Effects of separator breakdown on abuse response of 18650 Li-ion cells

The thermal abuse tolerance of Li-ion cells depends not only on the stability of the active materials in the anode and cathode but also on the stability of the separator which prevents direct interaction between these electrodes. Separator response has been measured as a function of temperature and high voltage both for isolated materials and in full 18650 cells. Separators with different compositions and properties were measured to determine the effect of separator melt integrity on cell response under abusive conditions. These studies were performed as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Technology Development (ATD) Program.