MXPA00000095A - Organic solvent vapor detector - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an organic liquid and/or vapor detector which is useful in Lithium Ion batteries and other devices containing organic liquids and/or vapors comprising a supported or unsupported swellable polymeric material which is sensitive to organic liquids and/or vapors. The swellable polymeric material is a polymer, copolymer or physical mixture thereof that may, optionally, be filled with electrically conductive particles. A process of preparing the detector and devices containing the same are also disclosed.

Description

VAPOR DEVICE OF ORGANIC SOLVENT DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to the technique of an organic liquid and / or vapor detector and more specifically to a battery pack detector which can be used in conjunction with a battery-operated device or an on-board battery controller. , intelligent. The detector of the present invention comprises a liquid, organic, swellable polymeric material, which, optionally, may contain electrically conductive particles dispersed therein. The detector of the present invention, which may be supported or not supported, is highly sensitive in the detection of organic liquids and / or vapors, typically found in rechargeable or primary batteries, as well as the level of such organic liquids in a container. The advent of portable, intelligent electronic devices, such as notebook-type computers, video cameras, cell phones and the like, has made possible the development of rechargeable and primary batteries that maintain safety and security.

REF. 32467 In some cases, they can communicate with the smart device to provide accurate information about the state of charge present in the battery, and how good it is to recharge the battery to maintain the maximum life of the battery, thus making the highest possible number possible. of loading-unloading states. A user of such portable, intelligent electronic devices, using such batteries, will not only know how much charge is left in the battery, but also the time spent in the battery at various speeds of energy consumption. This makes it possible for the user to select a mode of operation that will make possible a maximum service life on the remaining state of charge and how long the device will operate. Although rechargeable and primary batteries are reliable and are an economical source of energy, under some circumstances, such as during various charging or discharging cycles, battery leaks can develop which could adversely affect the operation of electronic devices and the security devices. Leaks are typically caused by defects in the construction of the battery itself or by the generation of electrolytic gases during the battery cycle or storage at high temperature, which can damage the battery cell or cause a seal failure. Although leaks are not a common occurrence in rechargeable and primary batteries, they can be harmful to the electronic safety circuitry of the portable device, since the battery is typically in close proximity to the electronic circuitry of the device. Thus, there is a need for a package or battery pack containing a leak detector which highly responds to organic vapors and / or liquids that are present in the battery cell. The electronic devices, after detecting the leak, could have enough time to make the package or package benign. By maintaining safety, the packaging could be returned for repair, replacement or etc. The user could also be warned that the packaging has suffered fatal damage and must be replaced or repaired. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a detector that can be used in a battery packaging or in conjunction with a portable, intelligent electronic device.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a detector that is highly sensitive to polar and / or non-polar organic liquids and / or vapors, and thus provides a rapid response if such liquids and / or organic vapors are emitted by a nearby battery cell or other source containing such liquids and / or organic vapors. A further objective of the present invention is to provide a detector that can be used to detect leaks in various devices and / or the fluid level of an organic liquid in a container. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a reversible response. This is, the detector is capable of signaling the removal of the liquid and / or organic vapor from a container. These, as well as other objects, are achieved by the present invention by providing a detector which comprises an inflatable, liquid, organic, supported or unsupported polymeric material which, optionally, may contain electrically conductive particles dispersed therein. That is, the detector of the present invention comprises an inflatable polymer material which is capable of displaying volume changes when exposed to a liquid and / or organic vapor. Any change in the volume of the polymeric material as a result of swelling of the liquid, may subsequently result in an electrical signal response such as a change in resistivity, capacitance or acoustic inductance of the transducer. The nature of the polymeric material is dependent on the solubility parameters such as the polarity and the hydrogen bond index of the target liquid. In general, the solubility parameters of the polymeric material are similar to the target liquid. Thus, when searching for the detection of polar liquids and / or vapors, the polymeric material is composed of an inflatable, polar polymeric material. Similarly, an inflatable, non-polar polymeric material is used to detect non-polar organic liquids and / or vapors. When operating in the preferred resistance mode, the polymeric material is filled with electrically conductive particles and electrically bonded between the electrically conductive terminals. The polymeric material may be coated on at least one side of a mechanical support carrier, or it may be unsupported. The swelling of the organic liquid of the polymeric material increases the distance between the dispersed electrically conductive particles, resulting in a corresponding increase in electrical resistance. The preferred geometry of the polymeric material operating in the resistive mode is a thin film, supported or not supported. The rate or rate of change of the electrical signal response is proportional to the swelling speed of the polymeric material. In order to maximize the response time, the mass ratio of the polymeric material to the target organic liquid or vapor must be minimized, and this can be achieved with the thin film geometry. