Carbon Nanotube Paste for Lithium-Ion Battery Conductivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electro-conductive pastes and inks contain excessive polymeric binders, which limit conductivity and reduce the usage of active electrode materials in applications like Lithium-ion batteries, leading to decreased capacity.
Innovation Solution
A multi-walled carbon nanotube-based paste with reduced polymeric binder content, utilizing polyvinylpyrrolidone as a dispersant, which allows for improved conductivity and reduced binder loading, enabling higher cathode material addition and enhanced battery performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional electro-conductive pastes use polymeric binders to attach conductive filler to substrate, then the paste can be applied and adhered properly, but the excessive polymeric binder content limits conductivity and reduces active electrode material usage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the polymeric binder component from the paste formulation entirely, replacing it with a solvent-based system where carbon nanotubes are dispersed directly in the liquid vehicle. This eliminates the harmful effect of excessive binder while maintaining paste applicability through the liquid vehicle medium.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter of paste composition by transitioning from a binder-based system to a solvent-based dispersion system. The carbon nanotubes are dispersed in liquid vehicles such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, water, or alcohols, fundamentally altering how the paste achieves both applicability and conductivity without polymeric binders.
2Stability of the object's composition
If polymeric binders are used to hold electro-conductive filler in conductive pattern, then the conductive circuit structure is maintained, but the binder content reduces the usage of active electrode materials and decreases battery capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the polymeric binder function and replaces it with a solvent-based dispersion mechanism. The carbon nanotubes maintain their conductive network structure through proper dispersion in the liquid vehicle, eliminating the need for polymeric binders that would otherwise displace active electrode materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite paste formulation consisting of carbon nanotubes dispersed in liquid vehicles without polymeric binders. This composite approach allows the carbon nanotubes themselves to form the conductive network while the liquid vehicle provides the necessary rheological properties for paste application, maximizing active material content.
3Reliability
If carbon nanotubes are used to form low resistance conductive networks, then conductivity is improved, but carbon nanotubes are difficult to process and insoluble in most solvents
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces liquid vehicles such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, water, or alcohols as intermediary media to disperse and process carbon nanotubes. These liquid vehicles act as mediators that enable the insoluble carbon nanotubes to be processed into applicable paste forms while maintaining their intrinsic conductivity properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state and dispersion parameters of carbon nanotubes by using liquid vehicles to create stable dispersions. The carbon nanotubes are processed as dispersed phases in liquid media, transforming them from difficult-to-process insoluble materials into manufacturable paste formulations with controlled rheological properties.
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 carbon nanotube-based paste achieves superior electro-conductive networks with reduced polymeric content, improving conductivity and battery capacity while allowing for less carbon filler material, resulting in enhanced performance in lithium-ion batteries.
Implementation Method 1
carbon nanotubes form low resistance conductive networks
Implementation Method 2
utilizing polyvinylpyrrolidone as a dispersant, which allows for improved conductivity and reduced binder loading
Data Source
AI summary
Carbon-nanotube based pastes and methods for making and using the same are disclosed. Carbon nanotubes are dispersed via milling; resultant paste has Hegman scale of greater than 7. The pastes can be used as electro-conductivity enhancement in electronic devices such as batteries, capacitors, electrodes or other devices needing high conductivity paste.