Separator and electrochemical device having the same

Abstract

The present invention provides a separator having a porous substrate; and a porous coating layer formed on one surface of the porous substrate and comprising a mixture of inorganic particles and a binder polymer, which has a value of a porosity×an air permeability per thickness in the range of 5 to 40, the porosity and the air permeability per thickness. The separator having a porous coating layer according to the present invention has a porosity which is controlled depending on the air permeability of the porous substrate, and thus exhibit superior ionic conductivity as well as good mechanical properties, thereby contributing to improve the performance and safety of an electrochemical device.

Claims

1. A separator, comprising a porous substrate; and a porous coating layer formed on at least one surface of the porous substrate and comprising a mixture of inorganic particles and a binder polymer, wherein the separator has a value of a porosity×an air permeability per thickness in the range of 5 to 40, the porosity and the air permeability per thickness being defined by Formula (I) and Formula (II), respectively:
Porosity=1−(the weight ratio of the inorganic particles/the density of the inorganic particles+the weight ratio of the binder polymer/the density of the binder polymer)  [Formula (I)]
Air Permeability per thickness=(the air permeability of the separator−the air permeability of the porous substrate)/(the thickness of the separator−the thickness of the porous substrate)  [Formula (II)] wherein the porosity ranges from equal to or greater than 0.5 to less than 1, and the air permeability per thickness ranges from 5 to 80, and the binder polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride-co-trichloroethylene, polymethyl methacrylate, polybutyl acrylate, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate, polyethylene oxide, polyarylate, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose acetate propionate, cyanoethylpullulan, cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol, cyanoethyl cellulose, cyanoethyl sucrose, pullulan, carboxymethyl cellulose, a low molecular compound having a molecular weight of 10,000 g/mol or less, and a mixture thereof wherein the porous coating layer is prepared from a slurry wherein the binder polymer is dissolved and the inorganic particles are included, and wherein the separator has an ionic conductivity of 3.7 to 6.4×10.sup.−4 S/cm.

2. The separator according to claim 1, wherein the porous substrate is made of a polyolefin-based polymer.

3. The separator according to claim 2, wherein the porous substrate is made of a polyolefin-based polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene and polypentene.

4. The separator according to claim 1, wherein the inorganic particles are selected from the group consisting of inorganic particles having a dielectric constant of 5 or higher, inorganic particles having the ability to transport lithium ions, and a mixture thereof.

5. The separator according to claim 4, wherein the inorganic particles having a dielectric constant of 5 or higher are selected from the group consisting of BaTiO.sub.3, Pb(Zr.sub.x,Ti.sub.1-x)O.sub.3 (PZT, 0<x<1), Pb.sub.1-xLa.sub.xZr.sub.1-yTi.sub.yO.sub.3 (PLZT, 0<x<1, 0<y<1), (1−x)Pb(Mg.sub.1/3Nb.sub.2/3)O.sub.3-xPbTiO.sub.3 (PMN-PT, 0<x<1), hafnia (HfO.sub.2), SrTiO.sub.3, SnO.sub.2, CeO.sub.2, MgO, NiO, CaO, ZnO, ZrO.sub.2, SiO.sub.2, Y.sub.2O.sub.3, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, SiC, TiO.sub.2 inorganic particles and a mixture thereof.

6. The separator according to claim 4, wherein the inorganic particles having the ability to transport lithium ions are selected from the group consisting of lithium phosphate (Li.sub.3PO.sub.4), lithium titanium phosphate (Li.sub.xTi.sub.y(PO.sub.4).sub.3, 0<x<2, 0<y<3), lithium aluminum titanium phosphate (Li.sub.xAl.sub.yTi.sub.z(PO.sub.4).sub.3, 0<x<2, 0<y<1, 0<z<3), (LiAlTiP).sub.xO.sub.y type glass (0<x<4, 0<y<13), lithium lanthanum titanate (Li.sub.xLa.sub.yTiO.sub.3, 0<x<2, 0<y<3), lithium germanium thiophosphate (Li.sub.xGe.sub.yP.sub.zS.sub.w, 0<x<4, 0<y<1, 0<z<1, 0<w<5), lithium nitride (Li.sub.xN.sub.y, 0<x<4, 0<y<2), SiS.sub.2 type glass (Li.sub.xSi.sub.yS.sub.z, 0<x<3, 0<y<2, 0<z<4), P.sub.2S.sub.5 type glass (Li.sub.xP.sub.yS.sub.z, 0<x<3, 0<y<3, 0<z<7) particles, and a mixture thereof.

