Improved thermal and electrochemical performances of PMMA modified PE separator skeleton prepared via dopamine-initiated ATRP for lithium ion batteries

Facile In Situ Building of Sulfonated SiO2 Coating on Porous Skeletons of Lithium-Ion Battery Separators

Polyolefin separators with worse porous structures and compatibilities mismatch the internal environment and deteriorate lithium-ion battery (LIB) combination properties. In this study, a sulfonated SiO2 (SSD) composited polypropylene separator (PP@SSD) is prepared to homogenize pore sizes and in situ-built SSD coatings on porous skeletons. Imported SSD uniformizes pore sizes owing to centralized interface distributions within casting films. Meanwhile, abundant cavitations enable the in situ SSD coating to facilely fix onto porous skeleton surfaces during separator fabrications, which feature simple techniques, low cost, environmental friendliness, and the capability for continuous fabrications. A sturdy SSD coating on the porous skeleton confines thermal shrinkages and offers a superior safety guarantee for LIBs. The abundant sulfonic acid groups of SSD endow PP@SSD with excellent electrolyte affinity, which lowers Li+ transfer barriers and optimizes interfacial compatibility. Therefore, assembled LIBs give the optimal C-rate capacity and cycling stability, holding a capacity retention of 82.7% after the 400th cycle at 0.5 C.

Recent Development in Topological Polymer Electrolytes for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are still being considered as a candidate to replace liquid electrolytes for high-safety and flexible lithium batteries due to their superiorities including light-weight, good flexibility, and shape versatility. However, inefficient ion transportation of linear polymer electrolytes is still the biggest challenge. To improve ion transport capacity, developing novel polymer electrolytes are supposed to be an effective strategy. Nonlinear topological structures such as hyperbranched, star-shaped, comb-like, and brush-like types have highly branched features. Compared with linear polymer electrolytes, topological polymer electrolytes possess more functional groups, lower crystallization, glass transition temperature, and better solubility. Especially, a large number of functional groups are beneficial to dissociation of lithium salt for improving the ion conductivity. Furthermore, topological polymers have strong design ability to meet the requirements of comprehensive performances of SPEs. In this review, the recent development in topological polymer electrolytes is summarized and their design thought is analyzed. Outlooks are also provided for the development of future SPEs. It is expected that this review can raise a strong interest in the structural design of advanced polymer electrolyte, which can give inspirations for future research on novel SPEs and promote the development of next-generation high-safety flexible energy storage devices.

Impact of Membrane Modification and Surface Immobilization Techniques on the Hemocompatibility of Hemodialysis Membranes: A Critical Review

Despite significant research efforts, hemodialysis patients have poor survival rates and low quality of life. Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes are the core of hemodialysis treatment, acting as a barrier for metabolic waste removal and supplying vital nutrients. So, developing a durable and suitable membrane that may be employed for therapeutic purposes is crucial. Surface modificationis a useful solution to boostmembrane characteristics like roughness, charge neutrality, wettability, hemocompatibility, and functionality, which are important in dialysis efficiency. The modification techniques can be classified as follows: (i) physical modification techniques (thermal treatment, polishing and grinding, blending, and coating), (ii) chemical modification (chemical methods, ozone treatment, ultraviolet-induced grafting, plasma treatment, high energy radiation, and enzymatic treatment); and (iii) combination methods (physicochemical). Despite the fact that each strategy has its own set of benefits and drawbacks, all of these methods yielded noteworthy outcomes, even if quantifying the enhanced performance is difficult. A hemodialysis membrane with outstanding hydrophilicity and hemocompatibility can be achieved by employing the right surface modification and immobilization technique. Modified membranes pave the way for more advancement in hemodialysis membrane hemocompatibility. Therefore, this critical review focused on the impact of the modification method used on the hemocompatibility of dialysis membranes while covering some possible modifications and basic research beyond clinical applications.

