SEPARATOR FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM BATTERY AND RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM BATTERY INCLUDING THE SAME

A separator for a rechargeable lithium battery and a rechargeable lithium battery including the separator, the separator including a porous substrate, and a coating layer on at least one surface of the porous substrate, wherein the coating layer includes a heat resistant binder including a (meth)acryl copolymer including a first structural unit and a second structural unit, the first structural unit being a structural unit of a (meth)acrylamide and the second structural unit being a structural unit of a (meth)acrylic acid, a (meth)acrylate, a (meth)acrylonitrile, a (meth)acrylamido sulfonic acid, a (meth)acrylamido sulfonate salt, or a combination thereof; polyethylene particles; and first inorganic particles, and an average particle size (D50) of the first inorganic particles is larger than an average particle size (D50) of the polyethylene particles.