Composite material

Abstract

The present specification discloses a composite material and a fire extinguishing device which are applied to a product or an element that is in an abnormal state or has a possibility of an abnormal state so as to be capable of effectively responding to the abnormal state. For example, the composite material or the like can be applied to an article comprising a plurality of products or elements to respond to abnormal heat generation, explosion or fire occurring in one element or product. And prevents or minimizes the propagation of such heat, explosion or fire to an adjacent element or product. The composite material and the like also exhibit excellent workability and storage stability. The present specification may also provide uses of the composite material or the like.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0043318, filed on March 29, 2024, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0174266, filed on November 28, 2024, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present specification discloses a composite material, a fire extinguishing device comprising the same, and a use of the composite material and the fire extinguishing device. BACKGROUND

[0003] The importance of technology for handling heat generated from a product becomes greater, but the handling, maintenance, and control of heat in a product composed of a plurality of heat generating elements (heating elements) is a difficult problem.

[0004] For example, it is very important to prevent a so-called TR (Thermal Runaway) or TP (Thermal Propagation) phenomenon occurring in a battery module or a battery pack. The battery module or the battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells or a plurality of battery modules positioned adjacent to each other.

[0005] In such a structure, a phenomenon in which abnormal heat generation, ignition, and / or explosion, etc. occurring in one battery cell and / or battery module is transferred to other adjacent battery cells in a chain-like manner is referred to as a TR or TP phenomenon. In terms of safety, it is necessary to manage chain ignition or chain explosion caused by such a TR or TP phenomenon. SUMMARY

[0006] TECHNICAL PROBLEM

[0007] The present specification discloses a composite material, a fire extinguishing device, and a use thereof. The present specification aims to disclose a composite material and a fire extinguishing device which are applied to a product or an element in which an abnormal state has occurred or has a possibility of forming an abnormal state, thereby enabling an effective response to an abnormal state.

[0008] For example, the composite material and the fire extinguishing device disclosed herein are applied to an article including a plurality of products or elements, whereby it is possible to prevent or minimize the transfer of an abnormal state occurring in any one product or element to other products or elements.

[0009] Another object of the present specification is to disclose a composite material and a fire extinguishing device having excellent operability and storage stability. Still another object of the present specification is to disclose a use of the composite material and the fire extinguishing device.

[0010] Technical Solution

[0011] Among the physical properties mentioned herein, unless otherwise specified, the physical property in which temperature affects the physical property is a physical property measured at room temperature.

[0012] The term room temperature is a natural temperature without artificial heating or cooling, which means a temperature in the range of about 10°C to 30°C, for example, a temperature around about 23°C or about 25°C.

[0013] Unless otherwise specified, the unit of temperature mentioned herein is °C.

[0014] Among the physical properties mentioned herein, unless otherwise specified, the physical property in which pressure affects the result is a physical property measured at normal pressure.

[0015] The term normal pressure is a natural pressure without artificial pressurization or depressurization, in which a pressure in the range of about 700 mmHg to about 800 mmHg is referred to as normal pressure.

[0016] Among the physical properties mentioned herein, unless otherwise specified, the physical property in which humidity affects the result is a physical property measured at room temperature and normal pressure conditions under humidity without artificial adjustment.

[0017] In this specification, the term abnormal state refers to a state in which abnormal heat generation, ignition, and / or explosion has occurred in any product or element, or there is a risk of abnormal heat generation, ignition, and / or explosion.

[0018] In this specification, the term normal state refers to the state of any product or element without an abnormal state.

[0019] This specification discloses a composite material.

[0020] This specification also discloses a fire extinguishing device comprising the composite material.

[0021] The fire extinguishing device includes a housing having a sealed space inside and a composite material present in the sealed space.

[0022] For example, the fire extinguishing device can include a housing, and the composite material can be present in the housing. The housing can have a sealed internal space, and the composite material can be present in such a sealed space.

[0023] The case is a container for holding a composite material. The case has a sealed space inside. The case having a sealed space inside means that the case exists in a state in which a sealed space is formed inside the case, or the case exists so that there is a certain space inside the case, and the space is not in a sealed state, but a sealed space can be formed in a manner of sealing the opening part. The sealed space means a space formed so that components such as a composite material do not substantially leak to the outside in a normal state.

[0024] In one example, as described below, the case can include a portion having a WVTR (Water Vapor Transmission Rate) within a predetermined range. For example, as described below, at least the sealed space in which the composite material is present can be substantially surrounded by a portion having a WVTR (Water Vapor Transmission Rate) within a predetermined range.

[0025] The case has a venting region. The term venting region can mean a region in which it exists in a sealed state in a first state so that a sealed state can be maintained, but is open in a second state so that all or a part of the material inside the space can be discharged. The second state can mean, for example, an abnormal state to be described below, and the first state can mean a normal state to be described below. Such a venting region can be formed in a manner to be described below.

[0026] In one example, the housing can include a WVTR (water vapor transmission rate) within a predetermined range. For example, in a sealed space inside the housing, the space in a sealed state can be completely surrounded by a material having a WVTR within a range as described below. Here, the case where the sealed space in a sealed state is completely surrounded by a material having a specific WVTR means that the space is substantially surrounded by the material, for example, it means that 80% to 100%, 85% to 100%, 90% to 100%, 95% to 100%, or substantially 100% of the area of the housing forming the sealed space has the specific WVTR. The upper limit of the WVTR (water vapor transmission rate) can be about 10, 9.5, 9, 8.5, 8, 7.5, 7, 6.5, 6, 5.5, 5, 4.5, 4, 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1, 0.5, 0.45, 0.4, 0.35, 0.3, 0.25, 0.2, 0.15, 0.1, 0.05, 0.01, 0.005, or 0.001, and the lower limit thereof can be about 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, or 0.5. The WVTR can be within a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from among the upper limits listed above; or within a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from among the upper limits listed above, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from among the lower limits listed above. By having such a WVTR, it is possible to ensure the storage stability of the composite material present inside the sealed space, and the fire extinguishing device can more effectively exhibit its intended fire extinguishing action.

[0027] The unit of the WVTR (water vapor transmission rate) can be and it can be evaluated in the manner described in the "6. WVTR (water vapor transmission rate) evaluation" of the Examples section of the present specification.

[0028] The fire extinguishing device is configured such that, in a normal state, the composite material can be held in the sealed space, and then, in an abnormal state, the internal vaporizable substance can be effectively released to the outside.

[0029] The action will be described assuming that the fire extinguishing device is applied to a battery module.

[0030] Figure 1 is a schematic view of the case where the fire extinguishing device S is applied to a battery module. As in Figure 1 , the battery module can be configured by a plurality of battery cells 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 adjacent to each other, where the fire extinguishing device S can be provided between the battery cells (for example, between 12 and 13 and / or between 14 and 15 in Figure 1 .

[0031] In a normal state, the fire extinguishing device S holds the inside of the inside substance such as a vaporizable substance. If it is in an abnormal state, the inside substance can be ejected from the fire extinguishing device S through the vent area (indicated by the dotted arrow in Figure 1 ). The inside substance thus ejected can respond to heat, flame, and / or explosion in an abnormal state. Figure 1 In Figure 1 , a case in which the inside substance is ejected from both the upper end and the lower end of the fire extinguishing device S is described, but the direction of ejection is not limited to . The direction of ejection can also be in one direction of the fire extinguishing device S, and can also be in two or more directions.

[0032] In order for the fire extinguishing device to effectively perform this function in an abnormal state, it is required that the vaporizable substance or the like present inside the housing in a normal state be stably held, that the inside substance can be quickly discharged to the outside when an abnormal state occurs, and that the majority of the vaporizable substance present inside the housing in an abnormal state can be discharged to the outside as much as possible in a vaporized state and depleted.

[0033] In order for the fire extinguishing device to effectively perform this function in an abnormal state, the vaporization rate of the vaporizable substance must be appropriately maintained. If the vaporizable substance vaporizes at an appropriate rate, collapse of the inside hole due to a change in surface tension or the like after latent heat is consumed can be prevented.

[0034] The fire extinguishing device disclosed herein can satisfy the requirements described above.

[0035] The principle in which the fire extinguishing device performs an action is described.

[0036] Figure 2 Only the fire extinguishing device S in Figure 1 is shown alone. In a configuration such as Figure 1 , if abnormal heat generation, abnormal ignition, and / or abnormal explosion occurs in at least one of the battery cells adjacent to the fire extinguishing device S, a certain level or higher level of heat is instantaneously applied to the fire extinguishing device as indicated by the solid arrow in Figure 2 . In Figure 2 , as indicated by the dotted arrow in the inside sealed space of the housing 1001 of the fire extinguishing device, the vaporizable substance randomly spreads in all directions within the space, where in the case where the WVTR of the portion forming the sealed space of the housing 1001 is within the range described above, the vaporized gas cannot be released to the outside, so that the inside of the housing 1001 becomes a very high-pressure state. In this case, when the vent area 1002 of the housing is configured to instantaneously open at a certain level or higher level of high pressure, the vent area 1002 instantaneously opens at the high-pressure state, and the inside gas is quickly discharged to the outside through the opened vent area 1002.

[0037] When the WVTR of the case is high, the internal pressure of the case 1001 cannot be effectively increased in an abnormal state, whereby the opening of the venting region 1002 can not be effectively performed, or even when the venting region 1002 is opened, the internal pressure is not sufficient, whereby all of the internal gas can not be exhausted to the outside and can not be depleted, or an appropriate exhaust rate can not be ensured.

[0038] When the WVTR of the case is maintained to be low, the storage stability of the internal substance can be effectively ensured in a normal state as well.

[0039] The method for forming the venting region 1002 is not particularly limited. The venting region can be formed by being designed such that when a certain level of pressure and / or heat is applied to certain regions of the case forming a sealed space, the certain regions of the case forming a sealed space can be opened. For example, if some regions of the case forming a sealed space are configured to have a lower strength than other regions, the portion having a lower strength can be opened by an increased internal pressure. In addition, by forming a sealed space by sealing using a hot melt material or the like, a method in which opening occurs by melting at a predetermined temperature or the like can also be used. In another method, the venting region can be formed by making only certain portions of the case forming a sealed space have a thinner thickness than other regions. Such a method of forming a venting region can be easily employed by one skilled in the art.

[0040] For example, when the fire extinguishing device is applied to a battery module or a battery pack, in order to facilitate application, the case can be a rectangular case, a bag-shaped case, and / or a cylindrical case having the same shape as the battery cell. In this case, the venting region can also be formed by a method of controlling the bonding strength of the lid forming a sealed space in the rectangular case or the cylindrical case.

[0041] The case can be formed using a known material as long as it can satisfy the above-described WVTR, wherein the material can have a single layer structure of a single layer or two or more layers.

[0042] For example, the case can be formed using a material of an appropriate organic layer and / or inorganic layer that can exhibit a WVTR within the above range.

