24M’s new battery separator tech

February 06, 2024

24M unveiled a new battery separator, 24M Impervio.

The new separator technology advances lithium-ion and lithium-metal batteries by preventing metallic dendrite formation (caused by metal contamination introduced during the production process), electrode misalignments or lithium dendrites.

Other features:– Early fault detection: 24M Impervio continuously monitors the cell and can detect a potential short before it occurs and enables a safe discharge and shutdown of the individual battery cell.– Integrates with lithium-metal and conventional lithium-ion batteries: 24M Impervio offers the same safety benefits for conventional lithium-ion and lithium-metal cells as it does for 24M SemiSolidTM cells.

Preliminary Testing24M reported that internal comparison tests of baseline cells, NMC/graphite cells without Impervio, against identical cells with Impervio, demonstrated the significant safety advantages of the Impervio cell.

In one test, the cathode of the baseline and Impervio cells were each intentionally contaminated with ~1% stainless steel. This caused the baseline cell to short immediately after formation, while the Impervio cell, under the same conditions, suppressed the stainless steel dendrite and surpassed 800 cycles with a capacity retention of over 83%.

In a second test, the baseline and Impervio cells intentionally exposed copper on the anode to stimulate the formation of a lithium-metal dendrite. This led to a rapid soft short of the baseline cell, while the Impervio cell suppressed the lithium-metal dendrite and delivered stable coulombic efficiency during cycling — meaning no soft short between the cathode and anode.

24M expects to fully demonstrate mass production of Impervio by the end of 2024 and introduce it to the market in 2025 or 2026. 24M is currently working in collaboration with volume production partners and license partners for initial product launch.

This latest 24M innovation comes on the heels of the company’s launch of its electrode-to-pack battery technology — 24M ETOP.