Separators, batteries, systems, vehicles, and related methods

Abstract

Improved battery separators, base films or membranes, batteries, cells, devices, systems, vehicles, and/or methods of making and/or using such separators, films or membranes, batteries, cells, devices, systems, vehicles, and/or methods of enhancing battery or cell charge rates, charge capacity, and/or discharge rates, and/or methods of improving batteries, systems including such batteries, vehicles including such batteries and/or systems, and/or the like; biaxially oriented porous membranes, composites including biaxially oriented porous membranes, biaxially oriented microporous membranes, biaxially oriented macroporous membranes, battery separators with improved charge capacities and the related methods and methods of manufacture, methods of use, and the like; flat sheet membranes, liquid retention media; dry process separators; biaxially stretched separators; dry process biaxially stretched separators having a thickness range between about 5 μm and 50 μm, preferably between about 10 μm and 25 μm, having improved strength, high porosity, and unexpectedly and/or surprisingly high charge capacity, such as, for example, high 10 C rate charge capacity; separators or membranes with high charge capacity and high porosity, excellent charge rate and/or charge capacity performance in a rechargeable and/or secondary lithium battery, such as a lithium ion battery, for high power and/or high energy applications, cells, devices, systems, and/or vehicles, and/or the like; single or multiple ply or layer separators, monolayer separators, trilayer separators, composite separators, laminated separators, co-extruded separators, coated separators, 1 C or higher separators, at least 1 C separators, batteries, cells, systems, devices, vehicles, and/or the like; improved microporous battery separators for secondary lithium batteries, improved microporous battery separators with enhanced or high charge (C) rates, discharge (C) rates, and/or enhanced or high charge capacities in or for secondary lithium batteries, and/or related methods of manufacture, use, and/or the like, and/or combinations thereof are disclosed or provided.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A membrane comprising:
 a microporous polymer film made by a dry-stretch process and having substantially round shaped pores and a ratio of machine direction tensile strength to transverse direction tensile strength in the range of 0.5 to 5.0 and having porosity in the range of 50% to 80% and having high 10 C charge performance.   
     
     
         2 . The membrane according to  claim 1  wherein said film being made by a method of stretching including at least one of: biaxial stretching including a machine direction stretch and a transverse direction stretch with a simultaneous controlled machine direction relax, simultaneous or sequential machine direction stretch and transverse direction stretch, and machine direction stretch followed by transverse direction stretch with simultaneous machine direction relax. 
     
     
         3 . The membrane according to  claim 2  wherein the polymer being at least one of a semi-crystalline polymer and a semi-crystalline polymer having a crystallinity in the range of 20-80%. 
     
     
         4 . The membrane according to  claim 1  wherein said polymer being selected from the group consisting of polyolefins, fluorocarbons, polyamides, polyesters, polyacetals (or polyoxymethylenes), polysulfides, polyvinyl alcohols, co-polymers thereof, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The membrane according to  claim 1  wherein an average pore size of said microporous polymer film being in the range of 0.09 to 0.99 microns. 
     
     
         6 . The membrane according to  claim 1  wherein said microporous polymer film having a porosity in the range of 60-80%. 
     
     
         7 . The membrane according to  claim 1  wherein said transverse tensile strength being 500 Kg/cm 2 . 
     
     
         8 . The membrane according to  claim 1  having a thickness in the range of 10-25 microns, a porosity in the range of 60-80%, a transverse direction (TD) tensile strength in the range of 500-700 Kg/cm 2 , a machine direction (MD) tensile strength in the range of 700-1000 Kg/cm2, and a MD/TD tensile strength ratio in the range of 1.4-1.6. 
     
     
         9 . A battery separator comprising the membrane of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         10 . The battery separator of  claim 1  wherein the membrane being at least one ply of a multi-ply membrane. 
     
     
         11 . The battery separator of  claim 1  wherein the plies of the multi-ply membrane are laminated to one another. 
     
