Efficient mitigation of lithium dendrite by two-dimensional A-type molecular sieve membrane for lithium metal battery

Uneven lithium deposition poses a primary challenge for lithium-ion batteries, as it often triggers the growth of lithium dendrites, thereby significantly compromising battery performance and potentially giving rise to safety concerns. Therefore, the high level of safety must be guaranteed to achieve the large-scale application of battery energy storage systems. Here, we present a novel separator design achieved by incorporating a two-dimensional A-type molecular sieve coating onto the polypropylene separator surface, which functions as an effective lithium ion redistribution layer. The results demonstrated that even after undergoing 1000 cycles, the cell equipped with a two-dimensional A-type molecular sieve-Polypropylene (2D-A-PP) separator still maintains an impressive capacity retention rate of 70 %. In contrast, cells equipped with Polypropylene (PP) separators exhibit capacity retention rates below 50 % after only 500 cycles. Additionally, the incorporation of a two-dimensional molecular sieve enhances the mechanical properties of the PP separator, thereby bolstering battery safety. This study proposes a novel concept for the design of lithium-ion battery separator materials, offering a fresh perspective on the development of separators with exceptional thermal stability, enhanced porosity, superior electrolyte affinity, and effective inhibition of lithium dendrite formation.

Unveiling high-power and high-safety lithium-ion battery separator based on interlayer of ZIF-67/cellulose nanofiber with electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/melamine nonwoven membranes

Due to the poor thermal stability of conventional separators, lithium-ion batteries require a suitable separator to maintain system safety for long-term cycling performance. It must have high porosity, superior electrolyte uptake ability, and good ion-conducting properties even at high temperatures. In this work, we demonstrate a novel composite membrane based on sandwiching of zeolitic imidazole frameworks-67 decorated cellulose acetate nanofibers (ZIF-67@CA) with electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/melamine (denoted as PVAM) nonwoven membranes. The as-prepared sandwich-type membranes are called PVAM/x%ZIF-67@CA/PVAM. The middle layer of composite membranes is primarily filled with different weight percentages of ZIF-67 nanoparticles (x = 5, 15, and 25 wt%), which both reduces the non-uniform porous structure of CA and increases its thermal stability. Therefore, our sandwich-type PVAM/x%ZIF-67@CA/PVAM membrane exhibits a higher thermal shrinkage effect at 200 °C than the commercial polyethylene (PE) separator. Due to its high electrolyte uptake (646.8%) and porosity (85.2%), PVAM/15%ZIF-67@CA/PVAM membrane achieved high ionic conductivity of 1.46 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 70 °C, as compared to the commercial PE separator (ca. 6.01 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 70 °C). Besides, the cell with PVAM/15%ZIF-67@CA/PVAM membrane shows an excellent discharge capacity of about 167.5 mAh g-1after 100 cycles at a 1C rate with a capacity retention of 90.3%. The ZIF-67 fillers in our sandwich-type composite membrane strongly attract anions (PF6-) through Lewis' acid-base interaction, allowing uniform Li+ ion transport and suppressing Li dendrites. As a result, we found that the PVAM/15%ZIF-67@CA/PVAM composite nonwoven membrane is applicable to high-power, high-safety lithium-ion battery systems that can be used in electric vehicles (EVs).

An electrospun three-layer nanofibrous membrane-based in situ gel separator for efficient lithium-organic batteries

An in situ gel separator based on an electrospun three-layer nanofibrous membrane (PSE11-Gel) is developed for high-performance lithium-organic batteries (LOBs). The highly efficient shuttle effect inhibition of organic cathode molecules or lithiated intermediates has been demonstrated for PSE11-Gel to realize high-capacity stable LOBs.

Challenges and Advances in Rechargeable Batteries for Extreme-Condition Applications

Rechargeable batteries are widely used as power sources for portable electronics, electric vehicles and smart grids. Their practical performances are, however, largely undermined under extreme conditions, such as in high-altitude drones, ocean exploration and polar expedition. These extreme environmental conditions not only bring new challenges for batteries but also incur unique battery failure mechanisms. To fill in the gap, it is of great importance to understand the battery failure mechanisms under different extreme conditions and figure out the key parameters that limit battery performances. In this review, the authors start by investigating the key challenges from the viewpoints of ionic/charge transfer, material/interface evolution and electrolyte degradation under different extreme conditions. This is followed by different engineering approaches through electrode materials design, electrolyte modification and battery component optimization to enhance practical battery performances. Finally, a short perspective is provided about the future development of rechargeable batteries under extreme conditions.

