Battery Cell Silicate Coating for Heat Dissipation and Fire Barrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current thermal management materials for battery cells either fail to dissipate heat effectively at normal temperatures or degrade at high temperatures, unable to provide adequate protection against fire propagation during thermal runaway.
Innovation Solution
A fire protection and insulation composition comprising sodium and/or lithium silicate, along with additional fillers and binders, which acts as a thermally conductive coating at normal temperatures and transforms into a thermally insulative barrier through hydrothermal crystallization at higher temperatures, preventing fire spread.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If thermal interface materials are used to dissipate heat at normal temperatures, then heat dissipation is improved, but fire protection capability deteriorates at high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The coating dynamically changes its thermal properties based on temperature. At normal operating temperatures (20-80°C), the coating maintains high thermal conductivity to dissipate heat. When exposed to high temperatures (above 250°C) during thermal runaway, the coating undergoes hydrothermal crystallization transforming into amorphous silica, which provides thermal insulation to prevent fire propagation. This dynamic adaptation allows a single material to fulfill both thermal management functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical and chemical parameters of the coating material in response to temperature changes. The sodium and/or lithium silicate undergoes a phase transformation from a thermally conductive state at low temperatures to a thermally insulative amorphous silica state at high temperatures. This parameter change enables the material to automatically adjust its functionality based on the thermal conditions, resolving the contradiction between heat dissipation and fire protection.
2Reliability
If thermal runaway barriers are used to prevent fire spread, then fire protection is improved, but heat dissipation capability deteriorates at normal temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The coating dynamically changes its thermal properties based on temperature. At normal operating temperatures (20-80°C), the coating maintains high thermal conductivity to dissipate heat. When exposed to high temperatures (above 250°C) during thermal runaway, the coating undergoes hydrothermal crystallization transforming into amorphous silica, which provides thermal insulation to prevent fire propagation. This dynamic adaptation allows a single material to fulfill both thermal management functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical and chemical parameters of the coating material in response to temperature changes. The sodium and/or lithium silicate undergoes a phase transformation from a thermally conductive state at low temperatures to a thermally insulative amorphous silica state at high temperatures. This parameter change enables the material to automatically adjust its functionality based on the thermal conditions, resolving the contradiction between heat dissipation and fire protection.
3Device complexity
If a single material is used for thermal management, then device complexity is reduced, but functionality deteriorates due to inability to perform both heat dissipation and fire protection
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies the universality principle by designing a single coating material that performs multiple functions: thermal interface material at normal temperatures and thermal runaway barrier at high temperatures. The sodium and/or lithium silicate-based coating with pore-forming agents and fillers creates a material that can dissipate heat during normal battery operation and transform into a fire-resistant barrier during thermal runaway, eliminating the need for separate materials and simplifying the overall thermal management system.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite materials by combining sodium and/or lithium silicate with pore-forming agents (such as starch), rheology modifiers (such as fumed silica and cellulose), and thermal conductive fillers (such as boron nitride, aluminium nitride, aluminium oxide, and magnesium oxide). This composite structure enables the coating to achieve both thermal conductivity at normal temperatures and thermal insulation at high temperatures through the synergistic effect of its components, particularly the transformation of silicate into amorphous silica during thermal runaway.
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
The composition effectively dissipates heat at normal battery temperatures and forms a fire-resistant barrier at elevated temperatures, preventing thermal runaway and extending battery life by inhibiting fire propagation.
Implementation Method 1
the sodium and/or lithium silicate undergoes hydrothermal crystallization into amorphous silica when exposed to higher temperatures
Implementation Method 2
acts as a thermally conductive coating at normal working temperatures of the battery cell
Implementation Method 3
the coating acts as a thermally insulative barrier for the battery cell
Data Source
AI summary
A fire protection and insulation composition comprising: sodium and/or lithium silicate, and additional or other filler or binder material, wherein the composition, when applied to a said battery cell, acts as a thermally conductive coating at normal working temperatures of the battery cell, and wherein the sodium and/or lithium silicate undergoes hydrothermal crystallization into amorphous silica when exposed to higher temperatures such that the coating acts as a thermally insulative barrier for the battery cell.