Transition metal oxides as a cathode for indispensable Na-ion batteries

The essential requirement to harness well-known renewable energy sources like wind energy, solar energy, etc. as a component of an overall plan to guarantee global power sustainability will require highly efficient, high power and energy density batteries to collect the derived electrical power and balance out variations in both supply and demand. Owing to the continuous exhaustion of fossil fuels, and ever increasing ecological problems associated with global warming, there is a critical requirement for searching for an alternative energy storage technology for a better and sustainable future. Electrochemical energy storage technology could be a solution for a sustainable source of clean energy. Sodium-ion battery (SIB) technology having a complementary energy storage mechanism to the lithium-ion battery (LIB) has been attracting significant attention from the scientific community due to its abundant resources, low cost, and high energy densities. Layered transition metal oxide (TMO) based materials for SIBs could be a potential candidate for SIBs among all other cathode materials. In this paper, we discussed the latest improvement in the various structures of the layered oxide materials for SIBs. Moreover, their synthesis, overall electrochemical performance, and several challenges associated with SIBs are comprehensively discussed with a stance on future possibilities. Many articles discussed the improvement of cathode materials for SIBs, and most of them have pondered the use of Na x MO2 (a class of TMOs) as a possible positive electrode material for SIBs. The different phases of layered TMOs (Na x MO2; TM = Co, Mn, Ti, Ni, Fe, Cr, Al, V, and a combination of multiple elements) show good cycling capacity, structural stability, and Na+ ion conductivity, which make them promising cathode material for SIBs. This review discusses and summarizes the electrochemical redox reaction, structural transformations, significant challenges, and future prospects to improve for Na x MO2. Moreover, this review highlights the recent advancement of several layered TMO cathode materials for SIBs. It is expected that this review will encourage further development of layered TMOs for SIBs.

Low-Cost Mass Manufacturing Technique for the Shutdown-Functionalized Lithium-Ion Battery Separator Based on Al2O3 Coating Online Construction during the β-iPP Cavitation Process

A shutdown-functionalized lithium-ion battery separator plays a pivotal role in preventing thermal runaway as cells experience electrical abuse, overcharge, and external short circuit. In this article, the trilayer separator endowed with shutdown function was fabricated by ingenious co-extrusion and bidirectional drawing based on the nano-Al₂O₃ coating online construction during the β-iPP cavitation process. The middle layer composed of nano-Al₂O₃, polyethylene, and polypropylene offers a shutdown temperature of 130 °C, and skin polypropylene layers with nano-Al₂O₃ coating hold optimized dimensional stability below the meltdown temperature. Crystal structure measurement and pore structure diagnosis disclose that nano-Al₂O₃ thins coarse fibrils and makes the porous structure uniform. De-bonding of nano-Al₂O₃/β-iPP interfaces retains nano-Al₂O₃ not only on the top surface of the separator but also on the pore intine to realize nano-Al₂O₃ coating online construction, consequently strengthening tensile capacity, dimensional stability to heating, and electrolyte affinity. Electrochemical tests further disclose that nano-Al₂O₃ coating stabilizes solid electrolyte interphase germination and heightens lithium-ion migration numbers, confining cell resistances and granting optimal high-rate performance and cycling ability. The proposed approach features simple technics, environment-friendly, continuous fabrication, and coating online construction, which can offer new ideas for the mass fabricating of the high-end separator.

A High Performance Polyacrylonitrile Composite Separator with Cellulose Acetate and Nano-Hydroxyapatite for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The traditional commercial polyolefin separators suffer from high-temperature thermal shrinkage, low electrolyte wettability and other issues. In order to improve the overall performance of the separators, electrostatic spinning technology was applied to obtain PAN nanofiber separators with an average diameter of 320 nm. Then cellulose acetate (CA) resin and nano-hydroxyapatite (HAP) were introduced to fabricate the PAN/CA/HAP composite separators through the constant temperature hot pressing and dip-coating crafts. The composite separator has a good thermal stability, with no significant dimensional change after a constant temperature treatment of 200 °C for 35 min. The electrolyte uptake rate of the PAN/CA/HAP-1.0 composite separator reaches 281%, which exhibits an efficient ionic conductivity. At the same time, it also attains a tensile strength of 11.18 MPa, which meets the requirement for separator use. Button cells assembled from PAN/CA/HAP-1.0 composite separators have an excellent rate of performance (160.42 mAh·g−1 at 0.2 C) and cycle capability (157.6 mAh·g−1 after 50 cycles at 0.5 C). The results support that lithium-ion batteries assembled with PAN/CA/HAP-1.0 composite separators will exhibit higher safety stability and better electrochemical performance than that of polyolefin separators, with a very immense potential for application.

