Technology Overview
Networked Amide Epoxy Polymer Electrolyte (NAEPE) for Solid State Lithium-Ion Batteries.
As energy density and size increases, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have incurred safety concerns due to their volatile and flammable organic liquid electrolytes. Efforts are therefore being made to replace existing electrolytes with solid-state ones to develop safe, high energy density LIBs.
ITRI has developed Networked Amide Epoxy Polymer Electrolyte (NAEPE), a nonflammable and low-cost electrolyte material with high ionic conductivity and voltage stability, which can greatly improve the safety and cycle life of LIBs. NAEPE is created through polymerization of liquid electrolytes with the crosslinking agent and the initiator at ambient temperatures.
NAEPE can also be blended with inorganic ceramic electrolyte materials to form an organic/inorganic composite solid-state electrolyte that can replace not only the liquid electrolyte but also the separator. This novel solution is suitable for the roll-to-roll continuous processing of electrodes for flexible solid-state batteries.
Applications & Benefits
The polymerization of this novel NAEPE material does not require heat or UV light. The solid electrolyte has a high flash point temperature, making it less likely to catch fire and promoting a high-temperature cycle life. This technology enables solid state batteries to overcome the single-structure limitations of LIBs, creating a cell to module opportunity and achieving high voltage (12V).