A positive-temperature-coefficient electrode with thermal protection mechanism for rechargeable lithium batteries

A new positive-temperature-coefficient(PTC) material was prepared simply by blending of conductive Super P carbon black(CB) with insulating poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA) polymer matrix,which was empolyed as a coating layer on the aluminium foil substrate to fabricate a sandwiched Al/PTC/LiCoO2 cathode.The experimental results from cyclic voltammetry,charge-discharge measurements and impedance spectroscopy demonstrated that the PTC electrode has a normal electrochemical performance at ambient temperature,but shows an enormous increase in the resistance at the temperature range of 80?120℃.This PTC behavior greatly restrains the reaction current passing through the electrode at elevated temperatures,capable of acting as a self-actuating safety mechanism to prevent the battery from thermal runaway.