Dry electrode powder manufacturing equipment

Abstract

An apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a drying chamber for drying a wet electrode slurry to produce dry electrode powder, and an injection unit for injecting the electrode slurry into the drying chamber, wherein the inner wall surface of the drying chamber may include a plurality of protrusions.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [Cross-reference of related applications] This application claims priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0142117 dated October 23, 2023, and all content disclosed in the said Korean Patent Application is incorporated herein as part of this specification.

[0002] The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus for electrode powder used in dry manufacturing, and more specifically, to a manufacturing apparatus that increases the yield rate of dry electrode powder and improves the quality of the produced dry electrode powder. [Background technology]

[0003] In modern society, the use of portable devices such as mobile phones, laptops, video cameras, and digital cameras, as well as energy storage systems (ESS), has become commonplace, and development in related technologies is becoming increasingly active. Furthermore, rechargeable secondary batteries are being used as power sources for electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (P-HEVs) as a solution to address air pollution caused by existing gasoline vehicles that use fossil fuels, thus increasing the need for development in secondary batteries.

[0004] Currently available rechargeable batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, and lithium-ion batteries. Among these, lithium-ion batteries are attracting the most attention due to their advantages such as flexible charging and discharging, low self-discharge rate, and high energy density.

[0005] Such lithium secondary batteries primarily use lithium oxides and carbon materials as the positive electrode active material and negative electrode active material, respectively. A lithium secondary battery comprises an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate, each coated with the positive electrode active material and negative electrode active material respectively, are arranged with a separator in between, and an outer casing, i.e., a battery case, that seals and houses the electrode assembly together with the electrolyte.

[0006] The manufacturing process for such lithium secondary batteries is broadly divided into three stages: the electrode process, the assembly process, and the chemical conversion process. The electrode process is further divided into the active material mixing process, the electrode coating process, the rolling process, the slitting process, and the winding process. Within this, the electrode coating process is divided into the wet electrode process, which provides an active material slurry to the electrode current collector, and the dry electrode process, which provides the active material to the current collector in a solid state.

[0007] The solid dry electrode powder used in the dry electrode process may be prepared by uniformly mixing the electrode active material, conductive material, and binder, each provided in solid form, or it may be prepared by dissolving the active material, conductive material, and binder in a solvent to produce a wet slurry, which is then dried in a drying chamber to produce a powder.

[0008] On the other hand, in the former case, when the electrode active material, conductive material, and binder are mixed dry without a solvent while each is in a solid state, it is possible that the electrode active material, conductive material, and binder may not be mixed uniformly.

[0009] Furthermore, in the latter case, the electrode slurry provided in a wet slurry form may adhere to the inner wall of the drying chamber in clumps. When the wet electrode slurry aggregates and adheres to the inner wall of the drying chamber, the yield of dry electrode powder decreases. In addition, if the dried clumps of electrode slurry that have aggregated and adhered to the inner wall fall off and mix with the electrode powder, a large deviation in the particle size of the manufactured electrode powder may occur, which can lead to a decrease in the quality of electrodes manufactured by the dry method. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] The present invention aims to provide a dry electrode powder manufacturing apparatus that can increase the yield and produce electrode powder with uniform particle size.

[0011] However, the problems that the embodiments of the present invention aim to solve are not limited to those described above, and can be broadly expanded within the scope of the technical ideas included in the present invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] An apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a drying chamber for drying a wet electrode slurry to produce dry electrode powder, and an injection unit for injecting the electrode slurry into the drying chamber, wherein the inner wall surface of the drying chamber may include a plurality of protrusions.

[0013] By including the plurality of protrusions on the inner wall surface of the drying chamber, the surface roughness of the inner wall surface of the drying chamber can be increased, so as to prevent the electrode slurry sprayed into the inside of the drying chamber from coming into contact with, agglomerating, and adhering to the inner wall surface of the drying chamber.

[0014] The electrode slurry sprayed into the drying chamber is dried and formed into electrode powder, which can then accumulate on the lower surface of the drying chamber.

