Crosslinked Stretchable Electrode for Stable Battery Deformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current stretchable batteries face challenges in maintaining energy storage performance under mechanical deformation due to the deterioration of volume/area energy density and rate of performance, as most methods only make specific components stretchable rather than the entire cell system, and there is a lack of a stable stretchable current collector that maintains conductivity.
Innovation Solution
A stretchable electrode is developed using a fluorine-based polymer binder that is hydroxyl-functionalized through Fenton's oxidation and physically or chemically crosslinked, integrated with a stretchable current collector, separator, and encapsulant, enabling superior interfacial adhesivity and stability under mechanical deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If pre-straining or mixing with large amount of elastomers is used to achieve stretchability, then mechanical deformability is improved, but volume/area energy density deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the binder by introducing hydroxyl-functionalized fluorine-based polymer through Fenton's oxidation, and applies crosslinking to transform the binder's physical state. This enables the binder itself to provide stretchability without requiring large amounts of elastomer additives, thus maintaining energy density while achieving mechanical deformability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite binder system combining hydroxyl-functionalized fluorine-based polymer with crosslinking agents. This composite material exhibits both adhesive properties for active materials and elastic properties for stretchability, eliminating the need to sacrifice energy density for mechanical flexibility.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional binders are used in stretchable batteries, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but interfacial adhesivity to active material deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs Fenton's oxidation, a strong oxidation process using hydrogen peroxide and iron catalyst, to functionalize the fluorine-based polymer binder. This oxidation introduces hydroxyl groups that significantly enhance interfacial adhesivity to active materials, while the process can be integrated into conventional manufacturing workflows.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydroxyl groups introduced by Fenton's oxidation act as intermediary bonding sites between the fluorine-based polymer binder and active materials. These hydroxyl groups form strong interfacial bonds, improving adhesion without complicating the manufacturing process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If stretchable components are used throughout the cell system, then overall stretchability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the binder multi-functional by赋予 it both adhesive function (through hydroxyl groups) and elastic function (through crosslinking). This universal binder can be applied to various electrode components, enabling system-wide stretchability without requiring different materials for different parts, thus avoiding manufacturing complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If existing stretchable current collectors are used, then some stretchability is achieved, but electrical conductivity stability deteriorates under deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite binder system of hydroxyl-functionalized fluorine-based polymer and crosslinking agents that maintains structural integrity during stretching. This composite binder ensures stable electrical conductivity by maintaining good contact between conductive particles and active materials even under mechanical deformation.
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 solution provides a stretchable battery with improved mechanical stability and retention of electrical conductivity, battery capacity, and charge-discharge performance, allowing for applications in wearable and implantable devices without significant degradation even under repeated stretching.
Implementation Method 1
a fluorine-based polymer binder in the form of a gel physically crosslinked by Fenton's oxidation is introduced
Implementation Method 2
a fluorine-based polymer binder with a network structure chemically crosslinked by a crosslinking agent is introduced
Implementation Method 3
a stretchable current collector including a matrix polymer, a conductive particle and a carbon material
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a stretchable electrode, a method for preparing the same and a stretchable battery including the stretchable electrode. The stretchable electrode of the present disclosure, which is prepared by crosslinking a hydroxyl-functionalized fluorine-based polymer binder physically using a ketone-based solvent or chemically with a crosslinking agent, has superior stretchability, has improved interfacial adhesivity to an active material through Fenton's oxidation, exhibits improved stability under various mechanical deformations of the electrode such as stretching, etc. and can uniformly maintain the electrical conductivity, battery capacity and charge-discharge performance of the electrode.In addition, the stretchable battery of the present disclosure, which includes the stretchable electrode, a stretchable current collector, a stretchable separator and a stretchable encapsulant, has improved stretchability and superior battery stability under various deformations due to high degree of freedom of structures and materials. In addition, the stretchable battery of the present disclosure can be prepared as a fiber battery by printing an electrode and a current collector sequentially on both sides of a stretchable fabric, which can be worn, e.g., around sleeves due to superior stretchability and high structural degree of freedom and retains high battery performance and mechanical stability even under mechanical deformation. Therefore, it can be applied to a mobile display for a health monitoring system or a smartwatch.