JP2011216463A - Rolled copper foil, and negative electrode collector, negative electrode plate and secondary battery using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a roller copper foil suitable as a material for a negative electrode collector of a secondary battery, and to provide the negative electrode collector, a negative electrode plate and the battery using the same.SOLUTION: The rolled copper foil for the negative electrode collector of the secondary battery is a copper alloy foil containing total 0.01-0.50 mass% one or more types out of Ag, Cr, Fe, In, Ni, P, Si, Sn, Te, Ti, Zn and Zr, and Cu and impurities in the rest. It has an electric conductivity of 80% IACS or higher, and an Emax/Emin of 1.3 or smaller where Emax and Emin are a maximum value and a minimum value out of five Young' moduli measured in five directions of angles of 0°, 22.5°, 45°, 67.5° and 90° to a rolling direction, and has good cycle characteristics to maintain a tensile strength of 400 MPa or higher after heated at 300°C for 30 min. The secondary battery using the copper foil for the collector of the negative electrode plate has an improved charge/discharge cycle life.

Description

  The present invention relates to a rolled copper foil suitable as a negative electrode current collector material for a secondary battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery, and a negative electrode current collector, a negative electrode plate and a battery using the rolled copper foil.

With the widespread use of portable devices such as mobile phones and notebook computers, the demand for small, high-capacity secondary batteries is growing. In addition, demand for medium- and large-sized secondary batteries used in electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and the like is also increasing rapidly. Among secondary batteries, lithium ion secondary batteries are used in many fields because of their light weight and high energy density.
As a lithium ion secondary battery, an aluminum foil coated with a compound such as LiCoO ₂ , LiNiO ₂ , LiMn ₂ O ₄ is used as a positive electrode, and a copper foil coated with a carbonaceous material or the like as an active material is used as a negative electrode. What is used is known (FIG. 2).

Copper foil includes rolled copper foil and electrolytic copper foil. The rolled copper foil is excellent as a material for the secondary battery negative electrode plate in terms of strength, fatigue characteristics, and the like. Many of the rolled copper foils marketed as secondary battery negative electrode plate materials are made of tough pitch copper (JIS-C1100). Tough pitch copper is pure copper containing 0.01 to 0.05 mass% oxygen, and the copper content is standardized to 99.90 mass% or more (hereinafter, mass% is expressed as%).
In the manufacturing process of the rolled copper foil, a tough pitch copper ingot is hot-rolled, and then cold-rolling and annealing are repeated, and finally it is finished to a predetermined thickness in the range of, for example, 35 to 5 μm by final cold-rolling.

Generally, a copper foil negative electrode plate is manufactured by the following process using electrolytic copper foil or rolled copper foil.
(1) A paste obtained by kneading and dispersing an active material and a binder in a solvent is applied to one side or both sides of a copper foil serving as a current collector to form a negative electrode plate material.
(2) Heat and dry at 150 to 300 ° C. for several hours to several tens of hours.
(3) Pressurize the negative electrode plate material as necessary.
(4) A shearing process is performed to form a negative electrode plate having a predetermined shape.
Examples of shearing include punching with a press, cutting with shearing, and cutting with a round blade slitter.

In the conventional rolled copper foil made of tough pitch copper or oxygen-free copper, recrystallization occurs in the above (2) drying step, the copper foil strength is reduced (softened), and the tensile strength is reduced to nearly 200 MPa. Such a soft copper foil is subject to high tension load during winding of the negative electrode plate in the battery manufacturing process and manufacturing of the electrode plate group by winding, and the foil easily breaks.
In a lithium ion secondary battery, lithium ions move from the positive electrode to the negative electrode during charging, and lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharging. Since the negative electrode active material expands and contracts as the lithium ions move, the copper foil is subjected to mechanical repeated stress due to charge and discharge. Therefore, the softened copper foil is deformed by mechanical repeated stress due to charging / discharging, and the active material applied on the surface of the copper foil is easily peeled off, and the copper foil itself is easily damaged.

