Use of arabinogalactan and bone glue as membranes in lithium-ion batteries

Batteries, which are devices that convert chemical energy into electrical energy, are encountered in many areas of daily life. They also store this energy and allow us to use it in a portable manner. The most important of these sources are Li-ion batteries, and since their introduction about twenty years ago, they have been regarded as the power center of the personal digital electronics revolution. As may have already been noticed in daily life, the increasing functionality of mobile electronic devices always requires better Li-ion batteries. Another important expanding market for Li-ion batteries is electric and hybrid vehicles, which not only require high power, high capacity, high charge rate, long life, but also significantly improved safety performance and low-cost next-generation Li-ion batteries. In this study, the use of arabinogalactan (AG) and bone glue (KT) as separator membranes in Li-ion batteries was investigated. The surface morphologies of the prepared separator membranes were characterized by SEM; molecular weights by GPC; spectroscopic measurements by FT-IR; thermal characterization by DSC; thicknesses by Profilometer; and electrolyte wettability by contact angle measurement using KSV Attension ThetaLite TL 101 Optical Tensiometer. The full cell, charge-discharge, cycle tests, and electrochemical measurements of the prepared coin cell were also conducted. The Rs values of AG and KT separator membranes in 1 M LiCIO4/DMSO solution were measured as 1034 ohm cm2 and 668 ohm cm2, respectively. As a result, despite the amorphous structure of AG and KT separator membranes, their solution resistances, flexibility, and elongation properties are close to those of thermoplastic separator membranes. When battery performances were examined, it was predicted that the use of KT biopolymers could find a potential application area in Li-ion batteries; the AG separator membrane, by increasing its flexibility and reducing its brittleness dependent on storage time at room conditions, could be made suitable for use in battery cells, offering significant opportunities for future studies in this field.