Crystallization of Secondary Phase on Super-Duplex Stainless Steel SAF2507: Advanced Li-Ion Battery Case Materials

The demand for Li-ion batteries has increased because of their extensive use in vehicles and portable electronic devices. This increasing demand implies greater interaction between batteries and humans, making safety a paramount concern. Although traditional batteries are fabricated using Al, recent efforts to enhance safety have led to the adoption of AISI304. The strength and corrosion resistance of AISI304 are greater than those of Al; however, issues such as stress-induced phase transformation and low high-temperature strength have been observed during processing. Duplex stainless steel SAF2507, which is characterized by a dual-phase structure consisting of austenite and ferrite, exhibits excellent strength and corrosion resistance. Although SAF2507 demonstrated outstanding high-temperature strength up to 700 degrees C, it precipitated a secondary phase. The precipitation of this secondary phase, believed to be caused by the precipitation of the carbides of Cr and Mo, has been extensively studied. Research on the precipitation of the secondary phase near 1000 degrees C has been conducted owing to the annealing temperature (1100 degrees C) of the SAF2507 solution. The secondary phase precipitates at approximately 1000 degrees C because of slow cooling rates. However, few studies have been conducted on the precipitation of the secondary phase at approximately 700 degrees C. This study analyzed the precipitation behavior of the secondary phase at 700 degrees C when SAF2507 was applied and assessed its safety during heat generation in Li-ion batteries. The precipitation behavior was analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy for morphology, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for composition, and X-ray diffraction for phase identification.