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Updated: Dec 22, 2025
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Disentangling High Strength Copolymer Aramid Fibers to Enable the Determination of Their Mechanical Properties
Published on: September 1, 2018
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High Modulus, Thermally Stable, and Self-Extinguishing Aramid Nanofiber Separators
Anish Patel1, Kathryn Wilcox1, Zhuo Li2
1Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|May 6, 2020
Summary
Aramid nanofiber separators offer enhanced mechanical and thermal stability for batteries. While showing excellent flame resistance, they present a trade-off with electrochemical performance, requiring further testing for extreme applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Battery separators are crucial for preventing short circuits but often fail under extreme conditions.
- Existing separators face a trade-off between mechanical/thermal robustness and electrochemical performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate aramid nanofiber (ANF) separators for improved mechanical and thermal stability in batteries.
- To evaluate the performance and safety characteristics of ANF separators compared to commercial options.
Main Methods:
- Dissolution of Kevlar fibers and vacuum-assisted self-assembly to create ANF separators.
- Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for thermal stability assessment.
- Mechanical testing for Young's modulus determination and flame exposure tests.
Main Results:
- ANF separators exhibit a decomposition temperature of 447 °C (175 °C higher than Celgard) and a Young's modulus of 8.8 GPa (1000% higher).
- ANF separators demonstrate self-extinguishing properties, unlike melting/dripping commercial separators.
- A lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) oxide battery with an ANF separator showed a reduced capacity of 123.4 mA h g-1.
Conclusions:
- ANF separators offer a promising balance of high modulus, flame resistance, and thermal stability.
- Potential suitability for extreme environment battery applications, despite a trade-off in electrochemical performance.
- Further testing is recommended to optimize ANF separators for broader use.