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the polymeric material can be operated in the capacitive mode and this is achieved by sandwiching the polymeric material, preferably as a thin film, between two porous or non-porous electrically conductive plates. Exposure to an organic liquid or vapor induces swelling of the polymeric material and produces a corresponding change in the distance between the conductive plates resulting in a capacitive signal. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the polymeric material can be operated in an acoustic conductive mode by mechanically coupling the polymeric material between two mechanical transducers (a transmitter and a receiver), such as is present in a surface acoustic wave device (SAW). Exposure to the liquid and / or organic vapor produces a change in the acoustic conduction properties of the swollen polymeric material, resulting in a corresponding modulation of the transducer signal. Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to the manufacturing processes of the aforementioned detector. In accordance with this aspect of the present invention, the detector is manufactured either by printing the swellable polymeric material using printing techniques well known to those skilled in the art directly through two electrically conductive traces or traces on a printed circuit board, or as a component of film, supported, separated, which is subsequently electrically connected to a circuit. An example of the latter method is as follows: the provision of the support film coated with the aforementioned polymeric material; die cutting of the support film coated with the polymer, to provide a material having a strength of about 100 to about 1 Megaohms / frame; and coupling the electrically conductive cables to the die cut film or directly joining the die cut film to a circuit board. A further aspect of the present invention relates to the various devices such as smoke detectors, fire alarms and battery packages for camera recorders and the like which contain the detector of the present invention. In the case of battery packages, a terminal means is provided for connecting the battery pack to a device energized by the battery, a battery includes at least one rechargeable or primary battery cell connected to the terminal means, and the battery detector present invention connected to the battery. This equipment allows the detection of leaks by the nearby battery cell. In yet another aspect of the present invention, the detector is used as a continuous level indicator to periodically check the amount of fluid in a container. This aspect of the present invention is indicated by the ability of the polymeric material to return substantially to the same shape as before contact with the liquid. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a detector of the present invention comprising a polymeric material swellable by liquid and / or unfilled organic vapor, which is sandwiched between two electrically conductive plates. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a detector of the present invention comprising an electrically conductive, liquid-swellable and / or organic vapor-filled polymeric material supported on a polymeric base. Figure 3 is an electronic diagram showing the detector of the present invention in use in a Duracell Battery Operation system (hereinafter "DBOS"). As indicated above, the detector of the present invention comprises a polymeric material Inflatable by liquid and / or organic vapor which, optionally, can be filled with electrically conductive particles By the "inflatable polymeric material" is meant any polymer, copolymer or physical mixture thereof which after contact with a liquid and / or Organic steam shows volume expansion. It is noted that after the liquid and / or organic vapor is removed, the polymeric material returns to its original volume. The detector of the present invention can be in any geometric shape such as cubic, spherical or thin film. A preferred geometric shape of the detector of the present invention is a thin film. As stated above, the detector of the present invention can be supported on a carrier material or it can be unsupported, depending on its mode of operation. Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which show the various detectors of the present invention. It is emphasized that similar elements in the drawings are referred by similar reference numbers. Specifically, in Figure 1, a capacitive detector 10 is shown comprising an inflatable polymeric material 14, of liquid and / or organic vapor that is sandwiched between the conductive plates 16 and 16 '. The conductive plates 16 and 16 'employed in the present invention are composed of conventional conductive materials such as copper, silver, brass, tin, nickel, gold and the like. In this embodiment, the polymeric material 14 is not filled with an electrically conductive material. If the plates 16 and 16 'are replaced with a mechanical transmission and reception transducer, the device operates as an organic liquid detector, of the acoustic transducer type. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 2, the detector 10 is a solid material comprising a support film 12 which is coated with a polymeric material., inflatable by liquid and / or organic vapor, which is filled with electrically conductive particles. Alternatively, the backing film 12 can be a printed circuit board or board wherein the liquid-swellable and / or organic vapor-filled, polymeric material is coated or printed on the surface thereof. The support film 12 which is employed in the present invention as a carrier material can be any non-electrically conductive material which is not dissolved or the integrity of which is not adversely affected by the matrix coating solvent. Preferred materials are films, sheets or polymeric laminates such as polyesters (including poly (ethylene terephthalate), poly (butylene terephthalate), poly (naphthalene terephthalate), heterocyclic aromatic polyimides (such as Kapton® supplied by Dupont), polypropylene , polyethylene, polyethylene ionomers (such as Surlyn ® supplied by Dupont), polybutylene, polyvinyl fluoride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl chloride, polyamides (such as Nylon ® supplied by Dupont), ethylene vinyl acetate, cellulose acetate, polyurethane and the like As set forth above, the support film 12 may be a printed circuit board or card.

