Separator For High-performance Lithium-ion Batteries Research Articles

Electrochemical Properties of LLTO/Fluoropolymer-Shell Cellulose-Core Fibrous Membrane for Separator of High Performance Lithium-Ion Battery.

A superfine Li0.33La0.557TiO3 (LLTO, 69.4 nm) was successfully synthesized by a facile solvent-thermal method to enhance the electrochemical properties of the lithium-ion battery separator. Co-axial nanofiber of cellulose and Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) was prepared by a co-axial electrospinning technique, in which the shell material was PVDF-HFP and the core was cellulose. LLTO superfine nanoparticles were incorporated into the shell of the PVDF-HFP. The core–shell composite nanofibrous membrane showed good wettability (16.5°, contact angle), high porosity (69.77%), and super electrolyte compatibility (497%, electrolyte uptake). It had a higher ionic conductivity (13.897 mS·cm−1) than those of pure polymer fibrous membrane and commercial separator. In addition, the rate capability (155.56 mAh·g−1) was also superior to the compared separator. These excellent performances endowed LLTO composite nanofibrous membrane as a promising separator for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

Hierarchical three-dimensional micro/nano-architecture of polyaniline nanowires wrapped-on polyimide nanofibers for high performance lithium-ion battery separators

Polyaniline/polyimide (PANI/PI) composites with hierarchical 3D micro/nano-architecture have been prepared via electrospinning and in-situ polymerization. The PANI/PI composite prepared from 0.2 M aniline (PANI/PI-2) exhibited a small average pore size (1.730 μm) and a narrow pore size distribution (1.552–1.882 μm). Compared to the commercial polyolefin separators, the PANI/PI composite separator possesses a much better thermal stability up to 180 °C, a higher porosity (84%), a larger liquid electrolyte uptake (619%) and a higher ionic conductivity (2.33 mS cm−1). The cell with PANI/PI-2 composite separator showed a low interfacial resistance, an enhanced capacity (133 mAh g−1 at 0.2C), a better rate capability (41.4% at 10C) and cyclability (89.3% retention after 500 charge/discharge cycles at 0.2C). The PANI/PI composite with a superior thermal stability and high electrochemical performances is a promising candidate for uses in high perform LIBs.

Development of plasma-treated polypropylene nonwoven-based composites for high-performance lithium-ion battery separators

Separators have drawn substantial attention because of their important role in achieving the safety and good electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries. In this study, we report a new type of composite membrane prepared by a combination of fluorinated polypropylene (PP) nonwoven fabric, poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP) and SiO2 nanoparticles. 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5-Octafluoropentyl methacrylate (OFPMA) is first grafted on the surface of PP nonwoven by plasma treatment to improve the nonwoven’s adhesion with PVdF-HFP. Two kinds of composite separators have been prepared by using the different PP nonwovens together with PVdF-HFP and SiO2 nanoparticles. They were separately designated as PHS for commercially raw PP nonwoven system and PHS-n for OFPMA-modified PP nonwoven systems (n means plasma treatment time). The morphology, electrolyte uptake, ionic conductivity and electrochemical properties of the composite separators have been analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, impedance measurement, charge-discharge cycle and C-rate tests, respectively. The results indicate that PHS-10 composite separator using the modified PP nonwoven treated by plasma for 10min exhibits much better properties than PHS separator, including an improved mechanical property, thermal stability, electrolyte uptake (290wt%) and ionic conductivity (1.76mScm−1). More importantly, the LiFePO4/Li half-cell assembled with PHS-10 composite separator displays a good C-rate performance, which shows an enhancement in the chemical stability and discharge capacity. The capacity keeps above 150mAhg−1 after 100 charge–discharge cycles. These performances endow this composite membrane as a promising candidate for high-performance lithium-ion battery separators.