Patent ID: 7736809

Claim:
A rechargeable lithium ion battery comprising: a positive electrode comprising a first current collector and a positive active material layer on the first current collector; a negative electrode comprising a second current collector and a negative active material layer on the second current collector; and an electrolyte comprising a non-aqueous organic solvent and a lithium salt, wherein at least one of the first and the second current collectors comprises a rigid polymer film having a melting point of about 80° C. and a thickness from 1 to 30 μm, and a layer of metal, wherein the layer of metal has a thickness from 50 Å to 10,000 Å and comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, Pt, Co, W, K, Na, Ca, Sr, Ba, Si, Ge, Sb, Pb, In, and combinations thereof, and wherein the polymer of the rigid polymer film is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene naphthalene, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyethylene naphthalate, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, and polysulfone.