Base films for impregnation, improved impregnated products, and related methods

An impregnated, coated, dip coated, dipped, wet, wet out, filled, or treated membrane film adapted for use as or in a separator for a battery, lithium battery, lead acid battery, capacitor, fuel cell, lithium ion battery, polymer battery, CE, EDV, ESS, UPS, and/or ISS batteries, secondary lithium battery, such as a secondary lithium ion battery, a base film to be coated, a filtration film or media, an HVAC filter, a humidity control film, membrane, laminate, or composite, a PEM or a humidity control membrane in fuel cells, a medical membrane or film such as in transdermal patches, a textile, a garment material or layer, a tape, a facial wipe, a composite, laminate, or multilayer film, and/or the like comprising:

• at least one mesoporous (from about 2.0 um max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 10.0 um max avg pore size), microporous (from about 10.0 nm (0.01 um) max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 2.0 um max avg pore size), or nanoporous (less than about 10.0 nm (0.01 um) max avg pore size) impregnated, coated, dip coated, dipped, wet, wet out, filled, or treated membrane film, wherein the film comprises:
• at least one porous (from about 0.01 um max avg pore size to about 20 um max avg pore size), macroporous (over (greater than) about 10.0 um max pore size), mesoporous (from about 2.0 um max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 10.0 um max avg pore size), or microporous (from about 10.0 nm (0.01 um) max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 2.0 um max avg pore size) polymer membrane, base film, substrate, or precursor having at least a polymer resin (A) as a major component;
• and,
• at least one area of surfaces of pores in the polymer membrane, base film, substrate, or precursor having a first thin layer, coating or deposit of at least a first impregnate, impregnation, coating, dip coating, wetting, filling, or treating material having at least a polymer resin (B) as a major component thereon or therein such as at least an about 10% impregnation depth into the thickness of the membrane, base film, substrate, or precursor, preferably about 50%, and most preferably about 100%, and an optional at least one solvent residual component or other additives, agents, or fillers in the impregnate, impregnation, coating, dip coating, wetting, filling, or treating material thereon or therein.

A method of making an impregnated, coated, dip coated, dipped, wet, wet out, filled, or treated membrane film adapted for use as or in a separator for a lithium battery, such as a secondary lithium ion battery, a base film to be coated, a filtration film or media, an HVAC filter, a humidity control film, membrane, laminate, or composite, a PEM or a humidity control membrane in fuel cells, a medical membrane or film such as in transdermal patches, a textile, a garment material or layer, a tape, a facial wipe, a composite, laminate, or multilayer film, and/or the like comprising the steps of:

• impregnating, coating, dip coating, dipping, wetting, wetting out, filling, or treating at least one porous (from about 0.01 um max avg pore size to about 20 um max avg pore size), macroporous (over (greater than) about 10.0 um max pore size), mesoporous (from about 2.0 um max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 10.0 um max avg pore size), or microporous (from about 10.0 nm (0.01 um) max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 2.0 um max avg pore size) polymer membrane, base film, substrate, or precursor having at least a polymer resin (A) as a major component,
• to form at least one impregnated, coated, dip coated, dipped, wet, wet out, filled, or treated mesoporous (from about 2.0 um max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 10.0 um max avg pore size), microporous (from about 10.0 nm (0.01 um) max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 2.0 um max avg pore size), or nanoporous (less than about 10.0 nm (0.01 um) max avg pore size) membrane film, wherein at least one area of surfaces of pores in the membrane film having a first thin layer, coating or deposit of at least a first impregnate, impregnation, coating, dip coating, wetting, filling, or treating material having at least a polymer resin (B) as a major component thereon or therein such as at least an about 10% impregnation depth into the thickness of the polymer membrane, base film, substrate, or precursor, preferably about 50%, and most preferably about 100%, and an optional at least one solvent residual component or other additives, agents, or fillers in the impregnate, impregnation, coating, dip coating, wetting, filling, or treating material thereon or therein.

A first impregnate, coating, dip, dip coating, wetting, fill, or treatment for impregnating, coating, dip coating, dipping, wetting, wetting out, filling, or treating at least one porous (from about 0.01 um max avg pore size to about 20 um max avg pore size), macroporous (over (greater than) about 10.0 um max pore size), mesoporous (from about 2.0 um max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 10.0 um max avg pore size), or microporous (from about 10.0 nm (0.01 um) max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 2.0 um max avg pore size) polymer membrane, base film, substrate, or precursor having at least a polymer resin (A) as a major component, to form at least one impregnated, coated, dip coated, dipped, wet, wet out, filled, or treated mesoporous (from about 2.0 um max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 10.0 um max avg pore size), microporous (from about 10.0 nm (0.01 um) max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 2.0 um max avg pore size), or nanoporous (less than about 10.0 nm (0.01 um) max avg pore size) membrane film, wherein at least one area of surfaces of pores in the membrane film having a first thin layer, coating or deposit of at least a first impregnate, impregnation, coating, dip coating, wetting, filling, or treating material having at least a polymer resin (B) as a major component thereon or therein such as at least an about 10% impregnation depth into the thickness of the polymer membrane, base film, substrate, or precursor, preferably about 50%, and most preferably about 100%, and an optional at least one solvent residual component or other additives, agents, or fillers in the impregnate, impregnation, coating, dip coating, wetting, filling, or treating material thereon or therein, the first impregnate, coating, dip, dip coating, wetting, fill, or treatment comprising:

• polymer resin (B) and at least one solvent.

A second impregnate, coating, dip, dip coating, wetting, fill, or treatment for impregnating, coating, dip coating, dipping, wetting, wetting out, filling, or treating at least one porous (from about 0.01 um max avg pore size to about 20 um max avg pore size), macroporous (over (greater than) about 10.0 um max pore size), mesoporous (from about 2.0 um max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 10.0 um max avg pore size), or microporous (from about 10.0 nm (0.01 um) max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 2.0 um max avg pore size) polymer membrane, base film, substrate, or precursor having at least a polymer resin (A) as a major component, to form at least one impregnated, coated, dip coated, dipped, wet, wet out, filled, or treated mesoporous (from about 2.0 um max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 10.0 um max avg pore size), microporous (from about 10.0 nm (0.01 um) max avg pore size up to (or equal to or less than) about 2.0 um max avg pore size), or nanoporous (less than about 10.0 nm (0.01 um) max avg pore size) membrane film, wherein at least one area of surfaces of pores in the membrane film having a second thin layer, coating or deposit of at least a second impregnate, impregnation, coating, dip coating, wetting, filling, or treating material having at least a polymer resin (C) as a major component thereon or therein such as at least an about 10% impregnation depth into the thickness of the polymer membrane, base film, substrate, or precursor, preferably about 50%, and most preferably about 100%, and an optional at least one solvent residual component or other additives, agents, or fillers in the impregnate, impregnation, coating, dip coating, wetting, filling, or treating material thereon or therein, the second impregnate, coating, dip, dip coating, wetting, fill, or treatment comprising:

• polymer resin (C) and at least one solvent.