SEPARATOR HAVING MELTING-CUTOFF PORTION AND ELECTROCHEMICAL DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a secondary battery configured to be prevented from catching fire or exploding in a critical situation such as overcharging and a method of preventing the secondary battery from catching fire or exploding. Since a separator including a low melting point material is used, a short circuit in the battery occurs when the battery is abnormally heated, and the resistance of an electrode is increased when the temperature of the battery increases to a predetermined temperature or higher. As a result, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) material is operated at a stable State of Charge (SoC). Consequently, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a thermal runaway phenomenon of the battery.

Claims

1. A secondary battery comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator, wherein the separator comprises shrinkage portions, each of which comprises a porous polymer resin and which are arranged in a discontinuous manner so that the shrinkage portions are not attached to each other, the shrinkage portions being configured to shrink at a high temperature, and a melting portion disposed so as to interconnect the shrinkage portions, the melting portion comprising a low melting point material, which melts at a high temperature, and the positive electrode and/or the negative electrode comprises a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) material.

2. The secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the shrinkage portions are connected to the melting portion within a conventional temperature range in which the lithium secondary battery is operated, and the melting portion is formed so as to have a lattice shape, by which the melting portion surrounds the shrinkage portions.

3. The secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the low melting point material has physical properties necessary for the separator of the secondary battery within a conventional temperature range in which the lithium secondary battery is operated such that the low melting point material is stable to act as a separator, and melts at a temperature higher than the temperature range in which the lithium secondary battery is operated such that the shrinkage portions are separated from each other.

4. The secondary battery according to claim 3, wherein the low melting point material is at least one of polyethylene oxide (PEO) or polycaprolactone.

5. The secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein each of the shrinkage portions has physical properties necessary for the separator of the secondary battery within a temperature range in which the lithium secondary battery is operated such that the low melting point material is stable to act as a separator, and shrinks at a temperature higher than the temperature range in which the lithium secondary battery is operated.

6. The secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the porous polymer resin is at least one selected from a group consisting of high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene, and polypropylene.

7. The secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the PTC material exhibits uniform conductivity within a temperature range in which the lithium secondary battery is operated, and resistance of the PTC material abruptly increases to interrupt a flow of electric current in the lithium secondary battery when the temperature of the lithium secondary battery becomes higher than the temperature range in which the lithium secondary battery is operated.

8. The secondary battery according to claim 7, wherein the PTC material is manufactured by mixing a polymer material exhibiting low electrical conductivity with conductive particles.

9. A method of preventing overcharging of the secondary battery according to claim 1, the method comprising: 1) melting the melting portion as a result of an increase in a temperature of the secondary battery due to overcharging of the secondary battery to produce deformation of the melting portions; 2) shrinking the shrinkage portions to produce deformation of the shrinking portions; 3) contacting the positive electrode and the negative electrode with each other at least partially due to the deformations of the melting portion and the shrinkage portions; 4) decreasing a voltage of the secondary battery due to the contact between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, whereby a state in which the secondary battery is charged is maintained and thus the temperature of the secondary battery increases; and 5) abruptly increasing resistance of the secondary battery by melting of the PTC material, whereby the voltage of the secondary battery reaches a charging termination voltage.

10. A battery pack comprising the secondary battery according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0042] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a separator according to the present invention.

[0043] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the state in which the melting portion of the separator according to the present invention has melted and the shrinkage portions of the separator have shrunk as the result of a temperature increase.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the separator according to the present invention.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a thermal runaway phenomenon that occurs when a conventional battery is overcharged.

[0046] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a stable termination phenomenon that occurs when a battery including the separator according to the present invention is overcharged.

BEST MODE

[0047] Now, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that terms or words used in this specification and the claims are not to be interpreted as having ordinary and dictionary-based meanings but as having meanings and concepts coinciding with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that the inventors may properly define the concepts of the terms in order to explain the invention in the best method. Consequently, the embodiments described in this specification are merely the most preferred embodiments and do not cover all technical ideas of the present invention, and therefore it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modifications capable of substituting for the embodiments at the time of filing of the present application.

[0048] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a separator 100 according to the present invention. The separator according to the present invention includes a melting portion 110 and shrinkage portions 120. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the shrinkage portions 120, each of which has a rectangular shape, are separated from each other, and the melting portion 110 is formed so as to have a lattice shape, by which the melting portion 110 surrounds the shrinkage portions 120.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the state in which the shrinkage portions 120 of the separator 100 of FIG. 1 have shrunk as the result of a temperature increase in the state in which the melting portion 110 of the separator 100 has melted. The shrinkage rate, the short-circuit area, and the temperature of a battery may be adjusted by those skilled in the art in consideration of the operating conditions of the battery.

[0050] FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the separator 200 according to the present invention. Shrinkage portions 220 may have various shapes and sizes, and may not be repeatedly arranged.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a time-based thermal runaway phenomenon that occurs when a battery including a general separator, which is provided as a comparative example, is overcharged. The general separator is a single member, unlike the separator according to the present invention. That is, neither the melting portion not the shrinkage portions are separately provided. When a portion of the battery including the general separator is short-circuited at a specific time, the voltage of the battery does not increase due to the short circuit occurring at the portion of the battery even though the battery continues to be charged. However, the temperature of the battery continues to increase, and the temperature of the battery abruptly increases at another specific time, whereby the battery explodes.

[0052] In contrast, it can be seen from FIG. 5 that, when a portion of a battery including the separator according to the present invention is short-circuited, the voltage of the battery decreases and the temperature of the battery increases. At this time, the melting portion of the separator melts, whereby another portion of the battery is further short-circuited. As the temperature of the battery increases to a predetermined temperature or higher, the voltage of the battery increases as the result of the operation of a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) material, whereby the battery is not charged any further. Consequently, a phenomenon of thermal runaway of the battery does not occur.

[0053] An example using the separator according to the present invention and a comparative example using a general polyolefin-based separator are shown below.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0054] The present invention provides a secondary battery configured to be prevented from catching fire or exploding in a critical situation such as overcharging and a method of preventing the secondary battery from catching fire or exploding. Since a separator including a low melting point material is used, a short circuit in the battery occurs when the battery is abnormally heated, and the resistance of an electrode is increased when the temperature of the battery increases to a predetermined temperature or higher. As a result, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) material is operated at a stable State of Charge (SoC). Consequently, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a thermal runaway phenomenon of the battery.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0055] 100, 200 Separators [0056] 110, 210 Melting portions [0057] 120, 220 Shrinkage portions