Composition and method for dry electrode film including elastic polymer binder

Abstract

To provide a dry electrode film including no PTFE or at least a small amount of PTFE, the dry electrode film being used for an energy storage device.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a dry electrode film used for an energy storage device, the dry electrode film including: a dry active material; and a dry binder containing an elastic polymer. The dry electrode film is a self-dependent type and contains a small amount of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) at a maximum.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Incorporation by reference of any priority applications This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 826,273, filed March 29, 2019, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. [Background technology]

[0002] Field The present disclosure relates generally to dry energy storage device electrodes, energy storage devices including such electrodes, and related methods.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art Conventional energy storage devices and related methods generally include a binder material in which active electrode materials and other additives are mixed and processed to form an electrode film. The electrode film is generally applied to one or more other layers of material to form an electrode. Typically, a negative electrode (anode) and a positive electrode (cathode) are formed with a separator disposed therebetween and inserted into a housing with an electrolyte to form various types of energy storage devices.

[0004] Electrode films used in energy storage device electrodes can be formed using wet or dry processes. For example, the active electrode material can be mixed with binder materials, solvents, and other additives in a wet coating method that requires significant subsequent drying techniques to produce the electrode film.

[0005] Dry electrode processes have been developed to reduce the time-consuming and costly drying procedures required by the wet processes. For example, an electrode process may include mixing a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binder with the active electrode material and calendering to form an electrode film. However, energy storage devices with electrodes containing PTFE binders may exhibit undesirable device performance, such as increased irreversible capacity loss during redox processes. Summary of the Invention

[0006] For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention are described herein. Not all such objects or advantages may be achieved in any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, one skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or practiced in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein, without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

[0007] In a first aspect, a dry electrode film for an energy storage device is provided, the dry electrode film comprising a dry active material and a dry binder comprising an elastomeric polymer, the dry binder being PTFE-free or containing a negligible amount of PTFE, and the dry electrode film being free-standing.

[0008] In some embodiments, the elastic polymer is selected from at least one of PE, PEO, and PVDF. In some embodiments, the dry electrode film comprises about 0-5 wt% PE and about 0-2 wt% PVDF. In some embodiments, the dry active material comprises graphite. In some embodiments, the dry electrode film comprises about 96 wt% graphite and about 4 wt% PE. In some embodiments, the dry electrode film comprises , about 96% by weight graphite, about 3% by weight PE, and about 1% by weight PVDF.

[0009] In another aspect, a dry electrode film for use in an energy storage device is provided, the dry electrode film comprising a dry active material and a dry binder comprising an elastomeric polymer, the dry electrode film being self-supporting and comprising at most a minor amount of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

[0010] In some embodiments, the elastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of cellulose, polyolefin, polyether, polyether precursor, polysiloxane, copolymers thereof, and mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the elastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO), polyethylene-block-poly(ethylene glycol), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polydimethylsiloxane-coalkylmethylsiloxane, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), copolymers thereof, and mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the elastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of PE, PEO, PVDF, and mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the dry electrode film comprises an elastic polymer in a weight percentage of about 0.5 to 10% by weight.

[0011] In some embodiments, the dry electrode film is free of PTFE. In some embodiments, the dry electrode film is free of processing solvent residues. In some embodiments, the dry electrode film comprises a weight percent of at least about 95% by weight of dry active material. In some embodiments, the dry active material is graphite. In some embodiments, the dry electrode film has a tensile strength of about 1 N or greater. In some embodiments, the dry electrode film is substantially free of defects.

[0012] In some embodiments, an electrode is provided comprising the current collector and the dry electrode film, hi some embodiments, a battery is provided comprising the electrode.

[0013] In another aspect, a method of making a dry electrode film is provided, the method including combining a dry active material and a dry binder to form a dry first mixture, where the dry binder comprises an elastomeric polymer, and calendaring the dry first mixture to form a dry electrode film, where the dry electrode film is self-supporting and comprises at most an insignificant amount of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

[0014] In some embodiments, the mixing is by a non-destructive mixing process. In some embodiments, the mixing does not include high shear mixing. In some embodiments, the mixing is at a temperature at about room temperature or above.

[0015] In some embodiments, the dry active material has a first particle size distribution before mixing and a second particle size distribution after mixing, the first and second particle size distributions being substantially equivalent. In some embodiments, the calendering is performed at a temperature of about 150-250° C. In some embodiments, the method further comprises calendering the dry electrode film.

[0016] All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. These and other embodiments of the invention will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, although the invention is not limited to any particular preferred embodiment disclosed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of an energy storage device comprising an electrode film that includes an elastic polymer binder. [Figure 2A] Figures 2A-2H show photographs of one embodiment of an electrode film that was processed from a powder into a free-standing film: Figure 2A shows a processed final formulation powder. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B shows the final powder between the two rolls before calendering. [Figure 2C] FIG. 2C shows a calendered free-standing film of Formulation 1. [Figure 2D] FIG. 2D shows a calendered free-standing film of Formulation 4. [Figure 2E] FIG. 2E shows a calendered free-standing film of Formulation 5. [Figure 2F] FIG. 2F shows a calendered free-standing film of Formulation 6. [Figure 2G] FIG. 2G shows a bendable free-standing film of Formulation 5. [Figure 2H] FIG. 2H shows a bendable free-standing film of Formulation 6. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a graph showing the tensile strength of various free-standing graphite electrode film embodiments. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a graph showing the elongation of various free-standing graphite electrode film embodiments. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A is a graph showing the charge / discharge capacity of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell using Electrolyte A. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a graph showing the efficiency of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell using Electrolyte A. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a graph showing the capacity of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell using electrolyte B. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a graph showing the efficiency of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell using electrolyte B. [Figure 6A] FIG. 6A is a graph showing the differential capacity of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Formulation 1 using Electrolyte A. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is a graph showing the differential capacity of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Formulation 2 using Electrolyte A. [Figure 6C] FIG. 6C is a graph showing the differential capacity of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Formulation 3 using Electrolyte A. [Figure 7A]FIG. 7A is a graph showing the differential capacity of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Formulation 1 with Electrolyte B. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a graph showing the differential capacity of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Formulation 2 using Electrolyte B. [Figure 7C] FIG. 7C is a graph showing the differential capacity of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Formulation 3 using Electrolyte B. [Figure 8A] FIG. 8A is a graph showing the first cycle voltage profile of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Formulation 1 using Electrolyte A. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B is a graph showing the first cycle voltage profile of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Recipe 2 using Electrolyte A. [Figure 8C] FIG. 8C is a graph showing the first cycle voltage profile of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Recipe 3 using Electrolyte A. [Figure 9A] FIG. 9A is a graph showing the first cycle voltage profile of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Formulation 1 using Electrolyte B. [Figure 9B] FIG. 9B is a graph showing the first cycle voltage profile of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Recipe 2 using Electrolyte B. [Figure 9C] FIG. 9C is a graph showing the first cycle voltage profile of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Recipe 3 using Electrolyte B. [Figure 10A] FIG. 10A is a graph showing the first formation of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Formulation 1 using electrolyte B, followed by successive cycling at a rate of 0.1C. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10B is a graph showing the first formation of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Recipe 2 using Electrolyte B, followed by successive cycling at a rate of 0.1 C. [Figure 10C]FIG. 10C is a graph showing the first formation of an embodiment of a graphite electrode half-cell of Recipe 3 using Electrolyte B, followed by successive cycling at a rate of 0.1 C. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Detailed Description A free-standing electrode film for lithium-ion batteries is disclosed that is manufactured by a dry process and does not contain, or at most contains only a small amount of, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binder. The electrode film is a "dry" process that can be manufactured by a process that avoids the use of solvents. In some embodiments, the electrode film contains an alternative binder, such as one or more of polyethylene (PE), polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), which have been found to be useful in dry manufacturing processes, as discussed below. In one embodiment, the PTFE-free electrode film is used to manufacture the anode or cathode components of a lithium-ion battery or other electronic storage device.

