Spacers for providing protection of electrochemical battery enclosures and systems and methods therefor

1. A secondary battery for cycling between a charged state and a discharged state, the battery comprising a constraint and an electrode assembly disposed within the constraint, wherein

the electrode assembly has mutually perpendicular transverse, longitudinal, and vertical axes corresponding to x, y and z axes, respectively, of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system,

the electrode assembly comprises a population of unit cells comprising an electrode current collector layer, an electrode layer, a separator layer, a counter-electrode layer, and a counter-electrode current collector layer in stacked succession in the longitudinal direction,

the electrode layer comprises an electrode active material, and the counter-electrode layer comprises a counter-electrode active material, wherein one of the electrode active material and the counter-electrode active material is a cathodically active material and the other of the electrode active material and the counter-electrode active material is an anodically active material,

a subset of the unit cell population further comprising a pair of extended spacer members located in the stacked succession between the electrode current collector layer and the counter-electrode current collector layer, one of the extended spacer members being spaced in the y-axis direction from the other extended spacer member, at least a portion of the counter-electrode active material of the counter-electrode layer being located between the extended spacer members such that the portion of the counter-electrode active material and the extended spacer members lie in a common plane defined by the x and z axes, wherein each of the extended spacer members extend a distance SD in the x-axis direction beyond an x-axis edge of the constraint.

2. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the distance SD is up to 4 mm.

3. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members have a length extending in the x-axis direction, the length of the extended spacer members being equal to or less than 3000 μm.

4. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members are disposed between the separator layer and the electrode layer.

5. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members are disposed between the separator layer and the electrode current collector layer.

6. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members are disposed between the separator layer and the counter-electrode layer.

7. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members are disposed between the separator layer and the counter-electrode current collector layer.

8. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members are adhered to at least one of the electrode current collector layer, the electrode layer, the separator layer, the counter-electrode layer, and the counter-electrode current collector layer.

9. The secondary battery set forth in claim 8 wherein the extended spacer members are adhered to the electrode current collector layer.

10. The secondary battery set forth in claim 8 wherein the extended spacer members are adhered to the electrode layer.

11. The secondary battery set forth in claim 8 wherein the extended spacer members are adhered to the separator layer.

12. The secondary battery set forth in claim 8 wherein the extended spacer members are adhered to the counter-electrode current collector layer.

13. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members comprise an electrically insulating material.

14. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members comprise graphite or graphene.

15. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members comprise a polymeric material.

16. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members comprise a homopolymer, copolymer or polymer blend.

17. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members comprise a fluoropolymer derived from monomers containing vinylidene fluoride, hexafluoropropylene, tetrafluoropropene, a polyolefin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polybutene, ethylene-diene-propene terpolymer, polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl butyral, polyacetal, and polyethyleneglycol diacrylate, methyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, styrene rubber, butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, polyacrylamide, polyvinyl ether, polyacrylic acid, polymethacrylic acid, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinylidene fluoride polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene oxide, acrylates, styrenes, epoxies, silicones, polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride-co-trichloroethylene, polymethylmethacrylate, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate, polyethylene oxide, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose acetate propionate, cyanoethylpullulan, cyanoethyl polyvinylalcohol, cyanoethylcellulose, cyanoethylsucrose, pullulan, carboxymetyl cellulose, acrylonitrile-styrene-butadiene copolymer, polyimide, polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoro propylene, polyvinylidene fluoride-trichloroethylene, polymethyl methacrylate, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl acetate, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, polyethylene oxide, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose acetate propionate, cyanoethyl pullulan, cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol, cyanoethyl cellulose, cyanoethyl sucrose, pullulan, carboxyl methyl cellulose, acrylonitrile styrene butadiene copolymer, polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyester, polyacetal, polyamide, polyetheretherketone, polyether sulfone, polyphenylene oxide, polyphenylene sulfide, polyethylene naphthalene, and/or combinations or a copolymer thereof.

18. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members comprise a fluoropolymer.

19. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members comprise a polyolefin.

20. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members comprise a polyolefin selected from the group consisting of homopolymers, copolymers and polymer blends of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polybutene.

21. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 wherein the extended spacer members comprise polyethylene or polypropylene.

22. The secondary battery set forth in claim 1 , wherein the extended spacer members have a total length greater than a total length of the electrode layer measured in the x-axis direction.

23. A method of manufacturing a battery assembly for use with a secondary battery, the battery assembly having mutually perpendicular transverse, longitudinal, and vertical axes corresponding to x, y and z axes, respectively, of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, the method comprising:

preparing a unit cell by stacking an electrode current collector layer, an electrode layer, a separator layer, a counter-electrode layer, and a counter-electrode current collector layer in succession in the longitudinal direction, the electrode layer comprises an electrode active material, and the counter-electrode layer comprises a counter-electrode active material, wherein one of the electrode active material and the counter-electrode active material is a cathodically active material and the other of the electrode active material and the counter-electrode active material is an anodically active material, and

placing a population of extended spacer members in the stacked succession between the electrode current collector layer and the counter-electrode current collector layer, one of the extended spacer members being spaced in the y-axis direction from the other extended spacer member, the x-axis extent of the extended spacer members being a distance SD greater than the x-axis extent of the unit cell.

24. The method set forth in claim 23 wherein the distance SD is up to 4 mm.

25. The method according to claim 23 , further comprising placing the unit cell within a constraint such that the extended spacer members extend the distance SD from an edge of the constraint.

26. An electrode assembly for a secondary battery, the electrode assembly having mutually perpendicular transverse, longitudinal, and vertical axes corresponding to x, y and z axes, respectively, of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, the electrode assembly comprising:

a unit cell comprising an electrode current collector layer, an electrode layer, a separator layer, a counter-electrode layer, and a counter-electrode current collector layer in succession in the longitudinal direction, the electrode layer comprises an electrode active material, and the counter-electrode layer comprises a counter-electrode active material, wherein one of the electrode active material and the counter-electrode active material is a cathodically active material and the other of the electrode active material and the counter-electrode active material is an anodically active material, and

a population of extended spacer members between the electrode current collector layer and the counter-electrode current collector layer, one of the extended spacer members being spaced in the y-axis direction from the other extended spacer member, the x-axis extent of the extended spacer members being a distance SD greater than the x-axis extent of the unit cell.

27. The electrode assembly set forth in claim 26 wherein the distance SD is up to 4 mm.

28. The electrode assembly set forth in claim 26 , wherein the unit cell is disposed within a constraint such that the extended spacer members extend the distance SD from an edge of the constraint.

29. A method of manufacturing an electrode assembly for a secondary battery, the electrode assembly having mutually perpendicular transverse, longitudinal, and vertical axes corresponding to x, y and z axes, respectively, of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, the method comprising:

preparing a unit cell by stacking an electrode current collector layer, an electrode layer, a separator layer, a counter-electrode layer, and a counter-electrode current collector layer in succession in the longitudinal direction, the electrode layer comprises an electrode active material, and the counter-electrode layer comprises a counter-electrode active material, wherein one of the electrode active material and the counter-electrode active material is a cathodically active material and the other of the electrode active material and the counter-electrode active material is an anodically active material, and

placing a population of extended spacer members between the electrode current collector layer and the counter-electrode current collector layer, one of the extended spacer members being spaced in the y-axis direction from the other extended spacer member; and

placing the unit cell within a constraint, such that, the x-axis extent of the extended spacer members is a distance SD greater than the x-axis extent of the constraint.

30. The method according to claim 29 , wherein the distance SD is up to 4 mm.