Controlled Operation of Lithium Ion Batteries Using Reversible Shutdown Membrane Separators

In this paper, we demonstrate the application of the ionic redox transistor as a reversible shutdown membrane separator (RSMS) in a custom designed Li-ion battery (LIB). The oxidized state corresponds to the OFF state and reduced state corresponds to the ON state of the RSMS in the LIB. It is demonstrated that RSMS reversibly enables and disables the LIB from charging/discharging as it is switched between its reduced (ON) and oxidized (OFF) state, respectively. The operation of the LIB with RSMS is compared with a standard LIB fabricated from identical cathodes and anodes at various C-rates. The specific capacity of the standard LIB is 144, 132, and 50 mAh/g at C/12, C/4, and C/2 rates, respectively. The specific capacity of the LIB with RSMS in the reduced state is 134, 108, and 48 mAh/g at C/12, C/4, and C/2 rates, respectively, showing similar capacity to the standard LIB at all C-rates. The specific capacity of the LIB with RSMS in the oxidized state is 125, 11, and 5 mAh/g at C/12, C/4, and C/2 rates, respectively, demonstrating a capacity decrease compared to the reduced state at all C-rates.