[0043] As the organic layer, for example, a known polymer film or sheet can be used. The organic film can be exemplified by: a cellulose-based polymer film; a COP (cycloolefin copolymer) film; an acrylic polymer film; a polyolefin film; a PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) film; a PVC (poly (vinyl chloride)) film; a PES (polyether sulfone) film; a PEEK (polyether ether ketone) film; a PPS (polyphenyl sulfone) film; a PEI (polyetherimide) film; a PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) film; a polyester film such as a PET (poly (ethylene terephthalate)) film; a PI (polyimide) film; a PSF (polysulfone) film; and / or a PAR (polyarylate) film; and the like.

[0044] For example, a metal layer, a metal oxide layer, a metal nitride layer, or a metal oxynitride layer, or the like can be used as the inorganic layer. For example, the inorganic layer can be a metal layer, a metal oxide layer, a metal nitride layer, or a metal oxynitride layer, or the like, which contains one or more selected from the group consisting of In, Sn, Pb, Au, Cu, Ag, Zr, Hf, Zn, Al, Si, La, Ti, and Ni. For example, a foil, a sheet, or a film of the material can be applied, or a layer formed by depositing a metal layer, a metal oxide layer, a metal nitride layer, or a metal oxynitride layer on a suitable substrate can be used.

[0045] The material forming the housing can be any single layer selected from the group consisting of an inorganic layer and an organic layer, or a multi-layer structure in which two or more of the layers are laminated.

[0046] The thickness of the inorganic layer and / or the organic layer is selected in consideration of physical properties (e.g., a desired WVTR), which is not particularly limited. For example, the lower limit of the thickness can be around 1 µm, 5 µm, 10 µm, 15 µm, 20 µm, 25 µm, or 30 µm, and the upper limit thereof can be around 5,000 µm, 4,000 µm, 3,000 µm, 2,000 µm, 1,000 µm, 500 µm, 200 µm, 150 µm, 100 µm, 90 µm, 80 µm, 70 µm, 60 µm, 50 µm, 40 µm, or 30 µm. The thickness can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the upper limits listed above; or in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the lower limits listed above; or in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the upper limits listed above, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the lower limits listed above.

[0047] The fire extinguishing device can include an additional configuration so that the action is performed more effectively.

[0048] For example, a fire extinguishing device may also include a heat-conducting layer. Such a heat-conducting layer may be present in a suitable location within the fire extinguishing device; for example, the heat-conducting layer may be present between the housing and the composite material described below.

[0049] Figure 3 For among them Figure 2 This is an example of adding a heat-conducting layer 2001 to a fire extinguishing device. For example, in... Figure 3 In this process, the thermally conductive layer may exist between the housing 1001 and the composite material, but its location is not limited to this. The thermally conductive layer may exist in other locations, such as inside the housing, and the number of such layers may be one, two, or more.

[0050] The term "thermal conductive layer" refers to a layer whose thermal conductivity (based on 20°C) falls within the range described below. The lower limit of the thermal conductivity (based on 20°C) of the thermal conductive layer can be approximately 15, 18, 20, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, or 400, and its upper limit can be approximately 2,000, 1,500, 1,000, 900, 800, 700, 600, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, or 50. Thermal conductivity can be greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit selected from the lower limits listed above; or less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit selected from the upper limits listed above, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit selected from the lower limits listed above. The unit of thermal conductivity is W / mK.

[0051] There are no particular restrictions on the type of thermally conductive layer, as long as it has the stated thermal conductivity. Typically, metallic materials can be used as the thermally conductive layer due to their excellent thermal conductivity properties. For example, layers made of metallic materials (such as aluminum, gold, pure silver, tungsten, copper, nickel, or platinum) can be applied.

[0052] There are no particular limitations on the thickness of the heat-conducting layer; the appropriate thickness can be set by considering factors such as the specifications of the fire extinguishing device. For example, the lower limit of the thickness of the heat-conducting layer can be approximately 1 μm, 5 μm, 10 μm, 15 μm, 50 μm, 75 μm, or 90 μm, and its upper limit can be approximately 500 μm, 400 μm, 300 μm, 200 μm, 100 μm, 50 μm, 40 μm, or 30 μm. The thickness can be less than or equal to, or less than any of the upper limits selected above; greater than or equal to, or greater than any of the lower limits selected above; or less than or equal to, or less than any of the upper limits selected above, while simultaneously being greater than or equal to, or greater than any of the lower limits selected above.

[0053] likeFigure 3 As shown, in some cases, heat generated in the abnormal state can not be uniformly applied to the fire extinguishing device, but can be locally applied to only some areas. However, in order to rapidly vaporize the vaporizable substance inside the fire extinguishing device to achieve a high pressure state, heat in the abnormal state must be uniformly applied to the fire extinguishing device. In the presence of the heat conduction layer, even if heat in the abnormal state is locally applied, the heat conduction layer can rapidly transfer the relevant heat throughout the fire extinguishing device, and thus the fire extinguishing effect of the fire extinguishing device as described above can rapidly and effectively occur.

[0054] The present specification discloses a composite material that can exist in a sealed space of a fire extinguishing device.

[0055] The term composite material means a material including two or more components. The material can further include other components as long as it includes at least two components.

[0056] The composite material can exhibit a certain level of compressive strength, and such compressive strength can exhibit a certain level of increase rate after exposure to a harsh environment.

[0057] For example, the composite material can maintain a certain level of change in compressive strength before and after a convection test. The convection test is a test performed in the method described in “1. Convection Test” of the Example section of the present specification. In addition, the compressive strength is a physical quantity evaluated using the method described in “8. Compressive Strength Evaluation” of the Example section of the present specification, which is a compressive stress at a time point when a compressive strain of the composite material reaches 60%.

[0058] For example, for the composite material, a lower limit of a ratio of the compressive strength at 60% compression before the convection test to the compressive strength at 60% compression after the convection test can be about 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.7, 1.9, 2.1, or 2.3, and an upper limit thereof can be about 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, or 2.5. The ratio can be in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from among the lower limits listed above; or in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from among the upper limits listed above, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from among the lower limits listed above.

[0059] If the compressive strength of the composite material before the convection test is designated as C f1 , and the compressive strength of the composite material after the convection test is designated as C f2 , the ratio is calculated as C f2 / C f1The ratio in the case where the above range is meant that even when a strong pressure is applied to the composite material together with a high temperature in an abnormal state, the composite material can stably maintain its components and form and effectively exert its intended fire extinguishing function.

[0060] The lower limit of the compressive strength of the composite material (for example, the compressive strength C at 60% compression before the convection test f1 ) can be around 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, 1.1, or 1.2, and the upper limit thereof can be around 5, 4.5, 4.3, 4.1, 3.9, 3.7, 3.5, 3.3, 3.1, 2.9, 2.7, 2.5, 2.3, 2.1, 1.9, 1.7, 1.5, or 1.3. The compressive strength can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0061] With such a compressive strength characteristic, even when a strong pressure is applied to the composite material together with a high temperature, the composite material can stably maintain its components and form and effectively exert its intended fire extinguishing function.

[0062] The composite material can exhibit a low thickness shrinkage rate.

[0063] For example, the upper limit of the absolute value of the thickness shrinkage rate of the composite material can be around 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, or 6%, and the lower limit thereof can be around 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, or 5%. The absolute value is the absolute value of Equation A confirmed in the manner described in “9. Thickness Shrinkage Rate” in the Examples section of the present specification. The ratio can be in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0064] In order to maintain the compressive strength and thickness shrinkage rate, etc. at the above levels, the components and ratios applied to the composite material can be controlled.

[0065] The composite material can contain a vaporizable substance. In some cases, such a vaporizable substance can be supported inside the inorganic gel and / or inorganic fiber to be described below. The term vaporizable substance means a substance that vaporizes at a given temperature. Such a vaporizable substance can exist in a liquid phase at room temperature (25°C). Such a vaporizable substance can be used to reduce heat by heat exchange or the like, or to eliminate a flame generated by a fire and / or explosion, in an abnormal state of a target object adjacent to the fire extinguishing device. Such a vaporizable substance can rapidly vaporize in an abnormal state, thereby increasing the pressure of a sealed space, opening a vent area, and discharging to the outside through the opened vent area.

[0066] As the vaporizable substance, a substance can be used without any particular limitation as long as it is vaporizable and non-flammable. For example, as the vaporizable substance, a solvent having a freezing point and / or a boiling point in a predetermined range can be used.

[0067] For example, the lower limit of the freezing point of the vaporizable substance can be around -5°C, -4°C, -3°C, -2°C, -1°C, or 0°C, and the upper limit thereof can be around 10°C, 9°C, 8°C, 7°C, 6°C, 5°C, 4°C, 3°C, or 2°C. The freezing point can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from among the upper limits listed above; or in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from among the lower limits listed above; or in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from among the upper limits listed above, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from among the lower limits listed above. The freezing point is the freezing point at 1 atmosphere.

[0068] In order for the vaporizable substance to respond effectively to an abnormal state, it can be advantageous for the vaporizable substance to be a substance that is vaporizable at least by heat generated in an abnormal state, and for this purpose, the boiling point of the vaporizable substance can be controlled.

[0069] The lower limit of the boiling point of the vaporizable substance can be around 80°C, 85°C, 90°C, or 95°C, and the upper limit thereof can be around 120°C, 115°C, 110°C, or 105°C. The boiling point can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from among the upper limits listed above; or in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from among the lower limits listed above; or in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from among the upper limits listed above, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from among the lower limits listed above. The boiling point is the boiling point at 1 atmosphere.

[0070] As the vaporizable substance, any suitable type can be selected and used without any particular limitation, as long as it has a freezing point and / or a boiling point within the above range and is non-flammable. A representative example of such a vaporizable substance is water, and thus, water can be used as the vaporizable substance, but the type of the applicable vaporizable substance is not limited to the foregoing.

[0071] The lower limit of the ratio of the vaporizable substance in the composite material can be around 40% by weight, 45% by weight, 50% by weight, 55% by weight, 60% by weight, 65% by weight, 70% by weight, 75% by weight, or 80% by weight, and the upper limit thereof can be around 95% by weight, 90% by weight, 85% by weight, 80% by weight, 75% by weight, 70% by weight, 65% by weight, 60% by weight, 55% by weight, 50% by weight, 45% by weight, or 40% by weight. The ratio can be in a range greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from among the lower limits listed above; or in a range less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from among the upper limits listed above, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from among the lower limits listed above. The desired properties, such as the amount of heat absorption, can be achieved by adjusting the content of the vaporizable substance.

[0072] The ratio is a ratio calculated in a state where the sum of the weights of all the materials present in the composite material is 100% by weight.

[0073] The composite material can contain additional components to ensure proper fire extinguishing function and compressive strength, etc.

[0074] The composite material can further contain an inorganic gel and / or an inorganic fiber. Such an inorganic gel and / or an inorganic fiber enable the composite material to exhibit the above-described compressive strength characteristics, and, if necessary, can be used to support part or all of the above-described components, such as the vaporizable substance.

