment, a 2nd separator says the separator layer joined to a positive electrode mixture surface, and is a layer which has a short circuit prevention function mainly.

  The porosity of the second separator of this embodiment is preferably 30% to 49%, and more preferably 35% to 45%. A separator having a porosity of 50% or more is not preferable because the short-circuit preventing function is lowered. If the separator arranged on the positive electrode side is in the above range, it has a sufficient puncture strength as a short circuit prevention, and can function as a short circuit prevention mechanism.

  The second separator is preferably made of a microporous film. The microporous film is not particularly limited, and those generally used for lithium ion batteries can be adopted. Specific examples include polyolefins such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE), laminates having a three-layer structure of PP / PE / PP, polyimide, and aramid.

  The fine pore diameter of the separator is desirably 1 μm or less at the maximum (usually, the pore diameter is 0.1 μm or less for the microporous membrane). The second separator made of a microporous film or the like can function as a shutdown mechanism when the temperature in the battery rises due to overcharging. The shutdown mechanism is a mechanism that stops charging / discharging of the battery by melting or softening the polymer of the microporous film and closing the micropores in the separator when the battery generates heat, thereby eliminating ion permeability. . Thus, the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery which can stop an overcharge when a battery heat | fever-generates is provided by using the microporous film provided with the shutdown function as a 2nd separator.

  The thickness of the separator is not particularly limited, but the thickness of the first separator is preferably larger than the thickness of the second separator. If the thickness of the first separator is equal to or greater than the thickness of the second separator, the amount of liquid retained corresponding to the expansion and contraction of the negative electrode can be secured, and the optimum separator can be selected by examining the thickness and porosity of each separator. It becomes possible.

  Specifically, the thickness of the first separator is preferably 20 to 50 μm, and more preferably 25 to 45 μm. When the thickness of the first separator is within the above range, it is possible to absorb the change in the electrode thickness when the negative electrode expands and contracts and to secure the amount of electrolyte retained. When the thickness is less than 20 μm, the electrolyte retention deteriorates, and when it exceeds 50 μm, the resistance increases.

  On the other hand, the thickness of the second separator is preferably 5 to 19 μm, and more preferably 8 to 16 μm. If it exists in this range, sufficient intensity | strength can be ensured for short circuit prevention. Moreover, since the filling amount of the active material increases as the thickness of the separator decreases, the energy density of the cell increases. In the present invention, the energy density can be improved by reducing the thickness of the second separator to 19 μm or less.

  In this way, by adjusting the thicknesses of the first separator and the second separator to the above range, the energy density of the cell is ensured while having the functions of receiving the electrolyte that is insufficient due to the expansion and contraction of the negative electrode and preventing short circuit. be able to.

  As described above, the separator used in the present invention functions as an electrolyte solution receiving layer, a cell thickness change buffer layer, a void prevention layer, a short-circuit prevention layer, and an abnormality countermeasure layer in a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery. Have. In addition, a separator may be further laminated between the first separator and the second separator to form a multilayer, or the functions of the first separator and the second separator are given to a single material having an inclined porosity. A thing may be used.

(Electrolytes)
The electrolyte (specifically, lithium salt) functions as a lithium ion carrier that moves between the positive and negative electrodes during charge and discharge. In the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention, the separator is impregnated with an electrolyte and held. The electrolyte that can be impregnated in the separator is not particularly limited as long as it has a function as a lithium ion carrier that moves between positive and negative electrodes during charge and discharge, and a liquid electrolyte or a polymer electrolyte may be used.

The liquid electrolyte has a form in which a lithium salt as a supporting salt is dissolved in an organic solvent as a plasticizer. Examples of the organic solvent that can be used as the plasticizer include carbonates such as ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate (PC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), and diethyl carbonate (DEC). As the supporting salt (lithium _{salt), Li (CF 3 SO 2} ) 2 N, Li (C 2 F 5 SO 2) 2 N, LiPF 6, LiBF 4, LiAsF 6, LiTaF 6, LiClO 4, LiCF 3 Compounds that can be added to the electrode mixture layer, such as SO _3, can be employed as well.

  On the other hand, the polymer electrolyte is classified into a gel polymer electrolyte containing an electrolytic solution (gel electrolyte) and an intrinsic polymer electrolyte containing no electrolytic solution.

  The gel polymer electrolyte has a configuration in which the liquid electrolyte is injected into a matrix polymer (host polymer) made of an ion conductive polymer. By using a gel polymer electrolyte as the electrolyte, the fluidity of the electrolyte is lost, and it is easy to cut off the ionic conductivity between each layer by suppressing the outflow of the electrolyte to the current collector layer such as a conductive polymer film. Is excellent. The ion conductive polymer used as the matrix polymer (host polymer) is not particularly limited. For example, polyethylene oxide (PEO), polypropylene oxide (PPO), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a copolymer of polyvinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP), polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), Examples thereof include polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and copolymers thereof. Here, the ion conductive polymer may be the same as or different from the ion conductive polymer used as the electrolyte in the positive electrode mixture layer and the negative electrode mixture layer, but is preferably the same. . The type of the electrolytic solution (electrolyte salt and plasticizer) is not particularly limited, and an electrolyte salt such as the lithium salt exemplified above and a plasticizer such as carbonates may be used.

