Battery Electrode Edge Sealing to Limit Stack Thickness
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing stacked all-solid-state batteries result in increased battery thickness due to insulating resin jutting out in the laminating direction, which reduces structural efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An electrode design featuring a laminate with an active material layer and current collector, where the sealing portion is composed of a first and second sealing portion, with the second sealing portion recessed into asperities on the adjacent face, preventing jutting out and ensuring firm adhesion and insulation, and a manufacturing method involving coating and pressing steps to achieve this configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If insulator coating solution is coated on end portion of laminate to form sealing portion, then insulation and sealing are improved, but battery thickness increases due to insulating resin jutting out
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating asperities (local surface irregularities) on the adjacent face of the laminate. These asperities are formed only in specific locations where the sealing portion contacts the laminate, allowing the sealing portion to nestle into these localized features rather than uniformly coating the entire surface. This localized surface modification enables the sealing portion to adhere firmly without jutting out, thus maintaining insulation reliability while preventing thickness increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary action by forming asperities on the laminate surface before applying the insulator coating solution. This pre-prepared surface structure ensures that when the sealing portion is coated, it automatically conforms to the asperity pattern and nests into the recessed portions. This preliminary surface preparation prevents the sealing portion from jutting out during subsequent stacking operations, thereby avoiding battery thickness increase while maintaining effective sealing.
2Reliability
If sealing portion is coated to cover end portion surface, then short-circuiting is suppressed, but structural efficiency decreases due to increased battery thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The asperities are created only in specific regions of the adjacent face where the sealing portion needs to adhere, rather than modifying the entire laminate surface. This localized surface treatment allows the sealing portion to achieve firm attachment and effective short-circuit prevention only where necessary, without adding unnecessary material volume elsewhere, thus preserving structural efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional flat coating approach to a three-dimensional asperity-based sealing structure. By forming raised portions and recessed portions on the laminate surface, the sealing portion is guided into a nested configuration that eliminates protrusion in the thickness direction. This dimensional transformation allows effective sealing while maintaining compact battery geometry and high structural efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrode for a battery includes a laminate including an active material layer and a current collector, and a sealing portion covering an end portion surface of the laminate. The laminate includes two principal faces facing each other, and an end face. The end portion surface includes the end face, and an adjacent face on each of the two principal faces. The adjacent face includes one or more asperities. The sealing portion includes a first sealing portion covering the end face, and a second sealing portion covering at least part of the adjacent face. The second sealing portion is present in one or more recessed portions of the one or more asperities of the adjacent face and does not include a portion higher than a height position of the one or more asperities that is highest. The first sealing portion and the second sealing portion are connected.