Secondary Battery Electrode Binder for Uniform Conductive Dispersion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conductive materials in secondary battery electrodes often aggregate, leading to uneven distribution and reduced performance due to inadequate dispersion in conventional binder compositions, resulting in suboptimal electrode mixed material layers and secondary battery characteristics.

Innovation Solution

A binder composition containing a copolymer with an alkylene structural unit and a nitrile group-containing monomer unit, having a specific Mooney viscosity, is used to enhance conductive material dispersion in the slurry composition, along with a conductive material paste composition and another polymer, ensuring uniform distribution and improved battery characteristics.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional binder compositions are used, then the electrode mixed material layer can be formed, but the conductive material aggregates and distributes unevenly, reducing battery performance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuniformity of conductive material distributionVSAvoidconductive material aggregation
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the binder by incorporating specific polymers with carboxyl groups (such as polyacrylic acid and carboxymethyl cellulose) at controlled ratios. This compositional parameter change enables the binder to effectively disperse conductive materials like acetylene black, preventing aggregation and achieving uniform distribution in the electrode mixed material layer, thereby resolving the contradiction between formability and uniformity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Strength

If the binder composition is optimized for strong adherence, then electrode active material adheres well to current collector, but conductive material dispersion deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadherence between electrode active material and current collectorVSAvoiddispersion uniformity of conductive material
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a composite binder system by combining polymers with carboxyl groups (providing strong adhesion through chemical bonding) with polymers containing hydrophilic groups (providing excellent dispersion capability). This composite material approach allows the binder composition to simultaneously achieve strong adherence between electrode active material and current collector while maintaining uniform dispersion of conductive materials, thus resolving the contradiction between strength and dispersion precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentEP3920285B1Binder composition for secondary battery electrode, conductive material paste composition for secondary battery electrode, slurry composition for secondary battery electrode, electrode for secondary battery, and secondary battery
Publication Date: 2024.01.03 ZEON CORP

AI summary

Provided are a binder composition for a secondary battery electrode that enables favorable dispersion of a conductive material when used in production of a slurry composition for a secondary battery electrode, and a slurry composition for a secondary battery electrode in which a conductive material is favorably dispersed. The binder composition for a secondary battery electrode contains a solvent and a copolymer including an alkylene structural unit and a nitrile group-containing monomer unit. The copolymer has a Mooney viscosity (ML1+4, 100°C) of 40 or less. The slurry composition for a secondary battery electrode contains an electrode active material, a conductive material, the aforementioned binder composition for a secondary battery electrode, and a polymer other than the aforementioned copolymer.