TOKYO, March 23, 2023 – 3DOM Alliance Inc. (“3DOM Alliance”) conducted nail penetration short circuit resistance testing on batteries equipped with the X-SEPA™, a revolutionary separator technology with a multi-layer structure that further enhances durability of the company’s 3DOM (3-dimensionally ordered macroporous) separator. The testing produced favorable results compared to a general-purpose separator.
A nail penetration short circuit test is one method of evaluating reliability in abnormal conditions by driving a metallic nail through a charged lithium-ion battery cell at a prescribed speed to simulate internal short-circuiting. Internal short-circuits are a leading cause of battery ignition and explosion incidents and may result from external impact, manufacturing defects, or metal deposition during charging and discharging.
To evaluate the X-SEPA™’s contribution to cell reliability, nail penetration short circuit tests were conducted on two 3.3Ah lithium-ion battery cells with identical design specifications except for the separator. Testing on the cell with a general-purpose polypropylene separator resulted in thermal runaway and venting, corresponding to EUCAR (European Council for Automotive R&D) Hazard Level 4. Testing on the cell equipped with the X-SEPA™ did not result in thermal runaway and produced no smoke or flame, corresponding to EUCAR Hazard Level 2.
The effect of the X-SEPA™ on the test results was assessed by conducting a puncture test on the separators and a local heating test, in which a soldering iron heated to 450℃ was touched to the separators to reproduce the conditions of local heating generated from internal short-circuiting by the nail. In contrast to the general-purpose product, no aperture was observed in the X-SEPA™ due to the three-dimensional pore structure and heat-resistant material. This supports the favorable results of the nail penetration short circuit test.
3DOM Alliance has made preparations for mass production and began providing samples of the X-SEPA™ to battery manufacturers in February 2023. The company’s subsidiary noco-noco Pte. Ltd. (“noco-noco”), a Singapore-based decarbonization solution provider, plans to provide batteries equipped with the X-SEPA™ through services that leverage resulting battery characteristics such as long lifespan, reliability, heat resistance, and high-rate discharge. Utilizing the X-SEPA™, noco-noco aims to alleviate safety concerns and other hurdles to electrification for mobility operators in order to drive decarbonization in the transport industry.