  The intrinsic polymer electrolyte has a structure in which a supporting salt (lithium salt) is dissolved in the matrix polymer, and does not include an organic solvent that is a plasticizer. Therefore, by using an intrinsic polymer electrolyte as the electrolyte, there is no fear of liquid leakage from the battery, and the battery reliability can be improved.

  The matrix polymer of gel polymer electrolyte or intrinsic polymer electrolyte can express excellent mechanical strength by forming a crosslinked structure. In order to form a crosslinked structure, thermal polymerization, ultraviolet polymerization, radiation polymerization, electron beam polymerization, etc. are performed on a polymerizable polymer (for example, PEO or PPO) for forming a polymer electrolyte using an appropriate polymerization initiator. A polymerization treatment may be performed.

[Binder for bonding]
It is preferable that the respective layers of the electricity storage element are joined and integrated by a joining binder. In the present invention, the “bonding binder” means a binder added between the constituent layers for the purpose of maintaining the electrode structure by bonding the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator constituting the energy storage device. It is used separately from “binder for agent”.

  By integrating the respective layers of the energy storage device with a bonding binder, the expansion and contraction of the electrode and the separator can be synchronized, and the void prevention effect and the binding property between the electrode and the separator are improved. Moreover, in this electrical storage element, since the separator is synchronized with the expansion and contraction of the electrode, the function as the electrolyte receiving layer can be more effectively exhibited. As a result, a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery having improved cycle characteristics and vibration resistance can be obtained.

  The bonding binder that can be used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and known materials that are conventionally used as a binder for producing an electrode of a lithium ion battery can be used. Specifically, thermoplastic resins such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl acetate, polyimide, and acrylic resin, and thermosetting resins such as epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, and urea resin And rubber-based materials such as styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). Among these, PVDF, PTFE, SBR, acrylic, and polyimide are preferable. The bonding binder may be the same as or different from the binder for the mixture used for the positive electrode and the negative electrode. However, the same binder is preferable because it is easy to bond and has high binding properties.

  As a coating mode of the bonding binder, it is preferable that the bonding binder is applied not in the entire surface of the electrode but in a lattice shape or a mesh shape. When the bonding binder is densely applied to the entire electrode surface, the transmission of ions and electrons is hindered, and the battery output may be reduced. Therefore, it is desirable to apply the bonding binder in a lattice shape or a mesh shape so that the porosity of the bonding binder layer formed by coating is equal to or larger than that of the separator material. In the case where the bonding binder is applied to the entire surface of the electrode surface, for example, by applying the bonding binder to the separator surface, the porosity of the bonding binder layer to be formed can be made the same as that of the separator material. desirable.

  The amount of the binder to be applied is not particularly limited as long as the adhesion between the layers can be secured and the output of the battery is not lowered, and is appropriately adjusted according to the concentration of the binder solution to be applied.

  The structure of the electricity storage device according to the present invention can be applied to both stacked batteries and bipolar batteries. Below, the structure of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of this invention is demonstrated.

[Battery structure]
The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention is constituted by the above-described power storage element.

[Stacked battery]
The battery of the present invention may be a laminated nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery (hereinafter also referred to as “laminated battery”).

  A positive electrode having a positive electrode mixture layer electrically coupled to both sides of one current collector, a negative electrode having a negative electrode mixture layer electrically coupled to both sides of the other current collector, the positive electrode and the A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery in which separators arranged between negative electrodes are alternately stacked.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of the multilayer nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention. Hereinafter, the multilayer battery shown in FIG. 4 will be described in detail as an example, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to such a form.

  The stacked battery 100 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 4 has a structure in which a substantially rectangular power storage element 170 in which a charge / discharge reaction actually proceeds is sealed inside a laminate sheet 220 that is an exterior.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the storage element 170 of the stacked battery 100 of this embodiment includes a plurality of single battery layers 160. The unit cell layer 160 includes a separator 130, a positive electrode mixture layer 120 formed on one surface of the separator 130, and a negative electrode mixture layer 150 formed on the other surface of the separator 130. A positive electrode current collector 110 is disposed between the positive electrode mixture layers 120, and a negative electrode current collector 140 is disposed between the negative electrode mixture layers 150. That is, the power storage element 170 includes a plurality of single battery layers 160 and a plurality of current collectors (the positive electrode current collector 110 and the negative electrode current collector 140). In the form shown in FIG. 4, the separator 130 holds an electrolyte.

  The positive electrode current collector 110 and the negative electrode current collector 140 are electrically connected to the positive electrode tab 180 and the negative electrode tab 190, respectively. The power storage element 170 is sealed with a laminate sheet 220 as an exterior so that the positive electrode tab 180 and the negative electrode tab 190 are led out to the outside.

  In the stacked battery 100 shown in FIG. 4, the positive electrode mixture layer 120 is slightly larger than the negative electrode mixture layer 150, but is not limited to such a form. A positive electrode mixture layer 120 that is the same as or slightly smaller than the negative electrode mixture layer 150 may also be used.