  Therefore, there is a demand for a copper foil that is difficult to soften during the thermal history of the drying step or the like. In order to cope with this problem, a rolled copper foil made of a copper alloy (hereinafter referred to as a copper alloy foil) has been proposed instead of a rolled copper foil made of tough pitch copper or oxygen-free copper.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-303128 (Patent Document 1) discloses a copper alloy foil obtained by adding 0.005 or 0.01% of Cr, Zr, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb or Bi to oxygen-free copper. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-133276 (Patent Document 2) discloses a copper alloy foil containing Zn in a range of 10 to 35%.
In JP-A-11-339811 (Patent Document 3), Cu-0.1% Fe-0.03% P, Cu-0.3% Cr-0.25% Sn-0.2% Zn and Cu-0. A copper alloy foil made of 1% Ni is disclosed. JP-A-2000-328159 (Patent Document 4) contains 0.002 to 0.045% P, and 0.006 to 0.25% Fe or / and 0.005 to 0.25%. A copper alloy foil added with Ag is disclosed. These alloys are based on phosphorous-deoxidized copper, and the P concentration is limited so as not to cause adverse effects on the properties of P.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-286528 (Patent Document 5) discloses a copper alloy foil containing 0.063 to 0.231% of Sn and appropriately adjusting the hydrogen concentration and the oxygen concentration. This copper foil has improved pinholes and flex life, and can be used as a negative electrode current collector of a lithium ion secondary battery.

JP 2000-303128 A JP 2000-133276 A JP 11-339811 A JP 2000-328159 A JP 2003-286528 A

  The conventional copper alloy foil for a negative electrode current collector was intended to have a tensile strength that does not cause breakage of the foil under heating conditions of 200 ° C. for 30 minutes or 300 ° C. for about 5 minutes. However, according to the examination results of the present inventors, the charge / discharge cycle characteristics of the secondary battery reach an adequate level, although an improvement over a rolled copper foil made of tough pitch copper or oxygen-free copper is recognized. It wasn't.

In recent years, the demand for the performance of lithium ion secondary batteries has been advanced. Along with this, the rolled copper foil for the negative electrode current collector is not torn during the manufacturing process where high tension is applied or when it is subjected to charge / discharge stress when using a secondary battery. Further, there is a strong demand for the ability of the active material not to peel off.
The present invention improves the copper alloy foil, and is suitable as a negative electrode current collector material for secondary batteries including lithium ion secondary batteries, and a rolled copper foil having excellent charge / discharge cycle life, and a negative electrode using the same An object is to provide a current collector, a negative electrode plate, and a secondary battery.

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventor has made the following invention. That is, the present invention
(1) One or more of Ag, Cr, Fe, In, Ni, P, Si, Sn, Te, Ti, Zn, and Zr are contained in a total amount of 0.01 to 0.50% by mass, and the balance is Cu and impurities. A copper alloy foil having a conductivity of 80% IACS or more, and a Young's modulus in five directions in which the angles to the rolling direction are 0 degree, 22.5 degrees, 45 degrees, 67.5 degrees, and 90 degrees When the maximum value among the five Young's moduli is Emax and the minimum value is Emin, Emax / Emin is 1.3 or less, and a tensile of 400 MPa or more after heating at 300 ° C. for 30 minutes. A rolled copper foil for a negative electrode current collector of a secondary battery having good cycle characteristics, characterized by maintaining strength
(2) A negative electrode current collector composed of the rolled copper foil according to (1),
(3) A negative electrode plate having a negative electrode active material layer mainly composed of a carbonaceous material or a graphite material on at least one surface of the negative electrode current collector according to (2),
(4) An active material containing at least one selected from the group consisting of metallic lithium, metallic tin, a tin compound, a silicon simple substance, and a silicon compound on at least one surface of the negative electrode current collector according to (2). A negative electrode plate having a material layer;
(5) An electrode plate group in which the negative electrode plate according to (3) or (4) is insulated and disposed through a separator having a lithium transition metal composite oxide as a main component of the positive electrode active material and a separator, a non-aqueous electrolyte , And a secondary battery comprising an electrode plate group and a battery case containing a non-aqueous electrolyte,
I will provide a.

It is the schematic which shows the measurement direction with respect to the rolling direction of the Young's modulus of the rolled copper foil in this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of a general secondary battery.

