(644a) Polymeric Materials Enabling Energy Storage Systems

Lithium-ion battery (LiB) is one of the most important energy storage systems driving the current electric vehicle (EV) technology and other electrification applications (e.g., stationary energy storage system, off-road vehicles). Many polymeric materials are required to enable the state-of-the-art LiB, and improve performance and safety, such as binders, active materials, electrolyte, separators, current collectors. Even the next-generation battery cell requires these enabling materials. Other than the polymeric material inside the LiB, the battery pack assembly material outside the battery cell is critical to ensure the long durability (long cycle life) and good safety of the energy storage system, especially silicone-based materials. Thermal management materials containing high amount of thermal conductive fillers efficiently dissipate the rejected heat from cells to the cooling system, keeping cell temperature in an optimal operationtemperature range. Additionally, the LiB thermal event triggered by different abuse conditions has become a safety major concern with the increasingly large amount of energy stored in a battery pack for a marketable range per charge. Silicone-based battery fire protection materials provide a unique combination of properties including ceramifiability, compressibility, and thermal insulation performance in EV battery packs to prevent the thermal event, ensuring the safety of EV occupants. This talk will overview the polymeric material usage inside the state-of-the-art LiB and highlight the importance of the silicone-based battery pack assembly material including the thermal management material and battery fire protection material.