Cation Exchange Material for Lithium Battery Impurity Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium secondary batteries face significant life characteristic deterioration due to internal short-circuiting caused by metal ion impurities incorporated during the assembly process, which cannot be completely prevented by existing methods.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a cation exchange material containing lithium, sodium, or ammonium ions into the battery's electrodes and/or separator to facilitate a cation exchange process that replaces harmful metal ions with non-detrimental ions, preventing electrodeposition and thus removing metal impurities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If metal ion impurities are incorporated during battery assembly process, then battery fabrication is simplified, but internal short-circuiting occurs and battery life characteristics deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating a cation exchange material into the battery structure before operation begins. This material proactively captures metal ion impurities as they are incorporated during assembly, preventing them from causing internal short-circuiting later. The cation exchange material is positioned in advance to intercept harmful ions before they can damage the battery, thus maintaining both ease of manufacture and reliability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If water is removed from battery to prevent degradation, then battery performance stability improves, but metal ion impurities remain and cause internal short-circuiting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cation exchange material as an intermediary substance that specifically targets and captures metal ion impurities. This intermediary material acts as a mediator between the harmful metal ions and the battery components, preventing the ions from causing internal short-circuiting while not interfering with the already-improved stability from water removal. The cation exchange material selectively binds to metal ions, isolating them from critical battery components.
3Reliability
If cation exchange material is added to remove metal ions, then battery life characteristics improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing the cation exchange material to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it captures metal ion impurities, prevents internal short-circuiting, and maintains battery performance stability. This multi-functional approach means that a single added component addresses multiple issues, reducing the need for separate systems for each function and thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes porous materials as the cation exchange medium, which provides a high surface area-to-volume ratio. This porous structure allows the material to effectively capture metal ion impurities throughout the battery without requiring large quantities of material or complex distribution systems. The porous nature enables efficient ion capture while maintaining a relatively simple overall battery structure.
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 cation exchange material effectively removes metal impurities, enhancing battery life characteristics by preventing internal short-circuiting and maintaining capacitance, as demonstrated by reduced voltage drops in experimental batteries.
Implementation Method 1
metal ion impurities incorporated during an assembly process of the battery are removed via a cation exchange process
Implementation Method 2
to prevent electrodeposition of the metal ions on an anode
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a lithium secondary battery having improved life characteristics by removal of metal ion impurities incorporated during an assembly process of the battery via a cation exchange process, thereby preventing electrodeposition of the metal ions on an anode, through the addition of a cation exchange material, containing cations selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, ammonium and any combination thereof, to an electrode and/or a surface of a separator.