Battery Electrode Crack Formation via Controlled Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery manufacturing methods using multiple rollers to bend electrodes increase costs and can lead to cracks in the collector and electrode, compromising its strength and durability, while methods aiming to improve immersion efficiency and prevent liquid leakage lack clear processes for generating intended cracks.
Innovation Solution
A battery design and manufacturing method where the electrode layer is formed on a collector with controlled cracks, either across the entire area or at a predetermined distance from the collector's connection points, using a drying process to create cracks that do not affect the collector's strength and durability, and a manufacturing apparatus with a crack forming unit to achieve this.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If multiple rollers are used to bend the electrode during transfer, then the electrode can be formed, but the manufacturing cost increases and cracks may occur in the collector and electrode
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the crack formation process from the electrode layer and relocates it to the collector substrate. By pre-forming cracks in the collector before applying the electrode layer, the bending and shaping operations can be performed without risking cracks in the electrode itself, thus resolving the contradiction between shape formation and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming cracks in the collector before the electrode layer is applied. This pre-formed crack structure allows subsequent bending and shaping operations to proceed without causing electrode cracks, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining electrode integrity
2Shape
If multiple rollers are used to bend the electrode, then the electrode can be formed, but the strength and durability of the electrode deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the crack formation from the electrode layer and places it in the collector. This separation ensures that the electrode layer remains intact during bending operations, preserving its strength and durability while still achieving the required shape
Solution Approach 2:
By pre-forming cracks in the collector before electrode application, the patent enables subsequent shaping operations to be performed on a structure that already has its stress pathways defined, preventing damage to the electrode and maintaining its reliability
3Reliability
If cracks are generated on the electrode surface by forcible drying, then immersion efficiency improves and liquid leakage is inhibited, but the process control for generating intended cracks is unclear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the crack formation process from the electrode layer and relocates it to the collector substrate. This allows crack formation to be controlled through the drying process parameters of the collector rather than the electrode, providing clearer process control for achieving the desired crack patterns that improve immersion efficiency and prevent liquid leakage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical forcing method with a controlled drying process to generate cracks in the collector. This substitution provides better control over crack formation, allowing precise control of crack location, size, and distribution to achieve the desired immersion efficiency and liquid leakage prevention
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method secures the strength and durability of the collector by forming cracks in the electrode layer that do not impact the collector, thereby enhancing the battery's performance by inhibiting liquid and ion depletion, and improving manufacturing efficiency by standardizing the crack formation process.
Implementation Method 1
the electrode layer is dried at a predetermined drying rate to form cracks in the corresponding electrode layer
Data Source
AI summary
A battery includes a positive plate, a negative plate and an insulative separator disposed between the positive plate and the negative plate. Each of the positive plate and the negative plate has a collector and an electrode layer disposed on a surface of the collector. The electrode layer contains an active material. At least one of the positive plate and the negative plate has cracks in a whole area of the electrode layer thereof or at a part of the electrode layer thereof, the part being away from a connector of the one to be coupled to an electrode at least by a predetermined distance. For example, the cracks are formed by drying the electrode layer at a predetermined drying rate.