KR-102962037-B1 - Manufacturing method of a thin aerogel insulation sheet and a thin aerogel insulation sheet therefrom

KR102962037B1KR 102962037 B1KR102962037 B1KR 102962037B1KR-102962037-B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet with excellent thermal insulation properties despite being a thin film by increasing the cohesive force between constituent materials by preparing an adhesive alcohol solvent using an organosilane-based mixture, and to a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet (100) manufactured therefrom.

Inventors

임태현
이창우
한광덕

Assignees

주식회사 유엠에스

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20260205

Claims (8)

As a method for manufacturing a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet, Step 1-1 of preparing a diluted aqueous hydrochloric acid solution by mixing hydrochloric acid and distilled water; Step 1-2, which involves mixing the aqueous hydrochloric acid solution prepared in Step 1-1 with methyltrimethoxysilane to hydrolyze the methyltrimethoxysilane and produce methanol and methyl(dimethoxy)silanol; Step 1-3 for separating and collecting methanol generated in Step 1-2 above; Step 1-4 of preparing an alcohol mixture having a first adhesive property by mixing hexamethyldisilazane with the methanol separated and collected in Step 1-3 above; Step 1-5 of preparing an alcohol mixture having a second adhesive property by adding butanol to the alcohol mixture having a first adhesive property prepared in Step 1-4 above; Step 1-6 of preparing hydrophobic porous silica beads with a hydrophobic surface by mixing and stirring porous silica beads, butanol, and hexamethyldisilazane in a separate container; Step 1-7, preparing a hydrophobic porous silica alcohol gel by mixing and grinding the hydrophobic porous silica beads prepared in Step 1-6 and the second adhesive alcohol mixture prepared in Step 1-5; Step 1-8, mixing and stirring the hydrophobic porous silica alcohol gel prepared in Step 1-7 with the short fibers to coat the surface of the short fibers with the hydrophobic porous silica beads; Step 1-9, preparing a silica alcohol gel comprising a short fiber coated with hydrophobic porous silica beads on its surface, prepared in Step 1-8 above, by mixing and grinding hydrophilic porous silica beads with the short fiber; Step 1-10 of preparing a first aerogel paste composition by mixing a silica alcohol gel comprising short fibers coated with hydrophobic porous silica beads and hydrophilic porous silica beads prepared in Step 1-9, aerogel powder, and an opacifying agent; Step 1-11 of manufacturing a sheet-type aerogel paste by pressurizing the first aerogel paste composition manufactured in Step 1-10 above; Step 1-12, forming an insulating layer by laminating the sheet-type aerogel paste prepared in Step 1-11 above onto the upper surface of a film; and A method for manufacturing a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet comprising: a step 1-13 of attaching a film, on which a sheet-type aerogel paste is laminated, to the upper portion manufactured in the above step 1-12 by applying pressure.
As a method for manufacturing a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet, Step 2-1 of preparing a diluted aqueous hydrochloric acid solution by mixing hydrochloric acid and distilled water; Step 2-2, which involves mixing the aqueous hydrochloric acid solution prepared in Step 2-1 with methyltrimethoxysilane to hydrolyze the methyltrimethoxysilane and produce methanol and methyl(dimethoxy)silanol; Step 2-3 for separating and collecting methanol generated in Step 2-2 above; Step 2-4, preparing an alcohol mixture having a first adhesive property by mixing hexamethyldisilazane with the methanol separated and collected in Step 2-3 above; Step 2-5, preparing an alcohol mixture having a second adhesive property by adding butanol to the alcohol mixture having a first adhesive property prepared in Step 2-4 above; Step 2-6 of preparing hydrophobic porous silica beads with a hydrophobic surface by mixing and stirring porous silica beads, butanol, and hexamethyldisilazane in a separate container; Step 2-7, preparing a hydrophobic porous silica alcohol gel by mixing and grinding the hydrophobic porous silica beads prepared in Step 2-6 and the alcohol mixture having second adhesive properties prepared in Step 2-5; Step 2-8, mixing and stirring the hydrophobic porous silica alcohol gel prepared in Step 2-7 with the short fibers to coat the surface of the short fibers with the hydrophobic porous silica beads; Step 2-9, preparing a silica alcohol gel comprising a short fiber coated with hydrophobic porous silica beads on its surface, prepared in Step 2-8 above, by mixing and grinding the short fiber with hydrophobic porous silica beads and hydrophilic porous silica beads together; Step 2-10 of preparing a second aerogel paste composition by mixing a silica alcohol gel containing short fibers coated with hydrophobic porous silica beads and hydrophilic porous silica beads prepared in Step 2-9, aerogel powder, and an opacifying agent; Step 2-11 of manufacturing a sheet-type aerogel paste by pressurizing the second aerogel paste composition manufactured in Step 2-10 above; Step 2-12, forming a first insulation layer by laminating the sheet-type aerogel paste prepared in Step 2-11 above onto the upper surface of the film; Step 2-13 of attaching a film having a first insulation layer formed on the upper surface manufactured in Step 2-12 above by applying pressure; Step 2-14, forming a support layer by laminating a support on top of the film to which the first insulation layer attached in Step 2-13 is attached; Step 2-15, forming a second insulation layer by laminating a sheet-type aerogel paste manufactured in Step 2-11 onto the upper portion of the film laminated in Step 2-14, the first insulation layer, and the support layer; and A method for manufacturing a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet comprising: a step 2-16 of attaching a second insulation layer laminated in the above step 2-15 by applying pressure.
In claim 1 or 2, A method for manufacturing a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet, characterized in that the short fibers are one or more selected from glass fibers, silica fibers, carbon fibers, ceramic fibers, and basalt fibers, and the average length of the short fibers is 1 to 3 mm and the average diameter is 5 to 15 μm.
In claim 1 or 2, A method for manufacturing a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet, characterized in that the above-mentioned opacifying agent is one or more selected from carbon black, silicon carbide (SiC), titanium oxide ( TiO2 ), aluminum oxide ( Al2O3 ), and zirconium oxide ( ZrO2 ).
In claim 1, A method for manufacturing a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet, characterized in that steps 1-12 and 1-13 above are performed in a comma coater.
In claim 2, A method for manufacturing a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet, characterized in that steps 2-12, 2-13, 2-15, and 2-16 are performed in a comma coater.
A thin-film aerogel insulation sheet manufactured by the method for manufacturing a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet of claim 1 or 2.
In claim 7, A thin-film aerogel insulation sheet characterized by having a thickness of 100 to 500 μm.