[0075] The inorganic gel can be, for example, an oxide network formed through a so-called sol-gel process. Such an oxide network can include a network in which inorganic elements are connected via oxygen atoms. The inorganic elements can be exemplified as one or more selected from among silicon, titanium, zirconium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, and tungsten. For example, if the inorganic elements are silicon, the inorganic gel can be a silica gel.

[0076] The desired compressive strength characteristics can be achieved by the degree of network densification, functional groups, and content, etc., in the inorganic gel.

[0077] The lower limit of the ratio of the inorganic gel in the composite material can be around, for example, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, or 2.5% by weight, and the upper limit thereof can be around, for example, 13%, 12%, 11%, 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, or 2% by weight. The ratio can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. The ratio is a ratio calculated in a state where the sum of the weights of all the materials present in the composite material is 100% by weight.

[0078] In another example, the lower limit of the content of the inorganic gel can be around 0.001, 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 20 parts by weight, and the upper limit thereof can be around 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0.5 parts by weight, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the vaporizable substance. The ratio can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits; or in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0079] Since the inorganic gel having an appropriate network and functional group is included in the above range, a desired compressive strength characteristic and the like can be achieved.

[0080] As the inorganic fiber, for example, an inorganic fiber generally used for forming a thermal insulation material can be used, and examples thereof can be exemplified by so-called glass fibers and / or ceramic fibers, and the like. Such an inorganic fiber can exist in the form of, for example, a woven or nonwoven fabric. In the category of woven or nonwoven fabrics, objects called paper, hair cloth, or a blanket can also be included.

[0081] For example, as the inorganic fiber, ceramic paper, ceramic paper using an organic / inorganic binder, binder-free fiber, ceramic fiber, glass fiber, glass mat, basalt fiber, basalt mat, aramid fabric, silica mat, oxpan carbon mat, carbon fiber mat, and / or melamine fiber, etc. can be used, and an organic binder can be used. When the inorganic fiber is used, it can have excellent thermal insulation, and a material such as a gel and a heat absorber can be positioned uniformly within the substrate, increasing stability since the sol is easily absorbed.

[0082] The properties of the inorganic fiber can be adjusted according to the purpose.

[0083] For example, the inorganic fiber can have a moisture absorption rate according to the ASTM-C 1511 standard within a predetermined range. For example, the lower limit of the moisture absorption rate can be about 55%, 57%, 59%, or 61%, and the upper limit thereof can be about 100%, 95%, 90%, 85%, 80%, 75%, 70%, or 65%. The moisture absorption rate can be evaluated according to the ASTM-C 1511 standard. The moisture absorption rate can be within a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from among the above-listed lower limits; or less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from among the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from among the above-listed lower limits.

[0084] The inorganic fiber can exhibit a moisture absorption rate within the above range in a state of being contained in the composite material. Therefore, for example, if the inorganic fiber is contained in the composite material in the form of a woven or nonwoven fabric, the woven or nonwoven fabric can exhibit the above moisture absorption rate.

[0085] For example, the lower limit of the tensile strength of the inorganic fiber can be about 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 70, 90, 95, or 100, and the upper limit thereof can be about 500, 450, 400, 350, 300, 250, 200, 150, 100, 80, 60, 40, 20, 15, or 10. The tensile strength can be within a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from among the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from among the above-listed lower limits. The unit of the tensile strength is kPa.

[0086] For example, the lower limit of the compressive strength of the inorganic fiber can be about 1, 5, 8, 10, 50, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 145, or 150, and the upper limit thereof can be about 500, 450, 400, 350, 300, 250, 200, 150, 100, 50, 40, 30, 20, 15, or 10. The compressive strength can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. The unit of the compressive strength is kPa.

[0087] For example, the lower limit of the Young's modulus of the inorganic fiber can be about 0.1, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, or 3, and the upper limit thereof can be about 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, or 4. The Young's modulus can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits; or in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or in a range of less than or equal to any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. The unit of the Young's modulus is MPa.

[0088] The inorganic fiber can exhibit at least one of the tensile strength, the compressive strength, and the Young's modulus in the above ranges in a state of being included in a composite material. Thus, for example, if the inorganic fiber is included in a composite material in the form of a woven or nonwoven fabric, the woven or nonwoven fabric can exhibit at least one of the tensile strength, the compressive strength, and the Young's modulus in the above ranges. The tensile strength, the compressive strength, and the Young's modulus can be measured according to the KS K ISO 9073-3 standard.

[0089] A composite material having a desired property can be formed by applying an inorganic fiber exhibiting a tensile strength, a compressive strength, and / or a Young's modulus in the above ranges.

[0090] The lower limit of the density of the inorganic fiber can be about 0.01, 0.05, or 0.1, and the upper limit thereof can be about 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1, 0.5, or 0.3. The density can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits; or in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. The unit of the density is g / cm 3 .

[0091] The inorganic fibers can exhibit a density in the above range in a state of being contained in the composite material. Thus, for example, if the inorganic fibers are contained in the composite material in the form of a woven or nonwoven fabric, the woven or nonwoven fabric can exhibit the above density.

[0092] When the inorganic fibers are contained in the form of a woven or nonwoven fabric, the thickness of the woven or nonwoven fabric can be selected from a range capable of exhibiting the above characteristics. For example, the lower limit of the thickness can be around 0.01 mm, 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm, or 3 mm, and the upper limit thereof can be around 100 mm, 50 mm, 30 mm, 10 mm, 8 mm, 6 mm, or 4 mm. The thickness can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits; or in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or in a range of less than or equal to any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0093] The lower limit of the ratio of the inorganic fibers in the composite material can be, for example, around 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, or 20 wt%, and the upper limit thereof can be around 60 wt%, 40 wt%, 30 wt%, 25 wt%, 20 wt%, 15 wt%, or 10 wt%. The ratio can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. The ratio is a ratio calculated in a state where the sum of the weights of all the materials present in the composite material is 100 wt%.

[0094] In another example, the lower limit of the weight ratio of the inorganic fiber can be about 0.5 parts by weight, 1 part by weight, 5 parts by weight, 7 parts by weight, 7.5 parts by weight, 8 parts by weight, 8.5 parts by weight, 10 parts by weight, 15 parts by weight, 20 parts by weight, 30 parts by weight, 35 parts by weight, 40 parts by weight, 50 parts by weight, 60 parts by weight, 70 parts by weight, or 75 parts by weight, and the upper limit thereof can be about 150 parts by weight, 100 parts by weight, 95 parts by weight, 90 parts by weight, 85 parts by weight, 80 parts by weight, 75 parts by weight, 70 parts by weight, 65 parts by weight, 60 parts by weight, 55 parts by weight, 50 parts by weight, 45 parts by weight, 40 parts by weight, 35 parts by weight, 30 parts by weight, 25 parts by weight, or 20 parts by weight, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the vaporizable substance. The ratio can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0095] When the inorganic fiber and the inorganic gel are present at the same time, the inorganic gel can be attached to the inorganic fiber, or the inorganic gel and the inorganic fiber can be present in an entangled state with each other. For example, as described below, the above structure can be achieved by performing a gelation process in the presence of the inorganic fiber, whereby the composite material can more effectively perform desired properties and functions, such as compressive strength.

[0096] The composite material can further include an ionic compound. The term ionic compound is a compound capable of dissociating to form ions, examples of which include acids, bases, and salts, etc.

[0097] The ionic compound can be a catalyst applied to form the inorganic gel, or a freezing point adjusting agent or a carbonization catalyst as described below. The ionic compound can be included in the composite material in a state of not dissociating (i.e., a state of not forming ions), or can be included in the composite material in a state in which ions are formed by dissociation.

[0098] The ionic compound plays a crucial role in forming an inorganic gel having a desired network structure and functional group, and in allowing the composite material to exhibit a desired effect over a wide temperature range.

[0099] As described below, the inorganic gel can be formed by polymerizing a metal alkoxide within a vaporizable substance (sol-gel process). The metal alkoxide has condensable functional groups, and such condensable functional groups generally exhibit polarity. Therefore, the degree of compactness and polarity of the network structure of the inorganic gel formed by polymerizing the alkoxide can be determined by the residual amount of the condensable functional groups. Meanwhile, an ionic compound, when present, can cause a so-called freezing point depression phenomenon in the vaporizable substance. The freezing point of the medium in which polymerization proceeds is related to the attractive force between the constituent molecules of the medium and the molecular energy. Therefore, the ionic compound, together with the polymerization temperature, affects the polymerization efficiency, and as a result becomes one factor that determines the network density or crosslinking degree of the inorganic gel and the residual amount of the condensable functional groups.

[0100] Further, by determining the freezing point in accordance with the addition of the ionic compound, the composite material can stably exhibit the desired effect even at a relatively low temperature, and also the carbonization layer formation efficiency of the carbonizable organic substance to be described below can be determined.

[0101] For example, the ionic compound can be present in an amount such that ΔT f in Equation 1 below falls within a predetermined range.

[0102] [Equation 1]

[0103]

[0104] In Equation 1, K f is a freezing point depression constant of the vaporizable substance, M is the molar concentration of the ionic compound with respect to the vaporizable substance, and I is the number of moles of ions produced when 1 mole of the ionic compound dissociates.

[0105] K f in Equation 1 is a freezing point depression constant of the vaporizable substance, and its unit is K / m or °C / m, and for example, if the vaporizable substance is water, K f is 1.86.

[0106] In Equation 1, M is the molar concentration of the freezing point adjusting agent, which is the molar concentration with respect to the vaporizable substance. Therefore, M is the number of moles of the ionic compound present per 1 kg of the vaporizable substance in the composite material.

[0107] In Equation 1, I is the number of moles of ions formed from 1 mole of the ionic compound when the ionic compound dissociates, where dissociation means a state in which the freezing point adjusting agent is completely dissociated.

[0108] When a plurality of ionic compounds, as two or more, are present in the composite material, ΔT f of each compound is calculated, and the sum of these values is used as ΔTf The lower limit of ΔT

[0109] ΔT f The lower limit of ΔT f ΔT f may be in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits; or in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while also being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. ΔT f The unit of ΔT f By adjusting the content of the ionic compound within the above range, the above-mentioned object can be achieved.

[0110] In order for the ionic compound contained in the above content to exert an appropriate effect, the solubility of the ionic compound in the vaporizable substance (e.g., water) can be adjusted.