[0019] definition The terms "battery" and "capacitor" should be given their ordinary and customary meaning to one of ordinary skill in the art. The terms "battery" and "capacitor" are not mutually exclusive. A capacitor or a battery may refer to a single electrochemical cell that may operate alone or as a component of a multi-cell system.

[0020] The voltage of the energy storage device is the operating voltage of a single battery or capacitor cell. The voltage may be above or below the rated voltage under load or according to manufacturing tolerances.

[0021] A "self-supporting" electrode film is an electrode film that incorporates a binder matrix structure sufficient to support the film or layer and maintain its shape so that the electrode film or layer can be self-supporting. A self-supporting electrode film or active layer is one that incorporates such a binder matrix structure when incorporated into an energy storage device. Generally, and depending on the method employed, such an electrode film or active layer has sufficient strength to be employed in an energy storage device manufacturing method without any external support elements such as current collectors or other films. For example, a "self-supporting" electrode film may have sufficient strength to be rolled, handled, and unrolled within an electrode manufacturing process without other support elements. A dry electrode film, such as a cathode electrode film or an anode electrode film, may be self-supporting.

[0022] A "solvent-free" electrode film is an electrode film that is undetectable or substantially free of processing solvent, processing solvent residue, and / or processing solvent impurities. Such "solvent-free" electrode films are distinguished from conventional electrode films based on conventional solvent-based processes that contain detectable or substantial amounts of processing solvent, processing solvent residue, and / or processing solvent impurities even after the solvent-based film has undergone a drying process. A dry electrode film, such as a cathode electrode film or an anode electrode film, may be solvent-free. A solvent-free dry electrode film can be made from dry components, such as a dry active material and a dry binder (e.g., powder), which are also solvent-free as defined above. In some embodiments, the dry components may contain an amount of atmospheric moisture due to absorption of trace amounts of moisture from the surrounding air. In some embodiments, the solvent-free components and / or the solvent-free electrode film may have a moisture content of 2000 ppm, 1500 ppm, 1000 ppm, 900 ppm, 800 ppm, 700 ppm, 600 ppm, 500 ppm, 40 ppm, 50 ppm, 60 ppm, 70 ppm, 80 ppm, 90 ppm, 100 ppm, 15 ... 0 ppm, 300 ppm, 200 ppm, 100 ppm, 50 ppm or 10 ppm, or about 2000 ppm, about 1500 ppm, about 1000 ppm, about 900 ppm, about 800 ppm, about 700 ppm, about 600 ppm, about 500 ppm, about 400 ppm, about 300 ppm, about 200 ppm, about 100 ppm, about 50 ppm or about 10 ppm, up to 2000 ppm, up to 1500 ppm, up to 1000 ppm, up to 900 ppm, up to 800 ppm, up to 700 ppm, up to 600 ppm, At most 500 ppm, up to 400 ppm, up to 300 ppm, up to 200 ppm, up to 100 ppm, up to 50 ppm or up to 10 ppm, up to about 2000 ppm, up to about 1500 ppm, up to about 1000 ppm, up to about 900 ppm, up to about 800 ppm, up to about 700 ppm, up to about 600 ppm, up to about 500 ppm, up to about 400 ppm, up to about 300 ppm, up to about 200 ppm, up to about 100 ppm, up to about 50 ppm or up to about 10 ppm, or any range of values ​​therebetween.

[0023] A "wet" electrode, "wet process" electrode or slurry electrode is an electrode that is prepared by at least one step involving a slurry of active material, binder and optional additives. A wet electrode may contain processing solvent, processing solvent residues and / or processing solvent impurities.

[0024] A "PTFE-free" film is one that does not contain polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). A film that contains a "trivial amount of PTFE" is one that contains a small amount of PTFE that does not substantially affect the properties of the film or an electrochemical device that includes such a film, even if it does contain PTFE. For example, a film that contains a trivial amount of PTFE, or at most a trivial amount of PTFE, includes a PTFE-free film and may contain less than 0.5 wt.% PTFE.

[0025] A "non-destructive" process is one in which the electrode active material, including the surface of the electrode active material, is not substantially modified during the process. Thus, analytical properties and / or performance in applications such as incorporation of the active material into an energy storage device are the same or nearly the same as those that have not been subjected to the process. For example, the coating of the active material may not be disturbed or substantially disturbed during the process. A non-limiting example of a non-destructive process is "non-destructive mixing or blending" or jet milling, where the reduction in pressure, increase in feed rate, decrease in speed (e.g., blender speed), and / or change in other process parameters are below the threshold at which the analytical properties and / or performance of the active material are adversely affected when implemented in an energy storage device. One example of an effective non-destructive mixing process is by using a blade-type mixer with a tip speed of about 10 meters / min to about 40 meters / min. A "non-destructive" process can be distinguished from a high shear process that substantially modifies the electrode active material, such as the surface of the electrode active material, and substantially affects the analytical properties and / or performance of the active material. For example, high shear blending or high shear jet milling can have detrimental effects on the surface of the electrode active material. High shear processes can be performed to impair the active material surface properties to provide other benefits, such as fibrillation of the binder material, or formation of a binder / active material matrix to aid in the formation of a self-supporting electrode film. Embodiments herein can provide similar benefits while avoiding the detrimental effects of excessive use of high shear processes. In general, non-destructive processes herein are performed at one or more of higher feed rates, lower speeds, and / or less pressure, resulting in a lower shear process than more destructive processes that would otherwise substantially alter the electrode active material and affect performance.