The thickness of the support film is not a critical limitation to the present invention, but typically, the support film has a thickness that is in the range of about 12.7 microns to 1270 microns (0.5 to about 50 mils). The polymeric material 14 employed in the present invention is any polar or non-polar elastomeric polymer or copolymer which is preferably crosslinked, and which swells upon contact with a liquid and / or organic vapor. Physical mixtures of said polymers and / or copolymers are also contemplated by the present invention. The term "physical mixtures" is used herein to denote a mixture of polymers and / or copolymers in which no chemical bond is formed between the polymers and / or the copolymers, and it is preferred, but not necessary, that the The polymeric swelling material has a vitreous transition temperature below about 30 ° C in order to have the polymer chains sufficiently mobile to expand upon contact with a vapor and / or organic liquid.The suitable polymers that can be used in the formation of polymeric material 14 includes, but is not limited to: fluoroelastomers, urethanes, neoprene, polyacrylates, polysulfides, silicones, butyl and the like Examples of suitable copolymers that may be employed include, but are not limited to: acrylonitrile-butadiene, acrylonitrile- styrene-butadiene, acrylonitrile-styrene-isoprene, styrene-butadiene, styrene-butadiene-isoprene and the like. The highly preferred grouper employed in the present invention is a fluoroelastomer such as is commercially available from Pelomer Labs under the tradename PLV 2069. It is emphasized that the aforementioned polymers and copolymers are highly sensitive to the detection of liquids and / or organic vapors. non-polar, dependent on the equalization of the respective polarity of the swellable polymer to the liquid and / or organic vapor. When the polymeric material 14 swellable by liquid and / or organic vapor is filled, it is typically filled with a population of electrically conductive particles. The electrically conductive particles employed in the present invention are conventional conductors well known to those of skill in the art.

Examples of electrically conductive particles that may be employed in the present invention include, but are not limited to: carbon black, graphite, silver, tin, gold, palladium, nickel, and the like. Mixtures of these electrically conductive particles such as silver and graphite are also contemplated herein. The highly preferred electrically conductive particles that are employed in the present invention are a mixture of carbon black and graphite. The electrically conductive particles can be of any form. However, it is preferred that the electrically conductive particles are flat flakes or spherical powders. Typically, the size of the electrically conductive particles is in the range of about 10 nanometers to about 100 microns. More preferably, the particle size of the electrically conductive particles is from about 0.01 to about 50 microns. It should be emphasized that the inflatable, non-filled polymeric material or the inflatable, filled, electrically conductive polymeric material used in the present invention can be manufactured using conventional means well known to those skilled in the art, or these can be commercially obtained. . An example of a commercially available inflatable, filled, electrically conductive polymeric material is Electrodag 501® supplied by Acheson Colloids Inc., which is a combination of carbon black and graphite particles in a fluoroelastomer resin system. Typically, the polymer liquid and / or organic vapor swellable material contains from about 1 to about 90% by weight, of electrically conductive particles dispersed in the matrix of the polymeric material. More preferably, the swellable polymeric material contains from about 30 to about 70% by weight of electrically conductive particles. When supported on a base material, the polymeric material swellable by liquid and / or organic vapor is in the form of a thin coating which is prepared by predispersing the conductive particles in a solvent capable of dissolving the swellable polymeric material, followed by the dissolution of the inflatable polymeric material. Depending on the type of inflatable polymeric material employed, suitable coating solvents include, but are not limited to: methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, toluene, tetrahydrofuran, and the like. Alternatively, the matrix coating solution can be prepared by mixing commercially available conductive coating solutions with suitable, swellable polymeric materials. After application to the support film, the electrically conductive, inflatable, filled polymer material has a strength of about 20 ohms / square to about 1 megaohm / square. More preferably, the resistance of the electrically conductive, filled, swellable polymer material before application is from about 1 Kohm / frame to about 100 Kohm / frame and can be adjusted by varying the proportion of the mass of conductive particles to the polymer mass inflatable The filled, swellable polymer solution is emptied, for example applied to at least one surface of the support film 12, using conventional coating techniques well known to those skilled in the art.