  Hereinafter, members constituting the stacked battery 100 of the present embodiment will be briefly described. However, since the components constituting the electrode are as described above, the description thereof is omitted here. Further, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the following forms, and conventionally known forms can be similarly adopted.

[tab]
In the stacked battery 100, tabs (positive electrode tab 180 and negative electrode tab 190) electrically connected to the positive electrode current collector 110 (including 110 a) and the negative electrode current collector 140 for the purpose of extracting current to the outside of the battery. Is taken out of the laminate sheet 220 which is an exterior. Specifically, a laminate in which a positive electrode tab 180 electrically connected to each of the positive electrode current collectors 110 and 110a and a negative electrode tab 190 electrically connected to each of the negative electrode current collectors 140 are exteriors. It is taken out of the sheet 220.

  The material constituting the tabs (the positive electrode tab 180 and the negative electrode tab 190) is not particularly limited, and a known material conventionally used as a tab for a stacked battery can be used. Examples of the constituent material of the tab include aluminum, copper, titanium, nickel, stainless steel (SUS), and alloys thereof. The positive electrode tab 180 and the negative electrode tab 190 may be made of the same material or different materials. As a connection method, a separately prepared tab (180, 190) may be connected to the current collector (110, 140) as in this embodiment, or a tab may be formed by extending the current collector. . Further, the current collector (110, 140) and the tab (180, 190) may be electrically connected via the positive terminal lead 200 and the negative terminal lead 210.

[Exterior]
In a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, it is desirable to accommodate the entire power storage element (battery element) in a battery exterior material or battery case in order to prevent external impact and environmental degradation during use. As the exterior material, a conventionally known metal can case can be used, and a bag-like case that can cover a storage element (battery element) using a laminate sheet containing aluminum can be used.

  Since the metal can case type exterior body has strength, it can be absorbed even if the electricity storage element in the can expands and contracts somewhat, and the thickness of the cell does not change. In addition, a can case having a desired strength and size can be obtained by studying the design of the can, the thickness of the can, the clearance between the outer can and the storage element, and the like.

  On the other hand, in a large vehicle battery, a polymer-metal composite laminate sheet excellent in thermal conductivity is preferable in that heat can be efficiently transmitted from a heat source of an automobile and the inside of the battery can be quickly heated to the battery operating temperature. Etc. can be used.

  The polymer-metal composite laminate sheet is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known sheet formed by arranging a metal film between polymer films and laminating and integrating the whole can be used. Specifically, it is arranged as an outer protective layer (laminated outermost layer) made of a polymer film, a metal film layer, a heat-sealing layer (laminated innermost layer) made of a polymer film, and the whole is laminated and integrated. Is mentioned.

  Among these, it is particularly preferable to use an aluminum laminate film exterior body having a high degree of freedom in shape. In the present invention, “aluminum laminate” refers to a laminate containing aluminum. When using a laminate type outer package, the change in the thickness of the electricity storage element is directly reflected in the outer package, and the outer package itself expands and contracts. Reliability may be reduced. Therefore, it is preferable to use an aluminum laminate film having a high degree of freedom because it can solve these problems and is excellent in thermal conductivity and reliability.

  Specific examples of the aluminum laminate film include, but are not limited to, a three-layer laminate film in which polypropylene (PP), aluminum, and nylon are laminated in this order.

[Bipolar battery]
The battery of the present invention may be a bipolar non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery (hereinafter also referred to as “bipolar battery”).

  A positive electrode having a positive electrode mixture layer electrically coupled to one surface of the current collector, a negative electrode having a negative electrode mixture layer electrically coupled to the other surface of the current collector, and a positive electrode and a negative electrode This is a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery in which separators disposed between them are alternately stacked.

  Bipolar batteries are preferred because they have the advantage of having a higher power density and higher voltage than stacked batteries. A stacked battery takes lead wires from each of a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and is connected to an adjacent battery via the lead wires. For this reason, the conduction path of electrons becomes longer corresponding to the length of the lead wire, and the output of the battery is lowered. On the other hand, in the bipolar battery, current flows in the vertical direction (electrode stacking direction) through the current collector, so that the electron conduction path can be shortened and the output is high.

  FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an outline of the bipolar nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention.

  The bipolar battery 300 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 5 has a structure in which a substantially rectangular power storage element 370 in which a charge / discharge reaction actually proceeds is sealed inside a laminate sheet 420 that is an exterior.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the storage element 370 of the bipolar battery 300 of this embodiment includes a plurality of bipolar electrodes 340. The bipolar electrode 340 has a structure in which the positive electrode mixture layer 320 is provided on one surface of the current collector 310 and the negative electrode mixture layer 330 is provided on the other surface. That is, the bipolar battery 300 includes a bipolar electrode 340 having a positive electrode mixture layer 320 on one surface of the current collector 310 and a negative electrode mixture layer 330 on the other surface through the separator 350. The power storage device 370 has a structure in which a plurality of layers are stacked. In the form shown in FIG. 5, the separator 350 holds an electrolyte.

