The triggers for electric vehicle battery fires are complex. One major risk factor for battery thermal runaway is internal short circuits caused by lithium dendrites piercing the separator. When the battery separator is replaced with furan aramid, its high strength, excellent wettability and superior heat resistance effectively restrain the growth and penetration of lithium dendrites.

For a long time, petroleum-synthesized polymer materials have been widely used in daily life and industries. However, foreign players hold monopolies over core technologies and patents for high-end varieties of such materials. Scientists have found that furan-based materials converted from agricultural and forest biomass such as straw possess rigid polar aromatic rings and unique electronic structures. They deliver mechanical and thermal properties comparable to petrochemical benzene-ring-based materials, with superior performance in certain aspects. These materials can not only substitute some conventional petrochemical-based materials, but also serve as functional building blocks to expand and advance existing polymer material systems.

Since 2014, the research team led by Professor Fu Yao from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has spearheaded relevant research. Over more than a decade, the team has overcome bottlenecks across the full industrial chain “from biomass feedstock to end products” and established an independently controllable new polymer material system.

The team has developed innovative catalysts and continuous production equipment, and built the world’s first kiloton-scale production line for furandicarboxylic acid with product purity reaching 99.9%. It has tackled long-standing industrial challenges including easy yellowing and low polymerization degree of furan polyesters, and developed eco-friendly products such as high-barrier beverage bottles and food packaging.

The self-developed furan aramid separator featuring high wettability and high temperature resistance withstands temperatures above 400°C, outperforming international equivalents. The overall technology stands at the global leading level.

In recent years, the furan-based materials developed by the team have seen initial applications in numerous sectors including food packaging, medical materials, electronics and electrical engineering, new energy batteries, and skin materials for humanoid robots.

The Anhui Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Conference convened on July 20. The project titled Key Technologies for Preparation and Industrialization of Bio-based Furan Monomers and Polymers was awarded the First Prize of the 2024 Anhui Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award.

Source: Anhui Daily