[0015] The aforementioned multiple protrusions can be uniformly distributed.

[0016] These multiple protrusions can be distributed at predetermined distances apart from each other.

[0017] The spacing between adjacent protrusions can be 0.5 to 1 times the lateral length of the protrusion.

[0018] The plurality of protrusions can be arranged in a dot array on the inner wall surface of the drying chamber.

[0019] Each of the aforementioned multiple protrusions may be columnar in shape.

[0020] Each of the plurality of protrusions can include a square prism shape.

[0021] The plurality of protrusions can be arranged on the side walls of the inner wall surface of the drying chamber.

[0022] When viewing the protrusions from inside the drying chamber, the total area of the plurality of protrusions can be 50% or less of the area of the inner wall surface of the drying chamber.

[0023] The total area of the uppermost surfaces of the plurality of protrusions can be 50% or less of the area of the inner wall surface of the drying chamber.

[0024] The inner wall surface of the drying chamber can be an embossed structure protruding inward.

[0025] The electrode slurry is a dispersion of the electrode active material, conductive material, and binder in a solvent, and can be formed into the electrode powder after being sprayed in a mist inside the drying chamber.

[0026] The upper surface of the drying chamber includes an inlet through which the electrode slurry is supplied, the lower surface of the drying chamber includes an outlet through which the electrode powder is discharged, a pipe for transferring the electrode slurry through the inlet is connected, and the injection unit can be coupled to the end of the pipe. -

[0027] It can further include a temperature adjustment device for adjusting the temperature of the drying chamber.

Advantages of the Invention

[0028] According to the present invention, the yield can be increased during the production of dry electrode powder, and furthermore, the deviation of the particle size of the dry electrode powder is reduced, the quality of the produced electrode is improved, and thereby the quality of the finally produced electrode assembly and battery cell can also be improved.

[0029] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and any other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0030] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram shows an apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the multiple protrusions provided on the inner wall surface of the drying chamber. [Figure 3] This is a modified example of the projection shown in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is yet another variation of the projection shown in Figure 2. [Figure 5] Figure 1 illustrates the case where the electrode slurry is in contact with a projection provided on the inner wall surface of the drying chamber. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0031] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, so that they can be easily implemented by a person with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. The present invention can be realized in a variety of different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0032] To clearly explain the present invention, irrelevant explanatory parts have been omitted, and the same or similar reference numerals are used throughout the specification for identical or similar components.

[0033] Furthermore, the dimensions and thicknesses of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrary for illustrative purposes, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those shown. The thicknesses are enlarged in the drawings to clearly represent various layers and regions. Additionally, the thicknesses of some layers and regions are exaggerated in the drawings for illustrative purposes.

[0034] Furthermore, when we say that a layer, membrane, region, plate, or other part is "on top" of another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly above" the other part, but also the case where the other part is in between. Conversely, when we say that one part is "directly above" another part, it means that there is no other part in between. Also, being "on top" of a reference part means being located above or below the reference part, and does not necessarily mean being located "up" in the opposite direction of gravity.

[0035] Furthermore, when a specification states that a certain part "includes" a certain component, unless otherwise specified, this means that it can further encompass other components rather than excluding them.

[0036] Furthermore, throughout the specification, "on a plane" means when the subject is viewed from above, and "on a cross-section" means when the subject is viewed from the side of a cross-section obtained by cutting the subject perpendicularly.

[0037] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0038] Figure 1 schematically shows an apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] An apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a drying chamber 100, and a slurry 10 in which an electrode mixture, which is a mixture of electrode active material, conductive material, and binder, is uniformly dispersed in a solvent (water or organic solvent) (hereinafter referred to as "electrode slurry") is supplied into the drying chamber 100 and dried to produce powder form. In addition to the mixture of electrode active material, conductive material, and binder, other materials may be further mixed into the slurry-form electrode mixture supplied to the drying chamber 100.

