STTR Phase I: Nanofiber Based Lithium Ion Battery Separator with Reversible Thermal Shutdown Capability

这个小型企业技术转让(STTR)第一阶段项目旨在确定一种全新的锂离子电池液体电解液分离器的可行性，该分离器具有内置的可逆热关闭机制。随着锂离子电池的使用越来越多，安全问题尤其值得关注，因为新闻中会出现因短路、电池过充或其他与过热相关的灾难性事件而偶尔造成伤害的报道。具有可逆热关闭机制的分离介质意味着锂离子电池可以在热失控事件发生之前自动关闭，并且一旦恢复安全的热环境就可以自动重启。具有针对性的内置可逆热关闭功能的锂离子电池隔膜不仅解决了安全性问题，还有望延长电池的有效寿命。该项目的技术目标是确定合适的聚合物材料，优化其材料特性，并研究与可逆热关闭、机械稳定性和耐久性相关的因素。聚合物纳米纤维网将经历热循环，并将使用阻抗测量来评估可逆热关闭特性。在这个项目中，将确定一种具有可逆热关闭特性的耐用电纺聚合物纳米纤维网的组成和结构。如果该项目成功，将对锂离子电池的安全性产生更广泛的/商业影响。这一创新直接影响到用户的安全。此外，过热的趋势也会影响锂离子电池的运行。解决这两个问题的相关成本仍然是更广泛采用锂离子电池的障碍，因此，该项目的成功结果也有可能降低电池技术的成本。具有可逆热关闭能力的分离器的开发将有助于减少阻碍锂离子电池技术在预计70亿美元的最终用户市场发挥其潜力的障碍。小企业和学术合作伙伴之间的合作涉及学术机构的一名博士后科学家，他将获得与商业相关的研究经验。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project seeks to establish the feasibility of an entirely new class of liquid electrolyte separator for Li ion batteries that has a built-in reversible thermal shutdown mechanism. With increasing use of Li ion batteries, safety is of particular concern as reports of occasional injuries appear in the news due to a short circuit, cell overcharge, or other overheating related catastrophic events. A separator medium having a reversible thermal shutdown mechanism means that Li ion batteries can automatically be shutdown before a thermal runaway incident occurs and can automatically be restarted once a safe thermal environment is restored. A Li ion battery separator with the targeted built-in reversible thermal shutdown capability not only addresses safety, but is also expected to extend the active life of a battery. The technical objectives of this project are to identify a suitable polymer material, optimize its material characteristics, and investigate the factors related to the reversible thermal shutdown, mechanical stability and durability. The polymer nanofiber web will be subjected to thermal cycling and the reversible thermal shutdown characteristics will be evaluated using impedance measurements. In this project, the composition and structure of a durable electrospun polymer nanofiber web with a reversible thermal shutdown characteristic will be identified.The broader/commercial impact of this project, if successful, will be an improvement in safety for Li ion batteries. This innovation has a direct impact on the safety of users. Moreover, the tendency to overheat also impacts Li Ion battery operations. The associated costs to address both issues have continued to be a barrier for wider adoption of Li Ion batteries, and thus, the successful outcome of this project also has the potential of lowering the cost of the battery technology. Development of a separator with reversible thermal shutdown capability will help lessen the hurdles that are deterring the Li Ion battery technology from achieving its potential in a forecasted $7 billion end user market. This collaboration between the small business and an academic partner involves a post-doctoral scientist at the academic institution, who will gain commercially relevant research experience.