     
         12 . The battery separator of  claim 1  wherein the membrane being all plies of a multi-ply membrane. 
     
     
         13 . The battery separator of  claim 1  wherein the plies of the multi-ply membrane being made of the same materials. 
     
     
         14 . The battery separator of  claim 1  wherein the plies of the multi-ply membrane being made of differing materials. 
     
     
         15 . A multi-layered membrane structure comprising the membrane of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         16 . The multi-layered membrane structure of  claim 1  wherein the membrane being at least one ply of a multi-ply membrane. 
     
     
         17 . The multi-layered membrane structure of  claim 1  wherein the plies of the multi-ply membrane are laminated to one another. 
     
     
         18 . The multi-layered membrane structure of  claim 1  wherein the membrane being all plies of a multi-ply membrane. 
     
     
         19 . The multi-layered membrane structure of  claim 1  wherein the plies of the multi-ply membrane are co-extruded. 
     
     
         20 . The multi-layered membrane structure of  claim 1  wherein the plies of the multi-ply membrane being made of the same materials. 
     
     
         21 . The multi-layered membrane structure of  claim 1  wherein the plies of the multi-ply membrane being made of differing materials. 
     
     
         22 . A device having a membrane, the membrane being the membrane according to  claim 1 , wherein the device being: a battery, cell, battery pack, system, electronic device, vehicle, or a fuel cell. 
     
     
         23 . Novel or improved battery separators, base films or membranes, batteries, systems, vehicles, and/or methods of making and/or using such separators, films or membranes, batteries, systems, and/or methods of enhancing battery or cell charge rates, charge capacity, and/or discharge rates, and/or methods of improving batteries, systems including such batteries, vehicles including such batteries and/or systems, and/or the like; biaxially oriented porous membranes, composites including biaxially oriented porous membranes, biaxially oriented microporous membranes, biaxially oriented macroporous membranes, battery separators with improved charge capacities and the related methods and methods of manufacture, methods of use, and the like; filtration media, humidity control media, flat sheet membranes, liquid retention media; dry process separators; biaxially stretched separators; dry process biaxially stretched separators having a thickness range between about 5 μm and 50 μm, preferably between about 10 μm and 25 μm, having improved strength, high porosity, and unexpectedly and/or surprisingly high charge capacity, such as, for example, high 10 C rate charge capacity; separators or membranes with high charge capacity and high porosity, excellent charge rate and/or charge capacity performance in a rechargeable and/or secondary lithium battery, such as a lithium ion battery, for high power and/or high energy applications such as, by way of example only, Electric Drive Vehicles (EDVs) or Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), electrified or electric assist vehicles, regenerative braking systems, idle start/stop systems (ISS), start/stop systems, Electric Vehicles (EVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), high charge or C rate electric vehicle batteries, high charge or C rate and high discharge or D rate electric vehicle batteries, e-bike batteries, e-cycle batteries, hybrid or multiple wheel drive electric vehicle batteries, consumer electronics, mobile devices, smart phones, laptops, tablets, polymer batteries, power cells, portable tool batteries, cordless tool batteries, cordless tools, and/or the like; single or multiple ply or layer separators, monolayer separators, trilayer separators, composite separators, laminated separators, co-extruded separators, coated separators, 1 C or higher separators, 2 C or higher separators, 10 C or higher separators, 20 C or higher separators, at least 1 C separators, at least 2 C separators, at least 10 C separators, at least 20 C separators, over 20 C separators, batteries, systems, devices, vehicles, and/or the like; improved microporous battery separators for secondary lithium batteries, improved microporous battery separators with enhanced or high charge (C) rates, discharge (C) rates, and/or enhanced or high charge capacities in or for secondary lithium batteries, and/or related methods of manufacture, use, and/or the like, and/or combinations thereof, as shown or described herein. 
     