[0111] For example, the lower limit of the solubility of an ionic compound in 100 g of water at 25 °C can be about 10 g, 15 g, 20 g, 25 g, 30 g, 35 g, 40 g, 45 g, 50 g, 55 g, 60 g, 65 g, 70 g, 75 g, 80 g, 85 g, 90 g, 95 g, 100 g, 110 g, 115 g, 120 g, 125 g, 130 g, 135 g, 140 g, 145 g, 150 g, 155 g, 160 g, 165 g, 170 g, 175 g, 180 g, 185 g, 190 g, 195 g, 200 g, 205 g, 210 g, 215 g, 225 g, 230 g, 235 g, 240 g, 255 g, 260 g, 265 g, 270 g, 275 g, 280 g, 285 g, 290 g, 295 g, 300 g, 305 g, 310 g, 315 g, or 320 g, and the upper limit thereof can be about 1,000 g, 900 g, 800 g, 700 g, 600 g, 500 g, 400 g, 350 g, 345 g, 340 g, 335 g, 330 g, 325 g, 320 g, 315 g, 310 g, 305 g, 300 g, 295 g, 290 g, 280 g, 275 g, 270 g, 265 g, 260 g, 255 g, 250 g, 245 g, 240 g, 235 g, 230 g, 225 g, 220 g, 215 g, 210 g, 205 g, 200 g, 195 g, 190 g, 185 g, 180 g, 175 g, 170 g, 165 g, 160 g, 155 g, 150 g, 145 g, 140 g, 135 g, 130 g, 125 g, 120 g, 115 g, 110 g, 105 g, 100 g, 95 g, 90 g, 85 g, 80 g, 75 g, 70 g, 65 g, 60 g, 55 g, 50 g, 45 g, 40 g, 35 g, or 30 g. The solubility can be in a range greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the lower limits listed above; or less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the upper limits listed above, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the lower limits listed above. The solubility is the weight (g) of the ionic compound that is maximally soluble in 100 g of water at 25 °C. The solubility can be assessed in the manner described in the “7. Solubility Assessment” in the Examples section of the present specification.

[0112] The lower limit of the solubility of the ionic compound in 100 g of water at 0°C can be about 10 g, 15 g, 20 g, 25 g, 30 g, 35 g, 40 g, 45 g, 50 g, 55 g, 60 g, 65 g, 70 g, 75 g, 80 g, 85 g, 90 g, 95 g, 100 g, 110 g, 115 g, 120 g, 125 g, 130 g, 135 g, 140 g, 145 g, 150 g, 155 g, 160 g, 165 g, 170 g, 175 g, 180 g, 185 g, 190 g, 195 g, 200 g, 205 g, 210 g, or 215 g, and the upper limit thereof can be about 1,000 g, 900 g, 800 g, 700 g, 600 g, 500 g, 400 g, 300 g, 250 g, 245 g, 240 g, 235 g, 230 g, 225 g, 220 g, 215 g, 210 g, 205 g, 200 g, 195 g, 190 g, 185 g, 180 g, 175 g, 170 g, 165 g, 160 g, 155 g, 150 g, 145 g, 140 g, 135 g, 130 g, 125 g, 120 g, 115 g, 110 g, 105 g, 100 g, 95 g, 90 g, 85 g, 80 g, 75 g, 70 g, 65 g, 60 g, 55 g, 50 g, 45 g, 40 g, 35 g, or 30 g. The solubility can be in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. The solubility is the weight (g) of the ionic compound that is most soluble in 100 g of water at 0°C. The solubility can be evaluated in the manner described in “7. Solubility Evaluation” in the Examples section of the present specification.

[0113] The type of ionic compound is not particularly limited depending on the purpose. For example, the ionic compound having a freezing point lowering effect can be exemplified as one or more selected from the group consisting of formate, acetate, carbonate, and sulfate. Specifically, for example, one or more of substances consisting of sodium acetate (CH3COONa), sodium formate (HCOONa), potassium acetate (CH3COOK), potassium formate (HCOOK), calcium formate ((HCOO)2Ca), magnesium formate ((HCOO)2Mg), potassium carbonate (K2CO3), and ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) can be used as the ionic compound.

[0114] For example, the lower limit of the weight parts of the ionic compound applied to adjust the freezing point can be around 5 weight parts, 10 weight parts, 15 weight parts, 20 weight parts, 25 weight parts, 30 weight parts, 35 weight parts, 40 weight parts, 45 weight parts, 50 weight parts, or 55 weight parts, and the upper limit thereof can be around 200 weight parts, 150 weight parts, 100 weight parts, 95 weight parts, 90 weight parts, 85 weight parts, 80 weight parts, 75 weight parts, 70 weight parts, 65 weight parts, 60 weight parts, 55 weight parts, 50 weight parts, 45 weight parts, 40 weight parts, 35 weight parts, or 30 weight parts, with respect to 100 weight parts of the vaporizable substance. The ratio can be within a range that is less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0115] When another ionic compound is added to the composite material in addition to the ionic compound as the freezing point adjusting agent (for example, an ionic compound as a carbonization catalyst, or an acid or base added to form an inorganic gel, and the like, as described below), all of the ionic compounds present in the composite material can be present in an amount such that ΔT in Equation 1 f falls within a predetermined range.

[0116] The composite material can include a carbonization catalyst and a carbonizable organic substance as additional components. The combination of these components allows the formation of a carbonized substance of the carbonizable organic substance at a necessary point in time (for example, an abnormal state). The carbonized substance thus formed can obstruct heat transfer. The carbonization catalyst can promote the carbonization process of the carbonizable organic substance or the like. The carbonization catalyst can form an acid or an acid-based salt or ion or the like at a high temperature, and such a component can function in promoting the carbonization action and the gas generation process. Furthermore, depending on the type of the carbonization catalyst, it can impart flame retardancy to the carbonized substance, or form a component that exhibits flame retardancy alone. For example, the carbonization catalyst can form a phosphoric acid-based substance or the like by decomposition at a high temperature, and such a substance can polymerize to have flame retardancy. Therefore, the carbonization catalyst can be included in the composite material, thereby enabling such that the composite material can respond effectively to an abnormal state.

[0117] The carbonization catalyst and the carbonizable organic substance need to be applied together with the vaporizable substance, in which a catalyst having solubility higher than a certain level in the vaporizable substance (e.g., water) must be used as the carbonization catalyst. That is, since the components dispersed in the vaporizable substance more effectively contact and interact with each other at the necessary point in time, the desired carbonide or the like can be effectively formed. Furthermore, by adjusting the solubility of the carbonization catalyst in the vaporizable substance, agglomeration or phase separation phenomena of the components within the composite material can be prevented, and the carbonide formation action and / or the flame retardant formation as described above can be more effectively performed. For example, the lower limit of the solubility of the carbonization catalyst in the vaporizable substance or water can be around 5 g, 10 g, 15 g, 20 g, 25 g, 30 g, 35 g, or 40 g, and the upper limit thereof can be around 1000 g, 900 g, 800 g, 700 g, 600 g, 500 g, 400 g, 300 g, 200 g, 100 g, 90 g, 80 g, 70 g, 60 g, 50 g, 40 g, or 30 g. The solubility can be in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the lower limits listed above; or less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the upper limits listed above, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the lower limits listed above. The solubility is the weight (g) of the carbonization catalyst that can be dissolved at most in 100 g of the solvent (e.g., water) at 25°C. The solubility is measured in the manner described in “7. Solubility Evaluation” in the Examples section of the present specification.

[0118] The carbonization catalyst can be used without any particular limitation as long as it can be decomposed at a high temperature to form an acid or an acid-based salt or ion, and has the solubility described above. Examples of the carbonization catalyst include phosphoric acid, a phosphoric acid compound such as a phosphate salt, a phosphonate compound, or a phosphate compound. The carbonization catalyst can be, for example, a primary or secondary ammonium phosphate salt, urea phosphate, phosphoric acid amidinourae, or ammonium polyphosphate, and one or two or more of the foregoing can be selected and used.

[0119] The carbonization catalyst can be present in an appropriate amount in consideration of the intended effect. For example, the lower limit of the weight ratio of the carbonization catalyst with respect to 100 parts by weight of the vaporizable substance can be around 0.01 parts by weight, 0.05 parts by weight, 0.1 parts by weight, 0.5 parts by weight, 1 parts by weight, 1.5 parts by weight, 2 parts by weight, 2.5 parts by weight, 3 parts by weight, 3.5 parts by weight, 4 parts by weight, 5 parts by weight, 5.5 parts by weight, 6 parts by weight, 6.5 parts by weight, 7 parts by weight, 7.5 parts by weight, 8 parts by weight, 10 parts by weight, 20 parts by weight, 30 parts by weight, 40 parts by weight, 50 parts by weight, 100 parts by weight, 150 parts by weight, 200 parts by weight, 250 parts by weight, 300 parts by weight, 350 parts by weight, 400 parts by weight, 450 parts by weight, or 500 parts by weight, and the upper limit thereof can be around 1,000 parts by weight, 900 parts by weight, 800 parts by weight, 700 parts by weight, 600 parts by weight, 500 parts by weight, 400 parts by weight, 100 parts by weight, 50 parts by weight, 40 parts by weight, 30 parts by weight, 20 parts by weight, 15 parts by weight, 10 parts by weight, or 5 parts by weight. The ratio can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits; or in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. If the content of the carbonization catalyst is excessively high, the content of the vaporizable substance applicable to the composite material is limited, and the vaporization characteristics of the vaporizable substance are affected by the carbonization catalyst, whereby it can be difficult to ensure the desired characteristics, and thus the amount of the carbonization catalyst can be adjusted in consideration of this.

[0120] The carbonizable organic substance is an organic substance that carbonizes to form a carbide upon exposure to a flame or heat at a predetermined temperature. The carbide formed from such an organic substance is generally porous, and thus it can have a heat-insulating function. Therefore, when a composite material or the like is exposed to abnormal heat generation, ignition, or explosion, the organic substance can exhibit a heat-insulating function by forming an appropriate carbide. As described above, by adding a specific carbonization catalyst and a carbonizable organic substance to a vaporizable substance, even when a small amount of the carbonizable organic substance is applied, a carbide capable of effectively responding to abnormal heat generation, ignition, and / or explosion can be formed.

[0121] As the organic material, any suitable type can be applied without particular limitation, as long as it is a material that forms a carbide upon exposure to heat or a flame.

[0122] Examples of such organic materials can be exemplified by: sugars, such as sorbitol or mannitol; polysaccharides, such as starch or dextrin (e.g., MC (maleated cyclodextrin) or a metal salt of MC); polyhydric alcohols, such as pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, tripentaerythritol, or THEIC (tris(hydroxyethyl)isocyanurate); cellulose; BSPPO (bis(4-methoxy-l-phospha-2,6,7-trioxabicyclo[2.2.2]-octane-l-sulfide) phenylphosphonate); lignin (alkali lignin or urea-modified lignin); melamine compounds, such as methylol melamine; phenol resins; and / or carbonizable polymers (char-forming polymers), such as PA6T (polyphthalamidohexamethylene diamine); and the like, but are not limited thereto.

[0123] A substance that can be typically applied as a carbonizable organic material is starch. Starch is relatively easy to obtain, and it can form a proper char when exposed to heat or flame.