Versatile Protein and Its Subunit Biomolecules for Advanced Rechargeable Batteries

Rechargeable batteries are of great significance for alleviating the growing energy crisis by providing efficient and sustainable energy storage solutions. However, the multiple issues associated with the diverse components in a battery system as well as the interphase problems greatly hinder their applications. Proteins and their subunits, peptides, and amino acids, are versatile biomolecules. Functional groups in different amino acids endow these biomolecules with unique properties including self-assembly, ion-conducting, antioxidation, great affinity to exterior species, etc. Besides, protein and its subunit materials can not only work in solid forms but also in liquid forms when dissolved in solutions, making them more versatile to realize materials engineering via diverse approaches. In this review, it is aimed to offer a comprehensive understanding of the properties of proteins and their subunits, and research progress of using these versatile biomolecules to address the engineering issues of various rechargeable batteries, including alkali-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, metal-air batteries, and flow batteries. The state-of-the-art advances in electrode, electrolyte, separator, binder, catalyst, interphase modification, as well as recycling of rechargeable batteries are involved, and the impacts of biomolecules on electrochemical properties are particularly emphasized. Finally, perspectives on this interesting field are also provided.

Two-dimensional materials for high density, safe and robust metal anodes batteries

With a high specific capacity and low electrochemical potentials, metal anode batteries that use lithium, sodium and zinc metal anodes, have gained great research interest in recent years, as a potential candidate for high-energy-density storage systems. However, the uncontainable dendrite growth during the repeated charging process, deteriorates the battery performance, reduces the battery life and more importantly, raises safety concerns. With their unique properties, two-dimensional (2D) materials, can be used to modify various components in metal batteries, eventually mitigating the dendrite growth, enhancing the cycling stability and rate capability, thus leading to safe and robust metal anodes. In this paper, we review the recent advances of 2D materials and summarize current research progress of using 2D materials in the applications of (i) anode design, (ii) separator engineering, and (iii) electrolyte modifications by guiding metal ion nucleation, increasing ion conductivity, homogenizing the electric field and ion flux, and enhancing the mechanical strength for safe metal anodes. The 2D material modifications provide the ultimate solution for obtaining dendrite-free metal anodes, realizes the high energy storage application, and indicates the importance of 2D materials development. Finally, in-depth understandings of subsequent metal growth are lacking due to research limitations, while more advanced characterizations are welcome for investigating the metal deposition mechanism. The more facile and simplified preparation of 2D materials possess great prospects in high energy density metal anode batteries, and thus fulfils the development of EVs.

Bivalent Cobalt as Efficient Catalyst Intercalation Layer Improves Polysulfide Conversion in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Herein, we investigated in detail the effect of metal valences in different cobalt-based organic framework compounds on the kinetics of sulfur reaction in lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). On this basis, two organic framework compounds of zeolite-imidazole-based cobalt organic framework compound (Co-ZIF) and tetrakis(4-benzoic acid) porphyrinato-Co^III chloride [Co-TBP(III)] with different valences were constructed as the functional intercalation separators of LSBs, and explored the effects of different valences on improving the reaction kinetics of polysulfides and inhibiting the shuttle effect. Experiments and theoretical calculations prove that Co^II exhibits the best catalytic activity. This is mainly due to the fact that +2 valence shows a strong adsorption energy for polysulfides and a higher Fermi level compared with +3 valence, thus improving the efficiency of the rapid catalytic conversion of sulfur species. As expected, the discharge specific capacity of Co-ZIF as the catalytic layer of the LSBs reached 772.7 mAh g^-1 at a high current density of 5 C. More importantly, the initial specific capacity is 839.6 mAh g^-1 at high current 3 C, and after 720 cycles, the attenuation rate of per cycle is only 0.092 %, and the coulombic efficiency remains above 92 %.

