Apparatus for producing a test piece for adhesion test of an electrode active material layer and method for producing a test piece for adhesion test of an electrode active material layer using the same

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus for preparing a specimen for testing adhesion between an electrode active material layer and a current collector, the apparatus including: a lower guide panel having a guide groove on an upper surface thereof for guiding and accommodating a fixed substrate to which an electrode active material layer is to be adhered; and an upper guide panel having a guide hole for guiding an adhesion position of an electrode active material layer with respect to the fixed substrate accommodated in the guide groove, the upper guide panel being provided with a coupling means for coupling to an upper portion of the lower guide panel; and a method for preparing a specimen using the apparatus.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0075353 filed on June 21, 2022, and all the contents disclosed in the literature of the Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a test piece for adhesion test of an electrode active material layer and a method for manufacturing a test piece for adhesion test of an electrode active material layer using the same.

Background Art

[0003] As the demand for mobile devices, electric vehicles, etc. increases, the demand for secondary batteries has been rapidly increasing. In particular, lithium secondary batteries having high energy density and voltage among secondary batteries have been commercialized and widely used.

[0004] Such a lithium secondary battery is configured in a structure in which an electrode assembly capable of charging and discharging with a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode structure is mounted in a battery case.

[0005] The positive electrode and the negative electrode are manufactured by a method of forming an active material layer by coating or adhering an active material to a current collector. For example, an active material, a binder, and a conductive material are mixed in a solvent to produce a slurry, and the slurry is applied to a current collector, dried, and rolled, or is manufactured in the process of adhering a pre-manufactured active material in the form of a free-standing film to a current collector using an adhesive or the like, either by a dry or wet method.

[0006] When the active material layer is not firmly adhered to the current collector, the active material layer may be peeled off due to stress caused by volume expansion and decrease of the electrode during the charging and discharging processes, and also, during the process of cutting the electrode, the active material may be easily peeled off due to the instantaneous pressure at the time of cutting. Therefore, the adhesion state of the active material layer to the current collector significantly affects the performance of the battery, and a test for evaluating the adhesion force of the active material layer is performed to confirm this.

[0007] The measurement of the adhesion force of the active material layer to the current collector is performed by a method in which the active material layer of the electrode is adhered to a fixed substrate (for example, a glass substrate), and the adhesion strength is measured while pulling the current collector in the opposite direction to remove it. At this time, if the active material layer of the test piece electrode is not adhered to the exact position of the fixed substrate, accurate measurement results cannot be obtained.

[0008] However, the process of adhering the active material layer of the test piece electrode to the fixed substrate is performed manually, and as a result, the active material layer is often adhered obliquely on the fixed substrate, frequently producing defective test pieces. Also, this causes problems in the accuracy of the adhesion force measurement.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0009]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] The present invention was devised to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and by accurately guiding the adhesion position between the active material layer and the fixed substrate when producing a test piece for the adhesion force test of the electrode active material layer, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing a test piece for the adhesion force test of the electrode active material layer that can easily and quickly produce a highly reliable test piece.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for easily and quickly producing a highly reliable test piece for the adhesion force test of the electrode active material layer using the above-described test piece production apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0012] To achieve the above object, the present invention is an apparatus used for producing a test piece for the adhesion force test between the active material layer of an electrode and a current collector, A lower guide panel provided with a guide groove on an upper surface for guiding and accommodating a fixing substrate to which an active material layer of an electrode is adhered, and including an upper guide panel provided with a guide hole for guiding an adhesion position of an electrode active material layer with respect to the fixing substrate accommodated in the guide groove, Provided is a device for producing a test piece for testing the adhesive force of an electrode active material layer, which is provided with a coupling means between the upper guide panel and the lower guide panel on any one or more of the upper guide panel and the lower guide panel.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper guide panel exists in a form separated from the lower guide panel, When guiding the electrode active material layer, it may be provided in a form coupled to the lower guide panel, or It can be provided in a form in which a part or all of it is fixed to the lower guide panel.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper guide panel can be fixed to one side of the lower guide panel by a hinge.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper guide panel is coupled in a structure that slides horizontally on the upper surface of the lower guide panel, a guide rail is provided on one of the upper guide panel or the lower guide panel, and a driving part that slides on the guide rail is provided on the other of the upper guide panel or the lower guide panel.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, in order to be able to hold the fixing substrate accommodated in the guide groove, any one or more of the length or width of the guide hole can be formed smaller than the corresponding length or width of the guide groove.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the guide groove may be in the form of a quadrangular prism with an open upper surface or a quadrangular prism with an open upper surface and one side wall.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the guide hole may be in the form of a quadrangular prism with an open upper surface and a lower surface, or in the form of a quadrangular prism with an open upper surface, a lower surface, and one side wall.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the open side wall of the guide groove and the guide hole can be formed in the same direction.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper guide panel may be a transparent panel.

