Lead-acid battery separators with improved performance and batteries and vehicles with the same and related methods

Abstract

Improved battery separators are disclosed herein for use in flooded lead-acid batteries, and in particular enhanced flooded lead-acid batteries. The improved separators disclosed herein provide for enhanced electrolyte mixing and substantially reduced acid stratification. The improved flooded lead-acid batteries may be advantageously employed in applications in which the battery remains in a partial state of charge, for instance in start/stop vehicle systems. Also, improved lead-acid batteries, such as flooded lead-acid batteries, improved systems that include a lead-acid battery and a battery separator, improved battery separators, improved vehicles including such systems, and/or methods of manufacture and/or use may be provided.

1 - 41 . (canceled) 
     
     
         42 . A microporous polyolefin battery separator, comprising polyolefin, filler, and plasticizer, wherein one or more surfaces of the separator comprise rows of serrated ribs, interrupted ribs, dimples, or combinations thereof, wherein a row spacing is 0.001-20 mm. 
     
     
         43 . The microporous polyolefin battery separator of  claim 42 , wherein the row spacing is 0.001-10 mm. 
     
     
         44 . The microporous polyolefin battery separator of  claim 42 , wherein the row spacing is 0.001-5 mm. 
     
     
         45 . The microporous polyolefin battery separator of  claim 42 , wherein one or more surfaces of the separator comprises dimples, wherein a shape of the dimples is selected from square, rectangle, circle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         46 . The microporous polyolefin battery separator of  claim 42 , wherein the filler is selected from the group consisting of silica, mica, montmorillonite, kaolinite, asbestos, talc, diatomaceous earth, vermiculite, natural and synthetic zeolites, cement, calcium silicate, clay, aluminum silicate, sodium aluminum silicate, aluminopolysilicate, alumina silica gel, glass particles, carbon black, activated carbon, carbon fiber, charcoal, graphite, titanium oxide, iron oxide, copper oxide, zinc oxide, lead oxide, tungsten, antimony oxide, zirconium oxide, magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide, molybdenum disulfide, zinc sulfide, barium sulfate, strontium sulfate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, and various combinations thereof. 
     
     
         47 . The microporous polyolefin battery separator of  claim 42 , further comprising a surfactant selected from the following: an alkyl sulfate; an alkyl aryl sulfonate; alkylphenol-alkylene oxide addition products; a soap; alkyl-naphthalene sulfonates; dialkyl esters of sulfosuccinates; a quaternary amine; block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide; salts of monoalkyl and dialkyl phosphates; nonionic surfactants including polyol fatty acid esters, polyethoxylated fatty alcohols, alkyl polysaccharides such as alkyl polyglycosides and mixtures thereof; amine ethoxylates; sorbitan fatty acid ester ethoxylates; organosilicone-based surfactants; ethylene vinyl acetate terpolymers; ethoxylated alkyl aryl phosphate esters; sucrose esters of fatty acids; and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         48 . The microporous polyolefin battery separator of  claim 47 , wherein the surfactant is present in an amount of 0.5 to 10 g/m 2 . 
     
     
         49 . The microporous polyolefin battery separator of  claim 42 , further comprising one or more latex additives. 
     
     
         50 . A method of reducing acid stratification in a battery comprising the steps of:
 providing the microporous polyolefin battery separator of  claim 42 , wherein a difference in electrolyte density between a top and a bottom of the flooded lead acid battery is less than 50% after the flooded lead acid battery has undergone at least 30 start/stop cycles.   
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein a difference in electrolyte density between a top and a bottom of the flooded lead acid battery is less than 50% after the flooded lead acid battery has undergone at least 60 start/stop cycles. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein a difference in electrolyte density between a top and a bottom of the flooded lead acid battery is less than 50% after the flooded lead acid battery has undergone at least 90 start/stop cycles. 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the difference in electrolyte density between a top and a bottom of the flooded lead acid battery is less than 25% after the flooded lead acid battery has undergone at least 30 start/stop cycles. 
     
     
         54 . A method of reducing acid stratification in a battery comprising the steps of:
 providing the microporous polyolefin battery separator of  claim 42 , wherein a difference in electrolyte density between a top and a bottom of the flooded lead acid battery is less than 50% after the flooded lead acid battery been held stationary for at least 24 hours.   
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 54 , wherein the flooded lead acid battery has been held stationary for at least 48 hours. 
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 54 , wherein the flooded lead acid battery has been held stationary for at least 72 hours.