Dry-Coated Lithium Battery Electrode With Lead Sidewall Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in lithium battery manufacturing is the excess use of solvents during electrode fabrication, which is undesirable, and there is a need for a method to achieve high energy density and miniaturization without using organic solvents.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves creating an electrode with an electrode active material layer that covers the side surfaces of a metal lead attached to an electrode current collector, using a dry method to produce a lithium battery, where the electrode active material layer is a self-standing film without residual processing solvent, allowing for improved energy density and cell capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a wet method using solvent is used for electrode fabrication, then the electrode components can be easily coated and formed, but excess solvent must be removed and this leads to loss of substance and reduced energy density
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the solvent component from the electrode fabrication process entirely. By using a dry coating method where electrode components are coated in a dry state without any solvent, the process removes the harmful solvent substance from the system, preventing both environmental pollution and energy density reduction while maintaining ease of manufacture through simple dry coating and heating steps
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state parameter of the coating process from wet (with solvent) to dry (without solvent). By transforming the fabrication method from a liquid-based slurry coating to a dry powder or granule coating followed by heating, the process eliminates solvent loss while maintaining manufacturability through controlled dry coating and thermal processing parameters
2Quantity of substance
If the electrode active material layer covers the side surface of the metal lead, then the energy density and cell capacity are improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the metal lead attachment and electrode active material coating into a single integrated process. The metal lead is attached to the current collector, and then the electrode active material layer is coated to cover the lead's side surface in one continuous manufacturing flow, eliminating the need for separate lead attachment and coating steps, thus improving energy density without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extends the electrode active material layer coverage from the conventional two-dimensional plane on the current collector to include the three-dimensional side surface of the metal lead. This dimensional extension ensures complete coverage of conductive surfaces, maximizing energy density and cell capacity by utilizing the vertical dimension of the lead structure for active material placement
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided herein are an electrode and a lithium battery including the same. The electrode includes an electrode current collector, a metal lead including a first region provided on the electrode current collector and a second region protruding outward from the electrode current collector, and an electrode active material layer provided on the electrode current collector. The electrode active material layer covers at least a portion of a side surface A of the first region of the metal lead.