A research team at Ohio State University (OSU) has developed a "smart" battery separator by applying their research on the structure of human biological cell membranes. This separator effectively reduces charge penetration, improving charging speed, extending battery life (reducing self-discharge), and enhancing the safety of electric vehicle batteries. It solves the problem of traditional battery separators allowing charge to easily penetrate the membrane during charging, thus reducing battery efficiency and lifespan, and causing overheating.
Traditional battery designs have always struggled to prevent self-discharge. However, the OSU team has mimicked the structure of human cell membranes, which can close their pores in response to electronic stimuli. Their newly developed membrane, named an "ionic redox transistor," is a polymer membrane with multiple openable and closing micropores. These micropores open when the membrane contracts and close when it expands. Researchers claim that experimental results show this new battery separator can reduce charge loss to zero without affecting the battery's normal charge and discharge functions.
The intelligent battery separator can also improve rechargeability. The research team's analysis showed that in traditional electric or hybrid vehicles, charging for one minute provides less than 0.8 kilometers (half a mile) of range, while the application of the new "ionic redox transistor" technology can provide tens of kilometers of range per minute. The improvement is significant. According to Dr. Sundaresan of the research team, while an overnight charge in a garage is sufficient for daily commutes, for long-distance travel, the issue of fast charging must be solved for electric vehicles to become widespread. They believe that research into this new technology will make fast charging and long-distance driving of electric vehicles a reality.