For example, the coating of the support film with the inflatable, filled polymer material can be conducted by brush or brush placement, dipping, knife coating, rotogravure, wire rod coating, spraying and the like. A preferred means of applying the swellable polymeric coating solution, filled to the support film is by wire rod coating. It is again emphasized that the support material is a board or circuit board, the inflatable polymeric material containing the electrically conductive particles is either directly printed on the elements of the board circuit or circuit board using printing techniques well known to those of experience in the matter, or alternatively, this is first supported on a support film and then attached to the set of circuits found on the board or printed circuit board using a silver epoxy adhesive. In accordance with the present invention, a uniform coating of the filled, swellable polymer solution is applied to the surface of the support film. By "uniform" it is meant that the wet coating has a thickness of about 25.4 microns to about 762 microns (1 to about 30 mils) It is emphasized that the above range represents the thickness of the wet coating before drying. Coated support film is dried using conditions and techniques well known to those of skill in the art One way to dry the coated film is by air drying, which, depending on the size of the coated film and the coating solvent chosen, It can take from about 0.1 to about 1 hour Another way to dry the coated film is by heating in an oven Typically, when oven drying is employed, the temperature of the oven is from about 60 ° C to about 150 ° C and The drying time is from about 1 to about 30 minutes.It does not matter which of the techniques Prior drying is used, the final thickness of the coatings is from about 2.54 microns to 38.1 microns (0.1 to about 1.5 thousandths of an inch). After drying, the coated backing film is die cut into a shape that provides a resistance of about 20 ohms / square to about 1 megaohm / square. In addition, since the proportion of polymer swelling is proportional to the rate or rate of increase of the mass ratio of organic liquid / polymeric material, the ideal form of the device would be a thin film. All the aforementioned properties can be achieved by die cutting the coated film, in a way that maximizes the length of the path or electrical path, while minimizing the total external dimensions such as a thin film in the form of * u "o * w" The next step of the present invention is to couple conductive electric cables 20, for example silver or copper cables, to the coated film cut by die. The cables can be coupled to any edge of the thin film, but it is preferred that they be coupled to the more distant ends of the coated surface of the thin film. The cables are coupled using conventional electrical joining means well known to those skilled in the art. A preferred means of electrically bonding cables 20 to the die cut film is by the use of a thermoplastic or thermosetting adhesive 18 filled with silver epoxy material, such as a silver epoxy. When a polymeric material swellable by liquid and / or organic vapor is not supported on a support film, the swellable polymeric material is either placed between two conductive plates or two transducers which are electrically connected to a circuit. In these cases, the inflatable polymeric material is in the form of an unsupported thin film, and is die cut as mentioned above and placed between the plates or transducers. The above description describes the basic form of the detector of the present invention as well as the process that is employed to manufacture it. The detector of the present invention is useful in the detection of organic liquids, for example, polar and / or non-polar liquids, emitted or leaked by a nearby source containing said organic liquids. Alternatively, the detector of the present invention can be used to continuously check the level of an organic liquid in a container.