[0026] explanation Although specific embodiments and examples are described below, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and / or uses, as well as obvious variations and equivalents thereof, and therefore it is not intended that the scope of the invention disclosed herein should be limited by any specific embodiments described below.

[0027] As described herein, dry electrode processes have been developed to reduce the time-consuming and costly drying procedures required by the wet processes. Dry electrode processes have also been developed that do not require the use of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binders to hold together the active electrode materials, which are calendered to form the electrode film. The embodiments described herein include alternative binder materials for the electrode film that may reduce the aforementioned degradation drawbacks and irreversible loss of capacity inherent to using PTFE alone as the electrode binder, for example, in dry electrode processes. Some embodiments provide electrode binder materials that allow electrochemical operation at low voltages with little or no significant additional loss of energy. Some embodiments provide free-standing dry processed electrodes that include binders that include elastic polymer binders. In some implementations, the free-standing electrodes include graphite active material and elastic polymer binders, such as high molecular weight polyethylene (PE), polyethylene oxide (PEO), and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF). In some embodiments, the electrode film does not include PTFE, and thus is free of PTFE. In some embodiments, the electrode film may include a minor amount of PTFE. In some embodiments, the electrode film may include at most a minor amount of PTFE. Material properties such as mechanical strength and electrochemical performance of such free-standing electrode films are examined herein. For example, an electrode film including an elastic polymer binder and a minor amount of PTFE may exhibit similar or greater tensile strength and / or ductility compared to a comparable electrode film including PTFE, which may facilitate the manufacture of energy storage devices. In particular, an electrode film having greater tensile strength and / or ductility may be easier to apply to a current collector or other substrate. These factors may be particularly relevant when dry electrode processing techniques are used, and the electrode film may be treated as a self-supporting film, further defined herein as a "self-supporting film."

[0028] One embodiment is a manufacturing process for forming an anode and / or electrode film with a PTFE-free binder composition. In some embodiments, the manufacturing process or a portion of the manufacturing process can be carried out at room temperature or above to facilitate the formation of an electrode exhibiting desired electrical performance. In some embodiments, the manufacturing process or a portion of the manufacturing process is carried out at 18° C., 20° C., 25° C., 30° C., 40° C., 60° C., or 80° C., or about 18° C., about 20° C., about 25° C., about 30° C., about 40° C., about 60° C., or about 80° C., or at least 18° C., at least 20° C., at least 25° C., at least 30° C., at least 40° C., at least 60° C., or at least 80° C., or at least about 18° C., at least about 20° C., at least about 25° C., at least about 30° C., at least about 40° C., at least about 60° C., or at least about 80° C., or any range of values ​​therebetween. In some embodiments, a manufacturing process is provided for forming an anode electrode film comprising a binder composition described herein. In some embodiments, the anode electrode film manufacturing process includes a jet mill, blending, tumbling, or acoustic mixing step that facilitates the formation of a defect-reduced or nearly defect-free electrode film using a dry manufacturing process. In some embodiments, the electrode film manufacturing process does not include a high shear mixing step (e.g., a high shear jet mill), and the dry electrode components may be mixed under gentler conditions, such as a non-destructive mixing process, to form a defect-free or nearly defect-free electrode film using a dry manufacturing process. In some embodiments, the electrode film manufacturing process may be, or may be essentially, a single mixing step of the active material with an elastomeric polymer binder before the electrode film is formed.

[0029] Other mechanical and electrical properties may also be considered when developing the composite binder material and the process used to form the electrodes. For example, the ductility and / or porosity of the binder material may be selected to provide improved mechanical integrity and / or ionic conductivity for the electrode. In some embodiments, the binder material may be selected to provide a resulting composite binder material having desirable electrical properties. The material may be selected to provide a desired interaction with one or more other components of the device, such as an electrolyte, and / or to provide a desired effectiveness as a binder material, while providing a resultant electrode film that is compatible with the electrolyte.

[0030] In one embodiment, non-destructively treated active materials, e.g., undamaged and / or intact surfaces of active material particulates, are incorporated into the electrode film mixture. Undamaged and / or intact active materials may include materials having substantially the same particle size distribution, surface area distribution, surface chemical reactivation and / or surface chemical composition as commercially purchased materials, and / or materials prior to processes that may change these physical properties of the active materials. Thus, bulk active materials with reduced surface degradation are provided. In some embodiments, non-destructive mixing may include blending, tumbling, or acoustic mixing. In some embodiments, non-destructive mixing may be performed by a resonant acoustic mixer.

[0031] The materials and methods provided herein can be implemented with a variety of energy storage devices. For example, the energy storage device may be a capacitor, a lithium ion capacitor (LIC), an ultracapacitor, a battery, or a hybrid energy storage device and / or a hybrid cell, or may combine two or more aspects thereof. In some embodiments, the device is a battery. The energy storage device may be characterized by an operating voltage. In some embodiments, the energy storage devices described herein may have an operating voltage of about 0V to about 5V. In further embodiments, the operating voltage may be about 2.7V to about 4.2V, about 3.0V to about 4.2V, or any value therebetween.

[0032] In one embodiment, the energy storage device comprises one or more electrodes. The electrodes generally comprise an electrode film and a current collector. The electrode film may be formed from a mixture of one or more binders and one or more active electrode materials. It is understood that the elastic polymer binder and the electrodes comprising the elastic polymer binder may be used in various embodiments with any of a number of energy storage devices and systems, such as one or more batteries, capacitors, capacitor-battery hybrids, fuel cells or other energy storage systems or devices, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the electrode film mixtures and electrodes made from the electrode film mixtures described herein may be components of lithium ion capacitors, lithium ion batteries, ultracapacitors, or hybrid energy storage devices combining two or more of the foregoing aspects.

[0033] The energy storage device may be in any suitable configuration, for example, planar, spirally wound, button-shaped, or pouch-shaped. The energy storage device may also be a component of a system, for example, a power generation system, an uninterruptible power supply system (UPS), a solar power system, an energy recovery system, for example, for use in industrial machinery and / or transportation. The energy storage device may be used to power a variety of electronic devices and / or automobiles, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and / or electric vehicles (EVs).