Studies on the Application of Polyimidobenzimidazole Based Nanofiber Material as the Separation Membrane of Lithium-Ion Battery

Aromatic polyimide has good mechanical properties and high-temperature resistance. Based on this, benzimidazole is introduced into the main chain, and its intermolecular (internal) hydrogen bond can increase mechanical and thermal properties and electrolyte wettability. Aromatic dianhydride 4,4'-oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA) and benzimidazole-containing diamine 6,6'-bis [2-(4-aminophenyl)benzimidazole] (BAPBI) were synthesized by means of a two-step method. Imidazole polyimide (BI-PI) was used to make a nanofiber membrane separator (NFMS) by electrospinning process, using its high porosity and continuous pore characteristics to reduce the ion diffusion resistance of the NFMS, enhancing the rapid charge and discharge performance. BI-PI has good thermal properties, with a Td5% of 527 °C and a dynamic mechanical analysis Tg of 395 °C. The tensile strength of the NFMS increased from 10.92MPa to 51.15MPa after being hot-pressed. BI-PI has good miscibility with LIB electrolyte, the porosity of the film is 73%, and the electrolyte absorption rate reaches 1454%. That explains the higher ion conductivity (2.02 mS cm^-1) of NFMS than commercial one (0.105 mS cm^-1). When applied to LIB, it is found that it has high cyclic stability and excellent rate performance at high current density (2 C). BI-PI (120 Ω) has a lower charge transfer resistance than the commercial separator Celgard H1612 (143 Ω).

Engineering Polymeric Nanofluidic Membranes for Efficient Ionic Transport: Biomimetic Design, Material Construction, and Advanced Functionalities

Design elements extracted from biological ion channels guide the engineering of artificial nanofluidic membranes for efficient ionic transport and spawn biomimetic devices with great potential in many cutting-edge areas. In this context, polymeric nanofluidic membranes can be especially attractive because of their inherent flexibility and benign processability, which facilitate massive fabrication and facile device integration for large-scale applications. Herein, the state-of-the-art achievements of polymeric nanofluidic membranes are systematically summarized. Theoretical fundamentals underlying both biological and synthetic ion channels are introduced. The advances of engineering polymeric nanofluidic membranes are then detailed from aspects of structural design, material construction, and chemical functionalization, emphasizing their broad chemical and reticular/topological variety as well as considerable property tunability. After that, this Review expands on examples of evolving these polymeric membranes into macroscopic devices and their potentials in addressing compelling issues in energy conversion and storage systems where efficient ion transport is highly desirable. Finally, a brief outlook on possible future developments in this field is provided.

Intelligent Model for Power Cells State of Charge Forecasting in EV

In electric vehicles and mobile electronic devices, batteries are one of the most critical components. They work by using electrochemical reactions that have been thoroughly investigated to identify their behavior and characteristics at each operating point. One of the fascinating aspects of batteries is their complicated behavior. The type of power cell reviewed in this study is a Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4 (LFP). The goal of this study is to develop an intelligent model that can forecast the power cell State of Charge (SOC). The dataset used to create the model comprises all the operating points measured from an actual system during a capacity confirmation test. Regression approaches based on Deep Learning (DL), such as Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTM), were evaluated under different model configurations and forecasting horizons.

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.

CoS2@montmorillonite as an efficient separator coating for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries

The shuttle effect and sluggish redox kinetic of polysulfides still hinder the large-scale application of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, we adopt a CoS2-intercalated/coated-montmorillonite (CoS2@montmorillonite) composite to work as an efficient...

Future Material Developments for Electric Vehicle Battery Cells Answering Growing Demands from an End-User Perspective

Nowadays, batteries for electric vehicles are expected to have a high energy density, allow fast charging and maintain long cycle life, while providing affordable traction, and complying with stringent safety and environmental standards. Extensive research on novel materials at cell level is hence needed for the continuous improvement of the batteries coupled towards achieving these requirements. This article firstly delves into future developments in electric vehicles from a technology perspective, and the perspective of changing end-user demands. After these end-user needs are defined, their translation into future battery requirements is described. A detailed review of expected material developments follows, to address these dynamic and changing needs. Developments on anodes, cathodes, electrolyte and cell level will be discussed. Finally, a special section will discuss the safety aspects with these increasing end-user demands and how to overcome these issues.

