Microporous polyethylene separators

The alternative is hexane, which because of the explosion hazard requires a more expensive type of extractor construction. After the extraction the product is dull gray. The continuos sheet is slit to the final width according to customer requirements, searched by fully automatic detectors for any pinholes, wound into rolls of about 1 m diameter (corresponding to a length of 900-1000 m), and packed for shipping. Such a continuous production process is excellently suited for supervision by modern quality assurance systems, such as statistical process control (SPC). Figures 7-9 give a schematic picture of the production process for microporous polyethylene separators. 

GPEs contain organic solvents as plasticizers and the reduction of vapor pressure is crucial. The amount of vaporized solvents from our GPE was measured in the experiment described here. Microporous polyethylene separator and the polymer matrix were soaked in the electrolyte solution and heated at various temperatures for 60 min. The vapor amounts from both samples were measured and compared. Figure 2.5 clearly shows that the vapor pressure of solvents in our GPE was significantly low even at the temperature of TOO °C, while microporous separator could hold the solution at low temperature probably due to large surface tension in the micropores, but vaporization of solvents increased steeply as the temperature rose. 

Even though zinc-bromine batteries operate with a slightly acidic electrolyte (pH 3), they are discussed here briefly, because they offer another way of escaping the problems of zinc deposition. At this pH value both zinc corrosion as well as the tendency toward dendrite formation are low the latter, furthermore, is prevented by electrolyte circulation [121]. The separator, besides meeting the usual requirements, has to perform an additional duty although it must permit the charge transfer of zinc and bromide ions, it should suppress the transfer of dissolved bromine, of polybromide ions, or of the complex phase. Due to mechanical and chemical susceptibility, ion-selective membranes did not prove effective. Microporous polyethylene separators are usually used in their manufacture and properties they are quite similar to those described in Section 11.2.3.1. 

The microporous polyethylene pocket has succeeded worldwide more than 70 percent of all starter batteries use this form of separation. Whereas in the USA and Western Europe the transition is essentially complete, a similar development in the Asia-Pacific area and Latin America, and in the medium term also in Russia and China, is expected [3],... 

In the second half of the 1960s, at the same time but independently, three basically different plastic separators were developed. One was the polyethylene separator [16] already referred to in starter batteries, used only rarely in stationary batteries, but successful in traction batteries. The others were the microporous phenolic resin separator (DARAK) [18] and a microporous PVC separator [19], both of which became accepted as the standard separation for stationary batteries. They distinguish themselves by high porosity (about 70 percent) and thus very low electrical resistance and very low acid displacement, both important criteria for stationary batteries. 

Because of the increased shedding with these alloys, pure leaf separation is hardly suitable. Separations with supporting glass mats or fleeces as well as microfiber glass mats provide technical advantages, but are expensive and can be justified only in special cases. Also under these conditions of use the microporous polyethylene pocket offers the preferred solution [40]. Lower electrical properties at higher temperatures, especially decreased cold crank duration, are battery-related the choice of suitable alloys and expanders gains increased importance. 

Polyethylene separators Rubber separators Phenol formaldehyde-resorcinol separators Microporous PVC separators... 

Table 12 shows the physicochemical data of separators used in open stationary batteries. Since the emphasis is on low acid displacement, low electrical resistance, and high chemical stability, the phenolic resin-resorcinol separator is understandably the preferred system, even though polyethylene separators, especially at low backweb, are frequently used. For large electrode spacing and consequently high separation thickness, microporous as well as sintered... 

Polyethylene separators Phenol-Formal dehyde-resorcinol Separators Microporous PVC separators Sintered PVC separators Rubber separators... 

Among the separator varieties described, the phenol-formaldehyde-resorcinol separator (DARAK 2000) [60] as well as the microporous PVC separator [86] have proven effective for this construction. For applications without deep discharges, concessions may be made with the respect to porosity and pore sizes of the separator therefore polyethylene separators or a spe-... 

One version of the microporous, filled polyethylene separator ( PowerSep ) [113], which is so successful in the lead-acid battery, is also being tested in nickel-cadmium batteries. This separator is manu-... 

We experienced no safety problems during the external short tests because of the Polyswitch inside the cell. We confirmed that even if the Polyswitch fails to operate, the short-circuit current stops flowing before thermal runaway occurs because the micropores are closed by the polyethylene separator, which melts at 125 °C ("separator shutdown"). 

Currently, all commercially available, spirally wound lithium-ion cells use microporous polyolefin separators. In particular, separators are made from polyethylene, polypropylene, or some combination of the two. Polyolefins provide excellent mechanical properties and chemical stability at a reasonable cost. A number of manufacturers produce microporous polyolefin separators (Table 1.)... 

Lower-density E-plastomers have found alternate use in cast film processes to make elastic film laminates with good breathability which contain laminates of liquid impermeable extensible polymeric films with extensible-thermoplastic-polymer-fiber nonwovens and nonwoven webs of polyethylene-elastomer fibers as the intermediate layers. The development relates to a breathable film including an E-plastomer and filler that contributes to pore formation after fabrication and distension of the film. The method and extent of distension is designed to produce a breathable film by stretching the film to form micropores by separation of the film of the E-plastomer from the particulate solids. This film is useful for manufacture of absorbent personal-care articles, such as disposable diapers and sanitary napkins and medical garments. In detail, these constructions comprise a liquid impermeable extensible film comprising polyolefins. The outer layer contains extensible-thermoplastic-polymer-fiber nonwovens, and an elastic intermediate layer contains nonwoven webs of fiber E-plastomers. The intermediate layer is bonded to the film layer and the outer... 

They are fabricated from a variety of inorganic, organic, and naturally occurring materials and generally contain pores that are greater than 50—100 A in diameter. Materials such as nonwoven fibers (e.g. nylon, cotton, polyesters, glass), polymer films (e.g. polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), poly(tetrafluo-roethylene) (PTFE), poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC)), and naturally occurring substances (e.g. rubber, asbestos, wood) have been used for microporous separators in batteries that operate at ambient and low temperatures (<100 °C). The microporous polyolefins (PP, PE, or laminates of PP and PE) are widely used in lithium based nonaqueous batteries (section 6.1), and filled polyethylene separators in lead-acid batteries (section 7.3), respectively. 

In lithium-based cells, the essential function of battery separator is to prevent electronic contact, while enabling ionic transport between the positive and negative electrodes. It should be usable on highspeed winding machines and possess good shutdown properties. The most commonly used separators for primary lithium batteries are microporous polypropylene membranes. Microporous polyethylene and laminates of polypropylene and polyethylene are widely used in lithium-ion batteries. These materials are chemically and electrochemically stable in secondary lithium batteries. 

The authors would like to thank NSF for its support of this work through a graduate Student Fellowship to KLT and both the I/U CRC Center for Separations Using Thin Films and the Colorado Advanced Technology Institute for their financial support of the project. The authors would also like to acknowledge 3M for donation of the microporous polyethylene support used in this work. 

---