Anionic Nanoporous Battery Separators for Metal Ion Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lithium battery manufacturing processes are complex, costly, and prone to safety issues due to metal fragments and metal ion migration, which reduces battery cycle life and increases production costs.
Innovation Solution
The development of battery stacks with a porous separator coated with inorganic oxides or nitrides, an anionic compound, and a current collector, which inhibits metal ion migration and allows for efficient lithium ion transport, using a reusable substrate to reduce waste and costs, and incorporating a reinforcement layer for mechanical strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If metal substrates are slit into discrete battery stacks during manufacture, then battery production can be achieved, but metal fragments are embedded into the separator causing short circuits and safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the metal substrate from the battery stack structure entirely, extracting the problematic element that causes metal fragment contamination. The battery is constructed with electrode layers directly stacked without metal foils, eliminating the source of safety hazards while maintaining production capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a disposable plastic separator that serves as a sacrificial component during manufacturing. The separator is designed to be consumed or discarded in the process, allowing for simple stacking without complex metal substrate handling, thereby eliminating metal fragment issues.
2Ease of manufacture
If manganese is used as cathode material to reduce cost, then battery cost decreases, but manganese dissolves and deposits on separator and anode reducing cycle life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coating layer on the separator as an intermediary between the manganese cathode and the anode. This coating acts as a barrier that prevents direct contact and ion exchange between manganese ions and the anode, blocking the harmful migration pathway while allowing the inexpensive manganese cathode to function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a porous separator with specific pore structure that allows lithium ion transport while physically blocking larger manganese ions. The porous structure provides size-selective filtration, permitting beneficial small ions to pass while restraining harmful larger metal ions.
3Power
If nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide (NMC) is used as cathode material, then battery performance improves, but nickel and cobalt ions diffuse through separator onto anode reducing cycle life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a coating layer on the separator as an intermediary barrier that selectively blocks nickel and cobalt ions while permitting lithium ion transport. This mediator allows the high-performance NMC cathode to function without its harmful ion migration effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the separator's physical and chemical parameters through coating treatment, changing its ion selectivity properties. The coating alters the separator's surface charge, pore size distribution, or chemical affinity to specifically block transition metal ions while maintaining lithium ion conductivity.
4Ease of manufacture
If interleaving discrete battery layers is used to construct lithium-ion batteries, then battery assembly can be achieved, but manufacturing becomes slow, complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple discrete manufacturing steps into a simpler stacking process. By eliminating metal substrates and using a self-supporting structure with plastic separators, the complex interleaving operation is replaced with straightforward layer stacking, reducing equipment complexity and manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic separator in the patent serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support, enables ion transport, prevents short circuits, and acts as a barrier to metal ion migration. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate metal substrate and coating layers, simplifying the overall structure and manufacturing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the production of lithium batteries with improved safety, extended cycle life, and reduced costs by preventing metal ion migration and using a reusable substrate to streamline the manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
allows for efficient lithium ion transport
Implementation Method 2
inhibits metal ion migration
Implementation Method 3
anionic compound...inhibits metal ion migration
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a lithium battery, wherein the battery comprises an anode, a cathode, wherein the cathode comprises one or more transition metals, an electrolyte, and a porous separator interposed between the cathode and anode, wherein the separator comprises an anionic compound. Also provided are methods of manufacturing such batteries.