| Project Detail |
Tackling the temperature of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries
Despite the many positive developments of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), heat accumulation remains a safety concern. Preventing their overheating is difficult because of the existing technologies’ poor thermal management. This involves minimising the significant heat generated during battery charge and discharge. To address this issue, the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions SMARTBATT project aims to develop a thermoreversible liquid-solid transition electrolyte combined with inherent flame retardancy for LIBs. The design and synthesis will involve incorporating flame retardant into the electrolytes and producing a liquid-solid transition in them.
Despite significant advancement in other characteristic requirements of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), safety threats to the rechargeable LIBs still persist. Main challenge of the safety concerns related to LIBs is heat accumulation during thermal runaway inside the cells, which is difficult to be eliminated due to poor thermal management associated with current technologies. In this context, the overarching aim of this ambitious yet achievable project (SMARTBATT) is to develop a thermoreversible liquid-solid transition (TLST) electrolyte integrated with inherent flame-retardancy for LIBs. The new idea of SMARTBATT is to design and synthesis flame-retardant thermoreversible liquid-solid transition electrolytes via the principals of the chemical Michael addition reaction (to incorporate flame retardant into electrolytes) and chemical Diels-Alder addition reaction (to produce liquid-solid transition in the electrolytes). In details, TLST will be comprised of Li-salt dissolved in a mixture of two organic solvents-vinylene carbonate and 2,5-dimethylfuran; as internal temperature of LIBs increases, both organic solvents will undergo a Diels-Alder addition reaction to form a supramolecular crosslinked network, as a result there will be a significant diminution in Li+ ion conductivity, led LIBs to non-operational mode. Moreover, TLST functionalized with 9,10-Dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) will offer excellent flame-retardancy to the electrolytes as fire hazard of LIBs appears. SMARTBATT is multidisciplinary and requires complementary expertise from the host (Polymer Chemistry and Physics, Fire Retardant Materials) and the researcher (Electrochemistry, Battery), is contributing to the new generation of LIBs, following the priorities of the Europe 2020 Strategy regarding reaching a Smart, Sustainable and inclusive growth and European BATTERY 2030+, and aligned with some specific priorities of Cluster 5 Framework Programme Horizon Europe. |