[0124] In order to effectively form a char and the formed char effectively exert a desired fire extinguishing or heat insulating effect, the type of starch can be adjusted.

[0125] For example, as the starch, starch containing amylose and amylopectin whose ratio is adjusted to an appropriate level can be used. As is known, amylose and amylopectin are types of polysaccharides that are mainly found in plants, and the starch of polysaccharides is composed of amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is composed of glucose molecules connected by (1 4) glycosidic bonds, and has a linear chain structure, while amylopectin has relatively short and highly branched chains. Amylose is relatively easy to crystallize compared to amylopectin, and amylopectin has a relatively higher solubility in water than amylose.

[0126] By using starch in which amylose and amylopectin having the described characteristics are present in an appropriate ratio, a desired composite material can be more effectively provided.

[0127] For example, in a starch containing amylopectin and amylose, the lower limit of the weight ratio of amylopectin relative to 100 parts by weight of amylose can be around 150 parts by weight, 200 parts by weight, 250 parts by weight, or 300 parts by weight, and the upper limit thereof can be around 900 parts by weight, 850 parts by weight, 800 parts by weight, 750 parts by weight, 700 parts by weight, 650 parts by weight, 600 parts by weight, 550 parts by weight, 500 parts by weight, 450 parts by weight, 400 parts by weight, 350 parts by weight, or 300 parts by weight. The ratio can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits; or in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. The ratio of amylopectin and amylose can be measured according to the manner described in “5. Measurement of amylopectin and amylose content” in the Examples section of this specification.

[0128] As the starch, a starch having a molecular weight, for example, a weight average molecular weight (Mw) in a predetermined range can be used. For example, the lower limit of the weight average molecular weight of the starch can be around 200,000, 250,000, 300,000, 350,000, 400,000, 450,000, 500,000, 550,000, 600,000, 650,000, 700,000, 750,000, 800,000, 850,000, 900,000, 950,000, 1,000,000, 1,500,000, 2,000,000, 2,500,000, 3,000,000, 3,500,000, 4,000,000, 4,500,000, 5,000,000, 5,500,000, 6,000,000, 6,500,000, 7,000,000, 7,500,000, 8,000,000, 8,500,000, 9,000,000, 9,500,000, 10,000,000, 20,000,000, 30,000,000, 40,000,000, or 50,000,000, and the upper limit thereof can be around 1,000,000,000, 900,000,000, 800,000,000, 700,000,000, 600,000,000, 500,000,000, 400,000,000, 300,000,000, 200,000,000, 150,000,000, 100,000,000, 90,000,000, 80,000,000, 70,000,000, or 60,000,000. The molecular weight can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits; or in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or in a range of less than or equal to any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. The starch having such a molecular weight (Mw) can more effectively form a char having a desired function (e.g., a heat-insulating function) when exposed to heat or flame. The molecular weight can be measured according to the method described in “4. Measurement of Molecular Weight” in the Examples section of the present specification. The unit of the molecular weight is g / mol.

[0129] As the carbonizable organic material (e.g., starch), a material having a pasting viscosity within a certain range can be used. Such a pasting viscosity is related to the characteristics of the carbonizable organic material when the carbonizable organic material is present in the vaporizable substance, in which carbonization can be more effectively formed by controlling the pasting viscosity. The lower limit of the pasting viscosity of the carbonizable organic material (e.g., starch) can be around 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, or 1,000, and the upper limit thereof can be around 5,000, 4,500, 4,000, 3,500, 3,000, 2,500, 2,000, 1,500, 1,000, 950, 900, 850, 800, 750, 700, 650, 600, 550, 500, 450, 400, 350, or 300. The pasting viscosity can be within a range that is less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits; or within a range that is greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or within a range that is less than or equal to any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. The unit of the pasting viscosity is BU (Brabender unit).

[0130] The lower limit of the weight ratio of the carbonizable organic substance to 100 parts by weight of the vaporizable substance can be around 0.001 parts by weight, 0.005 parts by weight, 0.01 parts by weight, 0.05 parts by weight, 0.1 parts by weight, 0.5 parts by weight, 1 parts by weight, 1.5 parts by weight, 2 parts by weight, 2.5 parts by weight, 3 parts by weight, 3.5 parts by weight, 4 parts by weight, 4.5 parts by weight, 5 parts by weight, 5.5 parts by weight, or 6 parts by weight, and the upper limit thereof can be around 50 parts by weight, 45 parts by weight, 40 parts by weight, 35 parts by weight, 30 parts by weight, 25 parts by weight, 20 parts by weight, 15 parts by weight, 10 parts by weight, 5 parts by weight, 4 parts by weight, 3 parts by weight, 2 parts by weight, or 1 parts by weight. The ratio can be within a range that is less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits; or within a range that is greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or within a range that is less than or equal to any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. The carbonizable organic substance included in such a ratio enables the composite material to effectively form carbonization when necessary, and to have excellent operability and storage stability as a whole.

[0131] The composite material can contain a water-absorbing polymer as an optional additional component. The water-absorbing polymer is a polymer having a property of being able to absorb water.

[0132] In one example, the water-absorbing polymer can be a so-called hydrogel polymer or hydrogel, which is generally defined as a cross-linked hydrophilic polymer. Such a polymer is also referred to as a SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer).

[0133] The water-absorbing polymer is a material that can absorb water several tens to several thousands times its own weight. Such a material makes the composite material as a whole exist in a gel state, thereby performing a function of ensuring operability and storage stability.

[0134] The type of water-absorbing polymer is not particularly limited, and any polymer that is generally applicable as a SAP can be used without limitation.

[0135] In general, a polyacrylate-based vinyl polymer is used as the material. The polyacrylate-based polymer is a polymer manufactured from a monomer based on acrylate, and if necessary, other copolymerization monomers can also be used to form the polymer.

[0136] In one example, the water-absorbing polymer can be a particulate polymer. By applying the water-absorbing polymer, the weight-based size distribution of the particulate water-absorbing polymer can be controlled to ensure the desired viscosity characteristics and fire extinguishing function. In the present specification, the term weight-based size distribution of the water-absorbing polymer is a size distribution measured according to the EDANA method WSP 220.3 standard, which means a size distribution in which a sample of the particulate water-absorbing polymer is divided into a fraction having a size of less than 150 μm (hereinafter, can be referred to as "A fraction"), a fraction in the range of 150 μm to 300 μm (hereinafter, can be referred to as "B fraction"), a fraction in the range of 300 μm to 600 μm (hereinafter, can be referred to as "C fraction"), a fraction in the range of 600 μm to 850 μm (hereinafter, can be referred to as "D fraction"), and a fraction exceeding 850 μm (hereinafter, can be referred to as "E fraction"), and the weight of each fraction is expressed as a percentage (weight ratio of each fraction) with respect to the weight of the entire particulate water-absorbing polymer sample.

[0137] In the weight-based size distribution, the maximum weight size of the particulate water-absorbent polymer can be in the range of 150 μm to 850 μm. Here, the maximum weight size is the size of the fraction showing the highest weight ratio among the weight ratio of the A fraction, the weight ratio of the B fraction, the weight ratio of the C fraction, the weight ratio of the D fraction, and the weight ratio of the E fraction. That is, the case where the maximum weight size is in the range of 150 μm to 850 μm means that the weight ratio of the particulate water-absorbent polymer belonging to any one or two or more of the B fraction, the C fraction, and the D fraction shows the maximum value. Since the respective weight ratios of the two fractions are the same, and the weight ratio thereof can also indicate the highest value among the respective weight ratios of the total fractions, the fraction having the maximum weight size can also be one or two or more. In one example, the fraction having the maximum weight size can be the C fraction among the B, C, and D fractions. Therefore, the maximum weight size in the weight-based size distribution can also be in the range of 300 μm to 600 μm.

[0138] The lower limit of the weight ratio in the fraction representing the maximum weight size in the weight-based size distribution of the particulate water-absorbent polymer (i.e., the weight ratio of the water-absorbent polymer belonging to the maximum weight size in the weight-based size distribution) can be about 35% by weight, 40% by weight, 45% by weight, 50% by weight, 55% by weight, 60% by weight, 65% by weight, 70% by weight, 71% by weight, 72% by weight, 73% by weight, or 74% by weight, and the upper limit thereof can be about 95% by weight, 90% by weight, 85% by weight, 80% by weight, 79% by weight, 78% by weight, 77% by weight, 76% by weight, or 75% by weight. The weight ratio can be in the range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or in the range of less than or equal to any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0139] If the maximum weight size is too small and / or the weight ratio of the fraction representing the maximum weight size is too small, the composite material can not properly form the desired gel, thereby possibly reducing the handling and storage properties, or it can not be able to exert the fire extinguishing function, so this case can be considered to select an appropriate particulate water-absorbent polymer.

[0140] When included, the lower limit of the weight ratio of the water-absorbing polymer can be around 0.01 parts by weight, 0.5 parts by weight, 1 part by weight, 2 parts by weight, 3 parts by weight, 4 parts by weight, 5 parts by weight, 6 parts by weight, 7 parts by weight, 8 parts by weight, or 9 parts by weight, and the upper limit thereof can be around 50 parts by weight, 45 parts by weight, 40 parts by weight, 35 parts by weight, 30 parts by weight, 29 parts by weight, 28 parts by weight, 27 parts by weight, 26 parts by weight, 25 parts by weight, 24 parts by weight, 23 parts by weight, 22 parts by weight, 21 parts by weight, 20 parts by weight, 19 parts by weight, 18 parts by weight, 17 parts by weight, 16 parts by weight, 15 parts by weight, 14 parts by weight, 13 parts by weight, 12 parts by weight, 11 parts by weight, 10 parts by weight, 9 parts by weight, 8 parts by weight, 7 parts by weight, 6 parts by weight, 5 parts by weight, 4 parts by weight, 3 parts by weight, or 2 parts by weight, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the vaporizable substance. The ratio can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits; or in a range of greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits; or in a range of less than or equal to any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0141] The sealed space or composite material of the interior of the fire extinguishing device comprises the above components, and if necessary, it can comprise additional components.

[0142] The present specification discloses a method for producing a composite material.

[0143] For example, the method can comprise a step of polymerizing a precursor solution comprising an inorganic gel precursor and a vaporizable substance.

[0144] Polymerization is a process in which relatively low molecular weight substances such as monomers or oligomers form a network and at the same time form a high molecular weight component. In this case, the monomers or oligomers can be precursors. Furthermore, the specific method in which polymerization is performed is not particularly limited. For example, when the inorganic gel precursor is a condensable precursor to be described below, the polymerization process can be a so-called sol-gel process.

[0145] For example, metal alkoxides can be used as the precursors. Such precursors are condensable precursors, which can form inorganic gels through a sol-gel process. The metal alkoxides can be exemplified specifically as alkoxides selected from one and / or more of silicon, titanium, zirconium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, and tungsten. The lower limit of the number of carbons present in the alkoxide can be around 4, 6, 8, or 10, and the upper limit thereof can be around 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, or 8. The number of carbons can be within a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits. For example, components called liquid glass (sodium silicate) can also be used as the precursors, and such components can form silica gels as inorganic gels.