[0034] In one embodiment, the energy storage device may have a reduced increase in equivalent series resistance over the life of the device, which may increase the power density over the life of the device. In some embodiments, these types of energy storage devices may have a reduced loss of capacity over the life of the device. These devices may also include improved cycling performance, including improved storage stability and reduced capacity fade during cycling.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a schematic side cross-sectional view of an example of an energy storage device 100 comprising an electrode film including an elastic polymer binder. The energy storage device 100 may be, for example, a capacitor. It can be classified as a battery, a capacitor-battery hybrid, or a fuel cell. In some embodiments, the device 100 is a lithium ion battery.

[0036] The device includes a first electrode 102, a second electrode 104, and a separator 106 disposed between the first electrode 102 and the second electrode 104. The first electrode 102 and the second electrode 104 are adjacent to opposing surfaces of the separator 106. The energy storage device 100 includes an electrolyte 118 to facilitate ionic transfer between the electrodes 102, 104 of the energy storage device 100. For example, the electrolyte 118 may be in contact with the first electrode 102, the second electrode 104, and the separator 106. The electrolyte 118, the first electrode 102, the second electrode 104, and the separator 106 are contained within an energy storage device housing 120.

[0037] One or more of the first electrode 102, second electrode 104, and separator 106, or components thereof, may include a porous material. Pores within the porous material can provide containment and / or increased surface area for contacting the electrolyte 118 within the housing 120. The energy storage device housing 120 may be sealed around the first electrode 102, second electrode 104, and separator 106, and may be physically sealed from the surrounding environment.

[0038] In some embodiments, the first electrode 102 may be an anode ("negative electrode") and the second electrode 104 may be a cathode ("positive electrode"). The separator 106 may be configured to allow ionic communication between two adjacent electrodes, such as the first electrode 102 and the second electrode 104, while electrically insulating the two electrodes adjacent to opposite sides of the separator 106. The separator 106 may include a suitable porous, electrically insulating material. In some embodiments, the separator 106 may include a polymeric material. For example, the separator 106 may include a cellulose material (e.g., paper), a polyethylene (PE) material, a polypropylene (PP) material, and / or a polyethylene and polypropylene material.

[0039] In general, the first electrode 102 and the second electrode 104 each comprise a current collector and an electrode film. The electrodes 102 and 104 comprise electrode films 112 and 114, with the first electrode film 112 shown as including a trace amount of PTFE and including a resilient polymer binder. Although the second electrode film 114 is not shown as including a resilient polymer binder and / or including a trace amount of PTFE, it should be understood that either or both of the electrode films 112 and / or 114 may include a resilient polymer binder and / or include a trace amount of PTFE. The electrodes 102 and 104 each comprise a single electrode film 112 and 114 as shown, although other combinations with two or more electrode films per electrode 102 and 104 are possible. Although the device 100 is shown as including a single electrode 102 and a single electrode 104, other combinations are possible. The electrode films 112 and 114 each may have any suitable shape, size, and thickness. For example, the electrode films may each have a thickness of about 30 microns (μm) to about 250 microns, such as about (or at least about), 50 microns, about 100 microns, about 150 microns, about 200 microns, about 250 microns, about 300 microns, about 400 microns, about 500 microns, about 750 microns, about 1000 microns, about 2000 microns, or any range of values ​​therebetween. Additional electrode film thicknesses are described throughout this disclosure for a single electrode film. An electrode film generally includes one or more active materials, such as an anode active material or a cathode active material. The electrode films 112 and / or 114 may be dry and / or self-supporting electrode films with low thickness, high electrode film density, high energy density, high specific energy density, high areal energy density, high areal capacity, or high specific capacity. The first electrode film 112 and / or the second electrode film 114 may include one or more binders. The electrode films 112 and / or 114 may be prepared by a process as described herein. The electrode films 112 and / or 114 may be wet or self-supporting dry electrodes as described herein.

[0040] In some embodiments, the active material may be a carbon-based material or battery material. In some embodiments, the active material may include lithium metal oxide, sulfur carbon composite, and / or lithium sulfide. In some embodiments, the active material may include lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium manganese oxide (LMO), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), lithium titanate (LTO), lithium nickel manganese oxide (LNMO), and / or lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA). In some embodiments, the active material may include other materials described herein. In some embodiments, the active material may include one or more carbon materials. The carbon materials may be selected from, for example, graphitic materials, graphite, graphene-containing materials, hard carbon, soft carbon, carbon nanotubes, porous carbon, conductive carbon, or combinations thereof. The activated carbon may be derived from a water vapor process or an acid / etch process. In some embodiments, the graphitic material may be a surface-treated material. In some embodiments, the porous carbon may include activated carbon. In some embodiments, the porous carbon may comprise hierarchically structured carbon. In some embodiments, the porous carbon may comprise structured carbon nanotubes, structured carbon nanowires, and / or structured carbon nanosheets. In some embodiments, the porous carbon may comprise graphene sheets. In some embodiments, the porous carbon may be surface treated carbon. In preferred embodiments, the active material comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of graphite.

[0041] In general, the electrode films described herein can be manufactured using a modified dry manufacturing process. For example, some steps used to manufacture the components described in this application can be found in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005 / 0266298 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 0146479. These and any other references to external documents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. As used herein, a dry manufacturing process can refer to a process in which no or substantially no solvent is used to form the electrode film. For example, the components of the electrode film, including the carbon material and the binder, can include dry particles. The dry particles for forming the electrode film can be mixed to provide a dry particle electrode film mixture. In some embodiments, the electrode film can be formed from the dry particle electrode film mixture such that the weight percentages of the components of the electrode film and the weight percentages of the components of the dry particle electrode film mixture are substantially the same. In some embodiments, the electrode film formed from the dry particle electrode film mixture using a dry manufacturing process can be free or substantially free of any processing additives, such as solvents and solvent residues resulting therefrom. In some embodiments, the resulting electrode film is a self-supporting electrode film formed from a dry particle mixture using a drying process. In some embodiments, the resulting electrode film is a free-standing electrode film formed from a dry particle mixture using a drying process. The electrode film may include an elastic polymer binder as described herein and / or may include a minor amount of PTFE. In some embodiments, the free-standing electrode film may be formed in the absence of a current collector. In further embodiments, the electrode film may be a self-supporting electrode film. In some embodiments, the dry particle electrode film mixture is calendered by a first calender to form an electrode film. In some embodiments, the formed electrode film is calendered again by a second calender.In some embodiments, the calendering (e.g., the first and / or second calendering) is carried out at or about 100°C, 150°C, 165°C, 185°C, 200°C, 215°C, 230°C, 250°C, or 280°C, or at any range of values ​​therebetween.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1, the first electrode 102 and the second electrode 104 each include a first current collector 108 in contact with the first electrode film 112 and a second current collector 110 in contact with the second electrode film 114. The first current collector 108 and the second current collector 110 facilitate electrical coupling between each corresponding electrode film and an external electrical circuit (not shown). The first current collector 108 and / or the second current collector 110 may comprise one or more conductive materials and have any suitable shape and size selected to facilitate the transfer of charge between the corresponding electrode and the external circuit. For example, the current collector may comprise a metallic material such as aluminum, nickel, copper, rhenium, niobium, tantalum, and materials including precious metals such as silver, gold, platinum, palladium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, and alloys and combinations thereof. For example, the first current collector 108 and / or the second current collector 110 may comprise, for example, aluminum foil or copper foil. The first current collector 108 and / or the second current collector 110 may have a rectangular or substantially rectangular shape sized to provide for transfer of charge between the corresponding electrode and an external circuit.

