Aging Behavior of Polyethylene and Ceramics-Coated Separators under the Simulated Lithium-Ion Battery Service Compression and Temperature Field

Abstract

In this paper, a device was set up, which could simulate the separator environment in the battery to track the influence of compression, temperature, and the electrolyte on the structure and electrochemical performance of separators. A commercial polyethylene separator and alumina- or boehmite-coated separators were selected, and the high-temperature cyclic compression was carried out in a mixed solvent environment with a ratio of vinyl carbonate and diethyl carbonate of 1:1. Compared with that compressed for 50 cycles under room temperature, the compression at 60 °C resulted in pore structure deterioration in the polyethylene separator. The oxidative voltage limit was reduced to 3.6 V, and after 200 charge and discharge cycles, the capacity was reduced by more than 50%. For the coated separator, the presence of a coating layer exhibited some protective effects, and the microporous structure in the base membrane was preserved. The oxidative voltage limit was above 4.2 V. However, as a result of the compression, the coating particles were still inserted into the pore structure, leading to a decrease in porosity and a decrease in discharge capacity, especially at a rate of 4 C. Compared with that coated with alumina particles, the interface resistance for the separator coated with boehmite particles was minimally affected, and the electrochemical performance after cyclic compression under 60 °C was better, exhibiting higher application ability.