Porous Separator Wettability for Fire-Stable High-Capacity Batteries
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for high-capacity electrochemical devices, such as lithium secondary batteries, has led to a higher risk of fire and explosion, necessitating enhanced heat resistance and safety measures.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a porous polymer separator with blended hydrophilic inorganic particles or hydrophilic polymers and a nitrile-based electrolyte, which includes a lithium salt, to enhance wettability and ionic conductivity, thereby stabilizing the electrochemical device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the capacity of the electrochemical device is increased, then the energy storage capability is improved, but the risk of fire and explosion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the exothermic decomposition reaction of the nitrile-based compound as a safety mechanism. When thermal runaway occurs in high-capacity batteries, the nitrile-based compound decomposes and releases heat to activate the fire suppression agent, converting the harmful thermal runaway into a beneficial self-suppression response that prevents fire and explosion
Solution Approach 2:
The nitrile-based compound acts as an intermediary substance between the electrodes and the fire suppression system. It serves dual functions: enabling ion transport during normal operation and triggering fire suppression when thermal runaway occurs, thus mediating between high-capacity operation and safety protection
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 provides improved fire stability and battery performance by maintaining consistent wettability and ionic conductivity, reducing the risk of explosions while supporting high-capacity operations.
Implementation Method 1
the separator is a porous polymer membrane in which one or more hydrophilic inorganic particles or a hydrophilic polymer are blended in a porous substrate
Implementation Method 2
the electrolyte is disposed in the electrochemical device and configured to allow ions to pass between the positive electrode and the negative electrode
Data Source
AI summary
Electrochemical devices are disclosed for various applications such as secondary batteries. In an embodiment, an electrochemical device including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator, and an electrolyte. Specifically, the separator includes a porous polymer membrane including one or more of hydrophilic inorganic particles or a hydrophilic polymer that are blended in a porous substrate, and the electrolyte includes a nitrile-based compound. The electrochemical device exhibits high ionic conductivity by including the porous separator having wettability to the electrolyte.