Method for producing drawn coated metals and use of said metals in the form of a current differentiator for electrochemical components

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a process for manufacturing expanded metal provided with a coating, characterized in that the coating is applied to a closed metal foil and this is converted into expanded metal only after the coating. In particular, the coating may be a coating that improves the adhesiveness of the expanded metal to an electrode material and/or the electron conductivity on the surface of the expanded metal. Such expanded metals can be advantageously used as current collectors in or for an anode foil or in or for a cathode foil, e.g., in an electrochemical cell, especially in a battery.

1 . Process for manufacturing expanded metal provided with a coating, comprising: applying the coating to a closed metal foil and converting the closed metal foil into expanded metal only after applying the coating.  
   
   
       2 . Process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the coating is a coating that improves at least one of adhesiveness of the expanded metal to an electrode material and electron conductivity on a surface of the expanded metal.  
   
   
       3 . Process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the coating contains at least one of graphite, another carbon material together with a binder that improves the adhesiveness and one of an organic and inorganic-organic polymer, which is graphitized after the application to the metal.  
   
   
       4 . Process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the metal comprises one of copper and aluminum.  
   
   
       5 . Process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the metal foil is subjected to a corona discharge surface treatment before it is coated.  
   
   
       6 . Process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein when the metal foil is converted into said expanded metal, with a short diagonal length of up to 1 mm and a long diagonal length of up to 2 mm.  
   
   
       7 . Process in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the coating is applied by means of at least one of a printing technique, spin coating, rolling, application with a doctor blade, dip coating, electrostatic powder coating and by means of a plasma process.  
   
   
       8 . Expanded metal provided with a coating, manufactured according to a process in accordance with  claim 1 .  
   
   
       9 . Expanded metal provided with a coating, obtained according to a process in accordance with  claim 1 .  
   
   
       10 . Expanded metal provided with a coating in accordance with  claim 2 .  
   
   
       11 . Expanded metal provided with a coating in accordance with  claim 3 .  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising use of said expanded metal as a current collector associated with one of an anode foil and a cathode foil.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising laminating together the current collector in said anode foil and said cathode foil.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the anode foil and the cathode foil are prepared without using a plasticizing agent.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising using the expanded metal in an electrochemical cell, especially a battery.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the battery is a lithium battery.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the battery was manufactured according to a technique that does not require addition of plasticizing agent and its subsequent washing out.