IP Library Granted Patent US 11,031,656
Granted Patent B2
US 11,031,656 · App. 15/969,345 · Granted Jun 8, 2021

Composite separator including porous coating layer made from slurry having improved dispersibility

Inventors: Joo-Sung Lee (Daejeon, KR); Su-Jin Yoon (Daejeon, KR); Da-Kyung Han (Daejeon, KR); Bo-Kyung Ryu (Daejeon, KR); Jong-Hun Kim (Daejeon, KR)
H01M50/446H01M4/0404H01M4/13H01M4/139H01M50/403H01M50/409H01M4/131H01M4/133H01M4/134H01M4/136H01M4/137H01M4/1391H01M4/1393H01M4/1395H01M4/1397H01M4/1399H01M4/622H01M10/052H01M10/0525H01M2004/021
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,031,656
App. No.
15/969,345
Granted
Jun 8, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an invention directed to a composite separator having a porous coating layer, where the porous coating layer is prepared from a slurry by adjusting a particle diameter of an inorganic matter that is an ingredient of the slurry, so that a sinking rate of the inorganic particles may remarkably slow down and dispersibility may be dramatically improved, and as a result, the content of the inorganic particles may relatively increase and the inorganic particles may be uniformly distributed in the coating layer on a substrate, thereby preventing a reduction in battery performance.

Claims (70)

1. A composite separator, comprising:

a porous substrate; and

a porous coating layer disposed on at least one surface of the porous substrate,

wherein the porous coating layer is prepared from a slurry, the slurry comprising:

inorganic particles;

a polymer; and

a solvent,

wherein the inorganic particles have an average diameter ranging from 0.9 μm to 15 μm,

wherein the polymer consists essentially of polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene,

wherein the solvent is any one selected from acetone, tetrahydrofuran, methylene chloride, chloroform, dimethylformamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), cyclohexane and mixtures thereof,

wherein 10 to 50 parts by weight of the inorganic particles and 1 to 10 parts by weight of the polymer are present in the slurry based on 100 parts by weight of the solvent, and

wherein the slurry has a viscosity of which a lower bound is a value obtained from the following Equation 1 based on the average diameter of the inorganic particles and an upper bound is 10,000 cP:

η≥40 d 2   [Equation 1]

where η denotes the viscosity of the slurry in units of centipoise (cP), and d denotes the average diameter of inorganic particles in units of micrometers (μm),

wherein the porous substrate is a porous polymer film, and

wherein the composite separator having a thickness variation within ±0.5 μm.

2. The composite separator of claim 1 , wherein the porous coating layer has a structure that the inorganic particles are bonded to one another by the polymer while the inorganic particles are packed in contact with one another, where interstitial volumes between the inorganic particles are formed thereby, and such interstitial volumes between the inorganic particles form pores.

3. An electrochemical device, comprising:

a cathode;

an anode; and

the composite separator of claim 1 interposed between the cathode and the anode.

4. A composite separator, comprising:

a porous substrate; and

a porous coating layer disposed on at least one surface of the porous substrate,

wherein the porous coating layer is prepared from a slurry, the slurry comprising:

inorganic particles;

a polymer; and

a solvent,

wherein the inorganic particles are selected from the group consisting of an inorganic particle having a dielectric constant greater than or equal to 5, an inorganic particle having a lithium ion delivery capability, and a mixture thereof,

wherein the inorganic particles have an average diameter ranging from 0.9 μm to 15 μm

wherein the polymer consists essentially of polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene,

wherein 10 to 50 parts by weight of the inorganic particles and 1 to 10 parts by weight of the polymer are present in the slurry based on 100 parts by weight of the solvent, and

wherein the slurry has a viscosity ranging from 9 to 300 centipoise (cP),

wherein the porous substrate is a porous polymer film, and

wherein the composite separator having a thickness variation within ±0.5 μm.

5. The composite separator of claim 4 , wherein the porous coating layer has a structure that the inorganic particles are bonded to one another by the polymer while the inorganic particles are packed in contact with one another, where interstitial volumes between the inorganic particles are formed thereby, and such interstitial volumes between the inorganic particles form pores.

6. An electrochemical device, comprising:

a cathode;

an anode; and

the composite separator of claim 4 interposed between the cathode and the anode.

7. A composite separator, comprising:

a porous substrate; and

a porous coating layer disposed on at least one surface of the porous substrate,

wherein the porous coating layer is prepared from a slurry, the slurry comprising:

inorganic particles;

a polymer; and

a solvent,

wherein the inorganic particles have an average diameter ranging from 0.6 μm to 0.7 μm,

wherein the polymer consists essentially of polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene,

wherein the solvent is any one selected from acetone, tetrahydrofuran, methylene chloride, chloroform, dimethylformamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), cyclohexane and mixtures thereof,

wherein 10 to 50 parts by weight of the inorganic particles and 1 to 10 parts by weight of the polymer are present in the slurry based on 100 parts by weight of the solvent, and

wherein the slurry has a viscosity of which a lower bound is a value obtained from the following Equation 1 based on the average diameter of the inorganic particles and an upper bound is 10,000 cP:

η≥40 d 2   [Equation 1]

where η denotes the viscosity of the slurry in units of centipoise (cP), and d denotes the average diameter of inorganic particles in units of micrometers (μm),

wherein the porous substrate is a porous polymer film, and

wherein the composite separator having a thickness variation within ±0.5 μm.

8. A composite separator, comprising:

a porous substrate; and

a porous coating layer disposed on at least one surface of the porous substrate,

wherein the porous coating layer is prepared from a slurry, the slurry comprising:

inorganic particles;

a polymer; and

a solvent,

wherein the inorganic particles are selected from the group consisting of an inorganic particle having a dielectric constant greater than or equal to 5, an inorganic particle having a lithium ion delivery capability, and a mixture thereof,

wherein the inorganic particles have an average diameter ranging from 0.6 μm to 0.7 μm

wherein the polymer consists essentially of polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene,

wherein 10 to 50 parts by weight of the inorganic particles and 1 to 10 parts by weight of the polymer are present in the slurry based on 100 parts by weight of the solvent, and

wherein the slurry has a viscosity ranging from 9 to 300 centipoise (cP),

wherein the porous substrate is a porous polymer film, and

wherein the composite separator having a thickness variation within ±0.5 μm.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 4, 2021
From: LG CHEM, LTD.
To: LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD.
Reel/Frame 058295/0068 →
ASSIGNMENT CONVEYING 50% OF ALL RIGHT, TITLE, AND INTEREST Recorded Apr 29, 2021
From: LG CHEM, LTD.
To: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 056097/0823 →
ASSIGNMENT CONVEYING 50% OF ALL RIGHT, TITLE, AND INTEREST Recorded Apr 27, 2021
From: LG CHEM, LTD.
To: TORAY BATTERY SEPARATOR FILM CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 056062/0106 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 7, 2018
From: LEE, JOO-SUNG; YOON, SU-JIN; HAN, DA-KYUNG; RYU, BO-KYUNG; KIM, JONG-HUN
To: LG CHEM, LTD.
Reel/Frame 045731/0001 →