Earticle

초록

영어

The rapid growth of electric vehicles and portable electronics has led to a significant increase in the consumption of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Consequently, a large number of spent batteries are being generated, posing serious environmental and resource challenges. Among the components of LIBs, separators—typically composed of polyolefin materials—are difficult to degrade and contribute to microplastic pollution when improperly disposed. However, these separators still retain a relatively intact physical structure after use, making them valuable candidates for recycling and reuse in next-generation energy storage systems. To address both environmental concerns and resource efficiency, this study explores a high-performance recycling strategy for spent LIB separators using electrospinning-based surface modification. Electrospinning offers several advantages, including low cost, high controllability of fiber morphology, and strong adhesion to substrate surfaces. It enables the fabrication of nanofiber layers with tunable porosity, mechanical strength, and wettability, which are crucial for restoring or even enhancing the performance of used separators. Experimental results show that spent separators exhibit a significant decline in high-rate (C-rate) discharge performance compared to fresh ones. Long-term usage appears to reduce the thickness of the separators, and their surfaces show signs of corrosion due to prolonged contact with battery electrolytes. FE-SEM analysis further reveals that the used separators consist of randomly distributed fibers with non-uniform diameters and surface contamination from particulate debris, indicating the necessity of targeted surface modification. Moreover, TGA results suggest that while thermal degradation is minimal below 100°C, decomposition begins at temperatures exceeding 100°C, highlighting the importance of future thermal resistance enhancement strategies. Based on our investigation of the fundamental physicochemical properties of spent separators, we propose an eco-friendly surface modification strategy utilizing electrospinning techniques. Specifically, we aim to coat the degraded separators using a composite nanofiber layer composed of biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), recycled carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (rCFRP), and thermally stable aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) additives. This surface treatment will be applied via electrostatic spraying methods, which allow uniform deposition and strong interfacial bonding. The incorporation of rCFRP enhances mechanical robustness, while Al₂O₃ improves thermal resistance, addressing the degradation issues observed in spent separators. This approach is expected to significantly improve the safety, durability, and reusability of separators in regenerated lithium-ion batteries, and contributes to the advancement of carbon-neutral and circular energy storage technologies.

키워드

저자

• 갈준총 [ Jun Cong Ge | Jun Cong Ge, Research Professor, Division of Mechanical Design Engineering, Jeonbuk National University. ] Corresponding Author
• 행리다 [ Lida Heng | Division of Mechanical Design Engineering, Jeonbuk National University. ]
• 트란듀이또 [ Duy Tho Tran | Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources. ]
• 부반푸 [ Van-Phu Vu | Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials. ]

참고문헌

발행기관

간행물

표지보기 관심저널 등록

• 간행물명

  한국기계항공기술학회 학술대회논문집(구 한국기계기술학회 학술대회논문집) [Proceedings of KSMT Annual Meeting]

• 간기

  부정기

• 수록기간

  2000~2026

• 십진분류

  KDC 550 DDC 620