Surface modified polymeric materials, modified functionalized polymers, functional polymers, and methods
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to new, improved or modified polymer materials, membranes, substrates, and the like and to new, improved or modified methods for permanently modifying the physical and/or chemical nature of surfaces of the polymer materials, membranes, or substrates for a variety of end uses or applications. For example, one improved method uses a carbene and/or nitrene modifier to chemically modify a functionalized polymer to form a chemical species which can chemically react with the surface of a polymer substrate and alter its chemical reactivity. Furthermore, this invention can be used to produce chemically modified membranes, fibers, hollow fibers, textiles, and the like.
1. In a battery separator, the improvement comprising a modified substrate comprising:
a microporous polyolefin substrate having a surface, and
a modified functionalized polymer (A-B) coated on the surface of the substrate to form a modified substrate, the modified functionalized polymer A-B consists of a functionalized polymer (component A) and a cross-linking component (component B),
the modified functionalized polymer A-B is tethered to the polyolefin substrate via a covalent bond formed from a nitrene insertion reaction between B and the polyolefin,
the component A comprises ethylene oxide, and
the modified functionalized polymer A-B is coated on the surface of the substrate in an amount of from about 0.05 g/m 2 to about 1.0 g/m 2 , and the modified functionalized polymer A-B having a weight ratio of component A to component B of from 0.5:1 to 200.0:1.
2. The battery separator according to claim 1 further comprising a coating overlaying the modified functionalized polymer.
3. The battery separator according to claim 1 wherein the nitrene insertion reaction is activated by heat or light.
4. The battery separator according to claim 1 wherein component A is functional, the functionality is selected from the group of modifying a hydrophobicity of the substrate, modifying a hydrophilicity of the substrate, modifying an oleophobicity of the substrate, modifying an oleophilicity of the substrate, modifying a surface energy of the substrate, enhancing anti-fouling of the substrate, and promoting adhesion to the substrate.
5. A battery comprising an anode, a cathode, a separator comprising the battery separator of claim 1 between the anode and the cathode, and an electrolyte in communication between the anode and the cathode.
6. The battery according to claim 5 is a lithium-ion battery.
7. The battery separator according to claim 1 , wherein the ethylene oxide comprises poly(ethylene oxide) polymer.
8. The battery separator according to claim 1 , wherein the ethylene oxide comprises poly(ethylene oxide) oligomer.
9. The battery separator according to claim 1 , wherein the microporous polyolefin substrate comprises a multilayer membrane.
10. In a battery, the improvement comprising the battery separator of claim 1 .