7. An electrochemical device, comprising a cathode, an anode and a separator interposed between the cathode and the anode, wherein the separator is defined in claim 1.

8. The electrochemical device according to claim 7, which is a lithium secondary battery.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a photograph of an equipment used for measuring an air permeability in the Examples and Comparative Examples illustrated herein.

(2) FIG. 2 is a photograph of an equipment used for measuring a thickness in the Examples and Comparative Examples illustrated herein.

BEST MODE

(3) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. Prior to the description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be construed as limited to general and dictionary meanings, but interpreted based on the meanings and concepts corresponding to technical aspects of the present invention on the basis of the principle that the inventor is allowed to define terms appropriately for the best explanation. Also, the embodiments proposed herein are just a preferable example for the purpose of illustrations only, not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, so it should be understood that other equivalents and modifications could be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

(4) The present invention provides a separator, comprising a porous substrate; and a porous coating layer formed on at least one surface of the porous substrate and comprising a mixture of inorganic particles and a binder polymer, which has a value of a porosity×an air permeability per thickness in the range of 5 to 40, the porosity and the air permeability per thickness being defined by Formula (I) and Formula (II), respectively:
Porosity=1−(the weight ratio of the inorganic particles/the density of the inorganic particles+the weight ratio of the binder polymer/the density of the binder polymer)  [Formula (I)]
Air Permeability per thickness=(the air permeability of the separator−the air permeability of the porous substrate)/(the thickness of the separator−the thickness of the porous substrate)  [Formula (II)]

(5) The terms ‘the weight ratio of the inorganic particles’ and ‘the weight ratio of the binder polymer’, which are used herein, refer to the weight of each of the inorganic particles and the binder polymer based on 100 parts by weight of the total weight of the inorganic particles and the binder polymer.

(6) Also, it is understood that the terms ‘a porosity’ and ‘an air permeability per thickness’, which are used herein, refer to the porosity and air permeability of the porous coating layer, unless other indication is given.

(7) In the porous coating layer, the binder polymer allows the adhesion of the inorganic particles so that the inorganic particles can be bound with each other (i.e., the binder polymer connects and immobilizes the inorganic particles therebetween), and also, the inorganic particles are substantially present in contact with each other to form a closest packed structure, and an interstitial volume generated from the contact of the inorganic particles with each other becomes a pore of the porous coating layer. The separator comprising such a porous coating layer can maintain air permeability with improved thermal safety, due to the nature of the porous coating layer.

(8) However, the binder polymer functions to hinder ions from transferring to increase the resistance of the ions. Accordingly, the use of the binder polymer in an excessive amount may deteriorate the performance of an electrochemical device, while the use of the binder polymer in a small amount may cause the release of the inorganic particles to deteriorate mechanical properties. Therefore, it is important to control the amount of the binder.

(9) Also, as the porous coating layer is present, the air permeability of the porous substrate is actually reduced. Accordingly, it is necessary to define the air permeability range of the porous coating layer in a certain degree so that the performance of an electrochemical device is not excessively deteriorated. That is, it is preferred to control the properties of the porous coating layer taking into account the air permeability of the porous substrate to be used.

(10) Since in the separator of the present invention, a value of a porosity×an air permeability per thickness is in the range of 5 to 40, the porosity thereof can be controlled depending on the air permeability of the porous substrate, to allow the coating layer to have good mechanical properties and ionic conductivity, and eventually contribute to improve the performance and safety of an electrochemical device.

(11) More preferably, in the separator of the present invention, a porosity ranges from equal to or greater than 0.5 to less than 1, and an air permeability per thickness ranges from 5 to 80, while satisfying a value of a porosity×an air permeability per thickness in the range of 5 to 40.

(12) The term “porosity” which is used herein refers to the ratio of pore spaces occupied in a porous substance, i.e., a fraction of the volume of empty pores over the total volume in the substance. In the present invention, the porosity is represented by a value obtained by dividing the weight ratio of the inorganic particles and the binder polymer by each density.

(13) In the present invention, the term “air permeability per thickness” refers to a value obtained by dividing the difference between the air permeability of the separator and the air permeability of the porous substrate by the thickness of the porous layer (the thickness of the separator−the thickness of the porous substrate). The unit for the porosity is ‘sec/100 ml’, and the unit for the thickness of the porous coating layer is ‘μm’.