     
         24 . In a battery, cell, device, system, or vehicle, the improvement comprising: novel or improved battery separators, base films or membranes, batteries, cells, devices, systems, and/or methods of making and/or using such separators, films or membranes, batteries, cells, devices, systems, vehicles, and/or methods of enhancing battery or cell charge rates, charge capacity, and/or discharge rates, and/or methods of improving batteries, systems including such batteries, vehicles including such batteries and/or systems, and/or the like; biaxially oriented porous membranes, composites including biaxially oriented porous membranes, biaxially oriented microporous membranes, biaxially oriented macroporous membranes, battery separators with improved charge capacities and the related methods and methods of manufacture, methods of use, and the like; flat sheet membranes or films; dry process separators; biaxially stretched separators; dry process biaxially stretched separators having a thickness range between about 5 μm and 50 μm, preferably between about 10 μm and 25 μm, having improved strength, high porosity, and unexpectedly and/or surprisingly high charge capacity, such as, for example, high 10 C rate charge capacity; separators or membranes with high charge capacity and high porosity, excellent charge rate and/or charge capacity performance in a rechargeable and/or secondary lithium battery, such as a lithium ion battery, for high power and/or high energy applications such as, by way of example only, Electric Drive Vehicles (EDVs) or Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), electrified or electric assist vehicles, regenerative braking systems, idle start/stop systems (ISS), start/stop systems, Electric Vehicles (EVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), high charge or C rate electric vehicle batteries, high charge or C rate and high discharge or D rate electric vehicle batteries, e-bike batteries, e-cycle batteries, hybrid or multiple wheel drive electric vehicle batteries, consumer electronics, mobile devices, smart phones, laptops, tablets, polymer batteries, power cells, portable tool batteries, cordless tool batteries, cordless tools, and/or the like; single or multiple ply or layer separators, monolayer separators, trilayer separators, composite separators, laminated separators, co-extruded separators, coated separators, 1 C or higher separators, 2 C or higher separators, 10 C or higher separators, 20 C or higher separators, at least 1 C separators, at least 2 C separators, at least 10 C separators, at least 20 C separators, over 20 C separators, batteries, systems, devices, vehicles, and/or the like; improved microporous battery separators for secondary lithium batteries, improved microporous battery separators with enhanced or high charge (C) rates, discharge (C) rates, and/or enhanced or high charge capacities in or for secondary lithium batteries, and/or related methods of manufacture, use, and/or the like, and/or combinations thereof, as shown or described herein. 
     
     
         25 . Separators as shown or described herein that are especially well suited or adapted for use in regenerative braking system batteries or cells in a regenerative braking system or equipped vehicle such as an electric, hybrid or electrified vehicle, high power and/or high energy battery applications such as Idle Start Stop Vehicles, Electric Drive Vehicles, Hybrid Electric Vehicles, power tools, cordless tools, Energy Storage Systems, UPS, backup power systems, combination lead acid battery and lithium battery systems, combination lithium battery and capacitor systems, and/or the like. 
     
     
         26 . Separators as shown or described herein that are especially well suited or adapted for use in batteries used in high power and/or high energy applications, for example, those used in Electric Drive Vehicles (EDVs), that enable the battery to have a high charge rate and/or a high charge capacity for optimal high energy performance, rechargeable lithium ion batteries for high power and/or high energy applications, energy storage, power, with better energy storage, power, and/or life cycle capabilities, separators that enable batteries to have unexpectedly high charge rate and/or high charge capacity, improved microporous battery separators or membranes that meet the high energy performance requirements of not only the Electric Drive Vehicle battery market and the Hybrid Vehicle battery market, but also of more complex consumer electronics systems as well, and/or the like. 
     
     
         27 . A membrane comprising:
 a microporous polymer film made by a dry-stretch process and having substantially round shaped pores and a ratio of machine direction tensile strength to transverse direction tensile strength in the range of 0.5 to 5.0 and having porosity in the range of 50% to 80% and adapted to provide a battery or cell with high capacity under conditions of high charge and discharge rate.