Design of Robust, Lithiophilic, and Flexible Inorganic-Polymer Protective Layer by Separator Engineering Enables Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Batteries with LiNi0.8 Mn0.1 Co0.1 O2 Cathode

As a promising candidate for the high energy density cells, the practical application of lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) is still extremely hindered by the uncontrolled growth of lithium (Li) dendrites. Herein, a facile strategy is developed that enables dendrite-free Li deposition by coating highly-lithiophilic amorphous SiO microparticles combined with high-binding polyacrylate acid (SiO@PAA) on polyethylene separators. A lithiated SiO and PAA (lithiated-SiO/PAA) protective layer with synergistic flexible and robust features is formed on the Li metal anode via the in situ reaction to offer outstanding interfacial stability during long-term cycles. By suppressing the formation of dead Li and random Li deposition, reducing the side reaction, and buffering the volume changes during the lithium deposition and dissolution, such a protective layer realizes a dendrite-free morphology of Li metal anode. Furthermore, sufficient ionic conductivity, uniform lithium-ion flux, and interface adaptability is guaranteed by the lithiated-SiO and Li polyacrylate acid. As a result, Li metal anodes display significantly enhanced cycling stability and coulombic efficiency in Li||Li and Cu||Li cells. When the composite separator is applied in a full cell with a carbonate-based electrolyte and LiNi_0.8 Mn_0.1 Co_0.1 O₂ cathode, it exhibits three times longer lifespan than control cell at current density of 5 C.

Cation-Selective Separators for Addressing the Lithium-Sulfur Battery Challenges

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) have become one of the most promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems owing to their high theoretical energy density, environmental friendliness, and cost effectiveness. However, real-word applications are seriously restricted by an undesirable shuttle effect and Li dendrite formation. In essence, uncontrollable anion transport is a key factor that causes both polysulfide shuttling and dendrite formation, which creates the possibility of simultaneously addressing the two critical issues in LSBs. An effective strategy to control anion transport is the construction of cation-selective separators. Significant progress has been achieved in the inhibition of the shuttle effect, whereas addressing the problem of Li dendrite formation by utilizing a cation-selective separator is still under way. From this viewpoint, this Review analyzes critical issues with regard to the shuttle effect and Li dendrite formation caused by uncontrollable anion transport, based on which roles and advantages of cation-selective separators toward high-performance LSBs are presented. According to the separator-construction principle, the latest advances and progress in cation-selective separators in inhibiting the shuttle effect and Li dendrite formation are reviewed in detail. Finally, some challenges and prospects are proposed for the future development of cation-selective separators. This Review is anticipated to provide a new perspective for simultaneously addressing the two critical issues in LSBs.

A Review of Functional Separators for Lithium Metal Battery Applications

Lithium metal batteries are considered “rough diamonds” in electrochemical energy storage systems. Li-metal anodes have the versatile advantages of high theoretical capacity, low density, and low reaction potential, making them feasible candidates for next-generation battery applications. However, unsolved problems, such as dendritic growths, high reactivity of Li-metal, low Coulombic efficiency, and safety hazards, still exist and hamper the improvement of cell performance and reliability. The use of functional separators is one of the technologies that can contribute to solving these problems. Recently, functional separators have been actively studied and developed. In this paper, we summarize trends in the research on separators and predict future prospects.

Electrochemically mediated gating membrane with dynamically controllable gas transport

The regulation of mass transfer across membranes is central to a wide spectrum of applications. Despite numerous examples of stimuli-responsive membranes for liquid-phase species, this goal remains elusive for gaseous molecules. We describe a previously unexplored gas gating mechanism driven by reversible electrochemical metal deposition/dissolution on a conductive membrane, which can continuously modulate the interfacial gas permeability over two orders of magnitude with high efficiency and short response time. The gating mechanism involves neither moving parts nor dead volume and can therefore enable various engineering processes. An electrochemically mediated carbon dioxide concentrator demonstrates proof of concept by integrating the gating membranes with redox-active sorbents, where gating effectively prevented the cross-talk between feed and product gas streams for high-efficiency, directional carbon dioxide pumping. We anticipate our concept of dynamically regulating transport at gas-liquid interfaces to broadly inspire systems in fields of gas separation, miniaturized devices, multiphase reactors, and beyond.