[0021] Further, the present invention is A method for producing a test piece for testing the adhesive force of an electrode active material layer, using the production apparatus for the test piece for testing the adhesive force of the electrode active material layer, (a) positioning a fixed substrate in a guide groove provided in a lower guide panel; (b) adhering an active material layer of an electrode through a guide hole provided in an upper guide panel to an upper surface of the fixed substrate; and (c) separating a test piece for testing the adhesive force of the electrode active material layer from the production apparatus; The method for producing a test piece for testing the adhesive force of an electrode active material layer is provided.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, after the step (a), the step of coupling the upper guide panel to the upper part of the lower guide panel so that the guide hole and the guide groove overlap may further be included.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, in the step (c), before separating the test piece for testing the adhesive force of the electrode active material layer, the step of releasing the coupling of the upper guide panel to the upper part of the lower guide panel may further be included.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, in the step (b), when adhering the active material layer of the electrode, the step of attaching a double-sided tape to the fixed substrate or the active material layer may further be included.

Effects of the Invention

[0025] The apparatus for manufacturing a test piece for the adhesion force test of the electrode active material layer of the present invention can accurately guide the adhesion position of the active material layer and the fixed substrate during the manufacture of the test piece, so that a highly reliable test piece can be manufactured easily and quickly.

[0026] In addition, the method for manufacturing a test piece for the adhesion force test of the electrode active material layer enables a highly reliable test piece to be manufactured easily and quickly by using the manufacturing apparatus.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0028] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can easily implement it. However, the present invention can be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Similar parts throughout the specification are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0029] When a component is referred to as being "connected to, provided with, or installed on" another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or installed on the other component, but there may also be other components in between. On the contrary, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected to, provided with, or installed on" another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. And other expressions for explaining the relationship between components, namely, "above ~", "directly above", "between ~", "immediately between ~", "adjacent to ~", "directly adjacent to ~", etc., should also be interpreted in the same way.

[0030] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an apparatus (100) for producing a test piece for testing the adhesive force of an electrode active material layer, as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the apparatus (100) for producing a test piece for testing the adhesive force of an electrode active material layer, decomposed and illustrated, as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an embodiment of a test piece (20) for testing the adhesive force of an electrode (10) and an electrode active material layer including the same. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the above drawings.

[0031] The apparatus (100) for producing a test piece for testing the adhesive force of an electrode active material layer of the present invention is an apparatus used for producing a test piece (20) for testing the adhesive force between the active material layer (12) of the electrode (10) and the current collector (14) (see FIG. 3(a)). A lower guide panel (30) provided with a guide groove (32) on the upper surface for guiding and accommodating a fixing substrate (22) for adhering the active material layer (12) of the electrode, and An upper guide panel (40) provided with a guide hole (42) for guiding the adhesion position of the electrode active material layer (12) with respect to the fixing substrate (22) accommodated in the guide groove (32), including Characterized in that one or more of the upper guide panel (40) and the lower guide panel (30) are provided with coupling means between the upper guide panel (40) and the lower guide panel (30).