(Copper foil components)
The copper alloy foil of the present invention is a kind of Ag, Cr, Fe, In, Ni, P, Si, Sn, Te, Ti, Zn and Zr in copper in order to improve the strength and heat resistance of the copper foil. The above is contained in a total of 0.01 to 0.50%. If the total amount of the above elements exceeds 0.50%, the electrical conductivity is lowered and it becomes unsuitable for the negative electrode current collector of the secondary battery. When the total amount of the additive elements is less than 0.01%, the effect of the contained elements is not exhibited and the strength and heat resistance are insufficient.

As the base Cu material, oxygen-free copper specified by JIS-C1020 or tough pitch copper specified by JIS-C1100 is suitable. The oxygen concentration of the oxygen-free copper melt is usually 0.001% or less, and the oxygen concentration of the tough pitch copper melt is usually 0.01 to 0.05%.
When using one or more elements of Cr, Fe, In, Ni, P, Si, Sn, Te, Ti, Zn, and Zr, which are easier to oxidize than Cu, an oxide is formed to improve heat resistance. In order to avoid the effect not being obtained, it is common to add it to the oxygen-free copper melt. These alloy elements may be added after adding a deoxidizer such as P or Si to the tough pitch copper melt containing oxygen to lower the oxygen concentration to 0.001% or less. In that case, since the P and Si elements acting as deoxidizers are removed as oxide slag, they are not included in the total amount of elements contained in the copper alloy foil.
Since Ag is less susceptible to oxidation than Cu, it can be added both in the tough pitch copper melt and in the oxygen free copper melt.
The oxygen concentration in the casting process can be adjusted by techniques known to those skilled in the art such as a carbon seal of molten metal.

Ag, Cr, Fe, In, Ni, P, Si, Sn, Te, Ti, Zn, and Zr are added in a total range of 0.01 to 0.50% for the purpose of strength and heat resistance to be described later. , And adjust appropriately so as to satisfy the electrical conductivity.
By adding Ag and Te, strength and heat resistance can be improved with almost no decrease in conductivity.
Sn and In exhibit a relatively high effect in improving the strength and heat resistance, and are relatively easy to handle during ingot melting.
Zr, Ti, and Cr precipitate in Cu and remarkably improve strength and heat resistance. However, they are very active and thus easily form oxides and carbides in molten copper. When oxides and carbides are generated, the material breaks or pinholes are generated in the process of rolling into foil, so care must be taken when melting ingots.
When Fe and Ni are added at the same time as P and Si, compounds such as Fe-P, Ni-P, Fe-Si, and Ni-Si are precipitated, and higher strength and heat resistance than when added alone. can get.
Zn is not so effective in improving strength and heat resistance, but also has an effect of improving surface properties such as plating properties and migration resistance.

(Characteristics of copper foil)
In order to further improve the reliability of the battery without deformation of the copper foil due to charge / discharge stress, it is necessary to maintain high tensile strength even after the drying process. The heat load level in the drying process required in the present invention corresponds to a heat treatment at 300 ° C. for 30 minutes. This is a condition that is extremely stricter than the conventional heat load standard of 200 ° C. for 30 minutes (Patent Document 1) and 300 ° C. for 5 minutes (Patent Document 4).
In the present invention, the tensile strength of the copper foil after heating at 300 ° C. for 30 minutes is defined as 400 MPa or more, preferably 450 MPa or more. In addition, when the copper foil of the present invention is completely recrystallized, the tensile strength decreases to nearly 200 MPa, and when the tensile strength of 400 MPa or more is maintained, the copper foil is recrystallized in the metal structure of the copper foil after heating at 300 ° C. for 30 minutes. Has not occurred. This decrease in tensile strength is due to the recovery of the metal structure. The total amount of the additive elements is selected so that the tensile strength after heating at 300 ° C. for 30 minutes is 400 MPa or more.
Here, in order to maintain a tensile strength of 400 MPa or more after heating at 300 ° C. for 30 minutes, it is preferable to have a tensile strength of 430 MPa or more in a state after rolling. A more preferable tensile strength after rolling is 450 MPa or more.

