Progress in functional separator materials for lithium-ion batteries

As the application of Li-ion batteries has been expanding from consumer electronics to industrial usage including electric vehicles and energy storage, the separator, which is a critical component of a Li-ion battery, has gained much more attention to improve its performance. This paper reviews the research progress of ceramic coater separators, polymer modified separators and other functional separators from the viewpoint of the Li-ion battery safety and electrochemical performance. Furthermore, the paper also brings on the future prospect of functional separators which provides some references for the development of this area.