Sheet-Like Pseudoboehmite Production for Battery Separator Thermal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current separators for secondary batteries, particularly those used in electric vehicles and energy storage systems, face challenges with thermal stability, as they can deform and fail at high temperatures, leading to potential ignition and explosion risks due to inadequate insulation between electrodes.
Innovation Solution
A method for producing nano-sized sheet-like pseudoboehmite with a thickness of 1 nm to 10 nm, using a one-pot process under acidic conditions, involving steps such as removing by-products from an aluminum precursor solution, adding organic acids, and heating in an autoclavable reactor to create a composite separator with enhanced adhesive strength and thermal stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a polyolefin-based separator is used, then it shows good battery function with pores for lithium ion passage, but it severely shrinks at high temperature and has physically weak durability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining polyolefin-based separator with inorganic particles (alumina, aluminum hydroxide, silica, boehmite, etc.) to create a composite separator structure. This composite approach allows the separator to maintain the porosity and ion conductivity of polyolefin while gaining the thermal stability and physical durability of inorganic materials, directly resolving the contradiction between thermal stability and physical strength.
2Reliability
If inorganic particles are coated on the separator surface, then thermal stability is improved, but adhesive strength between the separator and inorganic particle layer is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a nano-sized binder as an intermediary material between the polyolefin-based separator and the inorganic particle layer. This binder acts as a mediator that enhances the adhesive strength and bonding between the separator substrate and the inorganic coating layer, preventing delamination while maintaining the thermal stability benefits of the inorganic particles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by using nano-sized binders with specific size parameters (nanoscale dimensions) to optimize the adhesive properties. The nano-scale dimension of the binder particles allows for better penetration and bonding at the interface between the separator and inorganic layer, significantly improving adhesive strength compared to conventional-sized binders.
3Shape
If boehmite is produced under basic conditions to achieve sheet form, then sheet morphology is obtained, but the thickness is not sufficiently thin
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by conducting the boehmite synthesis under acidic conditions (pH 2-6) rather than basic conditions, and by controlling temperature (160-250°C) and time parameters in a sealed reactor. These parameter changes enable the formation of sheet-like boehmite with thickness of 10 nm or less, achieving both the desired morphology and ultra-thin dimensions simultaneously.
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 production of sheet-like pseudoboehmite enables the creation of a composite separator with improved thermal stability, reducing the risk of electrode contact and explosion by providing a thin, durable coating layer that maintains adhesive strength even at high temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
a method of producing sheet-like pseudoboehmite includes the steps of: step (a) removing a by-product of condensation reaction from an aluminum precursor aqueous solution
Implementation Method 2
heating the acidic solution in an autoclavable reactor to perform a reaction
Implementation Method 3
adding an organic acid to an aluminum precursor aqueous solution from which the by-product has been removed to prepare an acidic solution
Implementation Method 4
heating the acidic solution in an autoclavable reactor to perform a reaction
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a nano-sized thin sheet-like pseudoboehmite and a method of producing the same. The method of producing a sheet-like pseudoboehmite is performed by a one-pot method, unlike the conventional method of performing the reaction first in a basic solution, and then performing redispersion in an acidic solution, thereby simplifying the production process, and thus, may be useful in the production industry of a separator for a secondary battery, and the like.