  The conductivity of a conventional rolled copper foil made of tough pitch copper is about 100% IACS. However, when the material is made of a copper alloy, the conductivity of the copper foil is lowered and the battery performance tends to be lowered. Therefore, the conductivity of the copper foil is regulated to 80% IACS or more, preferably 83% IACS or more. At this level, battery performance does not deteriorate. The total amount of the additive elements is selected so that the conductivity is 80% or more.

(Young's modulus of copper foil)
The Young's modulus (longitudinal elastic modulus, stress / elongation) of a copper single crystal is anisotropic, and the Young's modulus changes significantly depending on the crystal direction. A rolled copper foil is an aggregate of many crystal grains, and atoms are arranged in a certain direction inside each crystal grain, but the direction differs for each crystal grain. However, the crystal grains are not randomly oriented, and the direction of the crystal grains is biased during the manufacturing process such as solidification, rolling, and recrystallization. Therefore, the Young's modulus of a normal rolled copper foil varies depending on the direction in which stress is applied. That is, even if it is pulled with the same stress, the elongation (elastic elongation) of the copper foil changes depending on the pulling direction. Such a property having different characteristics depending on the direction is called anisotropy.
Conventionally, the mechanical properties of the negative electrode copper foil have been adjusted in consideration of productivity in the battery production line such as prevention of foil breakage. Therefore, with regard to the Young's modulus of the negative electrode copper foil, only the absolute value in the rolling direction in which tension is applied in the line was noted, and the anisotropy was not considered at all. However, when the present inventors used a copper foil having a large Young's modulus anisotropy as a negative electrode current collector, the copper foil wrinkled due to the anisotropy of elongation when subjected to charge / discharge stress. It was found that the active material peels due to this.
As a result of investigations by the present inventors, Young's modulus was measured in five directions in which the angle formed with the rolling direction was 0 degree, 22.5 degrees, 45 degrees, 67.5 degrees, and 90 degrees, and these five Young's moduli were measured. When Emax / Emin is 1.3 or less, preferably 1.25 or less as an index of Young's modulus anisotropy when the maximum value is Emax and the minimum value is Emin, the charge / discharge cycle life is Found significant improvement.
In addition, as above-mentioned, since the copper foil of this invention does not recrystallize in the heat drying process of an active material, the anisotropy of a Young's modulus does not change before and after this drying process.

(Manufacturing method of copper foil)
An alloy element is added to the molten metal whose oxygen concentration is adjusted to produce an ingot. This ingot is formed into a plate having a thickness of about 10 mm by hot rolling, and then cold rolling and recrystallization annealing are repeated, and finally, the cold rolling is performed to a predetermined thickness (generally 35 to 5 μm). When the thickness is 5 μm or less, it tends to break even if the tensile strength per unit area is high. On the other hand, if it exceeds 35 μm, the negative electrode plate becomes thick, and it becomes difficult to reduce the size of the secondary battery.

Recrystallization annealing is performed under the conditions that the furnace temperature is in the range of 300 to 800 ° C., the annealing time is in the range of several seconds to several hours, and the crystal grain size after annealing is a predetermined size (usually 3 to 30 μm). Is called. The material after annealing is pickled using a sulfuric acid aqueous solution or the like in order to remove the surface oxide film generated during the annealing.
The method for controlling the anisotropy of the Young's modulus is not limited to a specific method, but can be controlled, for example, by adjusting the final cold rolling conditions as follows.
In the final cold rolling after the final recrystallization annealing, the material is repeatedly passed between a pair of rolling rolls to finish the target foil thickness. The Young's modulus anisotropy is influenced by the total workability in the final cold rolling and the workability per pass. Here, the total workability R is a sheet thickness reduction rate in the final cold rolling, and R = (T ₀ −T) / T ₀ (T ₀ : thickness before final cold rolling, T: final cold rolling) Later thickness). Further, the processing degree r per pass is a sheet thickness reduction rate when the rolling roll passes once, and r = (t ₀ -t) / t ₀ (t ₀ : thickness before passing the rolling roll, t: thickness after passing through the rolling roll).

