Self-Healing Electrolyte Injection Venting for Battery Gas Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Secondary batteries face increased technical difficulty and safety risks due to elevated vent pressure as capacity increases, necessitating a solution to manage internal gas buildup without vent rupture.
Innovation Solution
An electrolyte injection apparatus with a self-healing material is used to periodically release gas and inject electrolyte, featuring polymers like gelatin, polydisulfide, or poly(ε-caprolactone) that autonomously close pores.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metallic vent is used to release gas when internal pressure reaches a predetermined level, then gas release function is achieved, but the set pressure must be increased as battery capacity increases, leading to technical difficulty and stability danger
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the pressure parameter management from fixed high-pressure metallic vents to variable-pressure polymer plugs. The polymer material's pressure-resistant properties can be adjusted by selecting different materials or modifying their structure, allowing the venting pressure to be optimized for different battery capacities without increasing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material strategies by using polymer materials with specific molecular structures (such as cross-linked polymers or polymers with rigid side chains) to create plugs that combine flexibility at low pressures with rigidity at high pressures. This composite approach allows a single plug to handle a wide pressure range, eliminating the need for complex multi-component venting systems
2Quantity of substance
If battery capacity is increased, then energy storage is improved, but internal pressure increases requiring higher vent set pressure, increasing technical difficulty and stability danger
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the pressure parameter management from fixed high-pressure metallic vents to variable-pressure polymer plugs. The polymer material's pressure-resistant properties can be adjusted by selecting different materials or modifying their structure, allowing the venting pressure to be optimized for different battery capacities without increasing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The polymer plug acts as a cushioning element that gradually deforms under increasing pressure, providing a buffer before final rupture. This gradual deformation process absorbs excess pressure energy and prevents sudden catastrophic failure, enhancing battery stability as capacity increases
3Ease of manufacture
If a polymer plug is used instead of metallic vent, then manufacturing adaptability is improved, but the plug must withstand high internal pressure without premature rupture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material strategies by using polymer materials with specific molecular structures (such as cross-linked polymers or polymers with rigid side chains) to create plugs that combine flexibility at low pressures with rigidity at high pressures. This composite approach allows a single plug to handle a wide pressure range, eliminating the need for complex multi-component venting systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by designing the polymer plug with non-uniform structure - the molecular weight, cross-linking density, or side chain rigidity varies at different locations or depths within the plug. This gradient structure allows the plug to be softer at the surface for easy insertion while maintaining core strength for pressure resistance, optimizing both manufacturability and mechanical performance
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
Prevents gas ignition and explosion, enhancing safety by allowing controlled gas release and electrolyte injection, thereby reducing fire risk and property damage.
Implementation Method 1
a self-healing material configured to autonomously close a pore in the self-healing material after the pore was generated therein
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
An electrolyte injection apparatus at an electrolyte injection hole of a secondary battery is configured to inject an electrolyte into the secondary battery or release a gas within the secondary battery, and includes a self-healing material in which a pore autonomously disappears when the pore is generated.