USPTO Patent for Ordered Polyblock Copolymers and Polymer Electrolytes

ChangeBridge: Patent Grants - Batteries (H01M)

Published March 24th, 2026

Detected March 26th, 2026

Summary

The USPTO has granted a patent (US12583978B2) to Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH for a process to produce ordered polyblock copolymers. The patent covers specific synthesis methods, resulting block copolymers, polymer electrolytes, and their use in secondary alkaline batteries.

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What changed

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued patent US12583978B2 to Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH for a novel process for synthesizing ordered polyblock copolymers. The patent details a method for preparing these copolymers, which comprise at least one non-polar and one polar polymer block, with controllable molecular weight distribution. Key aspects include the use of a Li-organyl initiator, specific monomer compositions for the polar block, and a unique epoxy functionalization step for covalent linkage. The patent also covers the resulting block copolymers, polymer electrolytes derived from them, and their application in secondary alkaline batteries.

This patent grant is primarily an intellectual property development and does not impose new regulatory obligations on companies. However, it may impact companies involved in the research, development, or manufacturing of battery components, particularly polymer electrolytes for alkaline batteries. Companies operating in this space should be aware of this granted patent and its claims to ensure they do not infringe on the intellectual property rights of Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH. No immediate compliance actions are required for regulated entities.

Source document (simplified)

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Synthesis for producing ordered polyblock copolymers having a controllable molecular weight distribution

Grant US12583978B2 Kind: B2 Mar 24, 2026

Assignee

FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JULICH GMBH

Inventors

Daniel Krause, Mariano Grünebaum, Hans-Dieter Wiemhöfer, Martin Winter

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for the sequential and convergent preparation of ordered block copolymers comprising at least one non-polar and one polar polymer block, wherein the non-polar block is built up from specific monomers via a living sequential anionic polymerization by means of a Li-organyl initiator having a pKa greater than or equal to 45 and the polar block is a polymer block having a molecular weight greater than or equal to 350 g/mol and less than or equal to 5000 g/mol and being built up from monomers selected from the group consisting of C2-C10 oxacyclo compounds, their derivatives or mixtures of at least two different monomers thereof, wherein the polar polymer block is covalently linked to the non-polar block anion in a single step via an epoxy functionalization of one of the monomers of the polar block, obtained via a reaction of this monomer with epichlorohydrin, in a non-polar solvent in the presence of free Li ions. Furthermore, the present invention relates to specific block copolymers having short polar chains of very uniform chain length, polymer electrolytes, and the use of the block copolymers as polymer electrolytes in secondary alkaline batteries.