Facile Fabrication of Functionalized Separators for Lithium-Ion Batteries with Ionic Conduction Path Modifications via the γ-Ray Co-irradiation Grafting Process

Separators play a vital role in electronic insulation and ionic conduction in lithium-ion batteries. The common improvement strategy of polyolefin separators is mostly based on modifications with a coating layer, which is simple and effective to some extent. However, the improvement is often accompanied by negative effects such as the increase of the thickness and the blockage of the porous structure, resulting in the decrease of energy density and power density. The porous structure of the separators serves as a conduction path for ions to travel back and forth between the anode and cathode, which has an important impact on the performance of lithium-ion batteries. If the porous structure of the separators can be modified, it will essentially affect the ionic transport behavior through the whole conduction path. Herein, we provide a simple and effective method to functionalize the porous polyolefin separator via the γ-ray co-irradiation grafting process, where high-energy γ-ray is used to generate active sites on the polymer chain to initiate the grafting polymerization of chosen monomers with selected functional groups. In this work, 4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-vinyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolane, a kind of borane molecule with an electron-deficient group, was chosen as the grafting monomer. After the γ-ray co-irradiation grafting process, both the surface and pores of the polyolefin separators were functionalized by electron-deficient groups in the borane molecule and the whole electrolyte conduction path within the separator was activated. Due to the electron-deficient effect of the B atom, the lithium-ion conduction is promoted and the lithium-ion transference number can be increased to 0.5. As a result, the half-cell assembled with the functionalized separator shows better cycle stability and better capacity retention under high current rate.

Functionalized Boron Nitride-Based Modification Layer as Ion Regulator Toward Stable Lithium Anode at High Current Densities

It is difficult to achieve higher energy density with the existing system of lithium (Li)-ion batteries. As a powerful candidate, Li metal batteries are in the renaissance. Unfortunately, the uncontrolled growth process of Li dendrites has limited their actual application. Hence, inhibiting the formation and spread of Li dendrites has become an enormous challenge. Herein, a novel composite separator is developed with functionalized boron nitride nanosheet modification layer as a Li-ion regulator to regulate Li-ion fluxes. The composite separator contains abundant polar groups and nanoscale channels and could achieve uniform electrochemical deposition via the lithiophilic effect and shunting action. Under the synergy influence of the lithiophilic effect and shunting action, Li dendrites are effectively suppressed. As proof, the Li||Li symmetrical cells with composite separators can circulate steadily for a long time under high current densities (10 mA cm^-2, 800 h). Moreover, the LiFePO₄||Li full cells display excellent long cycling performance (82% retention after 800 cycles).

Design of A High Performance Zeolite/Polyimide Composite Separator for Lithium-Ion Batteries

A zeolite/polyimide composite separator with a spongy-like structure was prepared by phase inversion methods based on heat-resistant polyimide (PI) polymer matrix and ZSM-5 zeolite filler, with the aim to improve the thermal stability and electrochemical properties of corresponding batteries. The separator exhibits enhanced thermal stability and no shrinkage up to 180 °C. The introduction of a certain number of ZSM-5 zeolites endows the composite separator with enhanced wettability and electrolyte uptake, better facilitating the free transport of lithium-ion. Furthermore, the composite separator shows a high ionic conductivity of 1.04 mS cm⁻¹ at 25 °C, and a high decomposition potential of 4.7 V. Compared with the PP separator and pristine PI separator, the ZSM-5/PI composite separator based LiFePO₄/Li cells have better rate capability (133 mAh g⁻¹ at 2 C) and cycle performance (145 mAh g^-1 at 0.5 C after 50 cycles). These results demonstrate that the ZSM-5/PI composite separator is promising for high-performance and high-safety lithium-ion batteries.

Building Safe Lithium-Ion Batteries for Electric Vehicles: A Review

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), with relatively high energy density and power density, have been considered as a vital energy source in our daily life, especially in electric vehicles. However, energy density and safety related to thermal runaways are the main concerns for their further applications. In order to deeply understand the development of high energy density and safe LIBs, we comprehensively review the safety features of LIBs and the failure mechanisms of cathodes, anodes, separators and electrolyte. The corresponding solutions for designing safer components are systematically proposed. Additionally, the in situ or operando techniques, such as microscopy and spectrum analysis, the fiber Bragg grating sensor and the gas sensor, are summarized to monitor the internal conditions of LIBs in real time. The main purpose of this review is to provide some general guidelines for the design of safe and high energy density batteries from the views of both material and cell levels.

