Electrode with Embedded Conductive Filaments for Lightweight Battery Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to develop an electrode with high energy density while minimizing weight, as traditional thick electrodes with metal current collectors lead to increased weight due to multiple layers, making it difficult to achieve both high energy density and lightness.
Innovation Solution
The use of conductive filaments, such as metal fibers, carbon fibers, or carbon nanotubes, embedded within the active material layer of the electrode serves as a current collector, replacing heavy metal collectors, allowing for a lightweight and flexible battery design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple layers of thin electrodes are stacked to achieve high energy density, then the energy density is improved, but the weight increases due to multiple layers of metal current collectors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the heavy metal current collector from the electrode structure, replacing it with a lightweight conductive polymer coating. This extraction eliminates the weight penalty associated with multiple metal current collector layers while preserving the electrical conductivity function, thereby resolving the contradiction between achieving high energy density through electrode stacking and minimizing overall battery weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter of the current collector from heavy metal to lightweight conductive polymer. This parameter change fundamentally alters the weight characteristic while maintaining the essential electrical conductivity function, allowing multiple electrode layers to be stacked without proportionally increasing the total weight, thus resolving the energy density versus weight contradiction.
2Quantity of substance
If a thick electrode is designed to increase energy density, then the energy density is improved, but potential unbalance occurs making it difficult to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by coating the conductive polymer only on specific surfaces where electrical contact is needed, rather than requiring a uniformly thick electrode structure. This localized approach allows the electrode to achieve sufficient electrical conductivity and capacity without the manufacturing difficulties associated with uniformly thick electrodes, resolving the contradiction between energy density and manufacturability.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an electrode. An electrode according to the present invention includes an active material layer; and a current collector which includes a plurality of conductive filaments, wherein at least one from among the plurality of conductive filaments is embedded in the active material layer so that a set length is exposed from the surface thereof.