# US 10,873,061 B2 · Nickel-plated, heat-treated steel sheet for battery cans

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- Number: US 10,873,061 B2
- Document ID: US10873061B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/780,862
- Filed: 2016-12-05
- Published: 2018-12-20
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2015-12-03
- Assignees: Toyo Kohan Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Toyo Kohan Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kota Sadaki; Koh Yoshioka
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10873061B2

## CPC

- H01M 50/124: having a layered structure
- B32B 15/013: {one layer being formed of an iron alloy or steel, another layer being formed of a metal other than iron or aluminium}
- B32B 15/015: {the said other metal being copper or nickel or an alloy thereof}
- B32B 15/04: comprising metal as the main or only constituent of a layer, {which is} next to another layer of {the same or of} a {different material (next to a bituminous or tarry layer B32B11/08; next to a water-setting substance layer B32B13/06; next to a glass layer B32B17/061; next to a cellulosic plastic layer B32B23/042)}
- B32B 15/043: {of metal (B32B15/01 takes precedence)}
- B32B 15/18: comprising iron or steel {(B32B15/011, B32B15/012 and B32B15/013 take precedence)}
- C23C 10/02: Pretreatment of the material to be coated (C23C10/04 takes precedence)
- C23C 10/08: only one element being diffused
- C23C 10/18: using liquids, e.g. salt baths, liquid suspensions
- C23C 10/20: only one element being diffused
- C23C 10/28: using solids, e.g. powders, pastes
- C23C 10/30: using a layer of powder or paste on the surface (using liquid suspensions of solids C23C10/18)
- C23C 10/60: After-treatment
- C23C 28/02: only coatings {only including layers} of metallic material
- C23C 28/021: {including at least one metal alloy layer}
- C23C 28/023: {only coatings of metal elements only}
- C23C 30/00: Coating with metallic material characterised only by the composition of the metallic material, i.e. not characterised by the coating process (C23C26/00, C23C28/00 take precedence)
- C23C 30/005: {on hard metal substrates}
- C25D 3/12: of nickel or cobalt
- C25D 5/48: After-treatment of electroplated surfaces
- C25D 5/50: by heat-treatment
- C25D 7/00: Electroplating characterised by the article coated
- C25D 7/0614: {Strips or foils}
- H01M 50/107: having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic (H01M50/103, H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence)
- H01M 50/119: Metals
- H01M 50/1245: {characterised by the external coating on the casing}
- H01M 50/133: Thickness
- H01M 50/134: Hardness
- H01M 50/145: for protecting against corrosion
- H01M 50/213: adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic (H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence)
- B32B 2250/03: 3 layers
- B32B 2311/22: Nickel or cobalt
- B32B 2311/30: Iron, e.g. steel
- B32B 2439/00: Containers; Receptacles
- H01M 50/1243: {characterised by the internal coating on the casing}
- H01M 50/131: characterised by physical properties, e.g. gas permeability, size or heat resistance
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- Y10T 428/12937: Co- or Ni-base component next to Fe-base component
- Y10T 428/12944: Ni-base component
- Y10T 428/12951: Fe-base component
- Y10T 428/12958: Next to Fe-base component
- Y10T 428/12965: Both containing 0.01-1.7% carbon [i.e., steel]
- Y10T 428/12972: Containing 0.01-1.7% carbon [i.e., steel]
- Y10T 428/12979: Containing more than 10% nonferrous elements [e.g., high alloy, stainless]
- Y10T 428/12993: Surface feature [e.g., rough, mirror]
- Y10T 428/24942: including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
- Y10T 428/2495: Thickness [relative or absolute]
- Y10T 428/24967: Absolute thicknesses specified
- Y10T 428/24975: No layer or component greater than 5 mils thick
- Y10T 428/263: Coating layer not in excess of 5 mils thick or equivalent
- Y10T 428/264: Up to 3 mils
- Y10T 428/265: 1 mil or less
- Y10T 428/27: Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component, the element or component having a specified weight per unit area [e.g., gms/sq cm, lbs/sq ft, etc.]
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- C25D: PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A nickel-plated heat-treated steel sheet for a battery can, having a nickel layer with a nickel amount of 4.4 to 26.7 g/m2 on a steel sheet. When the Fe intensity and the Ni intensity are continuously measured along the depth direction from the surface of the nickel-plated heat-treated steel sheet for a battery can, by using a high frequency glow discharge optical emission spectrometric analyzer, the difference between the depth at which the Fe intensity exhibits a first predetermined value and the depth at which the Ni intensity exhibits a second predetermined value is less than 0.04 μm.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A nickel plated heat treated steel sheet for a battery can, comprising:
a bottomed cylindrical shaped article made of a surface-treated steel sheet, wherein the surface-treated steel sheet comprises:
a nickel layer constituting an outermost layer with a nickel amount of 4.4 to 26.7 g/m2 deposed on an inner surface of the bottomed cylindrical shaped article,
wherein when a Fe intensity and a Ni intensity are continuously measured along depth direction from the inner surface of the bottomed cylindrical shaped article, by using a high frequency glow discharge optical emission spectrometric analyzer, a difference (D2−D1) between a depth (D1) at which the Fe intensity exhibits a first predetermined value and a depth (D2) at which the Ni intensity exhibits a second predetermined value is less than 0.04 μm,
wherein the depth (D1) exhibiting the first predetermined value is a depth exhibiting an intensity of 10% of a saturated value of the Fe intensity measured by the above-described measurement, and
the depth (D2) exhibiting the second predetermined value is a depth exhibiting an intensity of 10% of a maximum value when the measurement is further performed along the depth direction after the Ni intensity shows the maximum value by the above-described measurement.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The battery can according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a thickness of the iron-nickel diffusion layer to a thickness of the nickel layer (thickness of iron-nickel diffusion layer/thickness of nickel layer) is 0.08 or less.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The battery can according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the nickel layer is more than 0.5 μm.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The battery can according to claim 1, wherein a Vickers hardness (HV) of the nickel layer measured with a load of 10 gf is more than 220.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A battery provided with the battery container according to claim 1.

### Claim 6

A method for producing a battery can having a nickel-plated heat-treated steel sheet, the method comprising:
forming a bottomed cylindrical shaped article having an inner surface, and
forming the nickel-plated heat-treated steel sheet by a method comprising:
forming a nickel plating layer on a surface of a steel sheet with a nickel amount of 4.4 to 26.7 g/m2, and
forming an iron-nickel diffusion layer and a nickel layer constituting an outermost layer by applying a heat treatment to the steel sheet having the nickel plating layer formed thereon by maintaining the steel sheet at a temperature of 350° C. to 450° C. for 30 seconds to 2 minutes,
wherein the nickel plating layer is formed on the inner surface of the bottomed cylindrical shaped article.