WACKER Silicone Forms Ceramic Barrier During Battery Failure
WACKER has developed a ceramifying silicone for coating battery housing components and flexible thermal-barrier systems used in battery electric vehicles.
The new material is part of the ELASTOSIL CM line. After application, it cures to form a silicone elastomer that can be used on rigid housing components or flexible, fabric-like protective systems.
When exposed to temperatures above 600 C, the silicone loses its elastic properties and forms a ceramic barrier. The resulting layer is designed to shield battery housings and adjacent components from heat and hot gases during thermal runaway.
According to WACKER, testing with battery cells showed that a protective fabric coated with the silicone reduced radiant heat from a 1,300 C flame to below 150 C. The ceramified layer also trapped particles ejected from the failed cell.
WACKER presented the technology at the Battery Show in Stuttgart, Germany, along with two room-temperature-curing potting compounds for thermal management of power-electronics components.
ELASTOSIL RT 7616 TC and ELASTOSIL RT 7624 TC have reported thermal conductivities of 1.6 and 2.4 W/mK, respectively. The company said their rheological properties are designed to limit sedimentation and allow any settled fillers to be redispersed with standard mixing equipment.
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