[0032] In a lithium secondary battery, when the active material layer is not firmly adhered to the current collector, peeling of the active material layer may occur due to stress caused by volume expansion and contraction of the electrode during charging and discharging. Also, during the process of cutting the electrode, the active material may easily peel off due to the instantaneous pressure during cutting. Therefore, the adhesion state of the active material layer to the current collector significantly affects the performance of the battery, and a test for evaluating the adhesion force of the active material layer is conducted to confirm this.

[0033] The measurement of the adhesion force of the active material layer to the current collector is performed by adhering the active material layer of the electrode to a fixed substrate (e.g., a glass substrate) and measuring the adhesion strength while pulling and removing the current collector in the opposite direction. At this time, if the active material layer of the test piece electrode is not adhered to the exact position of the fixed substrate, accurate measurement results cannot be obtained.

[0034] However, the process of adhering the active material layer of the test piece electrode to the fixed substrate is performed manually, and as a result, the active material layer is frequently adhered obliquely on the fixed substrate, and the test pieces are frequently manufactured defectively. Also, this causes problems in the accuracy of the adhesion force measurement.

[0035] That is, the adhesion force measurement is performed using a UTM device after preparing a test piece (20) for testing the adhesion force of the electrode active material layer as shown in Fig. 3(c). By the way, if the active material layer (12) of the electrode does not adhere exactly to the position determined with straightness and parallelism on the fixed substrate (22) constituting the test piece (20) for testing the adhesion force of the electrode active material layer, a change occurs in the tensile force value measured due to such inaccurate adhesion. Therefore, accurately preparing the test piece (20) for testing the adhesion force of the electrode active material layer is always required for accurate measurement of the adhesion force of the active material layer to the current collector.

[0036] The manufacturing apparatus (100) for a test piece for the adhesive force test of the electrode active material layer of the present invention provides an effect of easily and simply satisfying the conditions required for the test piece as described above. Therefore, according to the present invention, the generation of erroneously manufactured test pieces is fundamentally prevented, and a test piece in an accurate and uniform form can be manufactured by a simple method, whereby the adhesive force of the electrode active material layer to the current collector can be easily and accurately measured.

[0037] The bonding means described above is not particularly limited, and bonding means known in this field can be adopted.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper guide panel (40) may be provided in any form in the manufacturing apparatus (100) for a test piece for the adhesive force test of the electrode active material layer as long as it can be coupled to the lower guide panel (30) when guiding the electrode active material layer (12). For example, it may exist in a form separated from the lower guide panel (30) and be provided in a form that is coupled to the lower guide panel (30) when guiding the electrode active material layer (12); or it may be provided in a form in which part or all of it is fixed to the lower guide panel (30).

[0039] When provided in a form separated from the lower guide panel (30), it can be provided with a detachable structure on the upper surface of the lower guide panel (30) when guiding the electrode active material layer (12). At this time, the detachable structure can be applied without limitation to structures known in this field. For example, a coupling fence for detaching the upper guide panel (40) may be provided on the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the lower guide panel (30), or conversely, a coupling fence for detaching the lower guide panel (30) may be provided on the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the upper guide panel (40). Also, a coupling protrusion may be provided on one of the upper guide panel (40) or the lower guide panel (30), and a coupling groove portion capable of accommodating the coupling protrusion may be provided on the other of the upper guide panel (40) or the lower guide panel (30).

[0040] Among the cases where the upper guide panel (40) is provided in a form partially or entirely fixed to the lower guide panel (30), in the case of the entirely fixed form, as shown in FIG. 5, even when the upper guide panel (40) is entirely fixed, the guide groove (32) of the lower guide panel (30) can be formed in a form that allows the fixing substrate (22) to be inserted. For example, when one side wall of the guide groove (32) is open, the fixing substrate (22) can be inserted through the open side wall of the guide groove (32).

[0041] Also, as an example of the case where a part is fixed, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, a form in which the upper guide panel (40) is fixed to one side of the lower guide panel (30) by a hinge can be cited. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper guide panel (40) can perform the production of a specimen for the adhesion force test of the electrode active material layer while operating.