Increasing the total working degree R increases the tensile strength of the copper foil, but increases the anisotropy of the Young's modulus. By making R preferably 97% or less, more preferably less than 94%, Emax / Emin can be adjusted to 1.3 or less, preferably 1.25 or less. On the other hand, if R is lower than 80%, the tensile strength after rolling becomes low, and it becomes difficult to adjust the tensile strength after heating at 300 ° C. for 30 minutes to 400 MPa or more. Therefore, the total working degree R of the final cold rolling is preferably 80 to 97%, more preferably 85 to 94%.
When rolling to ultrathin foil in the final cold rolling, if the degree of processing per pass is lowered, the rolling time is inevitably increased. Therefore, conventionally, the workability r per pass has been set to be relatively high with an emphasis on the productivity of rolling. If the working degree r per pass of the final cold rolling is 50% or more, shear deformation occurs in the metal structure of the copper foil. As a result, anisotropy of Young's modulus is promoted, and Emax / Emim exceeds 1.3 even if R is 80 to 97%. Therefore, the maximum working degree r _{max in} all passes in the final cold rolling is preferably less than 50%, more preferably 43% or less. On the other hand, the minimum workability r _min does not affect the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the copper foil of the present invention, but if r is reduced, the number of passes increases and rolling takes time. Therefore, in consideration of productivity, r _min is preferably 10% or more, more preferably 15% or more.

(Battery configuration)
The negative electrode plate and the secondary battery according to the present invention are characterized by using the above copper foil as a negative electrode current collector, and other configurations are not limited, and commonly used known ones are used. Can be used.

(Negative electrode)
A negative electrode is comprised from the negative electrode collector of this invention, and the negative electrode active material formed in the single side | surface or both surfaces of a negative electrode collector. Examples of the negative electrode active material include carbonaceous materials capable of occluding and releasing lithium, metals, metal compounds (metal oxides, metal sulfides, metal nitrides), lithium alloys, and the like.
Examples of the carbonaceous material include graphite materials, carbonaceous materials such as graphite, coke, carbon fiber, spherical carbon, pyrolytic vapor phase carbonaceous material, and resin fired body; thermosetting resin, isotropic pitch, and mesophase pitch carbon. , Graphite materials or carbonaceous materials obtained by subjecting mesophase pitch carbon fibers, mesophase spherules, etc. to heat treatment at 500 to 3000 ° C.
Examples of the metal include lithium, aluminum, magnesium, tin, and silicon.
Examples of the metal oxide include tin oxide, silicon oxide, lithium titanium oxide, niobium oxide, and tungsten oxide. Examples of the metal sulfide include tin sulfide and titanium sulfide. Examples of the metal nitride include lithium cobalt nitride, lithium iron nitride, and lithium manganese nitride.
Examples of the lithium alloy include a lithium aluminum alloy, a lithium tin alloy, a lithium lead alloy, and a lithium silicon alloy.

The negative electrode active material-containing layer can contain a binder. As the binder, for example, organic solvent-based polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), water-dispersed styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), or the like can be used. SBR can be used in combination with, for example, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as a thickener. By using a mixture of SBR and CMC, the adhesion between the negative electrode active material and the current collector can be further increased.
The negative electrode active material-containing layer can contain a conductive agent. Examples of the conductive agent include acetylene black, graphite such as powdered expanded graphite, pulverized carbon fiber, pulverized graphitized carbon fiber, and the like.

(Positive electrode)
The positive electrode includes a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode active material-containing layer formed on one or both surfaces of the positive electrode current collector.
Examples of the positive electrode current collector include an aluminum plate and an aluminum mesh material.
Examples of the positive electrode active material include chalcogen compounds such as manganese dioxide, molybdenum disulfide, LiCoO ₂ , LiNiO ₂ , and LiMn ₂ O ₄ . These chalcogen compounds may be used in a mixture of two or more.
The positive electrode active material-containing layer can contain a binder. As the binder, a fluoroelastomer resin, a polyolefin resin, a styrene resin, a thermoplastic elastomer resin such as an acrylic resin, or a rubber resin such as fluororubber can be used. One example is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). As the thickener, for example, CMC can be used in combination with the binder.
The active material-containing layer may further contain acetylene black, graphite such as powdered expanded graphite, carbon fiber pulverized material, graphitized carbon fiber pulverized material, and the like as a conductive auxiliary material.

(Separator)
A separator or a solid or gel electrolyte layer can be disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. As the separator, for example, a polyethylene porous film or a polypropylene porous film having a thickness of 20 to 30 μm can be used.