Nanopile Interlocking Separator Coating toward Uniform Li Deposition of the Li Metal Anodes

Uncontrollable growth of lithium (Li) dendrite has severely hindered the development of Li metal anodes, while separator modification is regarded as a simple and effective way to mitigate the growth of Li dendrite. However, the "drop-dregs" phenomenon of coating layer desquamated from polyolefin separator due to their different Young's modulus would induce a nonuniform Li ionic flux, finally resulting in deteriorative electrochemical performance and even thermal runaway of the battery. Herein, we introduce a novel nanopile mechanical interlocking strategy to create delamination-free separator modification, which could stably generate a homogeneous Li ionic flux to guide long-term uniform Li deposition. Both experimental and simulation results demonstrate a strong bonding strength between the coating layer and membrane matrix based on this physical interlocking mechanism. Consequently, with a nearly dendrite-free Li deposition and a largely reduced interface impedance, 1000 h stable cycling of Li/Li half cells enrolled this modified separator is successfully achieved. Also, a significant improvement in Li/LiFePO₄ full cells in long-term cycling stability to 500 cycles further indicates its promising practical potential. Moreover, this presented approach without any binding agents or surface activation procedures could be facilely scaled up, providing an applicable and durable separator modification solution toward stable Li metal anodes.

Suppressing the Shuttle Effect and Dendrite Growth in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Practical applications of lithium-sulfur batteries are simultaneously hindered by two serious problems occurring separately in both electrodes, namely, the shuttle effects of lithium polysulfides and the uncontrollable growth of lithium dendrites. Herein, to explore a facile integrated approach to tackle both problems as well as guarantee the efficient charge transfer, we used two-dimension hexagonal VS₂ flakes as the building blocks to assemble nanotowers on the separators, forming a symmetrical double-side-modified polypropylene separator without blocking the membrane pores. Benefiting from the "sulfiphilic" and "lithiophilic" properties, high interfacial electronic conductivity, and the unique hexagonal tower-form nanostructure, the D-HVS@PP separator not only guarantees the effective suppression of the lithium polysulfide shuttle and the rapid ion/electron transfer but also realizes uniform and stable lithium nucleation and growth during cycling. Hence, just at the expense of an 11% increase in the separator weight (0.14 mg cm^-2), the D-HVS@PP separator delivers an over 16 times higher initial areal capacity (8.3 mAh cm^-2) than a conventional PP separator (0.5 mAh cm^-2) under high sulfur-loading conditions (9.24 mg cm^-2). Even when used under a low electrolyte/sulfur ratio of 4 mL g^-1 and a practically relevant N/P ratio of 1.7, the D-HVS@PP separator still enabled stable cycling with a high cell-level gravimetric energy density. The potentials in broader applications (Li-S pouch battery and Li-LiFePO₄ battery) and the promising commercial prospect (large-scale production and recyclability) of the developed separator are also demonstrated.

Improved Adhesion of Nafion™-Coated Separator to Water-Processable LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 Electrodes

The adhesion between electrode and separator is a key feature in cell assembly. Nafion™-coated separators for water-processed LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) electrodes are here proposed as an alternative to the polyolefin separators. Specifically, polyolefin separators are modified with Nafion™ solutions and their adhesion to high-potential LNMO electrodes is investigated. The physicochemical properties of the Nafion™-coated separator and its electrochemical performance in Li/LNMO cells are discussed and compared to those obtained with polyolefin Celgard® (Charlotte, NC, USA) PP2075 separator. Improved adhesion and cycling stability, which could be further enhanced by a mild lamination process, were demonstrated with a thin layer of Nafion™ (0.1 mg cm−2).

