UV-Cured Ceramic Coating for Battery Separator Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery separators, such as thermoplastic polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) blends, lack mechanical strength and heat resistance, leading to potential fires due to melting or decomposition when exposed to high temperatures or physical damage, which can cause short circuits and loss of ionic barrier function.
Innovation Solution
A porous, electrically insulating, and electrochemically resistant coating is applied to separators using ultraviolet (UV) or electron beam (EB) curing of reactive liquid resins and ceramic particles, creating a strong, heat-resistant barrier that maintains its shape and ionic flow suppression at high temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If thermoplastic PE-PP separators are used to provide shutdown function, then ionic flow control is improved, but mechanical strength and heat resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining thermoplastic polymer matrix with ceramic particles to create a separator that maintains both the shutdown function of the polymer and the mechanical strength/heat resistance of the ceramic reinforcement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the separator by incorporating ceramic particles with specific size ranges (0.1-10 micrometers) and using crosslinking agents to modify the polymer matrix, thereby improving mechanical properties while maintaining thermal shutdown capability
2Reliability
If thermoplastic PE-PP separators are used to enable ionic flow, then porosity is improved, but heat resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials combining thermoplastic polymer with ceramic particles that have high thermal stability, allowing the separator to maintain structural integrity at elevated temperatures while preserving ionic flow through the porous structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by distributing ceramic particles throughout the polymer matrix to provide localized heat resistance while maintaining the overall porosity and ionic flow pathways of the separator structure
3Reliability
If separator thickness is reduced to maximize ionic flow, then porosity is improved, but mechanical strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials where ceramic particles provide mechanical reinforcement that compensates for the reduced thickness, allowing thin separator design with sufficient mechanical strength to prevent rupture while maintaining high ionic flow capability
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 coated separators provide enhanced mechanical strength, heat resistance, and dimensional stability, preventing fires by maintaining electrical insulation and ionic flow control even at elevated temperatures, thus improving the safety and performance of electrochemical devices.
Implementation Method 1
A UV or EB cured coating comprising: a polymeric material including a UV or EB cured matrix comprising a crosslink reaction product from a UV water-based mixture or from one or more precursors selected from one or more monomers, one or more oligomers, or a combination of one or more monomers and one or more oligomers
Data Source
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AI summary
Porous, electrically insulating, and electrochemically resistant surface coatings that strengthen and protect separators and that improve the operational safety of electrochemical devices using such separators, the use of ultraviolet (UV) or electron beam (EB) curable binders to secure an electrically insulating, porous, ceramic particle coating on separators, and methods of producing polymer-bound ceramic particle separator coatings, separators and electrochemical devices by UV or EB curing slurries of reactive liquid resins and ceramic particles.