(Nonaqueous electrolyte)
As the non-aqueous electrolyte, those having a liquid, gel or solid form can be used. The non-aqueous electrolyte preferably includes a non-aqueous solvent and an electrolyte that is dissolved in the non-aqueous solvent.
Examples of the non-aqueous solvent include ethylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, methyl ethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, γ-butyrolactone, and methyl propionate. The kind of nonaqueous solvent to be used can be one kind or two or more kinds.
Examples of the electrolyte include lithium perchlorate (LiClO ₄ ), lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF ₆ ), lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF ₄ ), lithium hexafluoroarsenide (LiAsF ₆ ), and the like. The electrolyte can be used alone or in the form of a mixture.

(Production of rolled copper foil)
After the electrolytic copper was dissolved and the oxygen concentration was adjusted, a predetermined amount of alloy element was added, and cast into an ingot having a width of 500 mm and a thickness of 200 mm. The ingot was heated at 850 ° C. for 3 hours and formed into a plate having a thickness of 10 mm by hot rolling. Next, the oxide scale on the surface was removed by grinding, and a 1.5 mm plate was formed by cold rolling. Thereafter, recrystallization annealing and cold rolling were repeated, and the final rolling finished to a thickness of 18 to 6 μm.
The final recrystallization annealing (annealing immediately before the final cold rolling) was performed using a continuous annealing line. The temperature of the furnace was set to 700 ° C., and the material passing speed (residence time in the furnace) was adjusted so that the crystal grain size after annealing was 10 to 20 μm.
In order to change the total workability (R) in the final cold rolling, the thickness of the plate to be subjected to final recrystallization annealing was adjusted in advance. In the final cold rolling, the degree of processing (r) per pass was variously changed.

(component)
The oxygen concentration in the copper alloy matrix was analyzed by an inert gas melting-infrared absorption method, and the concentration of the additive element was analyzed by ICP-mass spectrometry. Here, a copper foil sample was used for the analysis of the additive element, but a sample collected from a 1.5 mm plate was used for the O analysis. This is because very large ratio of surface area to mass foil sample (for example, in the case of a sample of 1g, to surface area 1.5 cm ² of plate thickness 1.5 mm, the surface area of the foil having a thickness of 10 [mu] m 220 cm ²⁾ This is because when oxygen is analyzed using a copper foil sample, oxygen in the surface oxide film and adsorbed water film is added, and the oxygen analysis value is increased by about 0.005% from the oxygen concentration in the copper foil. In addition, in order to determine that this is an oxygen-free copper-based foil using a foil sample, the metal structure of the sample is observed, and no oxide particles are present (the oxide particles having a diameter of 2 μm or more are 0. (01 / mm ² or less) may be confirmed.

(Tensile strength, conductivity)
The tensile strength was calculated | required according to IPC (Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronics Circuits) specification, IPC-TM-650; Method 2.4.19 with respect to the sample after final cold rolling. The test piece was 12.7 mm in width and 150 mm in length, and was collected so that the length direction of the test piece was parallel to the rolling direction. The pulling speed was 50 mm / min. Moreover, the tensile strength was similarly calculated | required also with respect to the sample after heating a rolled copper foil sample for 30 minutes at 300 degreeC imitating the drying process of a negative electrode active material.
The specimen at the final cold rolling (before heating at 300 ° C. for 30 minutes) was used for a tensile test, and the conductivity at 20 ° C. was determined by the four-terminal method.

(Young's modulus)
The Young's modulus of the copper foil sample after the final cold rolling (before heating at 300 ° C. for 30 minutes) was measured by the vibration method. As a measuring device, a cantilever type thin plate Young's modulus measuring device, TE-RT manufactured by Nippon Techno Plus Co., Ltd. was used.
The sample had a strip shape with a width of 3.2 mm and a length of 15 mm, and the vibration length was 10 mm. As shown in FIG. 1, the angle formed by the longitudinal direction of the sample and the rolling direction was α (degrees), and samples were collected from five directions where α = 0, 22.5, 45, 67.5, and 90. The Young's modulus was measured four times for each of the samples in these five directions to obtain an average value, and Emax / Emin was determined by setting Emax as the maximum of the five average values and Emin as the minimum.

