Separator for secondary electrical accumulators with gas recombination

1. An absorbent battery separator comprising a substantially homogeneous blend of a thermoplastic polymer and of at least one inert filler, the inert filler being chosen from the group consisting of pyrogenic silica, precipitated silica, titanium dioxide, magnesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide, and mixtures thereof, the separator having a volume porosity of at least 75% and a bimodal pore size distribution comprising between 30 and 70% of fine pores having a diameter of less than 1 μm and between 30 and 70% of extraction pores having a diameter of greater than 2 μm, wherein the separator contains less than 18% pyrogenic silica by volume, wherein the fine pores and the extraction pores include a geometry defined by solvent particles from two solvents that are absorbed by and then removed from the separator.

2. The separator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inert filler represents between 0.7 and 2.5 times the weight of the thermoplastic polymer.

3. The separator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polymer is chosen from the group consisting of PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene and acrylic polymers.

4. The separator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polymer is PVC.

5. The separator as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising between 0.1% and 5% by weight of water and between 0.01% and 0.5% by weight of cyclohexanone.

6. The separator as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising up to 30% by weight of a plasticizer.

7. The separator as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising between 1% and 8% by weight of a metal ion capturing agent.

8. The separator as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising ribs.

9. The separator as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the separator is in the form of a sheet having corrugations.

10. The separator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the extraction pores are tortuous.

11. A process for manufacturing an absorbent battery separator, comprising:

forming a powder blend comprising a thermoplastic resin and at least one dry mineral filler having pores;

adding a first solvent so that the first solvent is absorbed in the pores of the mineral filler, said first solvent being added via a mist;

adding a second solvent so as to displace the first solvent from the pores of the mineral filler said second solvent being added via a mist;

forming of a raw separator by extrusion and calendering;

extracting the solvents via liquid phase and forming extraction pores having a diameter of greater than 2 μm in an absorbent separator via said extracting;

forming the absorbent separator to also include fine pores having a diameter of less than 1 μm; and

wherein a temperature of the extraction liquid is maintained close to a temperature of the raw separator during a time intervening the formation of the raw separator and the liquid phase extraction.

12. The process as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the first solvent is chosen from the group consisting of cyclohexanone, methyl ethyl ketone, tetrahydrofuran, methyl acetate and mixtures thereof, and the second solvent is water.

13. The process as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the temperature of the liquid phase extraction is maintained about 5° C. to 20° C. above the temperature in the formation of the raw separator.