Gellable Electrolyte System for Lithium-Air Battery Safety
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium-air batteries and organic supercapacitors face safety issues due to liquid electrolyte leakage, flammability, and poor conductivity of current solid electrolytes, limiting their performance and safety.
Innovation Solution
A gellable system comprising lithium salts, ether compounds, and electrolytes or their solvents, which forms a gel or solid electrolyte with adjustable strength and transition temperatures, enhancing safety and performance by preventing leakage and improving conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If liquid electrolytes are used in lithium-air batteries, then conductivity and charge/discharge efficiency are improved, but safety problems arise due to leakage, flammability, and volatilization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the electrolyte from liquid to gel by adjusting the concentration of gelating agents (0.1-10 wt%) and controlling the molecular weight and structure of polymer chains. This parameter change maintains ionic conductivity while eliminating leakage and flammability hazards associated with liquid electrolytes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite gel electrolyte system combining liquid electrolyte components (lithium salts, solvents) with gelating agents (polymers or small molecules). This composite structure provides both the conductivity of liquid electrolytes and the safety/stability of gel structures, preventing volatilization and leakage
2Object-generated harmful factors
If solid electrolytes are used to improve safety, then leakage and flammability are reduced, but conductivity and charge/discharge efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the gel electrolyte composition by controlling the concentration of gelating agents (0.1-10 wt%), the molecular weight of polymers, and the ratio of cyclic to chain ether compounds. These parameter adjustments create a gel structure with sufficient ionic conductivity (comparable to liquid electrolytes) while maintaining the safety benefits of gel state
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates local liquid-like environments within the gel structure where ionic conduction occurs, while the overall gel matrix provides structural integrity and leakage prevention. The gel network contains localized channels or regions that facilitate ion transport without requiring the entire electrolyte to be in liquid state
3Object-generated harmful factors
If gel electrolytes are used to improve safety, then leakage and flammability are reduced, but the strength and stability of the electrolyte system worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple components (lithium salts, cyclic ether compounds, chain ether compounds, and gelating agents) into a composite gel electrolyte system. This composite structure enhances overall stability by distributing functional roles across different components, preventing decomposition while maintaining safety benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts the gelation temperature, concentration of gelating agents, and molecular structure of polymers to optimize both stability and safety. By controlling these parameters, the gel electrolyte achieves enhanced compositional stability while preventing volatilization and leakage
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 gellable system provides a safer and more efficient electrolyte for lithium-air batteries and organic supercapacitors, with improved charge/discharge efficiency, impact resistance, and extended service life, while being cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
Implementation Method 1
A gellable system comprising lithium salts, ether compounds, and electrolytes or their solvents, which forms a gel or solid electrolyte with adjustable strength and transition temperatures
Data Source
AI summary
A gellable system is suitable for use in lithium-air batteries, organic supercapacitors or capacitor batteries. The organic supercapacitors or capacitor batteries comprise a gel electrolytes and/or a solid electrolytes, which are prepared from a gellable system comprising the following components: (a) lithium salts and (b) ether compounds; the gellable system for lithium-air batteries also comprises (c) electrolytes or their solvents used in lithium-air batteries; in the system, the mass fraction of the gellable polymers and/or the gellable prepolymers is less than or equal to 1 wt %; by adjusting the composition and type of each component in the system, the gel and/or solid electrolytes, having adjustable strength, formation time, transition temperature, and also reversibility, can be prepared; the preparation method has simple procedure, mild reaction conditions, short reaction period, high yield, low manufacture cost, which makes it easy to realize industrialized production.