NU 2019-092
INVENTORS Woo Jin Hyun Mark C. Hersam*
SHORT DESCRIPTION A new material of ion-conductive gel electrolytes based on exfoliated hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets
ABSTRACT Solid-state electrolytes on a gelling matrix are attractive in the development of lithium-ion batteries due to their wide processing compatability, favorable electrochemical and thermal properties, and their ability to remain safe under various conditions. However, gel electrolytes traditionally have poor structural integrity, which increases the probability of electrical shorting. Northwestern researchers have developed high-modulus, ion-conductive gel electrolytes based on imidazolium ionic liquids and exfoliated hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanosheets. These hBN nanosheets improve the mechanical properties of gel electrolytes by two orders of magnitude as compared to conventional bulk hBN microparticles. hBN nanosheets also retain high ionic conductivity at room temperature, are compatible with high-voltage cathodes, and impart exceptional thermal stability that allows high-rate operation of solid-state rechargeable lithium-ion batteries at temperatures up to 175°C. Thus, these hBN nanosheets are able to capture the benefits of gel electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries while maintaining structural integrity.
APPLICATIONS
ADVANTAGES
PUBLICATION Hyun WJ, de Moraes ACM, Lim JM, Downing JR, Park KY, Tan MTZ, Hersam MC (2019) High-Modulus Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanoplatelet Gel Elctrolytes for Solid-State Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries. ACS Nano. 13(8):9664-9672.
IP STATUS US and International patent applications have been filed.
Exfoliated hBN nanosheets separate anode and cathode electrodes without a separator and lithium ions travel through Li-IL abosorbed on the surface of hBN nanoplatelets