Graphic Abstract

Safety of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with high energy density becomes more and more important in the future for EVs development. The safety issues of the LIBs are complicated, related to both materials and the cell level. To ensure the safety of LIBs, in-depth understanding of the safety features, precise design of the battery materials and real-time monitoring/detection of the cells should be systematically considered. Here, we specifically summarize the safety features of the LIBs from the aspects of their voltage and temperature tolerance, the failure mechanism of the LIB materials and corresponding improved methods. We further review the in situ or operando techniques to real-time monitor the internal conditions of LIBs.

Electrospun sandwich polysulfonamide/polyacrylonitrile/polysulfonamide composite nanofibrous membranes for lithium-ion batteries

The demands for novel approaches that ensure stability in lithium-ion batteries are increasing and have led to the development of new materials and fabrication strategies. In this study, sandwich structure-like polysulfonamide (PSA)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/polysulfonamide (PSA) composite nanofibrous membranes were prepared via an electrospinning method and used as a separator in lithium-ion batteries. The spinning time of each polymer nanofiber layer of the composite membranes was respectively and precisely controlled to maximize the merits of each component. It was found that the PSA/PAN/PSA composite nanofibrous membranes exhibited superior thermal stability and excellent porosity, liquid electrolyte uptake and ionic conductivity, showing obvious enhancement as compared to those of the commercial microporous polyolefin separator (Celgard 2400), pure PSA and pure PAN membranes. In addition, they were evaluated in the assembled Li/LiFePO₄ cells with an electrolyte solution, and good cycling performance and C-rate capacity were obtained; especially for the case of the PP6P membrane, the first discharge capacity of the battery reached 152 mA h g⁻¹, and the discharge capacity retention ratio was 85.94% from 0.2C to 2C; moreover, the battery displayed highest capacity retention ratio after 70 cycles, which was found to be 96.2% of its initial discharge capacity. Therefore, the PSA/PAN/PSA composite nanofibrous membranes can be regarded as a promising candidate for application in lithium-ion batteries.

The demands for novel approaches that ensure stability in lithium-ion batteries are increasing and have led to the development of new materials and fabrication strategies.

A signal amplification system constructed by bi-enzymes and bi-nanospheres for sensitive detection of norepinephrine and miRNA

Achieving the enhanced sensitivity and stability is always the pursuit for the fabrication of enzymatic biosensors. However, their sensitivity was still restricted by the fluctuant detection target (e.g. concentration), complex detection environment and limited recognition capability of enzymes. Herein, an effective and facile approach was designed to construct a bi-enzymatic and bi-nanospherical signal amplification system for fabrication of biosensors based on the designed polydopamine(PDA)-laccase@Au-glucose dehydrogenase. Therein, laccase-catalytic polymerized PDA nanoparticles (NPs) provided the supporting matrix for immobilization of laccase and AuNPs. The AuNPs with good conductivity and large surface area were used not only as a platform for enhanced loading capacity of glucose dehydrogenase but also as a conducting medium for electron transfer acceleration between enzymes and electrode. Moreover, the coordinated catalysis of bi-enzymes (laccase and glucose dehydrogenase) could avoid the fluctuated concentration of detection target (e.g. norepinephrine), while the application of bi-nanospheres loaded with large amount of enzymes could effectively amplify the signal of biosensors. Taking advantages of these merits, the as-prepared biosensors showed preeminent reproducibility, larger detection range from 0.5 nM to 0.5 μM, and lower detection limit of 0.07 nM (S/N = 3) for the norepinephrine detection. Besides, the constructed PDA-laccase@Au-glucose dehydrogenase was also successfully applied as the sensing probes for the detection of microRNA (miRNA), especially for single-nucleotide mismatched miRNA via specific recognition.