(Cycle life)
A cylindrical lithium ion secondary battery shown in FIG. 2 was produced by the following procedure, and the cycle life was measured.
(1) 50 parts by weight of scaly graphite powder as a negative electrode active material, 5 parts by weight of SBR as a binder, and 23 parts by weight of a thickener aqueous solution dissolved in 99 parts by weight of water with respect to 1 part by weight of CMC as a thickener, By kneading and dispersing, a negative electrode paste was obtained. This negative electrode paste was applied on both sides of the rolled copper foil sample surface to a thickness of 200 μm by a doctor blade method, heated at 300 ° C. for 30 minutes, and dried. After pressurizing to adjust the thickness to 160 μm, the negative electrode plate 6 was obtained by molding by shearing.
(2) LiCoO ₂ powder 50 parts by weight as a positive electrode active material, acetylene black 1.5 parts by weight as a conductive agent, PTFE 50% by weight aqueous dispersion 7 parts by weight, CMC 1% by weight aqueous solution 41.5 as a thickener A weight part was kneaded and dispersed to obtain a positive electrode paste. This positive electrode paste was applied on both sides to a thickness of about 230 μm by a doctor blade method on a current collector made of an aluminum foil having a thickness of 30 μm, and dried by heating at 200 ° C. for 1 hour. After pressurizing and adjusting the thickness to 180 μm, it was molded by shearing to obtain a positive electrode plate 5.
(3) A battery case 8 accommodates an electrode group wound in a spiral shape in a state where the positive electrode plate 5 and the negative electrode plate 6 are insulated through a separator 7 made of a polypropylene resin microporous film having a thickness of 20 μm. .
(4) The negative electrode lead 9 connected from the negative electrode plate 6 was electrically connected through the case 8 and the lower insulating plate 10. Similarly, the positive electrode lead 3 connected from the positive electrode plate 5 was electrically connected to the internal terminal of the sealing plate 1 via the upper insulating plate 4. After these, a non-aqueous electrolyte is injected, and the sealing plate 1 and the battery case 8 are caulked and sealed through the insulating gasket 2 to form a cylindrical lithium ion having a diameter of 17 mm, a height of 50 mm and a battery capacity of 780 mAh. A secondary battery was produced.
(5) The electrolyte is a predetermined amount of an electrolyte prepared by dissolving 1.0 mol of LiPF ₆ as an electrolyte in a mixed solvent of 30% by volume of ethylene carbonate, 50% by volume of methyl ethyl carbonate, and 20% by volume of methyl propionate. did. This electrolytic solution was impregnated in the positive electrode active material layer and the negative electrode active material layer.

  Charge / discharge cycle characteristics were evaluated using the produced batteries. Charging / discharging was performed in an environment of 20 ° C., the discharge capacity at the third cycle was taken as the initial capacity, the number of cycles was counted until the discharge capacity was reduced to 80% of the initial capacity, and this was taken as the cycle life. Charging conditions: Constant current-constant voltage charging at 4.2V for 2 hours, and after 550mA (0.7CmA) constant current charging until the battery voltage reaches 4.2V, the current value further attenuates The battery was charged to 40 mA (0.05 CmA). Discharge conditions: Discharge to a discharge end voltage of 3.0 V with a constant current of 780 mA (1 CmA). It was determined that good cycle characteristics were obtained when the cycle life was 600 times or more.

  The evaluation results are shown in Table 1. “-” In the table indicates no added element. Table 2 shows the degree of processing of each pass for each method employed in the final cold rolling of each example. “-” In the table indicates no processing. Invention example contains 0.01 to 0.50% of one or more of Ag, Cr, Fe, In, Ni, P, Si, Sn, Te, Ti, Zn and Zr, and has a conductivity of 80% IACS or more Emax / Emin is 1.3 or less, and a tensile strength of 400 MPa or more is maintained after annealing at 300 ° C. for 30 minutes. As a result, a good cycle life of 600 times or more is obtained. Here, when the data of Invention Example 20 is shown as an example of the measured value of Young's modulus, 0 degrees: 111.0 GPa, 22.5 degrees: 114.6 GPa, 45 degrees: 117.5 GPa, 67.5 degrees: 125. 7 GPa, 90 degrees: 133.5 GPa.

