ZrO2 coating via e-beam evaporation on PE separators for lithium-ion batteries

In this paper, ZrO2 is deposited on a polyethylene-based separator via electron beam evaporation method. The analyses reveal that the application of the ceramic-based coating enhances the electrolyte uptake capability from 79 to 135% and the ionic conductivity from 7.1 x 10(-4) to 7.5 x 10(-4) S/cm. Linear sweep voltammetry tests show the superior electrochemical stability in the coated separator up to 5.5 V. This study shows that with the thin ZrO2 coating, the separator maintains its structure plus the existence of ZrO2 has an essential impact on electrolyte decomposition, SEI layer formation, and safety of the separator