[0040] For reference, when electrode active material, conductive material, and binder are mixed dry without solvent in solid state, the electrode active material, conductive material, and binder may not be mixed uniformly. Therefore, in this invention, a wet electrode slurry 10 is first produced by uniformly dispersing the electrode active material, conductive material, and binder in a solvent, and then it is sprayed and dried in a drying chamber 100 to produce a dry electrode powder 20. Furthermore, according to this invention, the wet electrode slurry 10 does not adhere to the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 in clumps, and the particle size of the final produced electrode powder 20 can be manufactured to be uniform overall. This will be explained in detail below.

[0041] First, the upper surface of the drying chamber 100 includes an inlet 110, and the lower surface includes a discharge port 130. The shape of the drying chamber 100 is generally cylindrical, as illustrated in Figure 1, but the upper surface may have a rounded or chamfered edge. The lower surface may also include an inclined surface toward the discharge port 130.

[0042] If the upper surface and the side surface of the drying chamber 100 are formed at a right angle to each other on the inner wall surface, a portion of the electrode slurry 10 may aggregate and become trapped in the corner between the upper surface and the side surface. This can be prevented by, for example, rounding the periphery of the upper surface of the drying chamber 100 (i.e., the periphery where the upper surface and the side surface contact), that is, by connecting the upper surface and the side surface with a gently curved surface. Alternatively, the corner between the upper surface and the side surface of the drying chamber 100 may have a chamfered shape.

[0043] The upper surface of the drying chamber 100 includes an open inlet 110, and a pipe 210 extending from the slurry supply unit 200 is connected to the inlet 110 or connected to the interior of the drying chamber 100 through the inlet 110. The slurry supply unit 200 stores the electrode slurry 10 and transfers the electrode slurry 10 through the pipe 210 to supply it to the interior of the drying chamber 100. At the end of the pipe 210 connected to the inlet 110 on the upper surface of the drying chamber 100 is an injection unit 120 that injects the electrode slurry 10 into the interior of the drying chamber 100. The injection unit 120 can inject the electrode slurry 10 in a mist form. The pipe 210 may include at least one pump 211 and at least one valve (not shown).

[0044] The injection unit 120 may be positioned in the center of the top of the drying chamber 100, for example, as shown in Figure 1, and may evenly inject the electrode slurry 10 into the cylindrical drying chamber 100.

[0045] The injection unit 120 used in the present invention is sufficient as long as it can uniformly inject the electrode slurry 10 with fine particles so that the electrode slurry 10 can be dried inside the drying chamber 100, and there are no restrictions on the type, shape, number, etc. of the injection unit 120.

[0046] Furthermore, the lower surface of the drying chamber 100 includes an open-shaped discharge port 130, which can be located, for example, in the center of the lower surface. The height of the lower surface of the drying chamber 100 can include a sloped surface that decreases towards the discharge port 130. This allows the electrode powder 20 that accumulates at the bottom of the drying chamber 100 to slide along the sloped surface of the lower surface by gravity and move to the discharge port 130. A pipe 220 is connected to the discharge port 130, and the electrode powder 20 is transferred to a subsequent process through the pipe 220. The pipe 220 may include at least one pump 221 and at least one valve (not shown).

[0047] The drying chamber 100 is further equipped with a temperature control device 140, which can adjust the temperature inside the drying chamber 100 so that the electrode slurry 10 is dried inside the drying chamber 100. Although not shown in this invention, for example, a heating unit (heat source, not shown) connected to the temperature control device 140 can be placed on the outer wall of the drying chamber 100 to heat the inside of the drying chamber 100 to a high temperature. As long as the electrode slurry 10 can be injected into the drying chamber 100 and dried in a solid form, it is sufficient, and there are no restrictions on the type of temperature control device 140 and heating unit, or the method of adjusting the temperature inside the drying chamber 100. In addition, various control devices (not shown), such as a pressure regulator, can be connected to the drying chamber 100 to adjust the process conditions inside the drying chamber 100 according to the situation.