[0043] In some embodiments, energy storage device 100 is a lithium ion battery or a hybrid energy storage device with a cathode including an active material. In some embodiments, the lithium ion battery is configured to operate at approximately 2.5-5V, or 2.7-4.2V.

[0044] In some embodiments, the energy storage device is configured to operate at 3V or higher. In further embodiments, the energy storage device is configured to operate at 2.7V or higher. In some embodiments, the energy storage device is configured to operate at selected voltage and temperature conditions. For example, the energy storage device may be configured to operate at temperatures of 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, 70°C, 75°C, 80°C, 85°C, 90°C, 95°C, 100°C, or higher, or any range of values ​​therebetween. The energy storage device may be configured to operate continuously at 2.7V at 60-85°C, 2.8V at 60-85°C, 2.9V at 60-85°C, or 3V at 60-85°C, or any temperature and voltage value selected therebetween. In some embodiments, the voltage and temperature conditions are about 2.7V and about 85°C, about 2.8V and about 80°C, about 2.9V and about 75°C, about 3V and about 70°C, or about 3.1V and about 65°C.

[0045] Lithium-ion Energy Storage Device In some embodiments, energy storage device 100 may be a lithium ion energy storage device, such as a lithium ion capacitor, a lithium ion battery, or a hybrid lithium ion device. In some embodiments, the electrode film of a lithium ion energy storage device electrode may include one or more active materials, may include an elastic polymer binder, and / or may be free of PTFE or may include a trace amount of PTFE.

[0046] In some embodiments, the electrode film of the lithium ion energy storage device may include an anode active material. The anode active material may include, for example, an intercalation material (such as carbon, graphite, and / or graphene), an alloying / dealloying material (such as silicon, silicon oxide, tin, and / or tin oxide), a metal alloy or compound (such as Si-Al and / or Si-Sn), and / or a conversion material (such as manganese oxide, molybdenum oxide, nickel oxide, and / or copper oxide). The anode active materials may be used alone or mixed together to form a multiphase material (such as Si-C, Sn-C, SiOx-C, SnOx-C, Si-Sn, Si-SiOx, Sn-SnOx, Si-SiOx-C, Sn-SnOx-C, Si-Sn-C, SiOx-SnOx-C, Si-SiOx-Sn, or Sn-SiOx-SnOx).

[0047] In some embodiments, the electrode film of the lithium ion energy storage device may include a cathode active material. In some embodiments, the electrode film may further include a binder, and an optional porous carbon material, and an optional conductive additive. In some embodiments, the conductive additive may include a conductive carbon additive, such as carbon black. In some embodiments, the porous carbon material may include activated carbon. In some embodiments, the cathode active material may include lithium metal oxide and / or lithium sulfide. In some embodiments, the cathode active material may include lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium manganese oxide (LMO), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), lithium titanate (LTO), lithium nickel manganese oxide, and / or lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA). The cathode active material may include sulfur, or a sulfur-containing material, such as lithium sulfide (LiS), or other sulfur-based materials, or mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the cathode film includes sulfur, or a material including a sulfur active material at a concentration of at least 50% by weight. In some embodiments, a cathode film comprising a material containing sulfur or a sulfur active material has a capacity of at least 10 mAh / cm 2In some embodiments, the cathode film comprising sulfur or a material comprising a sulfur active material has an areal capacity of 1 g / cm 3 In some embodiments, the cathode film comprising a material comprising sulfur or a sulfur active material further comprises a binder.

[0048] In some embodiments, the cathode electrode film of the lithium ion battery or hybrid energy storage device may comprise about 70 wt% to about 99 wt%, including about 70 wt% to about 96 wt%, or about 70 wt% to about 88 wt% of active material. In some embodiments, the cathode electrode film may comprise up to about 10 wt%, including up to about 5 wt%, or about 1 wt% to about 5 wt%, of a porous carbon material. In some embodiments, the cathode electrode film comprises up to about 5 wt%, including about 1 wt% to about 3 wt%, of a conductive additive. In some embodiments, the cathode electrode film comprises up to about 20 wt%, including, for example, about 1.5 wt% to 10 wt%, about 1.5 wt% to 5 wt%, or about 1.5 wt% to 3 wt% of a binder. In some embodiments, the cathode electrode film comprises about 1.5 wt% to about 3 wt% of a binder.

[0049] In some embodiments, the anode electrode film may include an active material, a binder, and an optional conductive additive. In some embodiments, the conductive additive may include a conductive carbon additive, such as carbon black. In some embodiments, the active material of the anode may include graphitic carbon, synthetic graphite, natural graphite, hard carbon, soft carbon, graphene, mesoporous carbon, silicon, silicon oxide, tin, tin oxide, germanium, lithium titanate, mixtures or composites of the foregoing materials. In some embodiments, the anode electrode film may include about 80% to about 99% by weight, including about 90% to about 98% by weight or about 94% to about 97% by weight, of the active material. In some embodiments, the anode electrode film includes up to about 5% by weight, including about 1% to about 3% by weight, of the conductive additive. In some embodiments, the anode electrode film includes up to about 20% by weight, including about 1.5% to 10% by weight, about 1.5% to 5% by weight, or about 3% to 5% by weight, of the binder. In some embodiments, the anode electrode film comprises about 4 wt % of a binder. In some embodiments, the anode film may be free of a conductive additive.