[0042] Also, for example, the upper guide panel (40) can be coupled in a structure that slides laterally from the upper surface of the lower guide panel (30). At this time, a guide rail can be provided on one of the upper guide panel (40) or the lower guide panel (30), and a driving part that slides on the guide rail can be provided on the other of the upper guide panel (40) or the lower guide panel (30).

[0043] Among the above structures, when considering the convenience of producing a specimen for the adhesion force test of the electrode active material layer, in particular, a form in which the upper guide panel (40) is fixed to one side of the lower guide panel (30) by a hinge may be desirable.

[0044] In one embodiment of the present invention, in order to be able to hold the fixing substrate (22) accommodated in the guide groove (32), one or more of the length or width of the guide hole (42) can be formed to be smaller than the corresponding length or width of the guide groove (32).

[0045] In one embodiment of the present invention, the guide groove (32) may be in the form of a square prism with an open upper surface, and the guide hole (42) may be in the form of a square prism with open upper and lower surfaces.

[0046] Alternatively, the guide groove (32) may be in the form of a square prism with an open upper surface and one side wall, and the guide hole (42) may be in the form of a square prism with open upper and lower surfaces and one side wall.

[0047] Furthermore, the open side walls of the guide groove (32) and the guide hole (42) can be formed in the same direction as shown in FIG. 1. Also, the same direction of the open side wall may be one side wall in the length direction of the apparatus for producing a test piece for the adhesive force test of the electrode active material layer. Also, the one side wall in the length direction may be the one side wall opposite to the side where the hinge is fixed when the upper guide panel (40) is fixed to one side of the lower guide panel (30) by a hinge.

[0048] In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper guide panel (40) may be a transparent panel. When formed as a transparent panel as described above, it may be desirable because the visibility with respect to the fixed substrate (22) located below and the like is improved.

[0049] In one embodiment of the present invention, as the material of the upper guide panel (40), for example, an acrylic resin can be used, but it is not limited thereto. At this time, as described above, the upper guide panel (40) can be provided as a transparent panel.

[0050] As the material of the lower guide panel (30), a material that is resistant to heat and humidity environments can be preferably used. For example, a bakelite material can be used, but it is not limited thereto.

[0051] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode (10) may be in a form in which a current collector (14) and an active material layer (12) are laminated on one or more surfaces of the current collector. For example, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the electrode (10) may be in a form in which active material layers (12) are formed on both surfaces of the current collector (14).

[0052] The present invention also provides a method for producing a specimen for testing the adhesive force of an electrode active material layer.

[0053] The method for producing the specimen is a method for producing a specimen (20) for testing the adhesive force of an electrode active material layer using a specimen production apparatus (100) for testing the adhesive force of an electrode active material layer, (a) A step of positioning a fixed substrate (22) in a guide groove (32) provided in a lower guide panel (30) (FIGS. 4(a) and (b)); (b) A step of adhering an active material layer (12) of an electrode through a guide hole (42) provided in an upper guide panel (40) to the upper surface of the fixed substrate (22) (FIGS. 4(c) and (d)); and (c) A step of separating a specimen (20) for testing the adhesive force of an electrode active material layer from the specimen production apparatus (100) (FIGS. 4(e) and (f)); and is characterized by including the above steps.

[0054] In one embodiment of the present invention, after the step (a), a step of coupling the upper guide panel (40) to the upper part of the lower guide panel (30) so that the guide hole (42) and the guide groove (32) overlap (FIGS. 4(a) and (b)) can be further included.

[0055] In one embodiment of the present invention, in the step (c), before separating the specimen (20) for testing the adhesive force of an electrode active material layer, a step of releasing the coupling of the upper guide panel (40) to the upper part of the lower guide panel (30) (FIG. 4(e)) can be further included.

[0056] In one embodiment of the present invention, when adhering the active material layer (12) of the electrode in the step (b), the adhesion can be carried out by a method known in this field. For example, it can be carried out by a method of applying an adhesive to the fixed substrate (22) or the active material layer (12) for adhesion, or a method of attaching a double-sided tape to the fixed substrate (22) or the active material layer (12).

