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Development of a New Composite Separator for Lithium-Ion Batteries

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— 1 min read

Researchers from Kangwon National University have developed a new composite separator for lithium-ion batteries by introducing ceramic coating layers onto both sides of a polyethylene (PE) separator. The ceramic coating layers are comprised of SiO2 nanoparticles and polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVdF-HFP) binders. This innovative design offers significant improvements in thermal shrinkage and electrochemical performance.

Key Takeaways:

  • The researchers created a composite separator by coating SiO2 nanoparticles and PVdF-HFP binders onto both sides of a PE separator.
  • The ceramic coating layers have a close-packed structure, resulting in highly connected interstitial voids that facilitate ion transport.
  • The new separator exhibits a significant reduction in thermal shrinkage compared to the pristine PE separator.
  • The study found that using small-sized SiO2 nanoparticles (=40 nm) leads to high porosity, improved ion transport, and reduced cell impedance.
  • The new separator design allows for substantial improvements in cell performances and thermal shrinkage.
  • The researchers published their findings in the Journal of Power Sources, noting that small-sized SiO2 nanoparticles are more effective than large-sized SiO2 (=530 nm).
  • H.S. Jeong and colleagues investigated the effects of SiO2 powder size on separator properties, concluding that small-sized SiO2 particles offer better performance.

Statistics:

  • SiO2 particle size: 40 nm (small-sized) vs. 530 nm (large-sized)
  • Thermal shrinkage reduction: Compared to pristine PE separator
  • Cell impedance: Small increase due to high porosity
  • Cell performance improvements: Substantial improvements
  • SiO2 powder size: Effects investigated as a function of size
  • Reference: Journal of Power Sources, 2011;196(16 Sp. Iss):6716-6722

Sources:

  • Jeong, H.S., et al. (2011). Closely packed SiO2 nanoparticles/poly(Vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) layers-coated polyethylene separators for lithium-ion batteries. Journal of Power Sources, 196(16 Sp. Iss), 6716-6722.
  • Kangwon National University, Contact: S.Y. Lee, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Chunchon 200701, Kangwondo, SOUTH KOREA.
  • Journal of Power Sources, Publisher: Elsevier Science BV, PO Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands.
  • Nanotechnology Weekly editors (2011). "Closely packed SiO2 nanoparticles/poly(Vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) layers-coated polyethylene separators for lithium-ion batteries" via VerticalNews.com.

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