[0146] As the vaporizable substance, the above components, for example, water, can be used.

[0147] In order to form the desired inorganic gels and composite materials, the composition of the precursor solution can be adjusted.

[0148] For example, the content of the vaporizable substance in the precursor solution can be adjusted. For example, the lower limit of the content of the vaporizable substance in the precursor solution can be around 30% by weight, 40% by weight, 50% by weight, 60% by weight, or 65% by weight, and the upper limit thereof can be around 95% by weight, 90% by weight, 85% by weight, 80% by weight, 75% by weight, 70% by weight, 65% by weight, or 60% by weight. The content can be within a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0149] The lower limit of the weight ratio of the precursor with respect to 100 parts by weight of the vaporizable substance in the precursor solution can be around 0.001 parts by weight, 0.005 parts by weight, 0.01 parts by weight, 0.05 parts by weight, 0.1 parts by weight, 0.15 parts by weight, 0.2 parts by weight, 0.25 parts by weight, 0.3 parts by weight, 0.4 parts by weight, 0.5 parts by weight, 1 parts by weight, 3 parts by weight, 5 parts by weight, 10 parts by weight, 15 parts by weight, or 20 parts by weight, and the upper limit thereof can be around 25 parts by weight, 20 parts by weight, 15 parts by weight, 10 parts by weight, 5 parts by weight, 4 parts by weight, 3 parts by weight, 2 parts by weight, 1 parts by weight, or 0.5 parts by weight. The content can be within a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0150] The precursor solution can be formulated to exhibit a pH within a predetermined range. For example, the lower limit of the pH of the precursor solution can be around 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, or 7, and the upper limit thereof can be around 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, or 7. The pH can be within a range that is less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0151] To adjust the pH, the precursor solution can further include a catalyst. Such a catalyst can be one of the ionic compounds as described above. The type of catalyst to be used is not particularly limited, for example, an acid catalyst or a base catalyst suitable for a general sol-gel process can be used. Examples of such an acid catalyst can be exemplified by one selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, fluorosulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, acetic acid, hexafluorophosphoric acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, and the like, or a mixture of two or more thereof, and examples of a base catalyst include basic catalysts such as sodium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, or ammonium chloride, and the like, without being limited thereto.

[0152] The content of the catalyst can be controlled to be within a range that can achieve the above-described pH. For example, the lower limit of the molar concentration of the catalyst (i.e., the number of moles of the catalyst present per 1 kg of vaporizable substance) based on the vaporizable substance in the precursor solution can be around 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.5, 1, or 1.5, and the upper limit thereof can be around 5, 4.5, 4, 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1, 0.8, 0.6, or 0.4. The molar concentration can be within a range that is less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0153] In addition to the catalyst, the precursor solution can further include an ionic compound. As described above, such an ionic compound can be added to allow the formation of a desired inorganic gel by adjusting the molecular energy or intermolecular attractive force of the vaporizable substance. The ionic compound can be exemplified by a freezing point adjusting agent or a carbonization catalyst as described above, and the like.

[0154] The content of all ionic compounds (including the catalyst) present in the precursor solution can be adjusted. Such content adjustment controls the fluidity of the vaporizable substance, and the fluidity controlled thereby affects the polymerization efficiency of the precursor, whereby a desired inorganic gel can be formed at a specific polymerization temperature.

[0155] For example, the ionic compound can be added such that ΔT in Equation 1 as described above f falls within a predetermined range as described above.

[0156] The precursor solution can contain any other necessary components in addition to the components described above. For example, the polymerization can be performed in the presence of inorganic fibers. The inorganic fibers also affect the polymerization efficiency of the precursor. In this case, the precursor solution can contain the inorganic fibers described above.

[0157] The lower limit of the weight ratio of the inorganic fibers with respect to 100 parts by weight of the vaporizable substance in the precursor solution can be around 0.5 parts by weight, 1 part by weight, 5 parts by weight, 7 parts by weight, 7.5 parts by weight, 8 parts by weight, 8.5 parts by weight, 10 parts by weight, 15 parts by weight, 20 parts by weight, 30 parts by weight, 35 parts by weight, 40 parts by weight, 50 parts by weight, 60 parts by weight, 70 parts by weight, or 75 parts by weight, and the upper limit thereof can be around 100 parts by weight, 95 parts by weight, 90 parts by weight, 85 parts by weight, 80 parts by weight, 75 parts by weight, 70 parts by weight, 65 parts by weight, 60 parts by weight, 55 parts by weight, 50 parts by weight, 45 parts by weight, 40 parts by weight, 35 parts by weight, 30 parts by weight, 25 parts by weight, or 20 parts by weight. The weight ratio can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0158] The temperature for polymerizing the precursor solution can be controlled. The temperature thus controlled, together with the ionic compound having the ΔT f The ionic compound having the ΔT

[0159] For example, the lower limit of the polymerization temperature can be around 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, or 35°C, and the upper limit thereof can be around 50°C, 45°C, 40°C, 35°C, 30°C, or 25°C. The polymerization temperature can be in a range of less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0160] For the formation of the desired composite material, the polymerization of the precursor or the prepolymer of the precursor can be performed in the presence of inorganic fibers. For this purpose, the polymerization can be performed in multiple steps. For example, the manufacturing method can include a first step of polymerizing the precursor solution to obtain a prepolymer (primary polymerization) and a second step of polymerizing the precursor or the prepolymer in the presence of inorganic fibers to obtain an inorganic gel (secondary polymerization). The precursor solution applied to the primary polymerization can not contain inorganic fibers. That is, the primary polymerization can be performed in the absence of inorganic fibers, and the second polymerization of the second step can be performed in the presence of inorganic fibers. That is, after the primary polymerization, the polymerizing substance can be mixed with inorganic fibers, and further polymerization can be performed. The precursor of the second step can mean a precursor that has participated in the polymerization at the time of the primary polymerization but has not formed a prepolymer.

[0161] The primary polymer or prepolymer can be, for example, an inorganic sol.

[0162] The polymerization temperature, polymerization time, and / or mixing conditions, etc. of the first step can be adjusted.

[0163] The lower limit of the polymerization temperature of the first step can be about 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, or 35°C, and the upper limit thereof can be about 50°C, 45°C, 40°C, 35°C, 30°C, or 25°C. The polymerization temperature can be in a range that is less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0164] The first step can be performed while stirring the precursor solution at an appropriate speed. In this process, the lower limit of the stirring speed can be about 100 rpm, 150 rpm, 200 rpm, 250 rpm, 300 rpm, 350 rpm, 400 rpm, 450 rpm, or 500 rpm, and the upper limit thereof can be about 2,000 rpm, 1,500 rpm, 1,000 rpm, 800 rpm, 600 rpm, 400 rpm, or 300 rpm. The stirring speed can be in a range that is less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0165] The lower limit of the time for performing the primary polymerization can be about 1 second, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 15 minutes, and the upper limit thereof can be about 60 minutes, 55 minutes, 50 minutes, 45 minutes, 40 minutes, 35 minutes, 30 minutes, 25 minutes, 20 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 8 minutes, 6 minutes, 4 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute, or 30 seconds. The time can be in a range that is less than or equal to, or less than, any upper limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed upper limits, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than, any lower limit arbitrarily selected from the above-listed lower limits.

[0166] By forming the primary polymer (prepolymer or mixture of prepolymer and precursors) under the above conditions, and performing the secondary polymerization, the desired composite material can be formed.

[0167] An inorganic gel can be formed by further secondary polymerization of the primary polymer. As described above, the secondary polymerization can be carried out in the presence of inorganic fibers. That is, after primary polymerization, by mixing the inorganic fibers and the primary polymer to meet the above ratio (the ratio of inorganic fibers to 100 parts by weight of vaporizable material), and then further polymerization, the desired inorganic gel can be effectively formed.

[0168] Secondary polymerization can be carried out at an appropriate temperature.

[0169] For example, the lower limit of the polymerization temperature can be around 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, or 25°C, and its upper limit can be around 40°C, 35°C, 30°C, or 25°C. The temperature can be less than or equal to, or less than any of the upper limits selected above, while being greater than or equal to, or greater than any of the lower limits selected above.

[0170] The desired inorganic gel can be obtained by maintaining the mixture of primary polymer and inorganic fibers at the above temperature during secondary polymerization.

[0171] Composite materials can be produced by mixing an inorganic gel formed in this manner with other necessary components of the composite material. The components can be mixed with the inorganic gel after its production, or the components can be mixed into a precursor solution before the inorganic gel production process, or at appropriate points during the inorganic gel production process.

[0172] A fire extinguishing device can be formed by producing a composite material and then placing it in a housing. Alternatively, a fire extinguishing device can be formed by producing a composite material and then placing it in a housing, and by carrying out all or part of the composite material manufacturing process within the housing. For example, by pre-placing inorganic fibers in the housing, injecting a polymer, then performing further polymerization, and further introducing additional components after polymerization; if necessary, the fire extinguishing device and the composite material can also be manufactured simultaneously.

[0173] This specification also discloses electronic devices or apparatuses that utilize fire extinguishing devices.

[0174] There are no particular restrictions on the type of electronic equipment or devices. For example, composite materials or fire extinguishing devices can be used in equipment or devices where there is a risk of abnormal heating, fire and / or explosion during operation, maintenance and / or storage, and where the relevant abnormal phenomena must be controlled.

[0175] Examples of devices or apparatus typically include batteries. In particular, in battery modules constructed using multiple battery cells, it is important to prevent abnormal heating, fire, and / or explosion occurring in one battery cell from spreading to other adjacent battery cells.

[0176] The present specification discloses a battery module including a fire extinguishing device.

[0177] Such a battery module can basically include a plurality of battery cells and a fire extinguishing device disposed between the battery cells.

[0178] If the fire extinguishing device is applied, the specific configuration of the battery module, such as the type of the battery cell, etc., is not particularly limited, and known materials can be applied. For example, known pouch-shaped, rectangular, or cylindrical battery cells can be used as the battery cell.

[0179] The manufacturing method of the battery module is not particularly limited, and for example, as described above, a method of manufacturing the fire extinguishing device in the form of a battery cell and then placing the fire extinguishing device at a desired position during the manufacturing process of the battery module, etc., can be used.

[0180] Advantageous effects

[0181] The present specification discloses a composite material and a fire extinguishing device applied to a product or an element in an abnormal state or having a possibility of an abnormal state, thereby enabling an effective response to the abnormal state. For example, the composite material, etc., can be applied to an article including a plurality of products or elements to respond to abnormal heat generation, explosion, or ignition occurring in one element or product and prevent or minimize the spread of such heat generation, explosion, or ignition to adjacent elements or products. The composite material, etc., also exhibits excellent workability and storage stability. The present specification can also provide the use of the composite material, etc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0182] Figure 1 An exemplary cross-sectional view of a battery module to which a fire extinguishing device is applied.

