# US 12,191,520 B2 · Separator for lithium-sulfur battery, and lithium-sulfur battery comprising same

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,191,520 B2
- Document ID: US12191520B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/605,308
- Filed: 2020-04-24
- Published: 2022-06-23
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2019-05-03
- Assignees: LG Energy Solution, Ltd.
- Applicants: LG Energy Solution, Ltd.
- Inventors: Myeongseong Kim; Suenghoon Han
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191520B2

## CPC

- H01M 50/431: Inorganic material
- H01M 10/052: Li-accumulators
- H01M 10/4235: {Safety or regulating additives or arrangements in electrodes, separators or electrolyte (H01M10/4242 takes precedence)}
- H01M 50/443: Particulate material
- H01M 50/449: having a layered structure
- H01M 50/489: Separators, membranes, diaphragms or spacing elements inside the cells, characterised by their physical properties, e.g. swelling degree, hydrophilicity or shut down properties
- H01M 50/491: Porosity
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

Disclosed is a separator for a lithium-sulfur battery and a lithium-sulfur battery including the same. In particular, disclosed is a separator for a lithium-sulfur battery including a porous substrate and an inorganic coating layer present on at least one surface of the porous substrate wherein the inorganic coating layer includes a modified montmorillonite substituted with at least one specific ion. The separator may include a uniform inorganic coating layer by including a modified montmorillonite, and thus adsorbs lithium polysulfide, thereby improving the capacity and lifetime characteristics of the lithium-sulfur battery.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A separator for a lithium-sulfur battery comprising:
a porous substrate; and
an inorganic coating layer present on at least one surface of the porous substrate,
wherein the inorganic coating layer consists of a modified montmorillonite in which cations in montmorillonite are substituted with at least one ion selected from the group consisting of hydrogen ion, lithium ion, potassium ion, rubidium ion, cesium ion, iron ion, manganese ion and nickel ion.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The separator for the lithium-sulfur battery according to claim 1, wherein the montmorillonite comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of sodium montmorillonite, calcium montmorillonite and magnesium montmorillonite.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The separator for the lithium-sulfur battery according to claim 2, wherein the montmorillonite comprises sodium montmorillonite.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The separator for the lithium-sulfur battery according to claim 1, wherein the modified montmorillonite is substituted with at least one ion selected from the group consisting of hydrogen ion and lithium ion.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The separator for the lithium-sulfur battery according to claim 1, wherein the modified montmorillonite has an exfoliated layered structure.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The separator for the lithium-sulfur battery according to claim 5, wherein the modified montmorillonite is in a form of a nanosheet.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The separator for the lithium-sulfur battery according to claim 6, wherein the modified montmorillonite has a thickness of from 3 nm to 100 nm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The separator for the lithium-sulfur battery according to claim 1, wherein the modified montmorillonite has diffraction peaks that appear in the range of diffraction angles (2θ) of 7.0±1.0°, 9.0±1.0°, 20.0±1.0°, 26.5±1.0° and 28.0±0.5°, respectively, as measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The separator for the lithium-sulfur battery according to claim 1, wherein the inorganic coating layer has a thickness of from 0.1 μm to 10 μm.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

A lithium-sulfur battery comprising: a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator interposed therebetween and an electrolyte,
wherein the separator comprises the separator according to claim 1.

### Claim 11 (depends on 2)

The separator for the lithium-sulfur battery according to claim 2, wherein the montmorillonite comprises sodium montmorillonite, wherein a content of sodium ion present in the modified montmorillonite in the inorganic coating layer is 0.4% or less.

### Claim 12 (depends on 2)

The separator for the lithium-sulfur battery according to claim 2, wherein the montmorillonite comprises calcium montmorillonite, wherein a content of calcium ion present in the modified montmorillonite in the inorganic coating layer is 0.2% or less.