[0048] The temperature and / or pressure inside the drying chamber 100 is sufficient to allow the electrode slurry 10 to dry and be formed into electrode powder 20. Depending on the environment in which the present invention is implemented, the temperature and / or pressure can be set in various ways under diverse conditions, such as the type of electrode slurry 10 injected, the amount supplied, and the amount injected. The temperature inside the drying chamber 100 can also be adjusted according to the process conditions, such as raising the internal temperature using the temperature control device 140 described above, to a high temperature sufficient to thoroughly dry the electrode slurry 10.

[0049] The particle size of the electrode slurry 10 sprayed into the drying chamber 100 by the spraying unit 120 may be, for example, 10 micrometers to 250 micrometers, or for example, 40 micrometers to 150 micrometers. The sprayed electrode slurry 10 changes into a solid form as it dries inside the drying chamber 100. At this time, it is preferable that the electrode slurry 10 sprayed into the drying chamber 100 does not come into contact with the inner wall of the drying chamber 100. However, it is possible that some of the sprayed electrode slurry 10 may unexpectedly come into contact with the inner wall of the drying chamber 100 and agglomerate. The particle size of the agglomerated electrode powder 20 may be, for example, 300 micrometers to 1500 micrometers. When the electrode slurry 10 aggregates on the inner wall of the drying chamber 100 to form electrode powder 20 of a certain size, it falls to the bottom of the drying chamber 100 by gravity and moves to the next process through the discharge port 130.

[0050] On the other hand, the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 101, as shown in the enlarged view. As a result, the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 can have an embossed shape that protrudes into the interior of the drying chamber 100. The plurality of protrusions 101 are uniformly distributed on the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 and are spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other.

[0051] The protrusions 101 may be arranged across the entire inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100. Alternatively, they may be arranged only on the side walls of the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100. The side walls refer to the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 excluding the top and bottom surfaces. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in some cases, a plurality of protrusions 101 may be further arranged on the top or bottom surface of the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 if required by the process.

[0052] In the example shown in Figure 1, the lower surface of the drying chamber 100 refers to the inclined portion around the discharge port 130, excluding the open-shaped discharge port 130 (the inclined portion from the cylindrical inner wall surface to the discharge port 130).

[0053] According to the present invention, since the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 is provided with multiple protrusions 101, the surface roughness of the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 increases. This prevents the phenomenon of the wet-sprayed electrode slurry 10 agglomerating and adhering to the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100. In more detail, as described above in the prior art, when the electrode slurry 10 agglomerates and adheres to the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100, the yield rate of electrode powder 20 decreases. Furthermore, when dried clumps of electrode slurry that have agglomerated and adhered to the inner wall surface are discharged together with the electrode powder 20 through the discharge port 130, a large deviation occurs in the particle size of the manufactured electrode powder 20, which may lead to a decrease in the quality of electrodes manufactured by the dry method. However, according to the present invention, since the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 is provided with multiple protrusions 101, the problems that occur in the prior art can be solved. When the projections 101 are viewed from inside the drying chamber 100, the total area of ​​the multiple projections 101 can be, for example, 25% to 50% of the area of ​​the side walls on which the multiple projections 101 are provided (i.e., excluding the top and bottom surfaces of the drying chamber 100), or for example, 30% to 50%, or for example, 35% to 50%. Furthermore, if the multiple projections 101 are columnar, as will be described later, the total area of ​​the uppermost surfaces of the multiple projections 101 can be, for example, 25% to 50%, or for example, 30% to 50%, or for example, 35% to 50%, of the area of ​​the side walls on which the multiple projections 101 are provided (i.e., excluding the top and bottom surfaces of the drying chamber 100). However, if the multiple protrusions 101 are hemispherical in shape as described later, or if they are columnar but have chamfered or rounded corners on their uppermost surfaces, more precisely, the total area of ​​the horizontal cross-section of the protrusions 101 can be 50% or less of the area of ​​the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100. Here, the horizontal cross-section of the protrusion 101 refers to the cross-section in a direction parallel to the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 where the protrusion 101 is located.