[0183] Figure 2 An exemplary view for explaining the working principle of a fire extinguishing device.

[0184] Figure 3 An exemplary view for explaining the working principle of a fire extinguishing device.

[0185] Figure 4 A view for explaining the contents of manufacturing a fire extinguishing device in an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0186] Hereinafter, the composite material, etc., will be described in detail with reference to embodiments, but the scope of the composite material, etc., is not limited by the following embodiments.

[0187] 1. Convective test

[0188] A fire extinguishing device (width x length x thickness = 9 cm x 12 cm x 3 mm) was positioned between two aluminum plates, and a layer of thermal insulation material was laminated on one of the two aluminum plates, thereby manufacturing a laminate in which the thermal insulation material, the aluminum plate, the fire extinguishing device, and the aluminum plate were laminated in this order. As the aluminum plate, a plate having a thickness of about 3 mm or so was used, and as the thermal insulation material, mineral wool (KKC, thermal insulation plate No. 1) having a thickness of about 2 mm or so was used. Subsequently, both sides of the laminate were pressed and fixed with a jig at a pressure of about 350 kPa. A temperature sensor (k-type thermocouple, IR thermometer Model 566 by Fluke) was positioned on the thermal insulation material side of the laminate, and the temperature was measured with the temperature sensor while applying a flame to the aluminum plate on the opposite side. Two canister butane gases (canister type butane gas (unused product) having a capacity of 220 g) and a torch were used to apply a flame at a distance of about 2 inches from the aluminum plate. The temperature was measured with the temperature sensor while applying the flame for about 5 minutes, and it was evaluated according to the following criteria.

[0189] <evaluation criteria>

[0190] Pass: when the measured temperature of the temperature sensor remained below 200°C

[0191] NG: when a temperature of 200°C or more was measured by the temperature sensor, or when melting of the aluminum plate was observed

[0192] 2. Chain fire test

[0193] Rectangular batteries were arranged side by side at an interval of about 3 mm, and a fire extinguishing device was placed therebetween. As the rectangular batteries, products of CATL (120 Ah, 3.2 V, size = thickness x width x length = 48 x 174 x 165) were used, and were applied to the test in a 100% charged state. In the above arrangement, according to the SAE J2464:2009 standard, a battery fire was initiated in one rectangular battery, and chain fires in the other battery cells were checked. The fire of the battery was caused by piercing a rectangular battery with a nail having a diameter of about 5 mm at a speed of 25 mm / sec (nail piercing method).

[0194] <evaluation criteria>

[0195] Pass: when no fire occurred in the battery cells other than the battery cell pierced by the nail

[0196] NG: when a fire occurred in the battery cells other than the battery cell pierced by the nail

[0197] 3. Thermal conductivity evaluation

[0198] Thermal conductivity was evaluated according to the ISO 22007-2 standard using a Hot Disk TPS2200 apparatus.

[0199] 4. Molecular weight measurement

[0200] The molecular weight of the starch was evaluated in the following manner.

[0201] (1) Preparation of mobile phase

[0202] The mobile phase A was prepared by filtering 1000 mL of an aqueous 150 mM NaNO3 solution containing 0.02% by weight of NaN3 using a solvent purification system (Millipore Millisolve Kit, MilliporeSigma).

[0203] (2) Preparation of sample solution

[0204] The sample intended to be measured was collected in an amount of 25 mg and mixed with 5 mL of an aqueous 150 mM NaNO3 solution containing NaN3 in an amount of 0.02% by weight, and then the sample solution was prepared by heating the mixture at 80°C for 20 hours, and then filtering it with a 0.4 pm nylon syringe filter.

[0205] (3) GPC (Gel Permeation Chromatography) / MALS (Multi-Angle Light Scattering Detection) conditions

[0206] The molecular weight was evaluated using the sample solution and the mobile phase A in the following manner.

[0207] Measurement instrument: Agilent GPC (Agilent 1200 series, USA)

[0208] Stationary phase: Shodex OH-Pak 804 column and Shodex OH-Pak 80 column connected

[0209] Mobile phase: A; 0.02% NaN3, 150 mM NaNO3 aqueous solution = 100 (volume / volume%)

[0210] Flow rate: 0.4 mL / min

[0211] Stationary phase temperature: 25°C

[0212] Injection amount: 100 pl (0.45 pm filtered)

[0213] Analysis time: 120 minutes

[0214] 5. Measurement of amylopectin and amylose content

[0215] The content of amylopectin and amylose in starch was assessed according to the method described in the paper (Potato Research 31 (1988) 241-246).

[0216] First, the sample was prepared by dissolving approximately 5 mg of starch in approximately 1 mL of sterile water (Step 1) and heating it in a constant temperature water bath to 95°C for approximately 15 minutes (Step 2).

[0217] Then, place about 20 μl of sample in a cuvette (step 3), and add about 980 μl of iodine solution and mix (step 4).

[0218] Subsequently, the absorbance of the sample mixed with iodine solution was measured and recorded at wavelengths of 525 nm and 700 nm, respectively (step 5). The absorbance was measured using KLAB's OPTIZEN POP model.

[0219] Place approximately 20 μl of water in another cuvette, add 980 μl of iodine solution, and mix (step 6). For the solution from step 6, measure and record the absorbance at wavelengths of 525 nm and 700 nm in the same manner as in step 5 (step 7).

[0220] Subtract the absorbance obtained in step 7 from the absorbance obtained in step 5, and determine the percentage of amylose (%) according to the following equation C (step 8).

[0221] [Equation C]

[0222]

[0223] In equation C, PA is the percentage of amylose (%), U is determined by equation D, and L is determined by equation E.

[0224] [Equation D]

[0225]

[0226] [Equation E]

[0227]

[0228] In equations D and E, OD 700 The value obtained by subtracting the absorbance at 700 nm measured in step 7 from the absorbance measured in step 5 at a wavelength of 700 nm, and OD 525The value obtained by subtracting the absorbance at a wavelength of 525 nm measured in Step 7 from the absorbance at a wavelength of 525 nm measured in Step 5.

[0229] 6. WVTR (water vapor transmission rate) evaluation

[0230] The WVTR of the shell in the fire extinguishing device was evaluated according to the ASTM F1249 standard under conditions of 38°C and 100% relative humidity.

[0231] 7. Solubility evaluation

[0232] The solubility was evaluated based on the ASTM E1148-02 standard. The maximum amount of the sample dissolved in 100 g of water at room temperature (25°C) or 0°C was evaluated according to the standard to determine the solubility.

[0233] 8. Compressive strength evaluation

[0234] The compressive strength of the composite material was evaluated according to the ISO 604 standard using the compression test kit D90 equipment of Instron. The compression S-S curve having the compression strain (%) on the x-axis and the compression stress (y-axis) according to the compression strain on the y-axis was obtained while compressing the composite material in a flat placement state with a jig, and the compression stress at the point where the compression strain (%) was 60% therein was designated as the compressive strength. At the time of evaluation, the compression speed was set to about 1.3 mm / minute, and the preload was set to about 10 kN.

[0235] 9. Thickness shrinkage

[0236] The thickness of the composite material was evaluated using the μ-HITE equipment of TESA. A flat probe having a diameter of about 5 mm or so was used as the probe type, and the thickness was measured with a force of about 0.63 N or so in a single-probe mode. In a state in which the test sample (thickness measurement target) was placed flat on the equipment, the thickness was measured at three points of the test sample, the arithmetic mean of the measured thicknesses was obtained, and the obtained arithmetic mean was designated as the thickness. The test sample was divided into three equal parts, and the midpoint of each region as the three equal parts was designated as the three points. The test sample as the thickness measurement target was cut to have a width and a length of about 9 cm and 12 cm, respectively, and was used.

[0237] The initial thickness (T1) of the composite material was measured using the above method, and after the fire extinguishing device was applied to the above "1. Convection test", the composite material was taken out of the fire extinguishing device to measure the thickness (T2) thereof.

[0238] The thicknesses T1 and T2 were substituted into the following Equation A to determine the thickness shrinkage ΔT.

[0239] [Equation A]

[0240]

[0241] 10. Storage stability evaluation

[0242] The fire extinguishing device was stored in an oven at about 35°C for 1,000 hours, and the weight change before and after storage was measured. When the weight change before and after storage was 1% or more, it was evaluated as NG, and when the weight change was less than 1% or there was no weight change, it was evaluated as PASS.

[0243] Example 1.

[0244] Preparation of the composite material

[0245] A mixture was prepared by mixing distilled water, liquid sodium silicate, an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution (hydrochloric acid concentration: about 33% by weight), ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH4H2PO4), potassium acetate, and starch, and a silica sol was prepared.

[0246] As the starch, corn starch having a weight average molecular weight of about 51,000,000 g / mol and a weight ratio of amylose to amylopectin (amylose:amylopectin) of about 25:75 or so was used. As the liquid sodium silicate, No. 3 (KS) of Youngil Chemical Co., Ltd. (Na2O content: about 9 to 10% by weight, SiO2 content: about 28 to 30% by weight, molar ratio of sodium silicate (=1.032 (weight of SiO2) / (weight of Na2O)): about 3.1 to 3.3) was used.

[0247] The solubility of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (N) (NH4H2PO4) in water at 25°C was about 29 g or so. The solubility of potassium acetate in 100 g of water at 0°C was about 216 g or so, and the solubility in 100 g of water at 25°C was about 268.6 g or so.

[0248] The mixture was mixed so that the weight ratio (W:S:A:N:K:T) of distilled water (W), SiO2 in liquid sodium silicate (S), an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution (A), ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (N), potassium acetate (K), and starch (T) was about 64:2:2.6:4.5:25:0.7 or so.

[0249] The pH of the mixture was about 5 to 6 or so.

[0250] In the mixture, the molar concentration of hydrochloric acid was about 0.36 or so, the molar concentration of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate was about 0.6 or so, and the molar concentration of potassium acetate was about 3.87 or so, based on distilled water.

[0251] In the mixture, the ΔT according to hydrochloric acid of Equation 1 below is about 1.33 or so, the ΔT according to ammonium dihydrogen phosphate of Equation 1 below is about 2.21 or so, and the ΔT according to potassium acetate of Equation 1 below is about 14.41 or so, and their sum is about 17.96 or so. f f f

[0252] [Equation 1]

[0253]

[0254] In Equation 1, K f is about 1.86 K / m, M is the molar concentration of each ionic compound, and I is the number of moles of ions produced when 1 mole of ionic compound is completely dissociated.

[0255] The silica sol was prepared by stirring the mixture at a speed of about 500 rpm for about 15 minutes at room temperature (about 23℃).

