Volume 20, Issue 43 2403609
Research Article

Uncovering Temperature-Insensitive Feature of Phase Change Thermal Storage Electrolyte for Safe Lithium Battery

Zicheng Luo

Zicheng Luo

School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191 China

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Yulong He

Yulong He

School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191 China

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Jia Hui

Jia Hui

Engineering Technology and Materials Research Center, China Academy of Transportation Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China

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Shubin Yang

Shubin Yang

School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191 China

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Bin Li

Corresponding Author

Bin Li

School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191 China

E-mail: [email protected]

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First published: 25 June 2024

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have emerged as highly promising energy storage devices due to their high energy density and long cycle life. However, their safety concern, particularly under thermal shock, hinders their widespread applications. Herein, a temperature-insensitive electrolyte (TI-electrolyte) with exceptional resistance to thermal stimuli is presented to address the safety issues arising from the lack of thermal abuse tolerance in LIBs. The TI-electrolyte is composed of two phase-change polymers with differentiation melting points (60 and 35°C for polycaprolactone and polyethylene glycol respectively), delivering a wide temperature-resistant range. It is demonstrated that the TI-electrolyte possesses a heat capacity of 27.3 J g−1. The crystalline region in the TI-electrolyte shrinks when confronted with above-ambient temperature, absorbing heat to unlock molecular chains fixed in the crystal lattice, becoming amorphous. Notably, the Li||LFP pouch cell delays 3 valuable minutes to achieve the same temperature as conventional liquid electrolytes (LE) when subjected to thermal shocks, paralleling with the simulation results. Moreover, symmetrical Li||Li cell cycles stably for over 600 h at 0.1 mA cm−2, and Li||LFP full cell demonstrates excellent electrochemical performance, with a capacity of 142.7 mAh g−1 at 0.5 C, thus representing a critical approach to enhancing the safety of LIBs.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.

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