The following description illustrates the use of the detector of the present invention as a leak detector in a package or battery pack comprising at least one rechargeable or primary battery cell which contains a polar organic liquid such as the electrolyte. Suitable polar organic liquids that may be present in such battery cells and thus detected by the present invention are ethylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, and the like. Mixtures of these polar organic liquids may also be present in the battery cell. The term "rechargeable battery cell" is used herein to denote rechargeable lithium ion (Lilon), nickel metal hydride (NiMH) or nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries.A preferred rechargeable battery used in the present invention is a Lilon battery In accordance with the present invention, a battery package for detecting polar organic liquids and / or vapors is provided comprising terminal means for connecting the package to a device energized by the battery, a battery includes at least one of the aforementioned rechargeable battery cells, connected to the terminal means, and a detector of the present invention electrically connected to said battery.The rechargeable battery cell can be replaced by a primary battery cell which is described for example in Kirk -Othmer, Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Third Edition, Vol. 13, 1978, pp. 503-545.When a leak is detected in the cell When the battery is removed by the previous arrangement, an electronic signal is emitted by the leak detector to a computer, fuse or other device that will alert the user to such leakage. A preferred device to alert the user of a leak is an intelligent battery device, such as a Duracell Battery Operating System (DBOS) which includes the physical equipment ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a CPU, an Analog Converter a Digital, the Meter of Current Measurement, the Meter of Temperature Measurement, the Meter of Measurement of Packing Voltage, the Meter of Measurement of the Voltage of the Cell, ROM, RAM, Backup Circuit of RAM Data, Interconnection 12C / SMBUS, clock generator circuit, alarm comparator circuit, LED exciters, Interface or Interconnection Circuits, Physical Equipment Operation Modes (Hardware), Run Mode: Input / Output, Sample Mode; Input / Output and Sleep Mode: Input / Output. A full discussion of DBOS can be found in the North American applications for common membership Serial No. 08 / 336,945, filed on November 10, 1994, now US Patent No. 5, 633., 573; and 08 / 318,004 filed on October 4, 1994, now US Patent No. 5,606,242; as well as the co-pending joint US provisional application Serial No. 60 / 034,320, filed on December 20, 1996, (Case of Attorney P-10445) the content of which is incorporated by reference herein. Reference is now made to Figure 3, which shows the use of a detector of the present invention, comprising a supported swellable polymeric material which is filled with electrically conductive particles in a typical DBOS module. In this figure, Cl, C2 and C3 denote Lilon cells which are connected in series with one another; Ql and Q2 are transistors that are connected to the Lilon cells through the resistor R5; Fl is a fuse; Rl and VI are the resistance and voltage between the positive and negative terminal ends, respectively. The detector of the present invention is also placed between the positive and negative terminal ends of the DBOS module. The module has two major functional blocks, namely the overvoltage protection and the fuel meter whose functions are described in more detail in the copending applications mentioned above. It also contains an electronic circuit breaker and data communication gates or inputs, 12C and the gate, respectively, which are typically connected to a computer. According to the present invention, when the detector of the present invention is exposed to liquid urt and / or polar organic vapor, its electric resistance rises increasing the voltage VI. The electronic switch circuit shown in Figure 3 is designed to travel in response to the voltage increase such that it provides a low resistance path and melts the fuse Fl. In addition to being used for the detection of battery leaks, the detector of the present invention can be used in other areas where liquid and / or organic vapors (polar and / or non-polar) are emitted into the atmosphere. Examples of other uses for the detector of the present invention include, but are not limited to: solvent storage areas, naval bilge compartments, chemical vapor hoods, fire alarms, smoke stacks, automobile engine compartments, solvent coating manufacturing operations, and the like. For example, when used in a ship's bilge, if gasoline (or a non-polar liquid) were to leak from an adjacent fuel tank, gasoline and its vapors could cause the non-polar polymeric material in the detector to swell. , that the resistor changes, etc., (depending on what type of detector is used) and correspondingly triggers an alarm. The following examples are given to illustrate the scope of the invention. Because these examples are given for illustrative purposes only, the invention exemplified herein should not be limited thereto.

EXAMPLE 1 A Kapton film of 101 μm (4 mils) (a polyimide support film supplied by Dupont) was bar coated with 305 μm (12 mils) of Electrodag® 502 (fluoroelastomer filled with carbon dissolved in methyl ethyl ketone supplied by Acheson Colloids Inc.) and allowed to air dry. The final coating of Electrodag® 502 had a thickness of approximately 10.1 μm (0.4 mils) and a specific resistivity of 1 Kohm / frame. The coated film was then cut into 2.54 cm (1 inch) squares and thin copper (Cu) wires were attached to the edges of the cut film using a silver epoxy resin such as the adhesive (Epotek® E3114 supplied by Epoxi Technology Inc. .). When exposed to the electrolytic vapor of the lithium ion cell of LiPF6 EC 1 M (ethylene carbonate): DMC (dimethyl carbonate) (100% saturated in vapor phase), the resistivity is increased by a factor of more than twice Within sixty seconds. This example demonstrates that a support film coated with an electrically conductive, inflatable, filled polymer material can be successfully used as a leak detector in lithium ion batteries.

