Patent ID: 7160603

Claim:
A first electrode/separator assembly comprising a microporous layer, wherein said electrode/separator assembly is prepared according to a method comprising the steps of: (a) coating a microporous layer on a temporary carrier substrate to form a separator assembly, wherein said microporous layer has a first surface in contact with said temporary carrier substrate and has a second surface on the side opposite from said temporary carrier substrate; (b) laminating said second surface of said microporous layer to a first electrode assembly to form a microporous layer/first electrode assembly; and (c) removing said temporary carrier substrate from said first surface of said microporous layer to form said first electrode/separator assembly; wherein said microporous layer comprises one or more microporous xerogel layers formed by drying a liquid metal oxide sol to form a xerogel layer of a solid metal oxide gel matrix with pores which are interconnected in a continuous fashion from one outermost surface of said xerogel layer through to the other outermost surface of said xerogel layer.