Volume 142, Issue 10 e56562
RESEARCH ARTICLE

MOF@ Nanofiber Separators for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Meltem Yanilmaz

Meltem Yanilmaz

Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey

Department of Textile Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey

Contribution: Conceptualization (lead), Data curation (lead), Funding acquisition (lead), Methodology (lead), Supervision (lead), Writing - original draft (lead), Writing - review & editing (lead)

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Aleyna Atik

Aleyna Atik

Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey

Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Data curation (equal), Formal analysis (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Murat Tosun

Corresponding Author

Murat Tosun

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey

Correspondence:

Murat Tosun ([email protected])

Xiangwu Zhang ([email protected])

Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), ​Investigation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Xiangwu Zhang

Corresponding Author

Xiangwu Zhang

Fiber and Polymer Science Program, Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science, Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Correspondence:

Murat Tosun ([email protected])

Xiangwu Zhang ([email protected])

Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Supervision (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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First published: 02 December 2024
Citations: 1

Funding: This research was supported by the European Commission Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under grant agreement ID: 101021759, Scientific Research Projects Department of Istanbul Technical University ITU BAP MGA-2023-43897.

ABSTRACT

The separator plays a crucial role in determining the safety and performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by acting as a mediator between the cathode and anode, preventing electrical contact, and providing channels for ionic transport. Most commercially available LIB separators are polyolefin microporous separators. However, the low melting points of polyolefin separators limit their thermal stability, leading to potential safety issues. Therefore, new alternatives are essential for developing high-performance batteries. Nylon 6,6 is a promising candidate due to its high thermal stability, low cost, good mechanical strength, and high chemical stability. One effective method to further improve the performance of nylon 6,6 separators is to combine them with Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs), which offer a high surface area and tunable morphology. The high surface area and porous structure provided by MOFs can increase ion permeability and allow the electrolyte to move more efficiently, thus improving the battery's charge/discharge rates and enhancing its specific capacity. In this study, ZIF-8, a small-pore MOF composed of zinc ions coordinated with 2-methyl imidazolate ligands, was coated onto nylon 6,6 nanofibers and used as a separator in lithium-ion batteries. ZIF-8@nylon 6,6 separators exhibited superior electrochemical properties, with a highly porous structure (76% porosity), high electrolyte uptake (340%), and high ionic conductivity (3.6 mS cm−1). Additionally, these separators showed stable cycling performance over 200 cycles and maintained a high specific capacity even at high C-rates. The results demonstrate that MOF coating on nylon 6,6 separators is a promising approach for designing high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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