Teijin Develops World’s First Mass-production Aramid Nanofibre

Teijin Techno Products have announced the development of the worlds first mass producible aramid nanofibre which will offer heat and oxidation resistance.

Until now, aramid nanofibers have been produced only in labs, so this first commercially viable product represents a step forward in the evolution of this new material.

Electron microscopic image (x 5,000)

The nanofiber, which is uniformly sized with a diameter of just several hundred nanometers is based on Teijin’s proprietary Teijinconex heat-resistant meta-aramid. It will be marketed in the form of nonwoven sheet for separators in lithium ion batteries (LIBs) with commercial production targeted for 2014.

The aramid nanofiber sheet maintains its shape even at 300°C. It is also highly resistant to oxidation. Such features are expected to enhance the safety of high-power, high-capacity, energy-dense LIBs for vehicles and stationary storage, offering significant advantages over conventional separators in terms of reducing the risk of ignition in high-capacity, energy-dense applications.

Other features of the product expects to achieve with the nonwoven sheet for battery separators include;

  • High porosity promotes smooth mobility of the electrolyte, resulting in higher output and faster charging.
  • Large surface area, a feature of nanofibers, as well as high porosity, hold the electrolyte effectively to maintain battery performance at low temperatures, when ion conductivity drops.
  • As a nonwoven sheet, absorbs electrolyte more rapidly than conventional polyolefin-based separators, helping to shorten the time required to pour electrolyte into the battery, thereby reducing the production cost of large batteries.

Teijin expects to develop other applications for its thin, heat-resistant aramid nanofiber sheet, such as separators for capacitors; high-performance, heat-resistant filters; and heat-resistant cleaners for office automation equipment.

[rssless][connections id=’9′][rssless]