Thermoregulating Separators Based on Phase-Change Materials for Safe Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Safety issues in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have aroused great interest owing to their wide applications, from miniaturized devices to large-scale storage plants. Separators are a vital component to ensure the safety of LIBs; they prevent direct electric contact between the cathode and anode while allowing ion transport. In this study, the first design is reported for a thermoregulating separator that responds to heat stimuli. The separator with a phase-change material (PCM) of paraffin wax encapsulated in hollow polyacrylonitrile nanofibers renders a wide range of enthalpy (0-135.3 J g-1 ), capable of alleviating the internal temperature rise of LIBs in a timely manner. Under abuse conditions, the generated heat in batteries stimulates the melting of the encapsulated PCM, which absorbs large amounts of heat without creating a significant rise in temperature. Experimental simulation of the inner short-circuit in prototype pouch cells through nail penetration demonstrates that the PCM-based separator can effectively suppress the temperature rise due to cell failure. Meanwhile, a cell penetrated by a nail promptly cools down to room temperature within 35 s, benefiting from the latent heat-storage of the unique PCM separator. The present design of separators featuring latent heat-storage provides effective strategies for overheat protection and enhanced safety of LIBs.