Effective Dual Polysulfide Rejection by a Tannic Acid/FeIII Complex-Coated Separator in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

The solubility behaviour of polysulfides in electrolyte solutions is a major bottleneck prior to the practical application of the lithium-sulfur battery. To address this issue, we fabricate a tannic acid/Fe^III complex-coated polypropylene (PP) separator (TA/Fe^III-PP separator) via a simple, fast, and green method. Benefiting from dual-confinement effects based on Lewis acid-base interactions between Fe^III and polysulfides as well as the dipole-dipole interactions between rich phenol groups and polysulfides, the migration of polysulfides is effectively suppressed. Meanwhile, the porous structure of the PP separator is not destroyed by an additional coating layer. Thus, the TA/Fe^III-PP separator can retain rapid lithium ion transport, eventually leading to a significant improvement in both the discharge capacity and rate performance of the corresponding lithium-sulfur cells. The cell with the TA/Fe^III-PP separator presents a low capacity fade of 0.06% per cycle over 1000 cycles at 2.0 C, along with a high Coulombic efficiency of >97% over 300 cycles at 0.5 C. With respect to the one with the bare PP separator, the cell with the TA/Fe^III-PP separator exhibits a 1.7-fold increase in the discharge capacity at 3.0 C. The proposed simple and economical approach shows great potential in constructing advanced separators to retard the shuttle effect of polysulfides for lithium-sulfur batteries.

Porous membranes in secondary battery technologies

Secondary batteries have received huge attention due to their attractive features in applications of large-scale energy storage and portable electronic devices, as well as electrical vehicles. In a secondary battery, a membrane plays the role of separating the anode and cathode to prevent the occurrence of a short circuit, while allowing the transport of charge carriers to achieve a complete circuit. The properties of a membrane will largely determine the performance of a battery. In this article, we review the research and development progress of porous membranes in secondary battery technologies, such as lithium-based batteries together with flow batteries. The preparation methods as well as the required properties of porous membranes in different secondary battery technologies will be elucidated thoroughly and deeply. Most importantly, this review will mainly focus on the optimization and modification of porous membranes in different secondary battery systems. And various modifications on commercial porous membranes along with novel membrane materials are widely discussed and summarized. This review will help to optimize the membrane material for different secondary batteries, and favor the understanding of the preparation-structure-performance relationship of porous membranes in different secondary batteries. Therefore, this review will provide an extensive, comprehensive and professional reference to design and construct high-performance porous membranes.

Tannic-Acid-Coated Polypropylene Membrane as a Separator for Lithium-Ion Batteries

To solve the wetting capability issue of commercial polypropylene (PP) separators in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), we developed a simple dipping surface-coating process based on tannic acid (TA), a natural plant polyphenol. Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron measurements indicate that the TA is coated successfully on the PP separators. Scanning electron microscopy images show that the TA coating does not destroy the microporous structure of the separators. After being coated with TA, the PP separators become more hydrophilic, which not only enhances the liquid electrolyte retention ability but also increases the ionic conductivity. The battery performance, especially for power capability, is improved after being coated with TA. It indicates that this TA-coating method provides a promising process by which to develop an advanced polymer membrane separator for lithium-ion batteries.

Pure inorganic separator for lithium ion batteries

Battery safety is critical for many applications including portable electronics, hybrid and electric vehicles, and grid storage. For lithium ion batteries, the conventional polymer based separator is unstable at 120 °C and above. In this research, we have developed a pure aluminum oxide nanowire based separator; this separator does not contain any polymer additives or binders; additionally, it is a bendable ceramic. The physical and electrochemical properties of the separator are investigated. The separator has a pore size of about 100 nm, and it shows excellent electrochemical properties under both room and high temperatures. At room temperature, the ceramic separator shows a higher rate capability compared to the conventional Celgard 2500 separator and life cycle performance does not show any degradation. At 120 °C, the cell with the ceramic separator showed a much better cycle performance than the conventional Celgard 2500 separator. Therefore, we believe that this research is really an exciting scientific breakthrough for ceramic separators and lithium ion batteries and could be potentially used in the next generation lithium ion batteries requiring high safety and reliability.

The improved effect of co-doping with nano-SiO2and nano-Al2O3on the performance of poly(methyl methacrylate-acrylonitrile-ethyl acrylate) based gel polymer electrolyte for lithium ion batteries

We report a novel gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) for lithium ion batteries, which is prepared using P(MMA-AN-EA) as a polymer matrix and doping with nano-SiO₂and nano-Al₂O₃simultaneously.

Progress in polymeric separators for lithium ion batteries

This study reviews the recent developments and the characteristics of polymeric separators used for lithium ion batteries.