Researchers from Michigan State University have developed a wood-based material that can reduce the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries, including fires, explosions, and toxic gas releases. The new material also allows batteries to last longer, which could be a game changer for our devices and electric vehicles.
According to MSU Today, the team engineered a natural wood ingredient, lignin, which provides stability and strength, into a thin film separator that can be placed inside lithium-ion batteries to prevent fire-causing short circuits. The technology is patent-pending through the MSU Innovation Center.
"We wanted to build a better battery," Chengcheng Fang, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering, said of the research, published in Advanced Materials. "But we also wanted it to be safe, efficient, and sustainable."
Within the battery, the electricity flows because of positively and negatively charged anode electrodes. To separate these electrodes, researchers use a commercial separator made from polyethylene and polypropylene plastic, which contracts at temperatures near 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit). If the separator isn't used, the anode and cathode sides of the battery may come into contact, causing an accidental short circuit, fire, or explosion.
However, the lignin-based separators did not shrink in the presence of temperatures up to 300 degrees Celsius (572 Fahrenheit). When Fang and the team measured different thicknesses of lignin, they found that films measuring 25 micrometers, or thinner than a quarter of a human hair, were most effective at maintaining the battery's core stability and keeping the cathode and anode apart.
Incorporating the lignin film into the battery offered another advantage: The improved stability within the battery led to a better cycle life — the number of charge and discharge cycles a rechargeable battery can undergo before its capacity degrades to a certain level, usually 80% of its original capacity.
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"We were surprised to see that the lignin film also improved the battery's cycle life," said Fang. "We increased the battery's cycle life by 60%."
Another benefit of the research is that the team was able to manufacture lignin separators using an affordable and eco-friendly dry-processing method. This meant researchers could produce the lignin film in bulk while avoiding the use of hazardous chemicals typically used in traditional separator manufacturing, which can be detrimental to the environment.
In this case, the team was "able to use lignin and other materials that provided a 100% raw material conversion to create a film without creating any waste or pollution."
"Lignin, particularly lignosulfonate, is naturally abundant, and it doesn't need any further treatment to function in batteries," said Fang. "This work demonstrates a new design pathway to improve both the safety and manufacturability of battery materials."
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