  The adjacent positive electrode mixture layer 320, separator 350, and negative electrode mixture layer 330 constitute one single battery layer (= battery unit or single cell) 360. Therefore, it can be said that the bipolar battery 300 has a configuration in which the single battery layers 360 are stacked. In addition, an insulating layer (seal part) 430 is disposed in the periphery of the unit cell layer 360 in order to prevent liquid junction due to leakage of the electrolyte from the unit cell layer 360. By providing the insulating layer (seal portion) 430, the adjacent current collectors 310 can be insulated from each other, and a short circuit due to contact between the adjacent electrodes (the positive electrode 320 and the negative electrode 330) can be prevented.

  Further, the outermost layer current collector 310a on the positive electrode side is connected to the positive electrode tab 380 that is electrically connected, and the outermost layer current collector 310b on the negative electrode side is connected to the negative electrode tab 390 that is electrically connected. And the electrical storage element 370 is sealed in the exterior material which consists of the laminate sheet 420 so that these positive electrode tabs 380 and negative electrode tabs 390 may lead out outside. The outermost layer current collectors (310a, 310b) and the tabs (380, 390) may be electrically connected via the positive terminal lead 400 and the negative terminal lead 410.

  Hereinafter, the members constituting the bipolar battery 300 of the present embodiment will be briefly described. Among the components of the bipolar battery, the components, tabs, and exterior that constitute the electrodes are the same as those described above. Since there is, description is abbreviate | omitted here.

[Insulation layer]
In the bipolar battery 300, an insulating layer (seal part) 430 is usually provided around each single cell layer 360. This insulating layer (seal part) 430 prevents the adjacent current collectors 310 in the battery from contacting each other and short-circuiting due to slight irregularities at the ends of the unit cell layer 360 in the power storage element 370. It is provided for the purpose. By providing such an insulating layer 430, long-term reliability and safety are ensured, and a high-quality bipolar battery 300 can be provided.

  As described above, since the bipolar battery has a cell structure in which an electrode provided with an insulating layer (seal part) is stacked around a single battery layer, a change in cell thickness, that is, a follow-up of a current collector in the cell. May cause breakage of the insulating layer (seal portion), and may reduce the reliability of the battery. In the bipolar battery of the present invention, the separator functions as a buffer layer that absorbs changes in cell thickness. For this reason, even when a lithium alloy negative electrode material is used, the cell thickness hardly changes, and a highly reliable bipolar battery can be provided. Furthermore, when each layer in the cell is bonded with a bonding binder, the separator can easily follow the expansion and contraction of the electrode, so that the change in the cell thickness can be reduced, and the reliability and vibration resistance are further improved. A bipolar battery is obtained.

  Any insulating layer may be used as long as it has insulating properties, sealing properties against falling off of the solid electrolyte, sealing properties against moisture permeation from the outside (sealing properties), heat resistance at the battery operating temperature, and the like. For example, urethane resin, epoxy resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polyimide resin, or rubber can be used. Of these, urethane resins or epoxy resins are preferred from the viewpoints of corrosion resistance, chemical resistance, ease of production (film forming properties), economy, and the like.

[Battery manufacturing method]
The manufacturing method of the stacked battery and bipolar battery of the present embodiment is not particularly limited, and can be manufactured by applying a conventionally known method.

  For example, in the case of a stacked battery, first, a positive electrode active material slurry and a negative electrode active material slurry are prepared by dispersing a mixture of electrode slurries containing electrode materials such as an active material, a conductive agent and a binder in a slurry viscosity adjusting solvent. The slurry is applied to both sides of the current collector.

  The slurry viscosity adjusting solvent is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). The slurry is converted into ink from the solvent and the solid content using a homogenizer or a kneader. The application means for applying the slurry to the current collector is not particularly limited, and generally used means such as a self-propelled coater, a doctor blade method, and a spray method may be employed.

  Subsequently, the coating film formed on the surface of the current collector is dried. Thereby, the solvent in a coating film is removed. The drying means for drying the coating film is not particularly limited, and conventionally known knowledge about electrode production can be appropriately referred to. For example, heat treatment is exemplified. Drying conditions (drying time, drying temperature, etc.) can be appropriately set according to the coating amount of the slurry and the volatilization rate of the slurry viscosity adjusting solvent. The obtained dried product is pressed to adjust the density and thickness of the electrode, and a positive electrode and a negative electrode are obtained.

  Then, it is good to produce a single cell by laminating | stacking so that a positive electrode and a negative electrode may oppose through a separator. Then, the stacking of separators and electrodes is repeated until the number of single cells reaches a desired number. According to such a manufacturing method, a separator can be formed by a simpler method, and an electricity storage element having high adhesion between the separator and the mixture layer can be manufactured.

  In addition, when bonding each layer of an electrical storage element with a binder and integrating, the binder solution for joining adjusted by disperse | distributing a binder to solvents, such as NMP, a bar coater, a dispenser, etc. on the surface of a separator or a joining layer It is sufficient to apply and dry using

  Then, each positive electrode and negative electrode are bundled and leads are welded, and this laminate is placed in an aluminum laminate film bag with a structure in which the positive and negative electrode leads are taken out, and an electrolytic solution is injected with a liquid injector. The end is sealed under reduced pressure to obtain a battery.

