Polymers and the use thereof as lubricating agents in the production of alkali metal films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10711218-B2
Application number	US-201816158996-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2018
Priority date	Apr 1, 2014
Publication date	Jul 14, 2020
Grant date	Jul 14, 2020

Abstract

Polymers used as rolling lubricating agents, to compositions including said polymers, and to alkali metal films including the polymers or compositions on the surface(s) thereof. The use of said polymers and compositions is also described for strip-rolling alkali metals or alloys thereof in order to obtain thin films. Methods for producing said thin films, which are suitable for use in electrochemical cells, are also described. An improved lubricant according to formula I, which, for example, achieves enhanced conductivity, and/or enables the production of electrochemical cells having an improved life span in cycles.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing an alkali metal film, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
a) applying a lubricating agent on at least one of the first and second surfaces of an alkali metal strip, producing a lubricated alkali metal strip; and
b) rolling the lubricated alkali metal strip obtained in step (a) between at least two rollers, wherein the rolling produces an alkali metal film;
wherein the lubricating agent is a polymer of Formula I:

wherein,
m and n denote the number of repeated units A and B, respectively, in the polymer; m being a positive whole number, and n being a positive whole number, or zero if the repeated unit B is absent, and wherein m and n are selected to provide that the molecular weight of the polymer of Formula I is from 1000 to 10 6 ;
R 1 , independently at each occurrence, is selected from linear or branched monovalent hydrocarbon radicals;
R 2 , independently at each occurrence, is selected from —CH 2 CH 2 —O— and —CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 O—, wherein R 2 is bound to N by a carbon atom, or R 2 is absent and N is covalently bound to R 4 ;
R 3 , independently at each occurrence, is selected from linear or branched monovalent hydrocarbon radicals;
R 4 , independently at each occurrence, is a polyether residue of formula —[CH(R 5 )CH 2 O] s CH 3 , wherein 5 ≤s≤100; and
R 5 , independently at each occurrence, is a hydrogen atom or a CH 3 group.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (a) is carried out by the application of the lubricating agent on the alkali metal strip at the inlet of the rollers and/or by prior coating of the rolling rollers with or without further addition of lubricating agent directly onto the alkali metal strip before step (b).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein m and n are selected to provide that the molecular weight of the lubricating agent is from 2000 to 250,000.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein m and n are selected to provide that the molecular weight of the lubricating agent is from 2000 to 50,000.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein m and n are selected to provide that the molecular weight of the lubricating agent is from 50,000 to 200,000.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 , independently at each occurrence, is a linear or branched monovalent hydrocarbon radical of formula C r H 2r +1 , wherein 8 ≤r≤18.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 3 is independently at each occurrence a linear or branched monovalent hydrocarbon radical of formula C t H 2t+1 , wherein 8≤t≤18.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein 8≤s≤50.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the repeated units A:B expressed as mole percent in the polymer is from 100:0 to 10:90.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the ratio of the repeated units A:B expressed as mole percent in the polymer is from 60:40 to 10:90.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 2 is absent.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 4 is selected from:
a polyether residue of formula —[CH(R 5 )CH 2 O] s CH 3 , wherein R 5 is CH 3 in each occurrence;
a polyether residue of formula —[CH(R 5 )CH 2 O] s CH 3 , wherein R 5 is a hydrogen atom in each occurrence; and
a polyether residue of formula —[CH(R 5 )CH 2 O] s CH 3 , wherein R 5 , independently at each occurrence, is CH 3 or hydrogen, such that R 4 is a polyether residue comprising repeated units of propylene oxide (PO) and of ethylene oxide (EO), wherein the polyether residue has a molar ratio of PO:EO between about 20:1 and about 1:30.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein R 4 is a polyether residue comprising repeated units of propylene oxide (PO) and of ethylene oxide (EO), wherein the molar ratio of PO:EO is between about 10:1 and about 1:10.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the polyether residue has a molecular weight between about 300 g/mole and about 5000 g/mole.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the polyether residue has a molecular weight between about 500 and about 2500 g/mole.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the lubricating agent is selected from Polymers 1 to 5:

Ratio A:B
Molecular

R 4
(approx.
weight

Polymer
R 1
R 2
R 3
(PO:EO)
mole %)
(approx.)

1
C 16 H 33
Absent
Absent
 3:19
100:0
5000

2
C 16 H 33
Absent
Absent
10:31
100:0
5000

3
C 16 H 33
Absent
C 18 H 37
 3:19
 33:67
145,000-

175,000

4
C 16 H 33
Absent
C 18 H 37
10:31
 20:80
165,000-

195,000

5
C 16 H 33
Absent
Absent
29:6 
100:0
7000.

17. A polymer of Formula I

wherein,
m and n denote the number of repeated units A and B, respectively, in the polymer; m being a positive whole number, and n being a positive whole number, or zero if the repeated unit B is absent, and wherein m and n are selected to provide that the molecular weight of the polymer of Formula I is from 1000 to 10 6 ;
R 1 , independently at each occurrence, is selected from linear or branched monovalent hydrocarbon radicals

Assignees

• Hydro Quebec

Inventors

• Zaghib Karim
• Armand Michel
• Bouchard Patrick
• Verreault Serge
• Hamel-Pâquet Julie
• Girard Gabriel

Classifications

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M4/628

  Inhibitors, e.g. gassing inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors · CPC title

• H01M4/405

  Alloys based on lithium · CPC title

• H01M4/366

  as layered products · CPC title

• H01M4/134

  Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys · CPC title