[0057] As described above, the present invention has been described in relation to the above-described preferred embodiments. However, various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the gist and scope of the invention. Therefore, the appended claims include such modifications and variations as long as they belong to the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0058] 10: Electrode 12: Active Material Layer 14: Current Collector 20: Specimen for Adhesion Force Test of Electrode Active Material Layer 22: Fixed Substrate 30: Lower Guide Panel 32: Guide Groove 40: Upper Guide Panel 42: Guide Hole 100: Apparatus for Producing Specimen for Adhesion Force Test of Electrode Active Material Layer

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing a test piece for an adhesion test between an active material layer of an electrode and a current collector, comprising: a lower guide panel having a guide groove on an upper surface for guiding and accommodating a fixing substrate to which the active material layer of the electrode is adhered; and an upper guide panel having a guide hole for guiding the adhesion position of the electrode active material layer with respect to the fixing substrate accommodated in the guide groove, wherein one or more of the upper guide panel and the lower guide panel are provided with a coupling means between the upper guide panel and the lower guide panel, and the apparatus is for producing a test piece for an adhesion test of an electrode active material layer.

2. The upper guide panel exists in a form separated from the lower guide panel, and is provided in a form coupled to the lower guide panel when guiding the electrode active material layer, or is provided in a form partially or entirely fixed to the lower guide panel. The apparatus for producing a test piece for an adhesion test of an electrode active material layer according to claim 1.

3. The upper guide panel is fixed to one side of the lower guide panel by a hinge. The apparatus for producing a test piece for an adhesion test of an electrode active material layer according to claim 2.

4. The upper guide panel is coupled in a structure that slides horizontally on the upper surface of the lower guide panel. A guide rail is provided on one of the upper guide panel and the lower guide panel, and a driving part that slides on the guide rail is provided on the other of the upper guide panel and the lower guide panel. The apparatus for producing a test piece for an adhesion test of an electrode active material layer according to claim 2.

5. To be able to hold the fixing substrate accommodated in the guide groove, one or more of the length or width of the guide hole is smaller than the corresponding length or width of the guide groove. The apparatus for producing a test piece for an adhesion test of an electrode active material layer according to claim 1.

6. The guide groove is in the form of a quadrangular prism with an open upper surface or a quadrangular prism with an open upper surface and one side wall. The apparatus for producing a test piece for an adhesion test of an electrode active material layer according to claim 1.

7. The guide hole is in the form of a quadrangular prism with open upper and lower surfaces or a quadrangular prism with open upper and lower surfaces and one side wall. The apparatus for producing a test piece for an adhesion test of an electrode active material layer according to claim 6.

8. The manufacturing apparatus for a test piece for adhesive force of an electrode active material layer according to claim 7, wherein the open side walls of the guide groove and the guide hole are formed in the same direction.

9. The manufacturing apparatus for a test piece for adhesive force of an electrode active material layer according to claim 1, wherein the upper guide panel is a transparent panel.

10. A method for manufacturing a test piece for adhesive force of an electrode active material layer, using the manufacturing apparatus for a test piece for adhesive force of an electrode active material layer according to claim 1, (a) positioning a fixed substrate in a guide groove provided in a lower guide panel; (b) adhering an active material layer of an electrode through a guide hole provided in an upper guide panel to the upper surface of the fixed substrate; and (c) separating a test piece for adhesive force of an electrode active material layer from the manufacturing apparatus; The method for manufacturing a test piece for adhesive force of an electrode active material layer includes.

11. The method for manufacturing a test piece for adhesive force of an electrode active material layer according to claim 10, further comprising, after the step (a), coupling the upper guide panel to the upper part of the lower guide panel so that the guide hole and the guide groove overlap.

12. The method for manufacturing a test piece for adhesive force of an electrode active material layer according to claim 11, further comprising, in the step (c), releasing the coupling of the upper guide panel to the upper part of the lower guide panel before separating the test piece for adhesive force of an electrode active material layer.

13. The method for manufacturing a test piece for adhesive force of an electrode active material layer according to claim 10, further comprising, in the step (b), attaching a double-sided tape to the fixed substrate or the active material layer when adhering the active material layer of the electrode.

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