Although separators are considered to be only a passive material which retains the electrolyte and physically separates the electrodes, they play a crucial role in cell safety and performance and make up between 15%-17% of the total costs... more
Although separators are considered to be only a passive material which retains the electrolyte and physically separates the electrodes, they play a crucial role in cell safety and performance and make up between 15%-17% of the total costs of a lithium ion battery. Its integrity is important for lithium-ion battery performance, as pore sizes and mechanical stability can change due to ageing effects setoff by contact to the liquid electrolyte or the electrochemical environment generated by the electrodes. Further, knowing changes which happen during manufacturing, storage and cycling help simulating all effects taking place in lithium-ion batteries. To understand the influence from the electrolyte on the separator and its electrochemical performance, incubation experiments were conducted on the polypropylene (PP) monolayer separator Celgard 2500 and laminated tri-layer (PP-PE (polyethylene)-PP) separator Celgard 2320 using the electrolyte solvents dimethyl carbonate (DMC).
