7. Separators

Battery separators are flat materials situated between the positive and negative electrodes of a battery cell. Their function is to prevent physical contact and, therefore, short circuits. At the same time, they must enable ions to be transported as freely as possible within the electrolyte between the electrodes. This is essential for charge equalization and the electrochemical cell to work. To achieve this, separators are usually porous flat designs filled with an electrolyte. The following chapters first set out the basic characteristics of separators and the current status of conventional separator technology. Then, new separator concepts will be outlined and a currently available separator technology and its characteristics will be presented.