Method of, and apparatus for, manufacturing alkali metal coated current collectors for batteries

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an alkali metal coated current collector for a battery, the method includes melting the alkali metal, removing impurities floating on the surface of the melted alkali metal; applying the purified melted alkali metal to the surface of at least one side of a passing current collector substrate to form a coating on the current collector substrate. A system for manufacturing an alkali metal coated current collector for a battery includes at least one extruder having a melt chamber, an inlet extending to the melt chamber, at least one feed roller in the inlet for feeding alkali metal introduced into the inlet to the melt chamber; a heater for melting alkali metal in the melt chamber; an opening in the chamber for removing impurities floating on the melted alkali metal in the melt chamber; an outlet extending from the melt chamber to a dispensing opening; a reservoir for receiving melted alkali metal; and at least one drive roller for driving a current collector substrate past the reservoir to receive a coating of melted alkali metal.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.