  In the above description, the laminated battery in which the electrolyte is a liquid electrolyte has been described as an example. However, regarding the production of a laminated battery using a gel electrolyte or an intrinsic polymer electrolyte and a bipolar battery using the electrolyte mentioned here However, it can be implemented with reference to known techniques and is omitted here.

[Battery]
A plurality of the batteries of the present invention may be connected in parallel and / or in series to form an assembled battery. In the battery of the present invention, even when the negative electrode expands and contracts, the function-selected separator functions as a buffer layer, so that there is almost no increase or decrease in thickness as a cell. For this reason, even when a lithium alloy negative electrode material is used, an assembled battery can be formed in the same manner as a conventional battery.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the assembled battery of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the assembled battery 500 is configured by connecting a plurality of the stacked batteries 100 described in the above embodiment. Each stacked battery 100 is connected by connecting the positive electrode tab 180 and the negative electrode tab 190 of each stacked battery 100 using a bus bar. On one side surface of the assembled battery 500, electrode terminals (520, 530) are provided as electrodes of the entire assembled battery 500.

  A connection method for connecting the plurality of stacked batteries 100 constituting the assembled battery 500 is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known method can be appropriately employed. For example, a technique using welding such as ultrasonic welding or spot welding, or a technique of fixing using rivets, caulking, or the like can be employed. According to such a connection method, the long-term reliability of the assembled battery 500 can be improved.

  According to the assembled battery 500 of the present invention, since the individual stacked batteries 100 constituting the assembled battery 500 are excellent in charge / discharge cycle characteristics, an assembled battery excellent in charge / discharge cycle characteristics can be provided.

  In addition, the connection of the stacked batteries 100 constituting the assembled battery 500 may be all connected in parallel, or may be connected in series, or a combination of series connection and parallel connection. May be. As a result, the capacity and voltage can be freely adjusted.

[vehicle]
The battery of the present invention can be mounted on a vehicle using the above-described stacked battery 100, bipolar battery 300, or assembled battery 500 as a motor driving power source. Examples of the vehicle using the stacked battery 100, the bipolar battery 300, or the assembled battery 500 as a motor power source include an automobile whose wheels are driven by a motor, and other vehicles (for example, a train). Examples of the automobile include a complete electric car that does not use gasoline, a hybrid automobile such as a series hybrid automobile and a parallel hybrid automobile, and a fuel cell automobile. As a result, it is possible to manufacture a vehicle having a longer life and higher reliability than conventional ones.

  For reference, FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of an automobile equipped with an assembled battery. The assembled battery 500 mounted on the automobile 600 has the characteristics as described above. For this reason, the automobile 600 equipped with the assembled battery 500 is a vehicle having excellent charge / discharge cycle characteristics.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications, omissions, and additions can be made by those skilled in the art.

  Hereinafter, the effect of the secondary battery according to the present invention will be described using the following examples and comparative examples, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples. The average particle diameter and electrode density of the active material were measured by the methods described below.

(Stacked battery)
[Example 1]
(Preparation of positive electrode)
LiNiO ₂ (86% by mass) as a positive electrode active material, acetylene black (6% by mass) as a conductive agent, and PVDF (8% by mass) as a binder are dispersed in an appropriate amount of NMP as a slurry viscosity adjusting solvent, and the positive electrode active material A slurry was prepared.

  As the current collector, an aluminum foil having a thickness of 20 μm was prepared, and the slurry prepared above was applied to both surfaces of the current collector. Next, a positive electrode having a one-sided mixture layer thickness of 130 μm was produced by drying and pressing in a 60 ° C. atmosphere.

  The obtained positive electrode was punched out so that the electrode portion size was 34 mm × 24 mm, leaving a tab portion to be welded to the aluminum terminal, and a positive electrode for lamination was produced.

(Preparation of negative electrode)
SiO (87% by mass) as a negative electrode active material, acetylene black (3% by mass) as a conductive agent, and PVDF (10% by mass) as a binder are dispersed in an appropriate amount of NMP as a slurry viscosity adjusting solvent, and a negative electrode active material slurry Was prepared.

  A copper foil having a thickness of 10 μm was prepared as a current collector, and the slurry prepared above was applied to both surfaces of the current collector. Next, a negative electrode having a thickness of 30 μm on one side of the mixture layer was prepared by pressing after drying in an atmosphere of 60 ° C.

  The obtained negative electrode was punched out so that the electrode portion size was 36 mm × 26 mm, leaving a tab portion to be welded, and a negative electrode for lamination was produced.

(Preparation of separator)
A microporous film (thickness: 25 μm, porosity: 41%) was prepared as a separator (first separator) facing the negative electrode mixture layer. Moreover, a microporous film (thickness: 12 μm, porosity: 40%) was prepared as a separator (second separator) facing the positive electrode mixture layer.

(Production of electricity storage element)
Using a jig so that positional deviation does not occur between the 9 positive electrodes, 10 negative electrodes, 20 first separators, and 20 second separators adjusted as described above, the positive electrode and the negative electrode pass through the separators as follows. The power storage device was completed by laminating so as to face each other. In addition, the 1st separator and the 2nd separator were laminated | stacked on both ends.

