New battery separator reduces risk of thermal runaway

U.S.-based Porous Power Technologies, LLC (PPT) announces the launch of a line of ceramic-filled battery separators designed to significantly improve the thermal stability and safety of the large-format lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, flat-cell consumer electronics, and many high-power applications. 

At high temperatures that can cause other separators to fail, PPT’s ceramic-filled polymer separators fuse together, leaving a thin film of ceramic particles between the electrodes and reducing the likelihood of hard shorts that can lead to thermal runaway and catastrophic cell failure. 

Unlike dense ceramic coatings applied as a separate layer on competing separators, PPT’s products contain ceramic particles that are thoroughly distributed throughout their chemically inert PVDF polymer. The particles reside primarily in the pore walls, leaving a large and uniform open pore structure that enables ions to pass through with less resistance and less heat generation. 

Other benefits of PPT’s ceramic separators include: more power in high-current applications; reduced separator shrinkage; increased thermal stability with less cell degradation; extended cycle life; higher bake-out and operating temperatures; and improved puncture and abuse resistance