US 12,191,469 B2
Phase change composite apparatus for battery packs and methods of making
Said Al-Hallaj, Chicago, IL (US); De'Nard Harper, Calumet City, IL (US); Hexu Wang, Chicago, IL (US); Scott Morehouse, Hudsonville, MI (US); Reem Khoury, Chicago, IL (US); Hamdi Mohamed, Tinley Park, IL (US); Samuel T. Plunkett, Chicago, IL (US); and Dan Bagby, Grand Rapids, MI (US)
Assigned to BEAM GLOBAL, San Diego, CA (US)
Filed by BEAM GLOBAL, San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/693,846.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/161,703, filed on Mar. 16, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0302520 A1, Sep. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. H01M 10/659 (2014.01); C09K 5/06 (2006.01); H01M 50/293 (2021.01)
CPC H01M 10/659 (2015.04) [C09K 5/063 (2013.01); H01M 50/293 (2021.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for making a phase change composite for a battery pack of a plurality of electrochemical cells, the method comprising:
impregnating a sheet of a matrix material with a phase change material by soaking a sheet of the matrix material in a bath of the phase change material, wherein the sheet of matrix material comprises an expanded graphite sheet;
fragmenting the sheet of matrix material into impregnated matrix material pieces;
mixing the impregnated matrix material pieces with binder material particles to form a composite mix, wherein the binder material particles form 2% to 5% of the composite mix;
placing the composite mix into a screw extruder;
screw extruding the fragmented and impregnated matrix material within the screw extruder into a shaped composite corresponding to an extruder shape, wherein the shaped composite is a spacer having at least two battery seats on each of two opposing sides of the spacer, each of the battery seats of the spacer is an open face seat that does not fully surround a corresponding cell of the battery pack, and
the spacer retains the extruder shape for use with the battery pack;
coating the spacer with a polymer coating material selected from a polyurethane, an epoxy, a silicone, a rubber, and combinations thereof.