US-12626929-B2 - Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) particles and filled articles produced therewith

US12626929B2US 12626929 B2US12626929 B2US 12626929B2US-12626929-B2

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems, materials, and methods for preparing polyethylene electrodes for use in energy storage and transfer via dry electrode processing is described herein. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) particles and filler particles are used to form a blended composition. With shear, the UHMWPE fibrillates to durably enmesh the filler particles. The blended composition with the fibrillated UHMWPE particles may, in turn, be used to form an article, such as an electrode. The blended composition may contain less than 10% by weight of the UHMWPE. The UHMWPE has a molecular weight of at least about 2,000,000 g/mol, a bulk density from about 0.04 g/mL to about 0.25 g/mL, and a melt enthalpy of at least 190 J/g. In some embodiments, the UHMWPE may be conditioned to alter the size and/or shape of the particles. The median diameter of the conditioned UHMWPE particles is from 5 microns to 300 microns.

Inventors

Guy A. Sbriglia
Jeffrey A. Knopf
Mark D. Edmundson
Shunsuke Takaki
Shailesh P. Vidhate
Ryuta Yamamoto
Joseph W. Henderson

Assignees

W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES G.K.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20250429

Claims (7)

1 . A blended particle composition comprising: filler particles; and fibrillatable ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) particles, wherein the UHMWPE particles are used as a binder, the UHMWPE particles having: a molecular weight of at least about 2,000,000 g/mol, a bulk density from about 0.04 g/ml to about 0.25 g/ml, and a melt enthalpy of at least 190 J/g, wherein the UHMWPE particles are formed of agglomerations of fine particles having an average diameter greater than or equal to 10 nm and less than or equal to 2000 nm, and wherein the blended particle composition contains therein about 1% by weight to about 10% by weight of the UHMWPE binder particles.
2 . The blended particle composition of claim 1 , wherein the blended particle composition contains therein about 1% by weight to about 5% by weight of the UHMWPE binder particles.
3 . The blended particle composition of claim 1 , wherein the filler particles include filler material comprising at least one of carbon particles, conductive carbon particles, activated carbon particles, graphite particles, carbon black particles, and lithium compound particles.
4 . The blended particle composition of claim 1 , wherein the UHMWPE particles also have a percent (%) compressibility of at least 20% at 15 kPA normal stress as measured using powder rheometer at 22° C.
5 . The blended particle composition of claim 4 , wherein the UHMWPE particles also have cohesion of at least 3 kPa as measured using a powder rheometer at 22° C.
6 . The blended particle composition of claim 4 , wherein the UHMWPE particles also have unconfined yield stress (UYS) of at least 10 kPA as measured using a powder rheometer at 22° C.
7 . The blended particle composition of claim 4 , wherein the UHMWPE particles also have an angle of internal friction (AIF) of at least 25° as measured using a powder rheometer at 22° C.

Description

FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to solvent-free processing, and more particularly, to apparatuses, systems, materials, and methods for preparing polyethylene (“PE”) electrodes for use in energy storage and transfer via dry electrode processing. BACKGROUND Electrical energy storage is important in many applications, including mobile electronic devices, electric vehicles, and solar energy capture. As new applications in which electrical energy storage are used and as technologies are shifting toward use of electrical power, various factors have driven the development of electrochemical energy storage devices. For example, some considerations include the cost and efficiency of manufacturing electrochemical energy storage devices, the size and weight of electrochemical energy storage devices, the environmental impact of manufacturing and disposal of electrochemical energy devices, and the efficiency and durability of electrochemical energy storage device over time. The dominant electrochemical energy storage technology for many applications is lithium-ion batteries. The incumbent methodology used to produce most commercial lithium-ion battery electrodes, sometimes called the “wet process,” involves the use of large quantities of liquid processing aids (e.g., solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP)) that may be hazardous to people and/or the environment as well as the use of large ovens to remove the liquid processing aids. Other methods for producing lithium-ion battery electrodes have been in development including a “dry electrode process” that does not require liquid processing aids or large ovens. Initial development of the dry electrode process focused on electrodes for supercapacitors. More recently, there has been a substantial increase in interest in applying the dry electrode process to other electrodes, such as those in lithium-ion batteries. Major motivations for switching from the wet process to the dry electrode process are to reduce the cost, physical footprint, and environmental impact of electrode production. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for more efficient methods of electrode production that have a decreased environmental impact and that are scalable for mass production of articles that may be used in various settings and industries. SUMMARY According to one aspect (“Aspect 1”) a method of manufacturing an article includes shearing filler particles and UHMWPE particles having a molecular weight of at least 2,000,000 g/mol and a melt enthalpy of at least 190 J/g to form a blended particle composition and forming the blended particle composition into an article, where the filler particles are durably enmeshed within fibrils formed by the UHMWPE particles and where the article is at least 80% by weight filler particles. According to another aspect (“Aspect 2”) further to Aspect 1, including fibrillating the UHMWPE particles prior to shearing the filler particles and the UHMWPE particles. According to another aspect (“Aspect 3”) further to Aspect 1 or Aspect 2, where forming the blended particle composition into an article includes calendering the blended particle composition. According to another aspect (“Aspect 4”) further to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, where the article has DSC curve with a DSC peak between about 143° C. and about 175° C. and where the article has a fibrillation percentage greater than 0%. According to another aspect (“Aspect 5”) further to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, where the particles include at least one of carbon particles, conductive carbon particles, activated carbon particles, graphite particles, carbon black particles, and lithium compound particles. According to another aspect (“Aspect 6”) further to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, including conditioning the UHMWPE particles prior to shearing the filler particles and the UHMWPE particles, where the UHMWPE particles have a median Da from about 5 microns to about 300 microns. According to another aspect (“Aspect 7”) further to any one of Aspects 1 to 6, where the blended particle composition includes less than 10% by weight of the fibrillatable UHMWPE particles. According to another aspect (“Aspect 8”) a composite material includes a filler material including filler particles and a binder system including ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) particles having a molecular weight of at least 2,000,000 g/mol and a melt enthalpy of at least 190 J/g, where the filler material and the UHMWPE particles are sheared and formed into an article such that the composite material includes a DSC peak from about 143° C. to about 175° C. According to another aspect (“Aspect 9”) further to Aspect 8, where the composite material has a DSC curve with the DSC peak between about 143° C. and about 175° C., where a fibrillation percentage is determined by an integration of the DSC peak as a percentage of an integration of the DSC curve between about 100° C. and about 175° C., and where the article has a fibri