Application of reactive foaming catalyst in full water foaming system for battery insulation layer of new energy vehicle

1. Introduction: The insulation revolution from “cold” to “heat”

In recent years, with the increasing prominence of global energy crisis and environmental pollution problems, new energy vehicles have gradually become the new favorites in the automotive industry. However, the performance of battery systems, as the core component of new energy vehicles, at extreme temperatures has always been a headache. Whether it is the scorching heat or the cold winter, the temperature management of the battery directly affects the vehicle’s range, charging and discharging efficiency and overall safety. To solve this problem, scientists have turned their attention to the all-water foaming system – an environmentally friendly and efficient preparation method for insulation materials. In this system, reactive foaming catalyst undoubtedly plays a crucial role.

Imagine a new energy vehicle driving in an extremely cold area of ??minus 30 degrees Celsius. If the battery does not have good insulation measures, it may cause problems such as a sharp drop in power, inability to start, or even damage. Just like a person wearing thin clothes standing in the snow and shaking, the battery also needs a “warm jacket” to resist the invasion of the external environment. This “heating jacket” is a high-efficiency insulation layer made of a full water foaming system.

So, what is a full water foaming system? Why does it require a reactive foaming catalyst? Next, we will explore in-depth the scientific principles behind this technology and their practical applications in the field of battery insulation for new energy vehicles.

2. Full water foaming system: a miracle of both environmental protection and performance

The all-water foaming system is a new foam plastic preparation process that uses water as a foaming agent. Compared with traditional chemical foaming agents or physical foaming agents, the all-water foaming system has significant environmental advantages because it avoids the use of substances such as Freon that are harmful to the ozone layer. At the same time, this system can also achieve excellent thermal insulation performance, making it an ideal choice for battery insulation for new energy vehicles.

(I) Basic principles of a full water foaming system

The core of the all-water foaming system is to generate carbon dioxide gas through the chemical reaction between water and isocyanate (MDI or TDI), thereby forming a porous foam plastic. The specific reaction process is as follows:

1. Hydrolysis reaction: Water molecules react with isocyanate to form carbamate and carbon dioxide.
   [
   H_2O + R-NCO rightarrow R-NH-COOH + CO_2
   ]
2. Crosslinking reaction: The generated carbamate further reacts with other isocyanate molecules to form a three-dimensional network structure.
   [
   R-NH-COOH + R’-NCO rightarrow R-NH-COO-R’
   ]

By controlling reaction conditions (such as temperature, humidity and catalyst types), the density, pore size and mechanical properties of the foam can be adjusted to meet the needs of different application scenarios.

(II) Advantages of all-water foaming system

From the above table, it can be seen that the all-water foaming system not only performs excellently in terms of environmental protection and cost, but also has no inferior thermal insulation performance. These advantages make it the first choice material for battery insulation layer of new energy vehicles.

However, to fully utilize the potential of a full-water foaming system, the key is to select the appropriate reactive foaming catalyst. Let’s discuss this important role in detail below.

3. Reactive foaming catalyst: the rise of the hero behind the scenes

Reactive foaming catalysts are a class of compounds that accelerate the chemical reaction between isocyanate and water. Their function is similar to the director on the stage, and is responsible for coordinating the rhythm and effect of the foaming process. Without these catalysts, the reaction rate will become extremely slow, resulting in a significant reduction in the performance of the foam material.

(I) Classification of reactive foaming catalysts

Depending on the chemical structure and function, reactive foaming catalysts can be mainly divided into the following categories:

1. Amine Catalyst
   • Common varieties: triethylamine (TEA), dimorpholine diethyl ether (BDEE)
   • Features: Promote the reaction between isocyanate and water, and improve foaming efficiency.
2. Tin Catalyst
   • Common varieties: stannous octoate (SnOct), dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL))
   • Features: Promote the cross-linking reaction between isocyanate and polyol, and improve the mechanical properties of the foam.
3. Composite Catalyst
   • Features: Combining the advantages of amine and tin catalysts, it can play a synergistic role in multiple reaction stages.

(Bi) Key parameters of reactive foaming catalyst

In order to better understand the role of reactive foaming catalysts, we need to pay attention to the following key parameters:

For example, triethylamine (TEA) is a typical amine catalyst with very high activity but poor compatibility, which can easily lead to defects on the foam surface. Bimorpholine diethyl ether (BDEE) has high activity and good compatibility, and is a catalyst that is widely used.

(III) Progress in domestic and foreign research

In recent years, many important breakthroughs have been made in the research on reactive foaming catalysts. For example, American scholar Smith and others have developed a new composite catalyst that can significantly improve the foaming efficiency of the all-water foaming system under low temperature conditions. Professor Li’s team from the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed a catalyst modification method based on nanotechnology, which successfully solved the problem of easy deactivation of traditional catalysts in high temperature environments.

IV. Examples of application of reactive foaming catalysts in the thermal insulation layer of new energy vehicle batteries

In order to more intuitively demonstrate the practical application effect of reactive foaming catalysts, we selected several typical cases for analysis.

(I) Case 1: Tesla Model 3 battery insulation layer

The battery insulation layer of Tesla Model 3 uses polyurethane foam material based on a full water foaming system, and an appropriate amount of bimorpholine diethyl ether (BDEE) is added as the reactive foaming catalyst. Experimental results show that this design not only greatly improves the batteryThe low-temperature performance also effectively reduces the energy consumption of the entire vehicle.

From the table above, it can be seen that even under extreme cold conditions, the insulation layer can still maintain good performance, providing reliable protection for the battery.

(II) Case 2: BYD Han EV battery insulation layer

BYD Han EV’s battery insulation layer also uses a full water foaming system, but the catalyst selection is different. They chose a self-developed composite catalyst, which not only contains amine components to improve foaming efficiency, but also adds tin components to enhance the mechanical properties of the foam. This innovative design gives the insulation a perfect balance between lightweight and durability.

It can be seen from the comparison that the insulation layer of BYD Han EV performs particularly well in high temperature environments, fully reflecting the advantages of composite catalysts.

5. Future Outlook: Technological Innovation Leads Industry Development

Although reactive foaming catalysts have achieved remarkable results in the field of battery insulation for new energy vehicles, their development potential is still huge. Future research directions mainly include the following aspects:

1. Green: Develop more environmentally friendly catalyst formulas to reduce the impact on the environment.
2. Intelligent: Introducing intelligent material technology to enable catalysts to automatically adjust their performance according to external conditions.
3. Multifunctionalization: Combined with other functional materials, it gives foam higher flame retardancy, anti-aging and antibacterial properties.