(Production of evaluation cell)
An aluminum tab lead was connected to the positive electrode of the electricity storage device prepared above, and a nickel tab lead was connected to the negative electrode by ultrasonic welding. Next, the power storage element was placed inside the exterior of an aluminum laminate film formed to the size of the power storage element, leaving one side for pouring the electrolyte, and heat-sealing the remaining three sides to form a bag. A predetermined amount of electrolytic solution was injected and impregnated therein, and the remaining one side was vacuum-sealed to produce an evaluation cell.

Incidentally, the electrolyte, an equal volume mixture of ethylene carbonate (EC) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC) LiPF ₆ is a lithium salt is dissolved in a concentration of 1M to (EC:: DMC = 1 1 ( volume ratio)) The solution was used.

[Example 2]
Except that a microporous film (thickness: 25 μm, porosity: 51%) was used as a separator (first separator) facing the negative electrode mixture layer at the time of production of the electricity storage device, the same as in Example 1. Thus, an evaluation cell was produced.

[Example 3]
Except that a microporous film (thickness: 25 μm, porosity: 58%) was used as a separator (first separator) facing the negative electrode mixture layer during production of the electricity storage device, the same as in Example 1. Thus, an evaluation cell was produced.

[Example 4]
Except that a microporous film (thickness: 31 μm, porosity: 70%) was used as a separator (first separator) facing the negative electrode mixture layer during production of the electricity storage device, the same as in Example 1. Thus, an evaluation cell was produced.

[Example 5]
Except that a microporous film (thickness: 34 μm, porosity: 80%) was used as a separator (first separator) facing the negative electrode mixture layer at the time of producing the electricity storage device, the same as in Example 1. Thus, an evaluation cell was produced.

[Example 6]
As in Example 1, except that a cellulose rayon nonwoven fabric (thickness: 30 μm, porosity: 66%) was used as the separator (first separator) facing the negative electrode mixture layer during the production of the electricity storage device. Thus, an evaluation cell was produced.

[Example 7]
(Preparation of positive electrode and negative electrode and preparation of separator)
A positive electrode and a negative electrode were produced in the same manner as in Example 1. Cellulose rayon nonwoven fabric (thickness: 30 μm, porosity: 66%) as a separator (first separator) facing the negative electrode mixture layer, and microporous as a separator (second separator) facing the positive electrode mixture layer A film (thickness: 12 μm, porosity: 40%) was prepared.

(Preparation of single element of positive electrode)
Using a bar coater, the bonding binder solution was applied to one surface of two second separators, and the coated surface was brought into close contact with both surfaces of the positive electrode. The obtained laminate was dried in an atmosphere of 60 ° C. under pressure to produce a positive electrode single element. In addition, the binder solution for joining used what melt | dissolved PVDF (5 mass%) in NMP (95 mass%).

(Preparation of negative electrode element)
Using a bar coater, the bonding binder solution was applied to one side of the two first separators, and the applied side was brought into close contact with both sides of the negative electrode. The obtained laminate was dried in an atmosphere at 60 ° C. under pressure to produce a single element for negative electrode. In addition, the binder solution for joining used what melt | dissolved PVDF (5 mass%) in NMP (95 mass%).

(Creation of electricity storage element)
The bonding binder solution used above is applied by spraying onto the positive electrode element produced above, the negative electrode element is adhered to the surface thereof, and dried in an atmosphere of 60 ° C. under pressure, whereby the positive electrode / negative electrode An element was produced.

  The above process is repeated, and nine positive electrode single elements and ten negative electrode single elements are stacked as follows using a jig so as not to cause misalignment of members, and each layer is bonded with a binder. The device was completed. In addition, the 2nd separator was laminated | stacked and joined to both ends.

(Production of evaluation cell)
An evaluation cell was produced in the same procedure as in Example 1 using the electricity storage device produced above.

[Comparative Example 1]
(Preparation of positive electrode and negative electrode and preparation of separator)
A positive electrode and a negative electrode were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1. A microporous membrane (thickness: 25 μm, porosity: 40%) was prepared as a separator.

(Production of electricity storage element)
By stacking the 9 positive electrodes, 10 negative electrodes, and 20 separators adjusted as described above, using a jig so that positional displacement does not occur, the positive electrode and the negative electrode face each other with the separator interposed therebetween, as described below. The power storage device was completed.

(Production of evaluation cell)
An evaluation cell was produced in the same procedure as in Example 1 using the electricity storage device produced above.

[Comparative Example 2]
An evaluation cell was prepared in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1 except that a cellulose rayon nonwoven fabric (thickness: 40 μm, porosity: 66%) was used as a separator during the production of the electricity storage device.

[Comparative Example 3]
A microporous film (thickness: 12 μm, porosity: 40%) was used as a separator (first separator) facing the negative electrode mixture layer during the production of the storage element. In addition, a cellulose rayon nonwoven fabric (thickness: 30 μm, porosity: 66%) was used as a separator (second separator) facing the positive electrode mixture layer. An evaluation cell was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except for the above.