Anisotropic alignments of hierarchical Li2SiO3/TiO2 @nano-C anode//LiMnPO4@nano-C cathode architectures for full-cell lithium-ion battery

We report on low-cost fabrication and high-energy density of full-cell lithium-ion battery (LIB) models. Super-hierarchical electrode architectures of Li2SiO3/TiO2@nano-carbon anode (LSO.TO@nano-C) and high-voltage olivine LiMnPO4@nano-carbon cathode (LMPO@nano-C) are designed for half- and full-system LIB-CR2032 coin cell models. On the basis of primary architecture-power-driven LIB geometrics, the structure keys including three-dimensional (3D) modeling superhierarchy, multiscale micro/nano architectures and anisotropic surface heterogeneity affect the buildup design of anode/cathode LIB electrodes. Such hierarchical electrode surface topologies enable continuous in-/out-flow rates and fast transport pathways of Li+-ions during charge/discharge cycles. The stacked layer configurations of pouch LIB-types lead to excellent charge/discharge rate, and energy density of 237.6 Wh kg-1. As the most promising LIB-configurations, the high specific energy density of hierarchical pouch battery systems may improve energy storage for long-driving range of electric vehicles. Indeed, the anisotropic alignments of hierarchical electrode architectures in the large-scale LIBs provide proof of excellent capacity storage and outstanding durability and cyclability. The full-system LIB-CR2032 coin cell models maintain high specific capacity of ∼89.8% within a long-term life period of 2000 cycles, and average Coulombic efficiency of 99.8% at 1C rate for future configuration of LIB manufacturing and commercialization challenges.

Polymer Template Synthesis of Soft, Light, and Robust Oxide Ceramic Films

Oxide ceramic materials underpin a wide variety of technologies. However, the inherent fragility of these materials limits their use in emerging fields like wearable electronics and soft energy storage devices. Here, we develop a sol-gel electrospinning technique followed by calcination to create a range of oxide ceramic nanofiber films that exhibit significant softness without fragility after various deformations. This approach causes the ceramic crystals to fuse together at a low temperature during their growth within the polymer nanofiber templates. All the synthesized ceramic films, from SiO₂ to BaTiO₃, Li_0.33La_0.56TiO₃, and Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂, have silk-like softness of <31 mN, low density of <0.36 g/cm³ and robust fire resistance to 1,000°C. Fabricated separators based on these films display large electrolyte uptakes of >900% and high thermal insulation performance, enhancing the rate capability and safety of lithium batteries. The reported method allows scalable synthesis of soft oxide ceramic films with properties appealing for applications.

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A scalable method is developed for the fabrication of soft oxide ceramic films

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A wide variety of soft, light, and robust oxide ceramic films are fabricated

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A detailed soft deformation mechanism of the ceramic films is illustrated

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The soft ceramic films exhibit appealing properties for applications

Cellulosic materials-enhanced sandwich structure-like separator via electrospinning towards safer lithium-ion battery

The latent security issue has become the foremost anxiety for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) wide-ranging of commercialized applications. Hence, the performance of a separator such as chemical durability, electrical insulator, and thermal stability must be superior. Herein, we exhibit a sandwich-structured composite membrane with enhanced thermal resistance and electrolyte affinity, which was prepared by layer-by-layer electrospinning deposition. After 50 cycles, the battery with a 3 wt.% halloysite nanotube electrospinning separator retained 91.80% of its initial discharge capacity, that was a drastic improvement over the commercial polypropylene separator with the numeric of 79.98%. This predominant composite membrane was prepared via an eco-friendly technics and can be thought of an assuring, expectant separator towards high performance lithium-ion batteries.

Ion selective separators based on graphene oxide for stabilizing lithium organic batteries

A thin bicomponent layer with GO and Super P enhances electroactive cathode material utilization for stable lithium organic batteries.

Cellulosic Biomass-Reinforced Polyvinylidene Fluoride Separators with Enhanced Dielectric Properties and Thermal Tolerance

Safety issues are critical barriers to large-scale energy storage applications of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Using an ameliorated, thermally stable, shutdown separator is an effective method to overcome the safety issues. Herein, we demonstrate a novel, cellulosic biomass-material-blended polyvinylidene fluoride separator that was prepared using a simple nonsolvent-induced phase separation technique. This process formed a microporous composite separator with reduced crystallinity, uniform pore size distribution, superior thermal tolerance, and enhanced electrolyte wettability and dielectric and mechanical properties. In addition, the separator has a superior capacity retention and a better rate capability compared to the commercialized microporous polypropylene membrane. This fascinating membrane was fabricated via a relatively eco-friendly and cost-effective method and is an alternative, promising separator for high-power LIBs.