[0054] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of several protrusions provided on the inner wall surface of the drying chamber in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a modified example of the protrusions in Figure 2. Figure 4 is yet another modified example of the protrusions in Figure 2.

[0055] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, when viewing the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 from inside the drying chamber 100, multiple protrusions may be arranged in a dot array.

[0056] The projection 101 can be columnar. For example, the projection 101 can be columnar extending inward from the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the projection 101 can be a rectangular prism. In this case, the aspect ratio (a / b) of the projection 101 refers to the ratio of the horizontal length (a) to the vertical length (b) of the projection 101. The aspect ratio (a / b) of the projection 101 changes the surface roughness of the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100, and consequently, the shape and / or size of the electrode slurry 10 in contact with the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 also changes. In more detail, the aspect ratio (a / b) of the projection 101 changes the shape and size of the electrode slurry 10 that comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100. Depending on the surface roughness of the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100, the electrode slurry 10 that comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 may be a perfect sphere, or it may be a hemispherical shape with an expanded shape. As the shape of the electrode slurry 10 changes, its size also changes.

[0057] On the other hand, as described above, it is preferable that the electrode slurry 10 does not adhere to the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100. However, even if the electrode slurry 10 unintentionally comes into contact with the inner wall surface, it is preferable that the electrode slurry 10 that comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 be as spherical as possible so as not to aggregate into a large mass, and so that it can be quickly detached from the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100.

[0058] Here, the vertical direction of the projection 101 refers to the height direction of the drying chamber 100. In this case, the horizontal direction of the projection 101 refers to the tangential direction of the circumference of the drying chamber 100, which is perpendicular to the vertical direction of the projection 101.

[0059] The aspect ratio (a / b) of the projection 101 may be, for example, 0.5 to 2, or for example, 1 to 1.5. In the latter realization environment, as the value of the aspect ratio (a / b) approaches 1, the shape of the electrode slurry 10 in contact with the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 can become closer to a spherical shape. When the value of the aspect ratio (a / b) is 1, the shape of the electrode slurry 10 in contact with the inner wall surface can become substantially spherical. Conversely, as the value of the aspect ratio (a / b) increases, the shape of the electrode slurry 10 in contact with the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 becomes closer to a hemispherical shape, and when the value of the aspect ratio (a / b) is 1.5, the shape of the electrode powder 20 can become substantially hemispherical. However, the present invention is not limited to what has been described above, and the numerical range of the aspect ratio (a / b) and the form of the electrode powder 20 based on the value of the aspect ratio (a / b) can be varied in various ways depending on the environment in which the present invention is implemented and the composition of the electrode slurry.

[0060] Furthermore, as the height (c) of the protrusion 101 increases, the shape of the electrode powder 20 becomes closer to a spherical shape until it reaches the permissible limit height of the protrusion 101. The permissible limit height of the height (c) of the protrusion 101 may be, for example, 2.5 times the vertical length (b) of the protrusion 101, but the present invention is not limited thereto and can be set in various ways according to the environment in which the present invention is realized.

[0061] Furthermore, the spacing between adjacent protrusions 101 can be, for example, 0.5 to 1 times the length of the protrusion 101 in the lateral (a) direction. This prevents the ejected electrode slurry 10 from being trapped and adhering between adjacent protrusions 101.

[0062] On the other hand, the present invention is not limited to those described above, and the projection 101 may be cylindrical (see Figure 3), or hexagonal prism-shaped. Alternatively, even if the projection 101 is columnar, the corners of the uppermost surface may be chamfered or rounded, the projection 101 itself may be hemispherical (see Figure 4) or elliptical, or the projection 101 itself may be conical or square pyramidal. In short, the present invention can be modified and changed in various ways depending on the environment and process conditions in which it is implemented.

[0063] Figure 5 illustrates a case where the electrode slurry 10 is attached to the projections 101 provided on the inner wall surface of the drying chamber 100 in Figure 1. It shows a case where the electrode slurry aggregates to, for example, about 60% of the 16 projections 101, but this is shown as an example and the present invention is not limited to what is shown.

