High temperature melt integrity battery separators via spinning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9577235-B2
Application number	US-201314132718-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2013
Priority date	Dec 18, 2012
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A method for preparing a high temperature melt integrity separator, the method comprising spinning a polymer by one or more of a mechanical spinning process and an electro-spinning process to produce fine fibers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
dissolving a polymer in a solvent to provide a polymer solution, wherein the polymer comprises one or more of polyetherimide, poly(amic acid), aromatic polyamide, poly(amide-imide), and polyphenylene oxide; and
spinning the polymer solution into fine fibers by a shear solution spinning method, wherein the shear solution spinning method comprises injecting the polymer solution into an anti-solvent medium, and wherein flow rate and viscosity of the anti-solvent medium are configured to generate shear forces on the injected polymer solution to form fine fibers.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent comprises acetone, chloroform, ethanol, isopropanol, methanol, butanol, toluene, tetrahydrofuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methyl acetate, dimethyl acetate, water, benzene, styrene, ethyl benzene, benzyl alcohol, 1,4-dioxane, propanol, carbon tetrachloride, tetrachloroethylene, cyclohexane, hexane, pentane, cyclohexanone, cyclopentane, methylene chloride, a phenolic solvent, pyridine, trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, N,N-dimethyl formamide, ethylene dichloride, dimethyl sulfoxide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, a pyrrolidone-based solvent, ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, acetonitrile, N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide, butylene carbonate, 1,4-butyrolactone, diethyl carbonate, diethylether, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, 1,3-dioxolane, ethyl methyl carbonate, methyl formate, 3-methyloxazolidin-2-on, methyl propionate, 2-methyletetrahydrofurane, sulpholane, anisole, isophorone, xylene, carbon disulfide, chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, sulfuric acid, or dichloroethane, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anti-solvent medium comprises water, ethylene glycol, glycerol, acetone, chloroform, ethanol, isopropanol, methanol, butanol, toluene, tetrahydrofuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methyl acetate, dimethyl acetate, water, benzene, styrene, ethyl benzene, benzyl alcohol, 1,4-dioxane, propanol, carbon tetrachloride, tetrachloroethylene, cyclohexane, hexane, pentane, cyclohexanone, cyclopentane, methylene chloride, a phenolic solvent, pyridine, trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, N,N-dimethyl formamide, ethylene dichloride, dimethyl sulfoxide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, a pyrrolidone-based solvent, ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, acetonitrile, N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide, butylene carbonate, 1,4-butyrolactone, diethyl carbonate, diethylether, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, 1,3-dioxolane, ethyl methyl carbonate, methyl formate, 3-methyloxazolidin-2-on, methyl propionate, 2-methyletetrahydrofurane, sulpholane, anisole, isophorone, xylene, carbon disulfide, chlorobenzene, or dichlorobenzene, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer solution during the shear solution spinning method has a temperature from about 23° C. to about the boiling point of the solvent.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer solution comprises about 2.5 wt % to about 35 wt % of the polymer based on the total weight of the polymer solution.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer solution has a viscosity of about 14 cP to about 290,000 cP.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting the fine fibers in a solvent or an anti-solvent medium as a slurry.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising forming a fiber-based structure, wherein the forming the fiber-based structure comprises subjecting the slurry to a wet-laid non-woven fabrication process.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising forming a fiber-based structure, wherein the forming the fiber-based structure comprises subjecting the slurry to a dry-laid fabrication process.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a fiber-based structure by collecting the fine fibers onto a collector.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the collector comprises a woven polymer, nonwoven substrate, a porous polymer substrate, a polyethylene micro-porous substrate, a battery electrode or a capacitor electrode, or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the formed fibers are used to prepare a fiber-based structure by a drying step, a dispersion step into a solvent, a dry laid process, a wet laid process, a paper-making process, a dry spraying method, a wet spraying method, a thermal treatment, a pressure treatment, or combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a fiber-based structure, wherein the porosity of the fiber-based structure is in the range of about 10% to about 90%.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a fiber-based structure, wherein the fiber-based structure has a thickness of about 10 μm to about 200 μm.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a fiber-based structure, wherein the fiber-based structure comprises fibers with an individual average diameter of about 10 nm to about 50 μm.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a fiber-based structure, wherein the fiber-based structure shows less than about 5% deformation at a temperature of about 150° C.

17. A method comprising:
dissolving a polymer in a solvent to provide a polymer solution, wherein the polymer comprises one or more of polyetherimide, poly(amic acid), aromatic polyamide, poly(amide-imide) and polyphenylene oxide; and
spinning the polymer solution into fine fibers by a centrifugal force spinning method, wherein the centrifugal force spinning method comprises spinning the polymer solution through a spinneret with an array of fine gauge capillaries, wherein the polymer solution exits the fine gauge capillaries in a radially outward direction under the centrifugal force to form the fine fibers.

18. The method of claim 17 , the polymer solution comprises about 2.5 wt % to about 35 wt % of the polymer based on the total weight of the polymer solution.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the polymer solution has a viscosity of about 14 cP to about 290,000 cP.

20. A method comprising:
dissolving a polymer in a solvent to provide a polymer solution, wherein the polymer comprises thermoplastic polymers having a glass transition temperature higher than about 180° C.; and
spinning the polymer solution into fine fibers by a shear solution spinning method, wherein the shear solution method comprises injecting the polymer solution into an anti-solvent medium, and wherein flow rate and viscosity of the anti-solvent medium are configured to generate shear forces on the injected polymer solution to form fine fibers.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the polymer comprises one or more of polyetherimide, poly(amic acid), aromatic polyamide, poly(amide-imide), polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylsulfone, polybenzoxazole, polybenzimidazole, and polyphenylene oxide.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein the solvent comprises acetone, chloroform, ethanol, isopropanol, methanol, butanol, toluene, tetrahydrofuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methyl acetate, dimethyl acetate, water, benzene, styrene, ethyl benzene, benzyl alcohol, 1,4-dioxane, propanol, carbon tetrachloride, tetrachloroethylene, cyclohexane, hexane, pentane, cyclohexanone, cyclopentane, methylene chloride, a phenolic solvent, pyridine, trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, N,N-dimethyl formamide, ethylene dichloride, dimethyl sulfoxide, N,N-dimethyl

Assignees

• Sabic Global Technologies Bv

Inventors

• L'Abee Roy Martinus Adrianus
• Peters Richard
• Teutsch Erich Otto
• Wu Huiqing
• Wang Yanju
• Huang Qunjian
• Rong Wujun
• Labelle Jacob Scott

Classifications

• D01D5/003 Primary

  the material being a polymer solution or dispersion (D01D5/0053 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/497

  Ionic conductivity · CPC title

• H01M50/491

  Porosity · CPC title

• H01M50/489

  Separators, membranes, diaphragms or spacing elements inside the cells, characterised by their physical properties, e.g. swelling degree, hydrophilicity or shut down properties · CPC title

• H01M50/414

  Synthetic resins, e.g. thermoplastics or thermosetting resins · CPC title