EXAMPLE 2 A 101 μm (4 mil) polyester film was bar coated with 14 mils (356 μm) of a 50:50 blend of Electrodag® 501 (Acheson Colloids Inc.): PLON 2069 Viton® (Pelomer Labs) ) in solution, and dried at 60 ° C for 30 minutes. The thickness of the dry film of the coating was approximately 18 μm (0.7 mils). Next, a rectangular section of 15.7 x 5 mm (0.62 x 0.20 inch) was cut from the coated polyester film, and electrically bonded at the longest edges with cables using a silver epoxy (Epotek® E3114 supplied by Epoxi Technology Inc.). The normal resistance of the device was 40-50 Kohms. When exposed to LiPF6 EC 1M: DMC 1: 1 electrolytic vapor, the resistance was increased to 130 Kohms in one minute and to more than 1 mega-oh in less than two minutes.

EXAMPLE 3 A further wet aspiration of 180 μm (7 mils) of the following polymer solution was emptied onto a Mylar® support film of 101 μm (4 mils) (a polyester film supplied by DuPont): Carbon black, graphite and Tamol 165 were predispersed in the solvent with a ball mill, followed by the addition of the urethane polymer solution. After the cast film was dried, rectangular sections of 15.7 x 5 mm (0.62 x 0.20 inches) were cut and the electrical guides were joined with Ag epoxy to the longer edges using Epotek® E3114 (Epoxy Technology Inc.) and they were cured by heat at 130 ° C for about 30 minutes. The resistance of the device, as measured by a standard ohmmeter, was 27 Kohm. When 1 M LiPFe: 1: 1 dimethyl carbonate was exposed to ethylene carbonate vapor, the resistance was raised to 70 Kohm in about 1 minute.

EXAMPLE 4 An acrylic matrix film was prepared by mixing the following acrylic polymer solution: * A carbon / acrylic mixture supplied by Acheson Colloids Inc. ** An acrylic polymer solution supplied by Monsanto Chemical An additional aspiration of 360 μm (14 mils) was emptied onto a 101 μm polyester support film (4 mils) inch) and dried, resulting in a dry acrylic / carbon coating of 76.2 μm (3 mils). Gelva 2480 reticulates after it dries, making it insoluble but swellable in solvents. Rectangular sections (15.2 x 5 mm (0.62 x 0.20 inches)) were cut and the electric guides were silver / epoxied to the longer edges using Epotek® E3114 (Epoxy Technology Inc.) and heat cured at 130 ° C for approximately 30 minutes. The film was coupled to a multiohmmeter and the resistance was recorded. The resistance of the device was 10 Kohm. When exposed to ethylene carbonate vapor LiPF6 1 M: dimethyl carbonate 1: 1, the resistance of the device rose to 28 Kohms in 2 minutes and to 380 Kohm in 15 minutes. The above embodiments and examples are given to illustrate the scope and spirit of the present invention. These modalities and examples will be apparent, to those skilled in the art, other modalities and examples. These other embodiments and examples are within the scope of the present invention; therefore, the present invention should be limited only by the appended claims.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (40)

CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property:

1. A detector comprising an inflatable polymer material, characterized in the inflatable polymeric material because it is a polymer, copolymer or physical swelling mixture thereof, capable of volume changes when exposed to a liquid and / or organic vapor.

2. The detector according to claim 1, characterized in that the inflatable polymeric material is filled with electrically conductive particles.

3. The detector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inflatable polymer material is supported on a support film, board or circuit board.

4. The detector according to claim 3, characterized in that the support material is a support film.

5. The detector according to claim 2, characterized in that the electrically conductive particles are selected from the group consisting of carbon black, graphite, silver, tin, gold, palladium, nickel and mixtures thereof.

6. The detector according to claim 5, characterized in that the electrically conductive particles are a mixture of graphite particles and carbon black.

7. The detector according to claim 1, characterized in that the swellable polymeric material has a glass transition temperature below about 30 ° C.

8. The detector according to claim 1, characterized in that the swellable polymer material is a crosslinked polymer or copolymer capable of undergoing absorption of liquid and / or organic vapor the corresponding volumetric expansion.

9. The detector according to claim 1, characterized in that the polymeric material is composed of a polar or non-polar polymer or copolymer.

10. The detector according to claim 9, characterized in that the inflatable polymer material is a polymer selected from the group consisting of fluoroelastomers, urethanes, neoprene, polyacrylates, polysulfides, butyl, silicones, and other physical mixtures thereof.

