John, The product being sent to Hanil is of three types: anode laminate, cathode laminate, and insulator/separator.
The bicell construction Valence is using is 'anode-out', meaning they layer 'anode/cathode/anode' to make a 'bicell.' Then they stack up bicells, with insulating layers in between, to make the 'cell' that eventually gets put in the foil-lined package and sold to customers.
The details I skipped are that there's some pressure and heat applied when making the bicell. Same when making the cell. Then, after the cell has been 'fused' together, the plasticizer is removed. The micropores left behind are filled with the gel-like electrolyte after the cell is put in the package. The initial charge and discharge cycles are performed at elevated temperatures, resulting in off-gassing which is collected and reprocessed.
Hanil would be doing all the steps outlined above, with the help of Valence engineers.
The above is all described in Valence's patents; see esp.US5894656 (April '99) and US5902697 (May '99). The latter also explains how the insulating layers enable the cell to pass both penetration and crush abuse tests. It is noteworthy that this latter patent was applied for last May (1998), around the time frame that Delphi and Valence parted ways, saying they'd successfully completed their joint research and were moving to independent production.
Rich
PS What Hanil *doesn't* have to do is the anode and cathode laminate construction. This construction requires the mixing of the chemicals, the making of the thin-film anode and cathode materials, the coating of the wire grid collectors, and the construction of the anode and cathode laminates from the above. Valence scientists considered this the hardest part to 'get right.' So while the Hanil JV has gotten Valence's foot in the door in Korea, they haven't given away the most critical part of the technology. |
