Dry Powder Electrode Coating With Masked Lead-Attachment Regions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for dry powder coating of electrochemical cell electrodes require extensive time and energy for solvent evaporation, and the continuous coating process makes it difficult to form suitable locations for attaching electrical leads, leading to increased resistance and energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A system and method using masks to selectively cover regions of a substrate during spraying, allowing for the formation of bare regions where electrical leads can be attached and reducing resistive heating through the coated layers, enabling more efficient energy use and consistent heating by passing current through the substrate without the coated layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If continuous coating process is used to deposit material layers on substrate, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but it becomes difficult to form suitable locations for attaching electrical leads, leading to increased resistance and energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively depositing coating material only in specific regions of the substrate using masks. The masks define target regions where material is deposited while leaving other regions (for electrical lead attachment) bare. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining continuous manufacturing efficiency while creating localized bare regions that reduce resistance and energy consumption for lead attachment.
2Manufacturing precision
If material layers are deposited on entire substrate surface, then coating coverage is improved, but resistive heating increases due to current passing through coated layers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses masks to create local quality differences on the substrate surface. Material layers are precisely deposited only in target regions while leaving other regions bare. This ensures adequate coating coverage in areas where it is needed while maintaining bare regions that reduce resistive heating when current passes through the substrate, thereby resolving the contradiction between coating coverage and energy loss.
3Ease of manufacture
If masks are used to selectively mask substrate regions during spraying, then bare regions for lead attachment are created, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the substrate surface into distinct regions using masks. The masks segment the coating process into target regions (where material is deposited) and bare regions (where material is not deposited). This segmentation enables easy lead attachment in bare regions while maintaining a relatively simple masking system that can be moved or adjusted as needed, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing ease and device complexity.
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
This approach allows for efficient deposition of multiple layers with reduced energy consumption, consistent resistive heating, and easier attachment of electrical leads, simplifying the battery manufacturing process by maintaining bare regions for lead attachment and minimizing material removal before calendering.
Implementation Method 1
The system also includes a heater configured to heat the substrate
Implementation Method 2
at least one sprayer configured to spray particles towards a substrate... spraying first particles... towards the heated substrate to form a first layer on the substrate
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for forming a particle layer on a substrate may include at least one sprayer and at least two masks configured to selectively mask a substrate in a first region and second region of the substrate. The at least one sprayer may be configured to spray particles at the substrate, where the at least two masks maintain the first region and second region substantially free of the deposited material. A heater may be employed to heat the substrate as the particles are sprayed by the at least one sprayer onto the substrate.