(Evaluation)
(Charge / discharge cycle test)
About each evaluation cell produced by the above method, after charging for 3 hours in a constant current constant voltage method (CCCV, current: 0.5 C, voltage: 4.2 V) in an atmosphere at 25 ° C., a constant current (CC, The battery was discharged to 2.5 V at a current of 0.5 C) and rested for 30 minutes after the discharge. This charge / discharge process was defined as one cycle, and a charge / discharge test of 50 cycles was performed to examine capacity retention. The results are shown in Table 4 below. In Table 4, the capacity retention rate represents the ratio of the discharge capacity at the 50th cycle to the discharge capacity at the 1st cycle (expressed as a percentage). C indicates a time rate.

  From Table 4, the cells of Examples 1 to 7 having the porosity in which the separator is inclined and decreased from the negative electrode side toward the positive electrode side are the single layer separators of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 having no porosity inclination. It was confirmed that the capacity retention after 50 cycles was higher than that of In Comparative Example 1, it is considered that the capacity retention is low because the amount of the electrolyte solution is insufficient and the separator cannot follow the expansion and contraction of the electrode. In Comparative Example 2, the electrolyte solution is sufficiently secured, but it is considered that the separator 1 layer hardly follows the expansion and contraction of the electrode. On the other hand, the cells of Examples 1 to 7 have excellent electrolyte retention and followability to the expansion and contraction of the electrode, and therefore can suppress the electrolyte shortage and void generation, and have excellent charge / discharge cycle characteristics. It is shown.

  Further, from comparison between Example 6 and Comparative Example 3, the porosity of the first separator is larger than the porosity of the second separator, and the thickness of the first separator is larger than the thickness of the second separator. By doing so, it was found that the capacity retention rate of the cell can be further improved.

  In addition to this, when a separator satisfying the condition that the porosity of the first separator is 50% to 90% is used in comparison with Examples 2 to 4 and Table 1 in Table 4, the capacity retention rate is It turns out that it improves more.

  Further, from comparison between Examples 6 and 7, it was confirmed that the cell in which the respective layers of the energy storage device were joined with the joining binder had a high capacity retention rate. By joining the respective layers with a binder, the expansion and contraction of the electrode and the separator are synchronized, so that the function as the electrolyte receiving layer can be more effectively exhibited.

  From the above, in a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, when a separator having a porosity that is decreased from the negative electrode side toward the positive electrode side is used, the discharge efficiency is reduced without reducing the energy density as compared with the conventional separator. It can be shown that can be maintained at a high value. Furthermore, it has been found that the capacity retention can be further improved by using a bonding binder and adjusting the porosity and thickness of the separator.

<Bipolar battery>
[Example 8]
(Production of bipolar electrode)
In the same manner as in Example 1, a positive electrode active material slurry and a negative electrode active material slurry were prepared. A SUS foil having a thickness of 20 μm was prepared as a current collector, and the positive electrode slurry was applied to one surface of the current collector and then dried to form a positive electrode of a positive electrode mixture layer having a thickness of 30 μm. Next, the negative electrode slurry was applied to the other surface of the current collector and then dried to form a negative electrode of a negative electrode mixture layer having a thickness of 20 μm. By the above procedure, a bipolar electrode having a positive electrode and a negative electrode formed on both sides of a SUS foil as a current collector was obtained.

  Next, the obtained bipolar electrode was cut into a size of 160 mm × 130 mm, and the outer peripheral portion (10 mm) of the cut electrodes (positive electrode and negative electrode) was peeled off to expose the SUS surface as a current collector. . That is, a bipolar electrode having an electrode surface of 140 mm × 110 mm and an SUS foil as a current collector exposed on the outer peripheral portion 10 mm of the electrode was obtained.

(Formation of electrolyte layer)
As an electrolytic solution, a solution in which LiPF _{6 as a} lithium salt is dissolved at a concentration of 1M in an equal volume mixed solution (PC: EC = 1: 1 (volume ratio)) of propylene carbonate (PC) and ethylene carbonate (EC). Using. Moreover, PVDF-HFP containing 10% by mass of HFP copolymer was used as the host polymer. A pregel electrolyte is prepared by adding dimethyl carbonate (DMC) as a viscosity adjusting solvent to the mixture solution (90% by mass: 10% by mass) of the above electrolytic solution and the host polymer until the viscosity becomes optimum for the coating process. did.

  After applying the obtained pregel electrolyte to both surfaces (positive electrode and negative electrode portion) of the bipolar electrode, the bipolar electrode was impregnated with the gel electrolyte by drying DMC.

(Preparation of separator)
As a separator (first separator) facing the negative electrode mixture layer, a microporous film (thickness: 30 μm, porosity: 66%) is used as a separator (second separator) facing the positive electrode mixture layer. A porous membrane (thickness: 12 μm, porosity: 40%) was prepared.

  A bonding binder solution was applied to one side of the second separator using a bar coater. The first separator was brought into close contact with the coated surface, and dried in an atmosphere at 60 ° C. under pressure to prepare a bonded separator of the first separator and the second separator. The bonding binder solution used was a dispersion of PVDF (5% by mass) in NMP (95% by mass), as in Example 7.

  Thereafter, the pregel electrolyte prepared above was applied to the other side of the first separator, and the DMC was dried to impregnate the separator with the gel electrolyte.

