Ceramic-Coated Separator to Enhance Cycling Performance of Lithium-ion Batteries at High Current Density

Given the global demand for green energy, the battery industry is positioned to be an important future technology. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which are the most widely used battery in the market, are the focus of various research and development efforts, from materials to systems, that seek to improve their performance. The separator is one of the core materials in LIBs and is a significant factor in the lifespan of high-performance batteries. To improve the performance of present LIBs, electrochemical testing and related surface analyses of the separator is essential. In this paper, we prepared a ceramic (Boehmite, γ-AlOOH) coated polypropylene separator and a porous polyimide separator to compare their electrochemical properties with a commercialized polypropylene (PP) separator. The prepared separators were assembled into nickelmanganese-cobalt (NMC) cathode half-cell and full-cell lithium-ion batteries. Their cycling performances were evaluated using differential capacity and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with ethylene carbonate:dimethylcarbonate (EC:DMC) electrolyte. The ceramic coated polypropylene separator exhibited the best cycle performance at a high 5 C rate, with high ionic conductivity and less resistive solid electrolyte interphase. Also, it was confirmed that a separator solid electrolyte interface (SSEI) layer formed on the separator with cycle repetition, and it was also confirmed that this phenomenon determined the cycle life of the battery depending on the electrolyte.

Achieving stable Na metal cycling via polydopamine/multilayer graphene coating of a polypropylene separator

Sodium metal batteries are considered one of the most promising low-cost high-energy-density electrochemical energy storage systems. However, the growth of unfavourable Na metal deposition and the limited cell cycle life hamper the application of this battery system at a large scale. Here, we propose the use of polypropylene separator coated with a composite material comprising polydopamine and multilayer graphene to tackle these issues. The oxygen- and nitrogen- containing moieties as well as the nano- and meso- porous network of the coating allow cycling of Na metal electrodes in symmetric cell configuration for over 2000 h with a stable 4 mV overpotential at 1 mA cm−2. When tested in full Na || Na3V2(PO4)3 coin cell, the coated separator enables the delivery of a stable capacity of about 100 mAh g−1 for 500 cycles (90% capacity retention) at a specific current of 235 mA g−1 and satisfactory rate capability performances (i.e., 75 mAh g−1 at 3.5 A g−1).

Atomic-scale regulation of anionic and cationic migration in alkali metal batteries

The regulation of anions and cations at the atomic scale is of great significance in membrane-based separation technologies. Ionic transport regulation techniques could also play a crucial role in developing high-performance alkali metal batteries such as alkali metal-sulfur and alkali metal-selenium batteries, which suffer from the non-uniform transport of alkali metal ions (e.g., Li+ or Na+) and detrimental shuttling effect of polysulfide/polyselenide anions. These drawbacks could cause unfavourable growth of alkali metal depositions at the metal electrode and irreversible consumption of cathode active materials, leading to capacity decay and short cycling life. Herein, we propose the use of a polypropylene separator coated with negatively charged Ti0.87O2 nanosheets with Ti atomic vacancies to tackle these issues. In particular, we demonstrate that the electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged Ti0.87O2 nanosheets and polysulfide/polyselenide anions reduce the shuttling effect. Moreover, the Ti0.87O2-coated separator regulates the migration of alkali ions ensuring a homogeneous ion flux and the Ti vacancies, acting as sub-nanometric pores, promote fast alkali-ion diffusion.

Analysis of the Polypropylene-Based Aluminium-Air Battery

Global energy demand is rising due to the rapid development and adoption of new technologies in every sector. Hence, there is a need to introduce a clean energy source that does not cause damage to the environment. Aluminium-air battery with its high theoretical specific volumetric capacity is an exciting alternative for post-lithium energy storage and has been at the forefront of energy research for years. However, the conventional aqueous electrolyte-based aluminium-air battery with bulky liquid storage, parasitic corrosion of aluminium in contact with the electrolyte, and formation of a passive oxide or hydroxide layer has precluded its widespread application. In order to achieve successful simplification and cost-effectiveness, a novel idea of a polypropylene-based aluminium-air battery is proposed. In this work, a polypropylene-based aluminium-air battery was constructed using aluminium foil as an anode, carbon fiber cloth as an air-cathode, and Polypropylene and Kimwipes as the separator. The effects of the electrolyte concentration on the aluminium-air battery were investigated and analyzed using various discharge currents. The study showed that the performance of the polypropylene separator is better than that of the Kimwipes separator. The battery capacity is negatively correlated with the concentrations of the electrolyte. At a discharge current of 30 mA, the aluminium-air battery has a specific capacity of 375 mAh g−1 when 1 M of potassium hydroxide was used as electrolyte.