(14) If the value of ‘a porosity×an air permeability per thickness’ is less than 5, a space between the inorganic particles becomes overly broad, from which an inner short circuit on the infiltration of a foreign substance may occur to deteriorate safety. If the value of ‘a porosity×an air permeability per thickness’ is greater than 40, passages capable of transporting lithium ions may be reduced to severely deteriorate ionic conductivity, and thus, the separator fails to be used in an electrochemical device.

(15) In the present invention, the porous substrate may be made of a polyolefin-based polymer. The polyolefin-based polymer is preferably selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene and polypentene.

(16) The inorganic particles used in the present invention may be inorganic particles having a dielectric constant of 5 or higher, inorganic particles having the ability to transport lithium ions, or a mixture thereof.

(17) Non-limiting examples of the inorganic particles having a dielectric constant of 5 or higher include BaTiO.sub.3, Pb(Zr.sub.x,Ti.sub.1-x)O.sub.3 (PZT, 0<x<1), Pb.sub.1-xLa.sub.xZr.sub.1-yTi.sub.yO.sub.3 (PLZT, 0<x<1, 0<y<1), (1−x)Pb(Mg.sub.1/3Nb.sub.2/3)O.sub.3-xPbTiO.sub.3 (PMN-PT, 0<x<1), hafnia (HfO.sub.2), SrTiO.sub.3, SnO.sub.2, CeO.sub.2, MgO, NiO, CaO, ZnO, ZrO.sub.2, SiO.sub.2, Y.sub.2O.sub.3, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2, SiC, inorganic particles and a mixture thereof. Also, non-limiting examples of the inorganic particles having the ability to transport lithium ions include lithium phosphate (Li.sub.3PO.sub.4), lithium titanium phosphate (Li.sub.xTi.sub.y(PO.sub.4).sub.3, 0<x<2, 0<y<3), lithium aluminum titanium phosphate (Li.sub.xAl.sub.yTi.sub.z(PO.sub.4).sub.3, 0<x<2, 0<y<1, 0<z<3), (LiAlTiP).sub.xO.sub.y type glass (0<x<4, 0<y<13), lithium lanthanum titanate (Li.sub.xLa.sub.yTiO.sub.3, 0<x<2, 0<y<3), lithium germanium thiophosphate (Li.sub.xGe.sub.yP.sub.zS.sub.w, 0<x<4, 0<y<1, 0<z<1, 0<w<5), lithium nitride (Li.sub.xN.sub.y, 0<x<4, 0<y<2), SiS.sub.2 type glass (Li.sub.xSi.sub.yS.sub.z, 0<x<3, 0<y<2, 0<z<4), P.sub.2S.sub.5 type glass (Li.sub.xP.sub.yS.sub.z, 0<x<3, 0<y<3, 0<z<7), and a mixture thereof.

(18) The binder polymer may be any one selected from the group consisting of polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride-co-trichloroethylene, polymethyl methacrylate, polybutyl acrylate, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate, polyethylene oxide, polyarylate, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose acetate propionate, cyanoethylpullulan, cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol, cyanoethyl cellulose, cyanoethyl sucrose, pullulan, carboxymethyl cellulose, a low molecular compound having a molecular weight of 10,000 g/mol or less, and a mixture thereof.

(19) Further, the present invention provides an electrochemical device comprising a cathode, an anode, the above-mentioned separator which is interposed between the cathode and the anode, and an electrolyte solution.

(20) In the present invention, the cathode and the anode are not particularly limited, and may be manufactured by binding an electrode active material to an electrode current collector according to a conventional method known in the art.

(21) As a cathode active material, those that are commonly used in cathodes of conventional electrochemical devices may be used. Non-limiting examples of the cathode active material may be any one selected from the group consisting of LiCoO.sub.2, LiNiO.sub.2, LiMn.sub.2O.sub.4, LiCoPO.sub.4, LiFePO.sub.4, LiNiMnCoO.sub.2, LiNi.sub.1-x-y-zCo.sub.xM1.sub.yM2.sub.zO.sub.2 (wherein M1 and M2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of Al, Ni, Co, Fe, Mn, V, Cr, Ti, W, Ta, Mg and Mo, and x, y and z are each independently an atomic fraction of oxide-forming elements, in which 0≦x<0.5, 0≦y<0.5, 0≦z<0.5, and x+y+z<1).

