Daramic, Inc.

Celgard Inc.

Eric Henri Miller

J Kevin Whear

Ahila Krishnamoorthy

James P Perry

Mark T DeMeuse

Robert Saffel

M Neal Golovin

Joseph G Yaritz

Jeffrey K Chambers

John Randolph Timmons

Naoto Miyake

Mohammed Naiha

William L Walter

Nicholas R Shelton

Kanak Kuwelkar

Jörg Deiters

John Kevin Whear

Kevin J Whear

Daniel Dreyer

Surendra Kumar Mittal

Margaret R Roberts

Naveen Prabhu Shanmugam

Salvatore Cardillo

Matthew Howard

Joerg Deiters

Daniel R Alexander

Sterling Tucker Roe

Yanxia Wu

Karl Froelich

Gregory L Hall

Gary L Fulkerson

Tyler Munhollon

Matt J Wolski

Matthew Stainer

Disclosed herein are exemplary embodiments of improved electrode plate and separator assemblies () for lead acid batteries, improved lead acid cells or batteries incorporating the improved assemblies, systems or vehicles incorporating the improved assemblies () and/or batteries (), and methods related thereto. The electrode plate () may have a grid () of a stamped, cast, or expanded metal manufacturing process. The grid () may have a non-uniform application of active material (). The separators () preferably provide a support structure for resisting or mitigating any plate warping or plate deflection.

Lead acid battery separators, warp resistant separators, batteries, systems, and related methods

A battery separator has performance enhancing additives or coatings, fillers with increased friability, increased ionic diffusion, decreased tortuosity, increased wettability, reduced oil content, reduced thickness, decreased electrical resistance, and/or increased porosity. The separator in a battery reduces the water loss, lowers acid stratification, lowers the voltage drop, and/or increases the CCA. The separators include or exhibit performance enhancing additives or coatings, increased porosity, increased void volume, amorphous silica, higher oil absorption silica, higher silanol group silica, reduced electrical resistance, a shish-kebab structure or morphology, a polyolefin microporous membrane containing particle-like filler in an amount of 40% or more by weight of the membrane and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene having shish-kebab formations and the average repetition periodicity of the kebab formation from 1 nm to 150 nm, decreased sheet thickness, decreased tortuosity, separators especially well-suited for enhanced flooded batteries.

Separators for enhanced flooded batteries, batteries, and related methods

A separator for a lead acid battery is a porous membrane having a positive electrode face and a negative electrode face. A plurality of longitudinally extending ribs, a plurality of protrusions or a nonwoven material may be disposed upon the positive electrode face. A plurality of transversely extending ribs are disposed upon the negative electrode face. The transverse ribs disposed upon the negative electrode face are preferably juxtaposed to a negative electrode of the lead acid battery, when the separator is placed within that battery.

Battery separators with cross ribs and related methods

In accordance with at least selected embodiments, the present disclosure or invention is directed to improved battery separators, high conductance separators, improved lead-acid batteries, such as flooded lead-acid batteries, high conductance batteries, improved systems, and/or, improved vehicles including such batteries, and/or methods of manufacture or use of such separators or batteries, and/or combinations thereof. In accordance with at least certain embodiments, the present disclosure or invention is directed to improved lead acid batteries incorporating the improved separators and which exhibit increased conductance. Particular, non-limiting examples may include lead acid battery separators having structure or features designed to improve conductance, lower ER, lower water loss, and the like.

Battery separators with improved conductance, improved batteries, systems, and related methods

A battery separator for a lead/acid battery is resistant to oxidation arising from the use of water or acid containing contaminants, for example chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), and the like. The separator is a microporous membrane including a rubber. The rubber is no more than about 12% by weight of the separator. The rubber may be rubber latex, tire crumb, and combinations thereof. The rubber may be impregnated into the microporous membrane. The microporous membrane may be a microporous sheet of polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, phenol-formaldehyde resins, cross-linked rubber, or nonwoven fibers. A method for preventing the oxidation and/or extending battery life of the separator is also included.

