A joint research team has reached a milestone in battery technology. Their achievement in developing a non-flammable gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) is expected to improve the safety of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by mitigating the risks of thermal release and fire incidents.
In the past, the potential flammability of LIBs has raised significant concerns, particularly in electric vehicles, where the risk of fire poses a serious threat to underground car parks.
A promising solution to contain battery fires
In response to this critical issue, the research team led by Professor Hyun-Kon Song from the UNIST School of Energy and Chemical Engineering and Dr. Seo-Hyun Jung from the Center for Product Research for Advanced Specialty Chemicals at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology responds (KRICT) and Dr. Tae-Hee Kim from the Ulsan Advanced Energy Technology R&D Center of the Korea Energy Research Institute (KIER) have been commissioned to develop a revolutionary, non-flammable semi-solid polymer electrolyte that offers a promising solution to contain battery fires.
Traditionally, non-flammable electrolytes have relied heavily on the incorporation of flame retardant additives or solvents with exceptionally high boiling points.
Schematic diagram describing the operating principles of non-flammable gel electrolytes. Photo credit: Unist
These methods often resulted in a significant reduction in ionic conductivity, which compromised the overall performance of the electrolyte.
An innovative approach
In their groundbreaking research, the research team added a tiny amount of polymer into the electrolyte, creating a semi-solid electrolyte. This innovative approach dramatically increased the conductivity of lithium ions by 33% compared to existing liquid electrolytes.
Furthermore, pouch batteries containing this non-flammable semi-solid electrolyte demonstrated a remarkable 110% improvement in cycle life and effectively prevented unnecessary electrolyte reactions during electrolyte interface formation and operation. firmly (BE).
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The main advantage of this innovative electrolyte is its exceptional performance and non-flammability. By suppressing radical chain reactions with fuel compounds during the combustion process, the semi-solid polymer electrolyte effectively prevents the occurrence of battery fires.
Nail penetration in 650 mAh NCM811||graphite pouch cells (a to c) voltage and temperature profiles (d to f).
The research team demonstrated the excellence of the developed polymer by quantitatively analyzing its ability to stabilize and suppress radicals. This breakthrough will significantly contribute to understanding the mechanism of non-flammable electrolytes.
For better understanding
What is a non-flammable gel polymer electrolyte (GPE)?
It is a significant innovation in lithium-ion battery (LIB) technology that aims to improve safety by mitigating the risks of thermal release and fire incidents.
What’s the problem with traditional non-flammable electrolytes?
Conventional non-flammable electrolytes rely heavily on the addition of flame-retardant additives or solvents with exceptionally high boiling points. However, these methods often resulted in a significant reduction in ionic conductivity, which compromised the overall performance of the electrolyte.
What solution does the research team propose?
The research team added a small amount of polymer into the electrolyte, creating a semi-solid electrolyte. This approach dramatically increased the conductivity of lithium ions by 33% compared to existing liquid electrolytes.
What are the benefits of this semi-solid electrolyte?
Pouch batteries containing this non-flammable semi-solid electrolyte demonstrated a remarkable 110% improvement in cycle life and effectively prevented unnecessary electrolyte reactions during the formation and operation of the solid electrolyte interface layer (SEI).
What’s next for this technology?
The use of non-flammable semi-solid electrolytes that can be integrated directly into existing battery assembly processes will accelerate the future commercialization of safer batteries.
Source: Research team led by Professor Hyun-Kon Song from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST, Dr. Seo-Hyun Jung from the Research Center for Advanced Specialty Chemicals at the Institute of Research in Chemical Technology (KRICT) and Dr. Tae-Hee Kim from the Ulsan Advanced Energy Technology R&D Center of the Korea Energy Research Institute (KIER)
Jihong Jeong, Mideum Kim, Hyeju Shin, et al., “Fire-Inhibiting Nonflammable Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Lithium-Ion Batteries,” ACS Energy Lett., (2023).
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