[0050] In some embodiments, the electrode film is at or about 90%, at least 92%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97% by weight, at least 98%, or at least 99% by weight. In some embodiments, the electrode film is at or about 90%, at least 92%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97% by weight. , at least 98% or at least 99% or at least about 90% by weight, at least about 92% by weight, at least about 94% by weight, at least about 95% by weight, at least about 96% by weight, at least about 97% by weight, at least about 98% by weight or at least about 99% by weight, or any range of values ​​therebetween, of active material.

[0051] In some embodiments, the electrode film of the lithium ion energy storage device electrode comprises an electrode film mixture including carbon configured to reversibly intercalate lithium ions. In some embodiments, the lithium intercalated carbon is selected from graphitic carbon, graphite, hard carbon, soft carbon, and combinations thereof. For example, the electrode film of the electrode may include a binder material, one or more of graphitic carbon, graphite, graphene-containing carbon, hard carbon, and soft carbon, and a conductive facilitating material. In some embodiments, the electrode is intercalated with lithium metal and / or lithium ions.

[0052] In further embodiments, the energy storage device 100 is filled with a suitable lithium-containing electrolyte. For example, the device 100 may include a lithium salt and a solvent, such as a non-aqueous or organic solvent. Generally, the lithium salt includes a redox stable anion. In some embodiments, the anion may be monovalent. In some embodiments, the lithium salt may be selected from lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF4), lithium perchlorate (LiClO4), lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiN(SO2CF3)2, lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiSO3CF3), lithium bis(oxalato)borate (LiB(C2O4)2), lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiN(SO2F)2, lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (LiC2BF2O4), and combinations thereof ... In some embodiments, the electrolyte may include a quaternary ammonium cation and an anion selected from the group consisting of hexafluorophosphate, tetrafluoroborate, and iodide. In some embodiments, the salt concentration may be about 0.1 mol / L (M) to about 5M, about 0.2M to about 3M, or about 0.3M to about 2M. In further embodiments, the salt concentration of the electrolyte may be about 0.7M to about 1M. In certain embodiments, the salt concentration of the electrolyte may be about 0.2M, about 0.3M, about 0.4M, about 0.5M, about 0.6M, about 0.7M, about 0.8M, about 0.9M, about 1M, about 1.1M, about 1.2M, or values ​​therebetween.

[0053] In some embodiments, the energy storage device may include a liquid solvent. The solvent need not dissolve all components, and need not completely dissolve any components of the electrolyte. In further embodiments, the solvent may be an organic solvent. In some embodiments, the solvent may include one or more functional groups selected from carbonates, ethers, and / or esters. In some embodiments, the solvent may include a carbonate. In further embodiments, the carbonate may be selected from cyclic carbonates, such as ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate (PC), vinyl ethylene carbonate (VEC), vinylene carbonate (VC), fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), and combinations thereof, or acyclic carbonates, such as dimethyl carbonate (DMC), diethyl carbonate (DEC), ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), and combinations thereof. In certain embodiments, the electrolyte may include LiPF6 and one or more carbonates.

[0054] In some embodiments, the active material comprises a treated carbon material, the treated carbon material comprising a reduced number of hydrogen-containing, nitrogen-containing and / or oxygen-containing functional groups, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0098464. For example, the treated carbon particles may comprise a reduced number of one or more functional groups on one or more surfaces of the treated carbon, e.g., about 10% to about 60% reduction, e.g., about 20% to about 50% reduction, of one or more functional groups compared to an untreated carbon surface. The treated carbon may comprise a reduced number of hydrogen-containing, nitrogen-containing and / or oxygen-containing functional groups. In some embodiments, the treated carbon particles may comprise a reduced number of hydrogen-containing, nitrogen-containing and / or oxygen-containing functional groups, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0098464. In some embodiments, the treated carbon material contains less than about 1%, including less than about 0.5%, of functional groups that contain hydrogen. In some embodiments, the treated carbon material contains less than about 0.5%, including less than about 0.1%, of functional groups that contain nitrogen. In some embodiments, the treated carbon material contains less than about 5%, including less than about 3%, of functional groups that contain oxygen. In further embodiments, the treated carbon material contains about 30% fewer hydrogen-containing functional groups than the untreated carbon material.

[0055] Elastic Polymer Binder Electrodes, such as anodes and / or cathodes, are disclosed that include one or more electrode films that include an elastic polymer binder material. In some embodiments, the electrode film does not include PTFE. In some embodiments, the electrode film includes a minor amount of PTFE. In some embodiments, the elastic polymer binder may include one or more polyolefins and / or copolymers thereof. In some embodiments, the elastic polymer binder may include one or more of cellulose, polyolefins, polyethers, precursors of polyethers, polysiloxanes, copolymers thereof, and / or mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the one or more polyolefins may include polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), copolymers thereof, and / or mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the elastic polymer binder may include branched polyethers, polyvinyl ethers, copolymers thereof, and the like. The elastic polymer binder may include polysiloxanes and copolymers of polysiloxanes, and / or copolymers of polyether precursors. For example, the elastic polymer binder may include poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO), polyethylene-block-poly(ethylene glycol), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polydimethylsiloxane-coalkylmethylsiloxane, copolymers thereof, and / or mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the one or more polyolefins may include polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), copolymers thereof, and / or mixtures thereof. The binder may include a cellulose, such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). The mixture of polymers may include an interpenetrating network of the aforementioned polymers or copolymers. For example, in some embodiments, the elastic polymer binder may include a binder selected from at least one of PE, PVDF, and PEO. In some embodiments, the elastic polymer binder may consist of PE or consist essentially of PE.In some embodiments, the elastic polymer binder may be composed of, or consist essentially of, PVDF. In some embodiments, the elastic polymer binder may be composed of, or consist essentially of, PEO. In some embodiments, the elastic polymer binder may be composed of, or consist essentially of, PE and PVDF. In some embodiments, the elastic polymer binder may be composed of, or consist essentially of, PE, PVDF and PEO.

[0056] In some embodiments, the elastic polymer binder is in the form of particles. In some embodiments, the elastic polymer binder particles have a D of 2 μm, 5 μm, 10 μm, 20 μm, 30 μm, 40 μm, 50 μm, 60 μm, or 100 μm, or about 2 μm, about 5 μm, about 10 μm, about 20 μm, about 30 μm, about 40 μm, about 50 μm, about 60 μm, or about 100 μm, or any value therebetween. 50 It has an average size distribution.

[0057] The electrode film may include various amounts of elastic polymer binder. In some embodiments, the electrode film includes or may include about 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 6, 8, or 10 weight percent of elastic polymer binder, or any range of values ​​therebetween. In some embodiments, the electrode film includes or may include about 0.5, 1, % or any range of values ​​therebetween. In some embodiments, the electrode film comprises or may comprise about 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 6, 8, or 10 wt. % PVDF, or any range of values ​​therebetween. In some embodiments, the electrode film comprises or may comprise about 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 6, 8, or 10 wt. % PEO, or any range of values ​​therebetween.