11. The detector according to claim 9, characterized in that the polymer is selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile-styrene-butadiene, acrylonitrile-butadiene and styrene-isoprene, styrene-butadiene and styrene-butadiene-isoprene, butyl rubber, rubber Isoprene and physical mixtures thereof.

12. The detector according to claim 10, characterized in that the inflatable polymeric material is a fluoroelastomer.

13. The detector according to claim 2, characterized in that the electrically conductive particles are flat flakes or spherical powders.

14. The detector according to claim 2, characterized in that the electrically conductive particles have a particle size in the range of about 10 nm to 100 microns.

15. The detector according to claim 14, characterized in that the electrically conductive particles have a particle size of from about 0.01 to about 50 microns.

16. The detector according to claim 4, characterized in that the support film has a thickness of about 12.7 to about 1270 micrometers (about 0.5 to about 50 mils).

17. The detector according to claim 2, characterized in that the swellable polymer material contains from about 1 to about 90% by weight of electrically conductive particles.

18. The detector according to claim 1, characterized in that the swellable polymer material is applied to a support material such as a thin, moist, uniform film having a thickness of about 25.4 to about 762 micrometers (about 1 to about 30 mils) ).

19. The detector according to claim 18, characterized in that the swellable polymer material, after drying, has a thickness of about 2.54 microns to about 38.1 microns (about 0.1 to about 1.5 mils).

20. The detector according to claim 1, characterized in that the inflatable polymeric material is unsupported, and is placed between two electrically conductive, porous or non-porous plates.

21. The detector according to claim 1, characterized in that the inflatable polymeric material is supported and placed between a mechanical transducer of transmission and reception.

22. A detector useful in battery packaging, characterized in that it comprises: an inflatable polymer material which swells when placed in contact with a liquid and / or organic, polar vapor.

23. The detector according to claim 22, characterized in that the inflatable polymeric material is a polar polymer or copolymer, or a physical mixture thereof.

24. The detector according to claim 22, characterized in that the inflatable polymer material is filled with electrically conductive particles.

25. A process for the manufacture of a liquid and / or organic vapor detector, useful in battery packaging, characterized the process because it comprises: the provision of a support film having a polymeric material swellable by liquid and / or organic vapor, coated on at least one surface of said base material; and die cutting the coated backing film, to provide a material having an electrical resistance of about 20 ohms to about 1 Megaohm / square.

26. The process according to claim 25, characterized in that the swellable polymer material is a polymer, copolymer or physical mixture thereof, capable of displaying a volume change when exposed to a liquid and / or organic vapor.

27. The process according to claim 26, characterized in that the polymeric material is filled with electrically conductive particles.

28. The process according to claim 25, characterized in that it also comprises the coupling of electrically conductive cables to the die cut film.

29. The process according to claim 25, characterized in that it further comprises directly attaching the die cut film to a board or circuit board.

30. The process according to claim 25, characterized in that the coating is applied by brush, dipping, knife coating, rotogravure, wire rod coating or spray coating.

31. The process according to claim 30, characterized in that the coating is applied by coating by wire rod.

32. The process according to claim 28, characterized in that the electrically conductive cable or wire is a copper or silver cable.

33. The process according to claim 32, characterized in that the cable is coupled using a silver epoxy adhesive.

34. The process according to claim 25, characterized in that the die cut film is attached to a board or circuit board using a silver epoxy adhesive.

35. A process for the provision of a detector to a board or circuit board, characterized in that it comprises: the provision of a board or circuit board having circuit elements on it; and the printing of an inflatable polymer material on the elements of the circuit.

36. The process according to claim 35, characterized in that the inflatable polymeric material is a polymer, copolymer or physical mixture thereof, capable of showing a volume change when exposed to a liquid and / or organic vapor.

37. The process according to claim 36, characterized in that the inflatable polymer material is filled with electrically conductive particles.

38. A battery packaging, characterized in that it comprises: a terminal means for connecting a battery pack to a device energized by the battery; a battery that includes at least one rechargeable or primary battery cell connected to the terminal means, and a detector according to claim 1 or 22 connected to the battery.

39. The battery pack according to claim 38, characterized in that the rechargeable battery cell is a lithium ion battery cell.

40. The battery packaging according to claim 38, characterized in that the device energized by the battery is. a notebook computer, a video camera or a cell phone.