Effect of drying temperature on a thin PVDF-HFP/PET composite nonwoven separator for lithium-ion batteries

A thin composite separator with polyethylene terephthalate nonwoven membrane as the structural support and polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene as the coating layer for lithium-ion batteries was prepared by a simple dip-coating process. The effect of different drying temperatures on the performance of the composite separator was investigated. The results indicate that 80 °C is the optimal drying temperature, preventing leakage current problems and providing a well-developed porous structure. The drying of the composite separator at 80 °C provides a superior thermal stability, better wettability with electrolyte, higher electrolyte uptake, and ionic conductivity compared to commercially available polypropylene (PP) separator. Furthermore, the electrochemical performance consisting of electrochemical stability, self-discharge, cycle performance, rate performance of the composite separator, and PP were determined. The drying of the composite separator at 80 °C shows almost the same oxidation stability and self-discharge performance, but a better cycling and rate performance than the PP separator.