CSIC develops graphene-polymer separator for safer lithium-ion batteries
CSIC researchers developed an 18-micron graphene-polymer composite separator combining polypropylene with 0.5 wt% reduced graphene oxide, achieving 4x greater puncture resistance and a 60% reduction in thermal-runaway initiation temperatures in lithium-ion batteries. The development advances reduced graphene oxide as a functional additive in battery separators, with pilot-scale production underway alongside a Spanish cell manufacturer targeting NCM-based EV applications.
Researchers at Spain's Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) have developed a graphene-polymer composite separator designed to enhance the safety of lithium-ion batteries. This separator, measuring 18 microns in thickness, integrates polypropylene with a 0.5 weight percent of reduced graphene oxide. It provides a fourfold increase in puncture resistance and reduces thermal-runaway initiation temperatures by 60 percent.
The CSIC team, led by Dr. Rosa Menendez at the Instituto de Carbociencia, indicates that this separator could become a standard component in high-energy nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) based electric vehicle batteries, where safety is a critical engineering consideration. Collaboration is underway with a Spanish cell manufacturer to initiate pilot-scale production. Patents for this technology have been filed in Spain and the United States. The research findings were published in ACS Nano.
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