ANTEC® Recap: Chemistries Target Thermal Control in EV Batteries
Posted: 05/17/2021
New Rogers Corp. materials control thermal runaway in electric vehicles
By Geoff Giordano
With e-mobility gaining traction, chemistries to prevent thermal runaway—i.e., temperature spikes in failing electric vehicle (EV) batteries that can grow into raging fires—is a key focus of Rogers Corp.
This is vital as EVs are poised to become what cell phones were to consumers about 10 years ago, predicted Polina Ware, global director of research and development for elastomeric materials solutions, in her ANTEC® presentation. An EV is “going to be, in a way, a personal computer on wheels that may become an extension of who we are, our personality.” She noted that by 2026, 50 percent of passenger vehicles are expected to be fully electric or hybrids.
In the past six months, Rogers Corp. has designed next-generation elastomeric chemistries and composites for EV pouch cell battery packs that are intended to prevent thermal runaway at the single-cell level while remaining compressible, Ware said. Elastomeric pads sit adjacent to failure points in a battery, protecting pouch cells as the battery expands and contracts during its functional life. Those pads are the first line of defense for delaying thermal runaway and must remain flexible to withstand dimensional changes.
Rogers uses two approaches: a composite method employing urethane or silicone foam with a thin insulation layer of ceramic or glass fibers, or multifunctional additives within the foam. By considering stress/strain distribution and force at distribution curves, Ware explained, these innovative elastomeric materials are simultaneously compressible and protective.
So new are these technologies, she added, that tests for thermal runaway prevention are still being developed. A hot plate test Rogers developed with automotive industry customers found that the company’s new materials performed somewhere between a foam alone and a non-elastomeric aerogel. Then, using the industry-standard NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) test to assess thermal runaway in a three-cell pouch, a nail was driven through a battery cell. “For some of our materials, we completely shut down the thermal runway.”
The goal is to develop fully sustainable urethanes and silicones for battery pads within a companywide sustainability roadmap for designing toxic chemicals out of its products, Ware said.
View on demand: Ware’s presentation, “Emerging Technologies That Are Changing the Future,” will be available on demand to ANTEC® attendees and those who register for access after the conference.
Kim McLoughlin Senior Research Engineer, Global Materials Science Braskem
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Kim drives technology programs at Braskem to develop advanced polyolefins with improved recyclability and sustainability. As Principal Investigator on a REMADE-funded collaboration, Kim leads a diverse industry-academic team that is developing a process to recycle elastomers as secondary feedstock. Kim has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Cornell. She is an inventor on more than 25 patents and applications for novel polyolefin technologies. Kim is on the Board of Directors of SPE’s Thermoplastic Materials & Foams Division, where she has served as Education Chair and Councilor.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Gamini has a BS and PhD from Purdue University in Materials Engineering and Sustainability. He joined Penn State as a Post Doctorate Scholar in 2020 prior to his professorship appointment. He works closely with PA plastics manufacturers to implement sustainability programs in their plants.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Tom Giovannetti holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Tulsa and for the last 26 years has worked for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. Tom started his plastics career by designing various injection molded products for the chemical industry including explosion proof plugs and receptacles, panel boards and detonation arrestors for 24 inch pipelines. Tom also holds a patent for design of a polyphenylene sulfide sleeve in a nylon coolant cross-over of an air intake manifold and is a Certified Plastic Technologist through the Society of Plastic Engineers. Tom serves on the Oklahoma Section Board as Councilor, is also the past president of the local Oklahoma SPE Section, and as well serves on the SPE Injection Molding Division board.
Joseph Lawrence, Ph.D. Senior Director and Research Professor University of Toledo
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Dr. Joseph Lawrence is a Research Professor and Senior Director of the Polymer Institute and the Center for Materials and Sensor Characterization at the University of Toledo. He is a Chemical Engineer by training and after working in the process industry, he has been engaged in polymers and composites research for 18+ years. In the Polymer Institute he leads research on renewably sourced polymers, plastics recycling, and additive manufacturing. He is also the lead investigator of the Polyesters and Barrier Materials Research Consortium funded by industry. Dr. Lawrence has advised 20 graduate students, mentored 8 staff scientists and several undergraduate students. He is a peer reviewer in several journals, has authored 30+ peer-reviewed publications and serves on the board of the Injection Molding Division of SPE.
Matt Hammernik Northeast Account Manager Hasco America
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Matt Hammernik serves as Hasco America’s Northeast Area Account Manager covering the states Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. He started with Hasco America at the beginning of March 2022. Matt started in the Injection Mold Industry roughly 10 years ago as an estimator quoting injection mold base steel, components and machining. He advanced into outside sales and has been serving molders, mold builders and mold makers for about 7 years.
84 countries and 85.6k+ stakeholders strong, SPE
unites
plastics professionals worldwide – helping them succeed and strengthening their skills
through
networking, events, training, and knowledge sharing.
No matter where you work in the plastics industry
value
chain-whether you're a scientist, engineer, technical personnel or a senior executive-nor
what your
background is, education, gender, culture or age-we are here to serve you.
Our members needs are our passion. We work hard so
that we
can ensure that everyone has the tools necessary to meet her or his personal & professional
goals.