Polymer Electrolyte Composition to Prevent Salting-Out

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Solution Overview

Problem

Highly concentrated electrolytic solutions used in electrochemical devices are prone to salting-out, leading to performance degradation and production difficulties due to high viscosity, especially during low-temperature exposure and injection into device casings.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a specific polymer with a weight-average molecular weight over 10,000 into the electrolytic solution, along with a cation, anion, and solvent, forming a plastic composition that can be molded into desired shapes, thereby suppressing salting-out and enhancing production ease.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If highly concentrated electrolytic solution is used, then voltage resistance is enhanced and combustibility is decreased, but salting-out occurs causing crystal formation and performance degradation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevoltage resistanceVSAvoidsalting-out
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A polymer compound is introduced as an intermediary substance into the highly concentrated electrolytic solution. The polymer acts as a mediator that prevents direct interaction between salt ions that would otherwise cause salting-out, while allowing the electrolytic solution to maintain its high concentration and associated benefits of enhanced voltage resistance and reduced combustibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention creates a composite electrolytic solution system combining traditional electrolyte salts with a polymer compound. This composite formulation allows the system to simultaneously achieve high salt concentration for improved reliability while the polymer component suppresses harmful salting-out effects, resolving the contradiction between concentration and stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If highly concentrated electrolytic solution is used, then transport number is improved, but viscosity increases making injection difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransport numberVSAvoidinjection
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The invention modifies the physical parameters of the electrolytic solution by introducing a polymer compound with specific molecular weight and structural characteristics. This parameter change allows the solution to maintain high ion transport number while the polymer's molecular structure prevents excessive viscosity increase, enabling easier injection operations compared to traditional highly concentrated electrolytic solutions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Duration of action of stationary object

If highly concentrated electrolytic solution is used, then service life is increased, but salting-out during storage causes device damage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice lifeVSAvoidcrystal formation
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of stationary objectVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The polymer compound is incorporated into the electrolytic solution in advance to prevent salting-out before it occurs during storage or transportation. This preliminary protective action ensures that even when the device is exposed to low-temperature environments during logistics, the polymer continues to suppress crystal formation, protecting the device from damage while maintaining the high concentration formulation that extends service life.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

4Object-generated harmful factors

If polymer is added to suppress salting-out, then salting-out is prevented, but viscosity increases further

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesalting-out suppressionVSAvoidviscosity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies the principle of local quality by selecting a polymer compound with specific local molecular characteristics that provide effective salting-out suppression at the molecular level while maintaining overall solution流动性. The polymer's localized interaction with salt ions prevents crystallization without creating excessive bulk viscosity, allowing the electrolytic solution to remain operable during injection and device assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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 solution prevents salting-out, maintains high viscosity for improved voltage resistance and reduced combustibility, and facilitates easy production of electrode sheets and insulating layers with increased service life and electric potential.

Implementation Method 1

Due to the extremely high salt concentration, the highly concentrated electrolytic solution is prone to cause salting-out, and crystals of the salt once generated by the salting-out have low tendency to be redissolved.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSalting-out: Precipitation

Implementation Method 2

an electrolytic solution having an extremely higher salt concentration than a salt concentration that has been considered to be appropriate, i.e. a so-called highly concentrated electrolytic solution, has been known

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrolyte conduction: Conduction (electrical)

Data Source

PatentUS12603325B2Electrolyte solution for electrochemical devices, plastic composition, use and production method
Publication Date: 2026.04.14 ZEON CORP

AI summary

An electrolytic solution for an electrochemical device, including: a cation (C) that is a monovalent to trivalent metal ion; an anion (A); a solvent (SO) that is a compound having a molecular weight of 1,000 or less; and a polymer (P) that has a weight-average molecular weight of more than 10,000, wherein a content ratio of the solvent (SO) relative to 1 mol of the cation (C) is 0.5 to 4 mol, and a content ratio of the polymer (P) is 0.5% by weight or more. Also provided are a plastic composition, an electrode sheet, an insulating layer, and an electrochemical device including the electrolytic solution, as well as producing methods of these.