[0256] The ceramic paper (WOOREE REF, thickness: about 3 mm, density: about 0.2 g / cm 3 ) was placed on a conveyor belt of a gel casting device, and the silica sol was impregnated into the ceramic paper using a squeegee. Subsequently, additional gelling was performed at room temperature (about 25℃) while moving the conveyor belt to form a silica gel, thereby manufacturing a composite material. When manufacturing the composite material, the ratio W:P of the weight (W) of water in the silica sol to the weight (P) of the ceramic paper was set to about 100:23 or so.

[0257] In the composite material, the water content was about 56.38% by weight or so, the inorganic gel (silica gel) content was about 1.76% by weight or so, and the inorganic fiber (ceramic fiber cotton) content was about 12.97% by weight or so.

[0258] Manufacture of the fire extinguishing device

[0259] The composite material was placed inside an aluminum can (housing) for manufacturing a rectangular battery, and the opening was sealed to manufacture an extinguishing device. The aluminum can was made of an aluminum alloy, in which the WVTR of the housing was about 0 or so. As Figure 4 ​​​As shown, two heat conducting layers 2001, 2002 are inserted into the inside of the aluminum can 1001, and a composite material is placed between the two heat conducting layers 2001, 2002, and then a cover 1002 is covered to manufacture the fire extinguishing device. Here, the composite material is cut and applied to occupy at least 80% of the volume of the can interior space. A copper film (thickness of about 15 μm) having a thermal conductivity of about 401 W / m-K is used as the heat conducting layers 2001, 2002. As a rectangular battery case, a case having a width of about 9 cm, a length of about 12 cm, and a thickness of about 3 mm is used.

[0260] Example 2.

[0261] A mixture was prepared by mixing distilled water, liquid sodium silicate, an aqueous NaOH solution (NaOH concentration: about 35% by weight), an aqueous acetic acid solution (acetic acid concentration: about 33% by weight), ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH4H2PO4), ammonium sulfate, and starch, and a silica sol was prepared.

[0262] As the starch and the liquid sodium silicate, the same materials as in Example 1 were used.

[0263] The solubility of ammonium sulfate in 100 g of water at 0°C was about 70.6 g or so, and the solubility in 100 g of water at 25°C was about 76 g or so.

[0264] The mixture was mixed so that the weight ratio (W:S:B:A:N:K:T) of distilled water (W), SiO2 in liquid sodium silicate (S), an aqueous NaOH solution (B), an aqueous acetic acid solution (A), ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (N), ammonium sulfate (K), and starch (T) was about 64:2:0.09:1:4.5:16:0.7 or so.

[0265] The pH of the mixture was about 6 to 8 or so.

[0266] In the mixture, the molar concentration of NaOH was about 0.01 or so, the molar concentration of acetic acid was about 0.26 or so, the molar concentration of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate was about 0.61 or so, and the molar concentration of ammonium sulfate was about 1.89 or so, based on distilled water.

[0267] In the mixture, ΔT according to NaOH of the above Equation 1 f was about 0.04 or so, ΔT according to acetic acid of the above Equation 1 f was about 0.96 or so, ΔT according to ammonium dihydrogen phosphate of the above Equation 1 f was about 2.27 or so, and ΔT according to potassium acetate of the above Equation 1 f was about 10.55 or so, and the sum of them was about 13.82 or so.

[0268] The silica sol was prepared by stirring the mixture at room temperature (about 23°C) at a speed of about 500 rpm for about 15 minutes.

[0269] The composite material and the fire extinguishing device were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the above silica sol was used.

[0270] However, as the can (housing) for manufacturing the fire extinguishing device, a housing having a WVTR of about 0.11 or less was used, and as the heat conducting layer, an aluminum film having a thickness of about 100 μm or less and a thermal conductivity of about 235 W / mK was used.

[0271] In the composite material, the water content was about 62.13% by weight or less, the inorganic gel (silica gel) content was about 1.94% by weight or less, and the inorganic fiber (ceramic fiber cotton) content was about 14.29% by weight or less.

[0272] Comparative Example 1.

[0273] Preparation of the composite material

[0274] The mixture was prepared by mixing distilled water, liquid sodium silicate, an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution (hydrochloric acid concentration: about 33% by weight), ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH4H2PO4), potassium acetate, and starch, and the silica sol was prepared.

[0275] As the starch and the liquid sodium silicate, the same materials as in Example 1 were used.

[0276] The mixture was prepared so that the weight ratio (W:S:A:N:K:T) of distilled water (W), SiO2 in liquid sodium silicate (S), an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution (A), ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (N), potassium acetate (K), and starch (T) was about 50:16:2:4.5:25:0.7 or less.

[0277] The pH of the mixture was about 5 to 6 or less.

[0278] In the mixture, the molar concentration of the hydrochloric acid was about 0.35 or less, the molar concentration of the ammonium dihydrogen phosphate was about 0.76 or less, and the molar concentration of the potassium acetate was about 4.96 or less, based on the distilled water.

[0279] In the mixture, the ΔT f of the above Equation 1 with respect to the hydrochloric acid was about 1.31 or less, the ΔT f of the above Equation 1 with respect to the ammonium dihydrogen phosphate was about 2.83 or less, and the ΔT f of the above Equation 1 with respect to the potassium acetate was about 18.46 or less, and the sum thereof was about 22.6 or less.

[0280] The silica sol was prepared by stirring the mixture at room temperature (about 23°C) at a speed of about 500 rpm for about 15 minutes.

[0281] A ceramic paper (WOOREE REF, thickness: about 3 mm, density: about 0.2 g / cm 3 ) was placed on a conveyor belt of a gel casting device, and the silica sol was impregnated into the ceramic paper using a squeegee. Subsequently, additional gelling was performed at room temperature (about 25°C) while moving the conveyor belt to form a silica gel, thereby manufacturing a composite material. When manufacturing the composite material, the ratio W:P of the weight (W) of water in the silica sol to the weight (P) of the ceramic paper was set to about 100:23 or thereabout.

[0282] In the composite material, the water content was about 45.58% by weight or thereabout, the inorganic gel (silica gel) content was about 14.59% by weight or thereabout, and the inorganic fiber (ceramic fiber cotton) content was about 10.48% by weight or thereabout.

[0283] Manufacture of the fire extinguishing device

[0284] An extinguishing device was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 using an aluminum can (housing) for manufacturing a rectangular battery, a composite material, and a heat conducting layer. The aluminum can was made of an aluminum alloy, in which the WVTR of the housing was about 0 or thereabout. A copper film (thickness of about 300 μm) having a thermal conductivity of about 401 W / m-K was used as the heat conducting layer.

[0285] Comparative Example 2.

[0286] Distilled water (W), ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (N) (NH4H2PO4), potassium acetate (K), and starch (T) were mixed in a weight ratio (W:N:K:T) of 65:4.5:25:0.7. As the starch, the same starch as in Example 1 was used. The mixture was loaded onto a ceramic paper (WOOREE REF, thickness: about 3 mm, density: about 0.2 g / cm 3 ) to produce a composite material. When manufacturing the composite material, the ratio W:P of the weight (W) of water to the weight (P) of the ceramic paper was set to about 100:23 or thereabout. Subsequently, the composite material was used to manufacture an extinguishing device in the same manner as in Example 1.

[0287] Comparative Example 3.

[0288] An extinguishing device was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, applying a silicone foam pad (L2Y) used as a thermal insulation material instead of the composite material.

[0289] The evaluation results of the examples and comparative examples are shown in Table 1 below.

[0290] [Table 1]

[0291]

[0292] In Table 1, the compressive strength (before) is a compressive strength (C f1 ) (MPa) measured for the composite material manufactured in the manner described above in "8. Compressive strength evaluation", and the compressive strength (after) is a compressive strength (C f2 ) (MPa) evaluated in the same manner by applying the fire extinguishing device including the composite material to the above "1. Convection test", and then taking the composite material out of the fire extinguishing device. In Table 1, the ratio is a value obtained by dividing the compressive strength C f2 by the compressive strength C f1 . .

[0293] From the results in Table 1, the composite material of the example exhibits a value having a high ratio . This means that even when high pressure and high temperature act on the composite material together due to the environment to which the composite material is applied becoming an abnormal state, the shape of the composite material can be stably maintained. Therefore, the composite material of the example exhibits a low thickness shrinkage rate. Such a result means that the composite material can effectively respond to an abnormal state.

[0294] Meanwhile, in the case of Comparative Example 1 in which the composite material includes a high ratio of inorganic gel (silica gel), compressive strength measurement is difficult, but a significant thickness shrinkage rate is determined, which means that the shape of the composite material is easily destroyed in an abnormal state, thereby not effectively exerting fire extinguishing performance.

[0295] Further, in the case of Comparative Example 2 in which no inorganic gel is included, it exhibits a low ratio and a high thickness shrinkage rate, and Comparative Example 3 corresponding to a general silicone pad also exhibits a low ratio and a high thickness shrinkage rate.

Claims

1. A composite material comprising: a vaporizable substance; and an inorganic gel, wherein a ratio of a compressive strength at 60% compression before a convection test to a compressive strength at 60% compression after the convection test is 1.2 or greater.

2. The composite material according to claim 1, wherein the compressive strength at 60% compression before the convection test is in a range of 0.1 MPa to 5 MPa.

3. The composite material according to claim 1, wherein an absolute value of a thickness shrinkage after the convection test is 10% or less.

4. The composite material according to claim 1, wherein a boiling point of the vaporizable substance is in a range of 80°C to 120°C.

5. The composite material according to claim 1, wherein the vaporizable substance is water.

6. The composite material according to claim 1, wherein a content of the vaporizable substance is in a range of 40% by weight to 90% by weight.

7. The composite material according to claim 1, comprising 30% by weight or less of the inorganic gel with respect to 100% by weight of the vaporizable substance.

8. The composite material according to claim 1, further comprising an inorganic fiber.

9. The composite material according to claim 8, comprising 5% by weight to 150% by weight of the inorganic fiber with respect to 100% by weight of the vaporizable substance.

10. The composite material according to claim 8, wherein the inorganic gel is attached to the inorganic fiber, or the inorganic gel and the inorganic fiber are entangled with each other.

11. The composite material according to claim 1, further comprising an ionic compound.

12. The composite material of claim 11, wherein ΔΤ in Equation 1 below f in the range of 5 to 50: [Equation 1] wherein K f where K is a constant for the depression of the freezing point of the vaporizable substance, M is the molar concentration of the ionic compound relative to the vaporizable substance, and I is the number of moles of ions resulting from the dissociation of 1 mole of the ionic compound.

13. The composite material according to claim 11, wherein a solubility of the ionic compound in 100 g of water at 25°C is 10 g or greater.

14. The composite material according to claim 11, wherein the ionic compound is one or more selected from formate, acetate, carbonate, and sulfate.

15. The composite material according to claim 1, further comprising a carbonizable organic substance.

16. The composite material according to claim 15, further comprising a carbonization catalyst.

17. A fire extinguishing device comprising: a housing; and the composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 16 present in the housing.

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