Lithium ion battery

1. A lithium ion battery, comprising:

a positive electrode;

a negative electrode;

a microporous polymer separator disposed between the negative electrode and the positive electrode; and

a polymer having a chelating agent chemically bonded thereto, the polymer having the chelating agent chemically bonded thereto being incorporated into the lithium ion battery i) as particles dispersed throughout a main polymer of the microporous polymer separator or ii) as a separate layer on a surface of the microporous polymer separator;

wherein:

the polymer having the chelating agent chemically bonded thereto is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalates, polyvinylidene fluorides, polyamides, polyurethanes, polycarbonates, polyesters, polyetheretherketones, polyethersulfones, polyimides, polyamide-imides, polyethers, polyoxymethylenes, polybutylene terephthalates, polyethylenenaphthenates, polybutenes, polyolefins, polyolefin copolymers, acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene copolymers, polystyrene copolymers, polymethylmethacrylates, polyvinyl chlorides, polysiloxane polymers, polybenzimidazoles, polybenzoxazoles, polyphenylenes, polyarylene ether ketones, polyperfluorocyclobutanes, polytetrafluoroethylenes, polyvinylidene fluoride copolymers, polyvinylidene fluoride terpolymers, polyvinylidene chlorides, polyvinylfluorides, liquid crystalline polymers, polyaramides, polyphenylene oxides, and combinations thereof;

the chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of a crown ether, a podand, a lariat ether, a calixarene, a calixcrown, and combinations thereof; and

the chelating agent complexes with metal cations of at least one of Mn, Co, Ni, or Fe in a manner sufficient to not affect movement of lithium ions across the microporous polymer separator during operation of the lithium ion battery.

2. The lithium ion battery as defined in claim 1 wherein the microporous polymer separator includes:

the main polymer; and

the polymer with the chelating agent chemically bonded thereto as the particles dispersed throughout the main polymer;

the particles having an effective diameter of about 100 nm.

3. The lithium ion battery as defined in claim 1 wherein the microporous polymer separator comprises a membrane and wherein the polymer with the chelating agent chemically bonded thereto is applied as the layer, to one surface of the membrane or more than one surface of the membrane.

4. The lithium ion battery as defined in claim 1 wherein the crown ether is a cryptand.

5. The lithium ion battery as defined in claim 1 wherein the chelating agent is a crown ether chosen from any of a 15-crown-5, an 18-crown-6, or a 21-crown-7.

6. The lithium ion battery as defined in claim 1 wherein the chelating agent is a cryptand chosen from cryptand [2.2.2], cryptand [2.2.1], and cryptand [2.1.1].

7. The lithium ion battery as defined in claim 1 wherein the crown ether is substituted with one of sulfur or nitrogen at one or more oxygen sites of the crown ether.

8. The lithium ion battery as defined in claim 1 wherein the chelating agent is not present in the lithium ion battery as free molecules.

9. A method of making a lithium ion battery, comprising:

chemically bonding a chelating agent to a polymer, wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalates, polyvinylidene fluorides, polyamides, polyurethanes, polycarbonates, polyesters, polyetheretherketones, polyethersulfones, polyimides, polyamide-imides, polyethers, polyoxymethylenes, polybutylene terephthalates, polyethylenenaphthenates, polybutenes, polyolefins, polyolefin copolymers, acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene copolymers, polystyrene copolymers, polymethylmethacrylates, polyvinyl chlorides, polysiloxane polymers, polybenzimidazoles, polybenzoxazoles, polyphenylenes, polyarylene ether ketones, polyperfluorocyclobutanes, polytetrafluoroethylenes, polyvinylidene fluoride copolymers, polyvinylidene fluoride terpolymers, polyvinylidene chlorides, polyvinylfluorides, liquid crystalline polymers, polyaramides, polyphenylene oxides, and combinations thereof, and the chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of a crown ether, a podand, a lariat ether, a calixarene, a calixcrown, and combinations thereof;

applying the polymer having the chelating agent chemically bonded thereto to a surface of a membrane of a microporous polymer separator; and

arranging the microporous polymer separator between the negative electrode and the positive electrode;

wherein the chelating agent complexes with metal cations of at least one of Mn, Co, Ni, or Fe in a manner sufficient to not affect movement of lithium ions across the microporous polymer separator during operation of the lithium ion battery.

10. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein the chelating agent is chosen from 18-crown-6, 15-crown-5, cryptand [2.2.2], cryptand [2.2.1], or cryptand [2.1.1].

11. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein the crown ether is substituted with one of sulfur or nitrogen at one or more oxygen sites of the crown ether.

12. A method of making a lithium ion battery, comprising:

chemically bonding a chelating agent to a polymer particle, the chelating agent being selected from the group consisting of a crown ether, a podand, a lariat ether, a calixarene, a calixcrown, and combinations thereof;

incorporating the polymer particle having the chelating agent chemically bonded thereto into a membrane of a microporous polymer separator by dispersing the polymer particle throughout a main polymer of the membrane; and

arranging the microporous polymer separator between the negative electrode and the positive electrode;

wherein the chelating agent complexes with metal cations of at least one of Mn, Co, Ni, or Fe in a manner sufficient to not affect movement of lithium ions across the microporous polymer separator during operation of the lithium ion battery.

13. The method as defined in claim 12 wherein the polymer to which the chelating agent is chemically bonded is chosen from polyethylene terephthalates, polyvinylidene fluorides, polyamides, polyurethanes, polycarbonates, polyesters, polyetheretherketones, polyethersulfones, polyimides, polyamide-imides, polyethers, polyoxymethylenes, polybutylene terephthalates, polyethylenenaphthenates, polybutenes, polyolefins, polyolefin copolymers, acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene copolymers, polystyrene copolymers, polymethylmethacrylates, polyvinyl chlorides, polysiloxane polymers, polybenzimidazoles, polybenzoxazoles, polyphenylenes, polyarylene ether ketones, polyperfluorocyclobutanes, polytetrafluoroethylenes, polyvinylidene fluoride copolymers, polyvinylidene fluoride terpolymers, polyvinylidene chlorides, polyvinylfluorides, liquid crystalline polymers, poly(hydroxybenzoic acid), polyaramides, polyphenylene oxides, or combinations thereof.

14. A lithium ion battery, comprising:

a positive electrode;

a negative electrode;

a polyethylene separator disposed between the negative electrode and the positive electrode; and

a layer of a polymer having a chelating agent chemically bonded thereto formed on a surface of the polyethylene separator, the polymer having the chelating agent chemically bonded being selected from the group consisting of (polyvinylbenzo-crown ether), poly((dibenzo-crown ether)-co-formaldehyde), poly(undecylenyl-oxymethyl-crown ether), and combinations thereof.

15. The lithium ion battery as defined in claim 14 wherein the crown ether is selected from the group consisting of 15-crown-5, an 18-crown-6, or a 21-crown-7.