(22) Also, as an anode active material, those that are commonly used in anodes of conventional electrochemical devices may be used, and non-limiting examples thereof include lithium, lithium alloys, and lithium intercalation materials such as carbon, petroleum coke, activated carbon, graphite and other carbonaceous materials. Non-limiting examples of a usable cathode current collector include aluminum foils, nickel foils and a combination thereof. Non-limiting examples of a usable anode current collector include copper foils, gold foils, nickel foils, copper alloy foils and a combination thereof.

(23) The electrolyte solution which may be used in the present invention is obtained by dissolving or dissociating a salt in an organic solvent. The salt has a structure represented by A.sup.+B.sup.− wherein A.sup.+ is an alkali metal cation such as Li.sup.+, Na.sup.+, K.sup.+ and a combination thereof and B.sup.− is an anion such as PE.sub.6.sup.−, BF.sub.4.sup.−, Cl.sup.−, Br.sup.−, I.sup.−, ClO.sub.4.sup.−, AsF.sub.6.sup.−, CH.sub.3CO.sub.2.sup.−, CF.sub.3SO.sub.3.sup.−, N(CF.sub.3SO.sub.2).sub.2.sup.−, C(CF.sub.2SO.sub.2).sub.3.sup.− and a combination thereof. Examples of the organic solvent include propylene carbonate (PC), ethylene carbonate (EC), diethyl carbonate (DEC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), dipropyl carbonate (DPC), dimethyl sulfoxide, acetonitrile, dimethoxyethane, diethoxyethane, tetrahydrofuran, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), γ-butyrolactone and a mixture thereof, but are not limited thereto. The electrolyte solution may be introduced in any suitable step during the manufacturing of the electrochemical device depending on the manufacturing processes and desired physical properties of a final product. Specifically, the electrolyte may be introduced before assembling a battery or in the final step of the assembling.

(24) Hereinafter, various preferred examples of the present invention will be described in detail for better understanding. However, the examples of the present invention may be modified in various ways, and they should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention. The examples of the present invention are just for better understanding of the invention to persons having ordinary skill in the art.

EXAMPLE

Example 1

(25) Manufacture of Separator Having Porous Coating Layer Comprising Alumina/PVdF-HFP/Cyanoethyl Polyvinyl Alcohol Mixture

(26) 5 parts by weight of PVdF-HFP copolymer and 5 parts by weight of cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol were dissolved in acetone. To the resultant binder solution, 90 parts by weight of alumina (Density: 4.0 g/cm.sup.3) was added, and dispersed by way of a ball mill method, to obtain a slurry.

(27) The slurry obtained above was coated on one surface of a 9 μm-thick polyolefin film (Asahi Kasei, ND509) and dried, to form a porous coating layer having an average thickness of 5 μm.

Example 2

(28) Manufacture of Separator Having Porous Coating Layer Comprising Alumina/Cyanoethyl Polyvinyl Alcohol Mixture

(29) 5 parts by weight of cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol was dissolved in acetone. To the resultant binder solution, 95 parts by weight of alumina was added, and dispersed by way of a ball mill method, to obtain a slurry.

(30) The slurry obtained above was coated on one surface of a 9 μm-thick polyolefin film (Asahi Kasei, ND509) and dried, to form a porous coating layer having an average thickness of 5 μm.

Example 3

(31) Manufacture of Separator Having Porous Coating Layer Comprising BaTiO.sub.3/PVdF-HFP/Cyanoethyl Polyvinyl Alcohol Mixture

(32) 5 parts by weight of PVdF-HFP copolymer and 5 parts by weight of cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol were dissolved in acetone. To the resultant binder solution, 90 parts by weight of BaTiO.sub.3 (Density: 5.7 g/cm.sup.3) was added, and dispersed by way of a ball mill method, to obtain a slurry.

(33) The slurry obtained above was coated on one surface of a 9 μm-thick polyolefin film (Asahi Kasei, ND509) and dried, to form a porous coating layer having an average thickness of 5 μm.

Example 4

(34) Manufacture of Separator Having Porous Coating Layer Comprising Alumina/PVdF-HFP/Cyanoethyl Polyvinyl Alcohol Mixture

(35) 10 parts by weight of PVdF-HFP copolymer and 5 parts by weight of cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol were dissolved in acetone. To the resultant binder solution, 85 parts by weight of alumina was added, and dispersed by way of a ball mill method, to obtain a slurry.

