Premium
Design Principles of Functional Polymer Separators for High‐Energy, Metal‐Based Batteries
Author(s) -
Zhang Weidong,
Tu Zhengyuan,
Qian Jiawei,
Choudhury Snehashis,
Archer Lynden A.,
Lu Yingying
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201703001
Subject(s) - separator (oil production) , materials science , anode , nanotechnology , energy storage , polymer , cathode , battery (electricity) , electrolyte , computer science , electrode , electrical engineering , engineering , composite material , chemistry , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Abstract Next‐generation rechargeable batteries that offer high energy density, efficiency, and reversibility rely on cell configurations that enable synergistic operations of individual components. They must also address multiple emerging challenges,which include electrochemical stability, transport efficiency, safety, and active material loss. The perspective of this Review is that rational design of the polymeric separator, which is used widely in rechargeable batteries, provides a rich set of opportunities for new innovations that should enable batteries to meet many of these needs. This perspective is different from the conventional view of the polymer separator as an inert/passive unit in a battery, which has the sole function to prevent direct contact between electrically conductivecomponents that form the battery anode and cathode. Polymer separators, which serve as the core component in a battery, bridge the electrodes and the electrolyte with a large surface contact that can be utilized to apply desirable functions. This Review focuses specifically on recent advances in polymer separator systems, with a detailed analysis of several embedded functional agents that are incorporated to improve mechanical robustness, regulate ion and mass transport, and retard flammability. The discussion is also extended to new composite separator concepts that are designated traditionally as polymer/gel electrolytes.