[0064] The electrode as described in the specification of the present invention above can be either a positive electrode or a negative electrode. In other words, the manufacturing process for dry electrode powder according to the present invention is not particularly limited to positive and negative electrodes, and can be easily applied to the manufacture of any dry electrode powder, and different electrodes can be manufactured depending on the materials used in the manufacture of each electrode (e.g., positive electrode active material or negative electrode active material). Accordingly, in the specification of the present invention, the terms electrode, electrode active material, etc. can mean both positive and negative electrodes unless otherwise specified.

[0065] Any material containing lithium and capable of intercalating and releasing lithium ions can be used as the positive electrode active material. For example, the positive electrode active material can be a layered compound such as lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) or lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2), or a compound substituted with one or more transition metals; chemical formula Li 1+x Mn 2-x Lithium manganese oxides such as O4 (where x is 0 to 0.33), LiMnO3, LiMn2O3, LiMnO2; lithium copper oxide (Li2CuO2); vanadium oxides such as LiV3O8, LiFe3O4, V2O5, Cu2V2O7; chemical formula LiNi1-x M x Ni-site type lithium nickel oxide represented as O2 (where M = Co, Mn, Al, Cu, Fe, Mg, B, or Ga, and x = 0.01 to 0.3); chemical formula LiMn 2-x M x Lithium manganese composite oxide represented as O2 (where M = Co, Ni, Fe, Cr, Zn, or Ta, and x = 0.01 to 0.1) or Li2Mn3MO8 (where M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, or Zn); LiNi x Mn 2-x Lithium manganese composite oxides with a spinel structure represented by O4; LiMn2O4 in which part of the Li in the chemical formula is replaced with an alkaline earth metal ion; disulfide compounds; Fe2(MoO4)3, etc. are included, but are not limited to these. The positive electrode may also comprise a positive electrode mixture layer containing lithium metal, carbon material, metal compound, and mixtures thereof. The metal compound may be a compound containing one or more metal elements selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, P, Sb, Bi, Al, Ga, In, Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, Mg, Sr, and Ba, or a mixture thereof.

[0066] The negative electrode can be manufactured by providing and rolling a negative electrode active material onto a negative electrode current collector, or by a dry process as described above for the positive electrode, and may optionally further contain the same conductive material, organic binder polymer, additives, etc. as in the positive electrode.

[0067] Further, the negative electrode active material can include, for example, a carbon material and a silicon material. The carbon material means a carbon material mainly composed of carbon atoms. Such carbon materials include graphite with a completely formed layered crystal structure like natural graphite, soft carbon having a low-crystalline layered crystal structure (graphene structure; a structure in which hexagonal honeycomb-shaped planes of carbon are arranged in layers), hard carbon in which such a structure is mixed with an amorphous part, artificial graphite, expanded graphite, carbon fiber, non-graphitizable carbon, carbon black, acetylene black, ketjen black, carbon nanotube, fullerene, activated carbon, graphene, carbon nanotube, etc., and preferably can include one or more selected from the group consisting of natural graphite, artificial graphite, and carbon nanotubes. More preferably, the carbon material includes natural graphite and / or artificial graphite, and can include one or more of carbon black and carbon nanotubes together with natural graphite and / or artificial graphite. In this case, the carbon material can include 0.1 to 10 parts by weight of carbon black and / or carbon nanotubes with respect to 100 parts by weight of the entire carbon material, and more specifically, can include 0.1 to 5 parts by weight; or 0.1 to 2 parts by weight of carbon black and / or carbon nanotubes with respect to 100 parts by weight of the entire carbon material.

[0068] Further, the silicon material is particles mainly containing silicon (Si) as a metal component, and can include one or more of silicon (Si) particles and silicon oxide (SiO X , 1 ≦ X ≦ 2) particles. As one example, the silicon material can include silicon (Si) particles, silicon monoxide (SiO) particles, silicon dioxide (SiO2) particles, or a mixture of these particles.

