Hydro-quebec

Guy St-Amant

Michel Gauthier

Guy Vassort

James K Jacobs

Yves Choquette

Michel Duval

Andre Belanger

Patrick Bouchard

Paul-Emile Guerin

Claude Carignan

Real Boissonneault

Serge Ricard

Guy Laroche

Before laminating the electrolyte with the positive electrode, the electrolyte is heated at a temperature higher than its softening temperature or the melting temperature of its crystallites, and the heated electrolyte is allowed to return to room temperature before laminating the positive electrode to the electrolyte at room temperature. This enables to prevent the formation of wrinkles on the collector of the positive electrode.

Process for assembling LPB batteries

A film of lithium capable for example of providing the anode of a polymer electrolyte battery is produced by laminating a lithium sheet between two working rolls. At the outlet, the film remains attached to one of the two rolls up to a given point of the circumference of the latter where it forms an angle of about 90.degree. with the meeting point between the two rollers. A sufficient tension is thereafter exerted on the film, which in any case is inferior to the limit of elasticity of lithium, by pulling the film in order to detach it from the surface of the roller and usually so that the given point moves into an intermediate position between 90.degree. and the meeting point, for example about 45.degree.. The product obtained may also be used any time there is a need for a film of lithium having a thickness for example between 10 and 100 .mu.m.

Process for laminating a thin film of lihium by controlled detachment

Metallization by deposit under vacuum of metal on a face of a support film of synthetic resin at a thickness of 0.005 to 0.1 micron, followed by the electrochemical deposit of an additional metallic layer, whose thickness is between 0.1 and 4 microns. A coating of an electrode of a generator is then applied on the surface of the collector thus prepared. The assembly is characterized by the adhesion of its components and its facility of mechanized handling during the steps of assembling the complete generator.

Collector-electrodes assemblies for thin film generators

Metallization under vacuum, on at least one face of a plastic film so as to give a substrate including a metallic surface, which substrate is sufficiently electrically conductive to permit a uniform electrochemical deposit. The latter is carried out by electrochemical plating, of at least one metal, on the metallized surface starting from an electrolytic solution, so as to give a thin metallic film having a metal thickness between 0.1 and 4 microns. The metallized substrate is selected so as to be compatible and to facilitate the step of electrochemical plating. The thin metallic sheet obtained is adherent to and supported by the plastic film. The metallic sheet may be used as current collectors for polymer electrolyte lithium batteries, as multi-layer film used as wrapping material permeable to gases and humidity, as a screen for light, flexible conductors, etc.

Plastic supported metallic sheets obtained by metallization-plating

Process for the preparation of collectors-electrodes for the thin film

Self-protecting current collector, with lateral collection an insulating plastic support film having a thickness between about 1 and 30 microns, and a conductive metallic coating, of a thickness lower than about 10 microns, adhering to at least one face of the insulating support film, compatible with the corresponding material of the electrode of the generator, and wherein its conductive surface is divided into a plurality of adjacent distinct areas, each area being electrically insulated by means of non-conductive borders except for at least one conductive bridge of small cross-section connected to a lateral common conductive margin enabling a lateral collection of the entire distinct areas; the nature and electrical resistance of the conductive bridges enabling on the one hand, passage of currents corresponding to maximum currents provided for each of the individual collection areas of the generator to be produced, and limiting on the other hand, in case of an accidental short-circuit inside an area, the maximum current received by this area originating from the entire areas of the generator.

Current collectors for safe electrochemical generators, process of

Electrical contact outlet for an anode sheet of a lithium generator with polymer electrolyte, consisting of one or more multilayer electrochemical cells. The cell comprises at least one lithium base sheet having a thickness between about 1 and 50 microns to constitute the anode and its collector and additionally includes a cathode and its collector as well as the polymer electrolyte. A lateral end of the anode sheet extends beyond corresponding ends of the cathode and the collector to constitute a projecting zone. A metallic layer consisting of at least one rigid metal which is compatible with lithium is in electrical contact with the lateral end of the anode sheet but without electronic contact with the other components of the cell. The metallic layer constitutes the external terminal of the generator when the latter is in non-finished condition. According to a variant, a conductive and cohesive intermediate metallic zone, which consists of lithium or lithium rich ductile alloys is in intimate contact with the lateral end of the anode sheet and the metallic layer mentioned above is therefore in electrical contact with the lateral end of the anode sheet by means of the intermediate zone of lithium. Generators provided with such contact outlet as well as a process for the preparation of these contact outlets are described.

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Trois-Rivieres West, Canada

Guy St-Amant