[0058] In some embodiments, freestanding and / or self-supporting electrode films comprising elastic polymers as described herein may have a tensile strength of at least or at least about 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, or 6 N, or any range of values ​​therebetween. In further embodiments, the tensile strength may be 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, or 6 N, or about 0.5, about 1, about 1.5, about 2, about 2.5, about 3, about 3.5, about 4, about 4.5, about 5, or about 6 N, or any range of values ​​therebetween. EXAMPLES

[0059] electrode material SMG-A5 Graphite and LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O2 (NMC622) powder was used as received without drying. As such, the powder may contain limited residual water due to atmospheric moisture. Elastic polymer binders include polyethylene (PE), polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), homopolymers and copolymers in a wide range of molecular weights. In some embodiments, the particle size and distribution of the binder polymer may play a role in maintaining the mechanical stability of the free-standing electrode film. In comparative examples, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binders were also used. Table 1 shows the specifications of the active materials and binders tested below.

[0060] [Table 1] Dry coated electrode formulation Table 2 shows the electrode formulations tested, including active materials and binders. Dry powder processing was performed according to the following dry mixing process: (i) graphite and binder were mixed using a resonant acoustic mixer at 60% strength for 5 minutes; (ii) the mixed powder was milled using a micronizer at a feed rate of 9 and a pressure of 40 psi. For formulations 4-6 that did not contain PTFE, the milling process of step (ii) was omitted, and they were processed only by the resonant acoustic mixing step (i) without the jet mill of step (ii). Formulation 3 contains PTFE and is provided for comparison. FIG. 2A shows a photograph of the treated blended powders without PTFE, which appear powdery and dusty, unlike the treated powder formulations containing PTFE. As shown in FIG. 2B, the treated dry powders were converted to free-standing electrode films at the calendering conditions shown in Table 3 to form Film A and Film B for each of electrode film formulations 1-6. Film A films are converted directly from the processed powders to films, while Film B films are achieved by recalendering films prepared under Film A conditions until the target thickness and loading is achieved. Figures 2C-2F show images of PTFE-free Film A films of formulations 1, 4, 5, and 6, respectively, calendered directly from the mixed powders, demonstrating that free-standing graphite films can be produced without a PTFE binder and a jet milling process. Note that formulations 1, 2, and 4-6 allowed for thinner and lower material loading graphite electrode films to be produced with only one calendering pass directly from the processed blended powders, compared to typical graphite electrode films containing PTFE as the only binder.

[0061] [Table 2]

[0062] [Table 3] mechanical properties 3A and 3B show the tensile strength and elongation results of free-standing graphite electrode films of Formulations 1-3 calendered to the specifications of Film A and Film B. Unexpectedly and advantageously, the tensile strength of the free-standing graphite electrode films of Formulations 1 and 2 without the PTFE binder was found to be comparable to or even exceed that of the film of Formulation 3 with the PTFE binder. Furthermore, the films of Formulations 1 and 2 substantially reduced film elongation compared to the graphite electrode film of Formulation 3 with the PTFE binder. Furthermore, the graphite electrode film with PE binder, Formulation 2, with the addition of PVDF, showed substantially improved tensile strength while the graphite electrode film maintained film elongation properties comparable to Formulation 1 with only PE binder. It should be noted that the graphite electrode film of Formulation 2 with PE and PVDF binders results in a higher film density than the electrode film of Formulation 3 with only PTFE binder, as shown in Table 4.

[0063] [Table 4] Electrochemical Cell Testing Free-standing electrodes of Film A and Film B containing Formulations 1-3 were laminated onto copper foil by calendaring at 185°C, dried overnight at 110°C under vacuum, and then mounted against a lithium metal electrode in a pouch case containing electrolyte for electrochemical evaluation. Table 5 shows the coating weight of the graphite electrode used in the battery cell evaluation. Table 6 shows the electrolyte composition for battery cells containing the treated electrode films Films A and B.

[0064] [Table 5]

[0065] [Table 6] 4A-5B show the results of the dry graphs with electrolytes A and B measured at a rate of 0.05C. First cycle capacity and efficiency results are shown for the graphite electrode half-cells. Regardless of electrolyte composition, the PTFE-free graphite electrodes of Formulations 1 and 2 provided substantially lower charge / discharge capacities compared to Formulation 3, which is in part due to higher electrode density. Furthermore, the PTFE-free graphite electrodes of Formulations 1 and 2 showed reasonable capacity with significantly higher first cycle efficiency. Furthermore, electrolyte B with 1 wt% VC was observed to suppress charge / discharge capacity while maintaining first cycle efficiency. Similar results were found when electrolyte A was utilized.

[0066] 6A-7C show the extended differential capacity profiles of the lithiation process for the dry graphite electrode half-cells of Formulations 1-3 with electrolyte A and electrolyte B, which show the irreversible SEI formation behavior during the first charge process, which correlates with the first cycle efficiency. These results indicate that the electrochemical reduction of PTFE occurred at about 0.6 V, which is believed to be the cause of the lower first cycle efficiency of the graphite electrode with PTFE binder. Furthermore, the graphite electrode of Formulation 3 with PTFE binder showed an additional peak at voltages between 0.2 V and 0.6 V.

[0067] 8A-9C show the first cycle voltage profiles of dry graphite electrode half-cells of Formulations 1-3 with electrolyte A and electrolyte B tested at a rate of 0.05 C. Dry graphite electrodes of Formulations 2 and 3 with PE and / or PVDF binders showed a shallower bow during lithiation from 0-50 mAh / g. Similar profiles were seen during delithiation for both electrolytes A and B when compared to the graphite electrode of Formulation 3 with PTFE binder.

[0068] 9A-9C show the initial cycle performance of the dry graphite electrode half-cells of Formulations 1-3 with electrolyte B tested at a rate of 0.1C. The graphite electrode cells without PTFE of Formulations 1 and 2 showed more stable initial cycle behavior compared to the graphite electrode cell of Formulation 3, reflecting the effect of the PTFE binder that creates a highly passivated interface between the graphite electrode and the lithium metal electrode and electrochemical instability. The graphite electrode cell of Formulation 2 showed a consistently stable large capacity without capacity fade at a rate of 0.1C, while the graphite electrode cell of Formulation 3 showed a relatively large capacity decrease at a rate of 0.1C followed by a gradual capacity increase. This indicates that the electrode cell of Formulation 3 with the PTFE binder is subject to a large interfacial impedance induced by the polarization overpotential.