[0069] In addition, in the present invention, the current collector is something that exhibits electrical conductivity such as a metal plate, and an appropriate one can be used depending on the polarity of the current collector electrode known in the secondary battery field.

[0070] Furthermore, in the present invention, the conductive material is not particularly limited as long as it is conductive and does not induce a chemical change in the battery.

[0071] Furthermore, in the present invention, the binder resin is not particularly limited as long as it is a component that assists in the bonding of the active material to conductive materials and to the current collector.

[0072] The electrodes produced using the dry electrode powder manufacturing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention can be included in a secondary battery, and multiple such secondary batteries can be assembled to form a battery module. The battery module can be mounted together with various control and protection systems such as a BMS (Battery Management System) and a cooling system to form a battery pack.

[0073] Rechargeable batteries, battery modules, or battery packs can be applied to a variety of devices. Specifically, they can be applied to means of transportation such as electric bicycles, electric vehicles, and hybrids, but are not limited to these, and are applicable to a variety of devices that can use rechargeable batteries.

[0074] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements by those skilled in the art that utilize the basic concepts of the present invention as defined in the following claims also fall within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0075] 10: Electrode slurry 20: Electrode powder 100: Drying Chamber 101: Protrusion 110:Inlet 120: Injection Unit 130:Discharge port 140: Temperature control device 200: Slurry Supply Department 210, 220: Piping 211, 221: Pump

Claims

1. A drying chamber for drying a wet electrode slurry to produce a dry electrode powder, An injection unit for injecting the electrode slurry into the interior of the drying chamber, Includes, A dry electrode powder manufacturing apparatus comprising a drying chamber with multiple protrusions on its inner wall surface.

2. The apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to claim 1, wherein the surface roughness of the inner wall surface of the drying chamber is increased by including the plurality of protrusions on the inner wall surface of the drying chamber so as to prevent the electrode slurry sprayed into the inside of the drying chamber from coming into contact with, agglomerating, and adhering to the inner wall surface of the drying chamber.

3. The apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to claim 1, wherein the electrode slurry sprayed into the inside of the drying chamber is dried and formed into electrode powder which accumulates on the lower surface of the drying chamber.

4. The apparatus for manufacturing dry electrode powder according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusions are uniformly distributed.

5. The apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to claim 1, wherein the dry electrode powder is distributed at predetermined distances apart between the plurality of protrusions.

6. The apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to claim 5, wherein the spacing between adjacent protrusions is 0.5 to 1 times the lateral length of the protrusions.

7. The apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusions are arranged in a dot array on the inner wall surface of the drying chamber.

8. The apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of protrusions includes a columnar shape.

9. The apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of protrusions includes a rectangular prism shape.

10. The apparatus for manufacturing dry electrode powder according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusions are arranged on the side walls of the inner wall surface of the drying chamber.

11. The apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to claim 1, wherein when the protrusions are viewed from inside the drying chamber, the total area of ​​the plurality of protrusions is 50% or less of the area of ​​the inner wall surface of the drying chamber.

12. The apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the sum of the areas of the uppermost surfaces of the plurality of protrusions is 50% or less of the area of ​​the inner wall surface of the drying chamber.

13. The apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to claim 1, wherein the inner wall surface of the drying chamber has an embossed structure that protrudes inward.

14. The electrode slurry is a mixture in which an electrode active material, a conductive material, and a binder are dispersed in a solvent. The apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to claim 1, wherein the electrode powder is formed after being sprayed in a mist form inside the drying chamber.

15. The upper surface of the drying chamber includes an inlet into which the electrode slurry is supplied. The lower surface of the drying chamber includes a discharge port from which the electrode powder is discharged. The apparatus for manufacturing dry electrode powder according to claim 1, wherein a pipe for transferring the electrode slurry is connected through the inlet, and the injection unit is connected to the end of the pipe.

16. The apparatus for producing dry electrode powder according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature control device for adjusting the temperature of the drying chamber.

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