Recently, Prof. He Daping from the School of Physics and Mechanics and Prof. Mai Liqiang from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, along with their research teams, achieved an innovative breakthrough in the study of high-safety lithium-ion batteries. They proposed a large-scale graphene current collector that effectively regulates battery heat transfer and significantly enhance battery safety. The related research finding, titled “Large-scale current collectors for regulating heat transfer and enhancing battery safety”, was published in the latest issue of Nature Chemical Engineering. Prof. He Daping and Prof. Mai Liqiang from Wuhan University of Technology, along with Associate Prof. Yang Jinlong from Shenzhen University, are the corresponding authors, with Dr. Li Lun from the School of Physics and Mechanics as the first author.

Figure 1: Large-scale preparation of graphene current collectors and pouch batteries

Figure 2: Safety performance and mechanism analysis of pouch batteries in thermal runaway process

The study addresses safety hazards such as combustion and explosions caused by frequent lithium-ion battery fires in electric vehicles. It has developed a novel current collector, Gr, with ultra-high electrical and thermal conductivity to replace Al and Cu foils in traditional batteries. This new material enables the production of high-safety lithium-ion batteries with rapid heat dissipation and fire resistance under extreme puncture conditions. The research provides new theoretical insights into the design of high-safety, high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries and advances innovations in the safety of current power batteries and large-scale energy storage systems.

[Article information]

Lun Li#, Jinlong Yang#*, Rui Tan#, Wei Shu#, CheeTong John Low, Zixin Zhang, Yu Zhao, Cheng Li, Yajun Zhang, Xingchuan Li, Huazhang Zhang, Xin Zhao, Zongkui Kou, Yong Xiao, Francis Verpoort, Hewu Wang, Liqiang Mai*, Daping He*, Large-scale current collectors for regulating heat transfer and enhancing battery safety, Nature Chemical Engineering.

Link：https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-024-00103-8

Written by: He Daping

Rewritten by: Gong Mengting

Edited by: Wang Jingjing, Li Tiantian

Source: School of Physics and Mechanics