[0069] Although specific embodiments have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and modifications in the systems and methods described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

[0070] It should be understood that features, materials, properties or groups described in connection with a particular aspect, embodiment or example are applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described in this section or elsewhere in this specification, to the extent compatible therewith. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and / or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations in which at least some of such features and / or steps are mutually exclusive. Protection is not limited to the details of the embodiments described above. Protection extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or any novel one, or any novel combination of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

[0071] Moreover, certain features that are described in this disclosure in the context of separate implementations can also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented separately in multiple implementations or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, although features may be described above as acting in a particular combination, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be deleted from the combination, and the combination may be claimed as a subcombination or as a variation of the subcombination.

[0072] Additionally, although operations may be shown in the figures or described herein in a particular order, such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in sequence to achieve desired results, nor need all operations be performed. Other operations not shown or described may be incorporated into the exemplary methods and processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any of the described operations. Additionally, operations may be rearranged or reordered in other implementations. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some embodiments, the actual steps taken in the illustrated and / or disclosed processes may differ from those shown in the figures. Depending on the embodiment, some of the steps may be removed and other steps may be added. Additionally, the features and attributes of certain embodiments disclosed above may be combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all of which are within the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, it should be understood that the separation of various system components in the above embodiments should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and that the components and systems described may generally be integrated into a single product or packaged into multiple products. For example, any of the components for the energy storage systems described herein may be provided separately or may be integrated (e.g., packaged together or attached together) to form an energy storage system.

[0073] For purposes of this disclosure, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features are described herein. Not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment. Thus, for example, one skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure may be embodied or implemented in a manner that achieves one advantage or advantages as taught herein, without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

[0074] Conditional language such as "can," "can," "could," or "may," unless otherwise specified or understood otherwise within the context as it is used, generally intends that certain embodiments include certain features, elements, and / or steps and other embodiments do not. Thus, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that features, elements, and / or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments, or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for determining whether those features, elements, and / or steps are included in or should be performed in any particular embodiment, with or without user input or prompting.

[0075] Unless otherwise noted, conjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, and Z" is understood apart from the context in which it is generally used to convey that an item, term, etc. can be either X, Y, or Z. That is, such conjunctive language is not intended to generally imply that a particular embodiment requires the presence of at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z.

[0076] As used herein, the terms "approximately," "about," "generally," and "substantially" are used to refer to The term "degree" refers to a value, amount, or characteristic that is close to the stated value, amount, or characteristic that still performs the desired function or achieves the desired result. For example, the terms "approximately," "about," "generally," and "substantially" can refer to an amount that is within 10%, 5%, 1%, 0.1%, and 0.01% of the stated amount, depending on the desired function or result.

[0077] The headings included herein, if any, are for convenience only and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the apparatus and methods disclosed herein.

[0078] The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by the specific disclosure of preferred embodiments in this section or elsewhere herein, but may be defined by the claims, as presented in this section or elsewhere herein, or as presented in the future. Claim language is to be construed broadly based on the language employed in the claims, and is not to be limited to the examples set forth herein or in the course of any application, and these examples are to be construed as non-exclusive.

Claims

1. 1. A dry electrode film for use in an energy storage device, comprising: A dry active material; a dry binder comprising a resilient polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, poly(ethylene oxide), polyvinylidene fluoride, and mixtures thereof; The dry electrode film includes a binder matrix that maintains a structure such that the dry electrode film is self-supporting, is free of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), is free of processing solvent residues, has a thickness of at least 77 μm, and includes at least 96 wt % of the dry active material and 0.5 wt % to 4 wt % of the elastic polymer.

2. A dry electrode film as described in claim 1, having a thickness of 100 μm to 300 μm.

3. The dry electrode film of claim 1, wherein the elastic polymer has a D 50 average size distribution of 10 μm to 100 μm.

4. The dry electrode film of claim 1, wherein the elastic polymer has a D 50 average size distribution of 10 μm to 50 μm.

5. The dry electrode film of claim 1, wherein the material loading is at least 12.2 mg / cm 2 .

6. The dry electrode film of claim 1, wherein the film density is at least 1.3 g / cm 3 .

7. A dry electrode film as described in claim 1, having a porosity of at least 27.5%.

8. A dry electrode film as described in claim 1, wherein the PTFE is present in at most trace amounts.

9. A dry electrode film as described in claim 1, containing at least 3 wt% polyethylene (PE).

10. A dry electrode film as described in claim 1, containing at least 1 wt% polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF).

11. The dry electrode film of claim 1, comprising at least 97% by weight of active material.

12. A dry electrode film as described in claim 1, wherein the dry active material is graphite.

13. A dry electrode film as described in claim 1, wherein the dry active material is an original dry active material.

14. A dry electrode film described in any one of claims 1 to 13, which is free of defects.

15. A current collector; An electrode comprising the dry electrode film according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A battery comprising the electrode described in claim 15.

17. A method for producing a dry electrode film, comprising: mixing a dry active material comprising dry particles and a dry binder comprising an elastomeric polymer to form a dry first mixture; and calendering the dry first mixture to form a dry electrode film; the dry electrode film is free-standing and includes a binder matrix that maintains a structure such that the dry electrode film is free of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), includes at least 96 wt. % of a dry active material, includes a thickness of at least 77 μm, and includes 0.5 to 4 wt. % of an elastic polymer; the elastomeric polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, poly(ethylene oxide), polyvinylidene fluoride, and mixtures thereof; The method, wherein the dry active material has a first particle size distribution before mixing and a second particle size distribution after mixing, the first particle size distribution and the second particle size distribution being the same.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the elastomeric polymer has a D 50 average size distribution of 10 μm to 100 μm.

19. The manufacturing method of claim 17, wherein the mixing is performed by a non-destructive mixing process including resonant acoustic mixing.

20. The manufacturing method of claim 17, wherein the mixing does not include high shear mixing.

21. The manufacturing method described in claim 17, wherein the mixing is performed at a temperature above room temperature.

22. A manufacturing method described in any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the calendaring is carried out at a temperature of 150°C to 250°C.

23. A manufacturing method described in any one of claims 17 to 21, further comprising calendaring the dry electrode film.

24. A manufacturing method described in any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the dry electrode film contains at least 97% by weight of active material.

25. A dry active material; a dry binder comprising an elastomeric polymer; A free-standing dry electrode film for energy storage devices that contains at most trace amounts of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

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