All-Impurities Scavenging, Safe Separators with Functional Metal-Organic-Frameworks for High-Energy-Density Li-Ion Battery

Li-ion batteries (LIBs) have wide applications owing to their high-energy density and stable cycle characteristics. Nevertheless, with the rapid expansion of electric vehicle market, issues such as explosion of LIBs and the need to secure a longer driving distance have emerged. In this work, functional metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are introduced as a separator in LIBs, in which a highly heat-resistant polymer separator is fabricated through electrospinning. The MOFs can scavenge impurities (including gas, water, and hydrofluoric acid) that positively affect battery performance and safety. The multi-functional separator suppresses salt decomposition when a nickel-rich cathode is operated at high voltage and high temperature through it. This delays the deterioration of the cathode interface and results in a superb cycle stability with 75% retention even in the presence of 500 ppm of water in the electrolytes. In addition, the pouch cell is manufactured by enlarging the separator, and the degree of electrode swelling due to gas generation and interface degradation in the pouch state is alleviated to 50% or less. These findings highlight the necessity of scavenging impurities to maintain excellent performance and provides the development direction of functional separators in LIBs.