EurekAlert February 1, 2021
Lithium batteries are typically assembled in a dry room that controls moisture because lithium salts in the electrolytes are highly reactive with moisture, which has a significant effect on the battery performance. Researchers in South Korea fabricated impurity scavenging separator membrane (ISM) using a powerful H2O and HF scavenging material. The material was synthesized by a urethane reaction between porous silica (p-SiO2) and (3-isocynatopropyl) triethoxysilane (ICPTES). The p-SiO2 reaction with ICPTES suppressed the acidification of the electrolyte with water and resulted in maintaining the shape of the SiO2 particles. The multifunctional separator exhibited high capacity retention at various electrodes including LiMn2O4 (LMO)//Li4Ti5O12 (LTO), Li[Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1]O2 (NCM)//graphite, and LMO//graphite at high temperature (55℃). The ISM improves the cycle stability of batteries and reduces cost…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Battery production in ambient air using a multi-functional separator. Credit: POSTECH