US battery cell developer 24M launched a new battery separator that, it said, shows good results in preventing formation of dendrites. It also measures battery performance to detect faults early.
24M Chief Scientist and MIT Professor Yet-Ming Chiang said the new lithium battery separator, called 24M Impervio, can help the commercialisation of a new class of large-area, high-energy-density batteries based on lithium-metal and silicon-dominant chemistries.
24M carried out testing, which it claimed showed safety advantages. In one test, the cathode of the baseline and Impervio cells were each intentionally contaminated with ~1% stainless steel. It said it caused the baseline cell to short immediately after formation, while the Impervio cell, under the same conditions, suppressed the stainless steel dendrite and surpassed 800 cycles with a capacity retention of over 83%.
In a second test, cells were intentionally exposed to copper on the anode to stimulate the formation of a lithium-metal dendrite. This led to a rapid soft short of the baseline cell, while the Impervio cell suppressed the lithium-metal dendrite and delivered stable coulombic efficiency during cycling, it said. It meant no soft short between the cathode and anode.
The company expects to introduce the separator to the market in 2025 or 2026.