(Formation of seal part precursor)
Using a dispenser, the seal precursor was applied to the exposed portion of the SUS foil (the electrode uncoated portion) on the positive electrode side outer peripheral portion of the bipolar electrode. Next, a separator cut to a size of 170 mm × 140 mm was disposed on the positive electrode side so as to face the second separator so that the SUS foil coated with the seal precursor was entirely covered. Then, the seal precursor was apply | coated using the dispenser from the separator on the part corresponding to the application part (electrode non-application part) of the said seal precursor. Note that a one-component uncured epoxy resin was used as the seal precursor.

(Lamination process)
A bipolar battery structure in which 12 single cells were stacked was produced by stacking 13 bipolar electrodes produced as described above.

(Bipolar battery press)
The uncured seal part (one-part epoxy resin) is cured by hot-pressing the produced bipolar battery structure using a hot press machine under conditions of a surface pressure of 1 kg / cm ² and 80 ° C. for 1 hour. I let you. As a result, a bipolar battery element (storage element) in which 12 layers were stacked was obtained. This process makes it possible to press and cure the seal portion to a predetermined thickness.

(Production of bipolar battery)
Four produced bipolar battery elements were stacked in series, sandwiched between aluminum tabs for current extraction, and vacuum sealed using an aluminum laminate film as an exterior material, thereby producing 48 series bipolar batteries.

[Comparative Example 4]
A bipolar battery was fabricated in the same manner as in Example 8 except that a microporous film (thickness: 12 μm, porosity: 40%) was used as the separator and each layer was not joined with a binder.

(Evaluation)
(Charge / discharge cycle)
About each battery produced by said method, it charges to 200V by a constant current system (CC, electric current: 5C) in an atmosphere of 25 degreeC, and after making it rest for 10 minutes, it is 120V by constant current (CC, electric current: 5C). The battery was discharged until 10 minutes after the discharge. This charge / discharge process was defined as one cycle, and a charge / discharge test of 50 cycles was performed to examine capacity retention. The results are shown in Table 6 below. In Table 6, “capacity retention” represents the ratio of the discharge capacity at the 50th cycle to the discharge capacity at the first cycle (percentage display).

  According to Table 6, the bipolar battery (Example 8) having a separator composed of a first separator having a large porosity and a thick thickness and a second separator having a small porosity and a thickness smaller than that of a single-layer microporous film. It was confirmed that the capacity retention was higher than that of the bipolar battery (Comparative Example 4).

  Thus, it was found that even in a bipolar non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, the charge / discharge cycle can be improved by using a separator having a porosity that is decreased in inclination from the negative electrode side toward the positive electrode side.

It is a schematic cross section which shows the electrical storage element which comprises the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the electrical storage element (laminated | stacked type) which comprises the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the electrical storage element (bipolar type) which comprises the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the laminated battery by one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the bipolar battery by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view showing an assembled battery obtained by connecting a plurality of stacked batteries according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic of the motor vehicle carrying the assembled battery by one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10, 30, 40, 170, 370 power storage element,
11, 110 positive electrode current collector,
12, 120, 320 positive electrode mixture layer,
13 positive electrode,
14 second separator,
15 first separator,
16, 130, 350 separator,
17, 150, 330 negative electrode mixture layer,
18, 140 negative electrode current collector,
19 negative electrode,
20 Binder for bonding,
21, 310 current collector,
22, 340 bipolar electrode,
100 stacked battery,
110a outermost positive electrode current collector,
160, 360 cell layer,
180, 380 positive electrode tab (terminal),
190, 390 negative electrode tab (terminal),
200, 400 Positive terminal lead,
210, 410 negative terminal lead,
220, 420 Laminate sheet,
300 bipolar battery,
310a outermost current collector on the positive electrode side,
310b outermost current collector on the negative electrode side,
340a, 340b The electrode located in the outermost layer,
430 insulating layer,
500 battery packs,
520, 530 electrode terminal,
600 cars.

Claims (14)

  A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a storage element including a positive electrode, a negative electrode including an active material containing an element that forms an alloy with lithium, and a separator including an electrolyte, the separator facing from the negative electrode side to the positive electrode side. And a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery having a structure in which the porosity is decreased.   The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the separator is composed of multiple layers.   The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the separator is composed of two layers of a first separator in contact with the negative electrode surface and a second separator in contact with the positive electrode surface.   The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a porosity of the first separator is 50% to 90%.   The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the porosity of the second separator is 30% to 49%.   The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the first separator is greater than a thickness of the second separator.   The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the respective layers of the electricity storage element are joined and integrated with a binder.   The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the first separator is made of a nonwoven fabric.   The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the second separator is made of a microporous film.   The negative electrode plate according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the negative electrode plate contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, Al, In, and Zn as an active material. Water electrolyte secondary battery.   The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the storage element is formed by laminating a positive electrode and a negative electrode with a separator interposed therebetween.   The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 1, which is a bipolar secondary battery.   An assembled battery formed by connecting a plurality of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries according to any one of claims 1 to 12.   An electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle on which the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or the assembled battery according to claim 13 is mounted as a driving power source.

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