(36) The slurry obtained above was coated on one surface of a 9 μm-thick polyolefin film (Asahi Kasei, ND509) and dried, to form a porous coating layer having an average thickness of 5 μm.

Example 5

(37) Manufacture of Separator Having Porous Coating Layer Comprising Alumina/PVdF-HFP/Cyanoethyl Polyvinyl Alcohol Mixture

(38) 2 parts by weight of PVdF-HFP copolymer and 3 parts by weight of cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol were dissolved in acetone. To the resultant binder solution, 95 parts by weight of alumina was added, and dispersed by way of a ball mill method, to obtain a slurry.

(39) The slurry obtained above was coated on one surface of a 9 μm-thick polyolefin film (Asahi Kasei, ND509) and dried, to form a porous coating layer having an average thickness of 5 μm.

Comparative Example 1

(40) Manufacture of Separator Having Porous Coating Layer Comprising Alumina/PVdF-HFP/Cyanoethyl Polyvinyl Alcohol Mixture

(41) 10 parts by weight of PVdF-HFP copolymer and 10 parts by weight of cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol were dissolved in acetone. To the resultant binder solution, 80 parts by weight of alumina was added, and dispersed by way of a ball mill method, to obtain a slurry.

(42) The slurry obtained above was coated on one surface of a 9 μm-thick polyolefin film (Asahi Kasei, ND509) and dried, to form a porous coating layer having an average thickness of 5 μm.

Comparative Example 2

(43) Manufacture of Separator Having Porous Coating Layer Comprising Alumina/PVdF-HFP Mixture

(44) 20 parts by weight of PVdF-HFP copolymer was dissolved in acetone. To the resultant binder solution, 80 parts by weight of alumina was added, and dispersed by way of a ball mill method, to obtain a slurry.

(45) The slurry obtained above was coated on one surface of a 9 μm-thick polyolefin film (Asahi Kasei, ND509) and dried, to form a porous coating layer having an average thickness of 5 μm.

Comparative Example 3

(46) Manufacture of Separator Having Porous Coating Layer Comprising Alumina/PVdF-HFP/Cyanoethyl Polyvinyl Alcohol Mixture

(47) 25 parts by weight of PVdF-HFP copolymer and 25 parts by weight of cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol were dissolved in acetone. To the resultant binder solution, 50 parts by weight of alumina was added, and dispersed by way of a ball mill method, to obtain a slurry.

(48) The slurry obtained above was coated on one surface of a 9 μm-thick polyolefin film (Asahi Kasei, ND509) and dried, to form a porous coating layer having an average thickness of 5 μm.

Test Example

(49) The separators prepared in Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 were measured for their properties, and the results thereof are shown in Table 1. Among the properties of the separators, the air permeability thereof was obtained by measuring the time it takes for 100 ml of air to pass through each separator using Gurley Type Densometer (Toyoseki) as shown in FIG. 1, and the thickness thereof was obtained by cutting each porous substrate and each separator into a piece having a size of 5 cm×5 cm and measuring 5 times the thickness of four corners and the dead center for each piece using a thickness gauge (Tesa, Swiss) as shown in FIG. 2, followed by calculating the average.

(50) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Com. Com. Com. Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Ex. 4 Ex. 5 Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Porosity 0.701 0.708 0.768 0.685 0.724 0.652 0.713 0.505 Air Permeability 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 150 of Porous Substrate Air Permeability 350 280 330 410 220 500 180 800 of Separator Thickness of 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 Porous Substrate Thickness of 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 Separator Air Permeability 40 26 36 52 20 70 6 130 per thickness Porosity × Air 28.04 18.41 27.65 35.62 10.14 45.64 4.12 65.65 Permeability per thickness Ionic 5.6 4.6 5.2 3.7 6.4 1.4 Unmeasurable 0.2 Conductivity (×E−4 S/cm)

(51) As shown in Table 1, the separators of Examples 1 to 5 exhibited an ionic conductivity of 3.7 to 6.4 (×E4 S/cm), whereas those of Comparative Examples 1 and 3, 1.4 and 0.2 (×E4 S/cm), respectively. That is, the separators of Examples 1 to 5 were confirmed to have a superior ionic conductivity as compared with those of Comparative Examples 1 and 3. Also, it was confirmed that the separator of Comparative Example 2 cannot be used as a separator as the porous coating layer thereof was melted in an electrolyte solution.