Description

Manufacturing method of a thin aerogel insulation sheet and a thin aerogel insulation sheet therefrom The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet that has excellent thermal insulation properties and can be used as an insulation material for electric vehicles, etc., and to a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet manufactured therefrom. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet that has excellent thermal insulation properties despite being a thin film by using an organic silane-based mixed solution to prepare and use an aerogel paste composition having adhesive properties, thereby increasing the cohesive force between constituent materials, and to a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet manufactured therefrom. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, 54,645 electric vehicles were sold in the first half of 2022, marking a staggering 109% increase compared to 2021. While the domestic electric vehicle market continues to grow, controversies surrounding vehicle fires persist. Batteries are cited as a major factor increasing the fire risk in electric vehicles. Although lithium-ion batteries, widely used in electric vehicles recently, are effective in extending driving range—a previously pointed-out drawback—the risk of internal heat generation and the resulting fire remains. As battery fire accidents in electric vehicles increase, there is a growing need for functional insulation materials capable of reducing equipment damage and casualties caused by thermal runaway. While battery cells used in these vehicles come in cylindrical, prismatic, or pouch types, pouch-type cells are primarily used due to their ability to be stacked at high density and their low weight relative to capacity. However, pouch-type battery cells, which are widely used recently, undergo volume changes due to the intercalation and de-intercalation of lithium ions into the electrode material during charging and discharging. In addition, damage to the separator between the electrode materials caused by the expansion of the electrodes within the battery cell leads to the occurrence of internal resistance, as well as an increase in voltage and a decrease in battery performance and final battery capacity; therefore, an insulating material is required to cope with the volume expansion of the battery. Looking at prior art regarding thermal insulation materials used for such battery cell modules, Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1459828 discloses a multifunctional heat dissipation plate that can effectively dissipate heat accumulated within battery cells and modules, and has additional functions such as sensor function, vibration control, battery stability control function, and energy harvesting function; and Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1843817 discloses a method for manufacturing a lightweight refractory thermal insulation block comprising the steps of: preparing a first mixture by mixing expanded polystyrene beads, fumed silica, a surfactant, and a solvent; preparing a second mixture by mixing cement into the first mixture; manufacturing a block by pouring the second mixture into a mold and curing it; and separating the cured block from the mold. Battery cells as described above require thermal insulation performance capable of accommodating volume expansion to reduce equipment loss and human casualties caused by thermal runaway; however, battery cells using thermal insulation materials according to the prior art show limitations in effectively dissipating heat generated in the battery cells due to thermal conductivity anisotropy and low thermal conductivity. Therefore, there is a need to develop a thermal insulation material that is a thin film capable of reducing damage caused by thermal runaway of the battery during the manufacturing of battery cell modules and blocking and delaying heat transfer when used as a building material, while simultaneously possessing excellent thermal insulation properties. Furthermore, since it is difficult to manufacture a thermal insulation sheet with a uniform surface as shown in FIG. 1 (a) due to weak adhesion when manufacturing thermal insulation sheets according to the prior art, there is a need to manufacture a thermal insulation composition capable of increasing the cohesion between constituent materials. FIG. 1 is a photograph of an aerogel insulation sheet (a) according to the prior art and a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet (b) according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet (a) according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a thin-film aerogel insulation sheet (b) according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the operation of a comma coater according to the present invention. In this application, terms such as “comprising,” “having,” or “co