Comparative Example 29 is conventional oxygen-free copper, and the tensile strength and heat resistance after rolling are inferior. Therefore, the tensile strength of the copper foil is 200 MPa due to the heat history for 30 minutes at 300 ° C. corresponding to the active material drying step. It dropped to near. In Comparative Example 30, the amount of alloying element added was less than 0.01%, so that the effect of improving rolling tensile strength and heat resistance was not sufficient as compared with Invention Examples 19 to 23. The tensile strength was less than 400 MPa due to the heat history for a minute. Therefore, the copper foils of Comparative Examples 29 and 30 were subjected to repeated charge / discharge stress and plastically deformed, and the active material on the surface of the copper foil was peeled off, and the cycle life was less than 600 times.
Since the comparative example 31 contained alloy elements exceeding 0.50%, the conductivity was less than 80% IACS. If the electrical conductivity is less than 80% IACS, heat generation and voltage loss cannot be ignored and the intended secondary battery cannot be manufactured.

  In Comparative Examples 32-34 in which the maximum value of the degree of processing per pass in the final cold rolling was 50% or more, Emax / Emin exceeded 1.3. As a result, the copper foil wrinkled when subjected to repeated charge / discharge stress, the active material applied to the copper foil surface peeled off, and the cycle life was less than 600 times. On the other hand, since Emax / Emin of Invention Examples 9 and 20 each containing the same element amount is 1.3 or less, a cycle life of 600 times or more can be achieved.

  In Comparative Example 35 in which the total workability was less than 80% in the final cold rolling, the tensile strength after rolling for 30 minutes at 300 ° C. was lower than 400 MPa because the tensile strength after rolling was low, The copper foil was plastically deformed by charge / discharge stress. In Comparative Example 36 in which the total degree of processing exceeded 97%, Emax / Emin exceeded 1.3 and wrinkles were generated in the copper foil due to charge / discharge stress. Therefore, in Comparative Examples 35 and 36, the active material on the surface of the copper foil was peeled off, and the cycle life was less than 600 times. On the other hand, since the total working degree of Invention Examples 1, 27 and 28 having the same element amount and the same foil thickness is appropriate and Emax / Emin is 1.3 or less, a cycle life of 600 times or more can be achieved.

1: Sealing plate 2: Insulating gasket 3: Positive electrode lead 4: Upper insulating plate 5: Positive electrode plate 6: Negative electrode plate 7: Separator 8: Battery case 9: Negative electrode lead 10: Lower insulating plate

Claims (5)

  A copper alloy comprising 0.01 to 0.50 mass% in total of at least one of Ag, Cr, Fe, In, Ni, P, Si, Sn, Te, Ti, Zn and Zr, and the balance being Cu and impurities It is a foil and has a conductivity of 80% IACS or higher, and the Young's modulus is measured in five directions where the angles formed with the rolling direction are 0 degree, 22.5 degrees, 45 degrees, 67.5 degrees, and 90 degrees. When the maximum value among the five Young's moduli is Emax and the minimum value is Emin, Emax / Emin is 1.3 or less, and a tensile strength of 400 MPa or more is obtained after heating at 300 ° C. for 30 minutes. A rolled copper foil for a negative electrode current collector of a secondary battery having good cycle characteristics, which is characterized by maintaining.   A negative electrode current collector composed of the rolled copper foil according to claim 1.   The negative electrode plate which has the negative electrode active material layer which has a carbonaceous material or a graphite material as a main component on the at least single side | surface of the negative electrode collector of Claim 2.   An active material layer containing at least one selected from the group consisting of metallic lithium, metallic tin, a tin compound, a silicon simple substance, and a silicon compound is formed on at least one surface of the negative electrode current collector according to claim 2. A negative electrode plate.   A negative electrode plate according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the negative electrode plate group is composed of a lithium transition metal composite oxide as a main component of the positive electrode active material and a positive electrode plate, a non-aqueous electrolyte solution, and an electrode plate, which are arranged in an insulating manner via a separator. A secondary battery comprising a group and a battery case containing a non-aqueous electrolyte.

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