Oxidation protected separator

In at least one embodiment, a separator is provided with a fibrous mat for retaining the active material on an electrode of a lead-acid battery. New or improved mats, separators, batteries, methods, and/or systems are also disclosed, shown, claimed, and/or provided. For example, in at least one possibly preferred embodiment, a composite separator is provided with a fibrous mat for retaining the active material on an electrode of a lead-acid battery. In at least one possibly particularly preferred embodiment, a PE membrane separator is provided with at least one fibrous mat for retaining the active material on an electrode of a lead-acid battery. In accordance with at least certain embodiments, aspects and/or objects, the present invention, application, or disclosure may provide solutions, new products, improved products, new methods, and/or improved methods, and/or may address issues, needs, and/or problems of PAM shedding, NAM shedding, electrode distortion, active material shedding, active material loss, and/or physical separation, electrode effectiveness, battery performance, battery life, and/or cycle life, and/or may provide new battery separators, new battery technology, and/or new battery methods and/or systems that address the challenges arising from current lead acid batteries or battery systems, especially new battery separators, new battery technology, and/or new battery methods and/or systems adapted to prevent or impede the shedding of active material from the electrodes, preferably or particularly in enhanced flooded lead acid batteries, PSoC batteries, ISS batteries, ESS batteries, and/or the like.

Separators with fibrous mat, lead acid batteries using the same, and methods and systems associated therewith

Improved battery separators are disclosed herein for use in various lead acid batteries, and in particular lead acid battery strings. The improved separators, batteries, battery strings, methods, and vehicles disclosed herein provide substantially increased battery life, substantially reduced battery fail rate, and substantially higher voltage uniformity among the various batteries in a battery string. The improved battery strings may be advantageously employed in high depth of discharge applications such as electric bicycles, golf carts (or golf cars), uninterrupted power supply (UPS) backup power battery strings, and the like.

Separators, batteries, battery strings with improved performance, and related methods

Improved battery separators, batteries, and systems, as well as methods relating thereto are disclosed herein for use in various lead acid batteries such as valve-regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries that include one or more AGM layers. The improved battery separators described herein may provide a battery system with an advantage of a significantly decreased acid filling time and a significantly increased acid filling speed. Various improved batteries, methods and systems are described herein using such improved battery separators that increase acid filling speed and decrease acid filling time for a VRLA battery.

Separators for VRLA batteries and methods relating thereto

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.

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

A method for producing a microporous material comprising the steps of: providing an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE); providing a filler; providing a processing plasticizer; adding the filler to the UHMWPE in a mixture being in the range of from about 1:9 to about 15:1 filler to UHMWPE by weight; adding the processing plasticizer to the mixture; extruding the mixture to form a sheet from the mixture; calendering the sheet; extracting the processing plasticizer from the sheet to produce a matrix comprising UHMWPE and the filler distributed throughout the matrix; stretching the microporous material in at least one direction to a stretch ratio of at least about 1.5 to produce a stretched microporous matrix; and subsequently calendering the stretched microporous matrix to produce a microporous material which exhibits improved physical and dimensional stability properties over the stretched microporous matrix.

Method of making a microporous material

In at least one embodiment, a microporous membrane having a moderate to high water vapor permeability and high liquid water penetration resistance is disclosed. The microporous membrane may be used in building applications, including as or as part of a building wrap, a rain screen, a roofing underlayment, a flashing, a sound proofing material, or an insulation material. The microporous membrane may include at least one thermoplastic polymer, at least one filler, and at least one processing oil. The microporous membrane may be flat or may have ribs. The microporous membrane may include at least one scrim component. A method for forming the microporous membrane is also disclosed.

Microporous membranes, underlayment, roofing, flashing, wrap, and methods for making and using the same

Disclosed herein are improved separators for lead acid batteries. The separators may include a porous membrane, a rubber, and at least one performance enhancing additive, positive and/or negative ribs, and/or lowered acid leachable total organic carbon.

Lead acid battery separators, batteries, and related methods

Growing community of inventors

Philpot, KY, United States of America

Eric Henri Miller