Flexible Secondary Battery with Sliding Binding Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional batteries lack flexibility, leading to stress on internal interfaces when bent or twisted, affecting safety, performance, and lifespan, and sheet-type batteries with improved flexibility have limited energy capacity.
Innovation Solution
A flexible secondary battery design featuring an electrode stack structure with a binding structure that provides fixed and slidable contact portions, surrounded by stiff films and protection layers to maintain stability during deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If batteries are made thinner to improve flexibility, then flexibility is improved, but energy capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where multiple electrode layers (positive and negative electrodes with separators) are stacked one inside another, forming a compact electrode stack. This nesting approach allows the battery to maintain a thin overall profile while accommodating multiple energy-storing layers, thereby improving flexibility without proportionally reducing energy capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a planar sheet-type battery design to a three-dimensional stacked configuration. By arranging electrode layers in the stacking direction (vertical dimension) rather than only in planar layers, the battery achieves flexibility in multiple dimensions while maximizing energy density within the constrained thickness.
2Adaptability or versatility
If batteries are bent or twisted, then flexibility is improved, but stress concentrates on internal interfaces causing stripping and affecting safety and performance
Solution Approach 1:
The binding structure merges the function of mechanical support with electrical insulation by combining a rigid insulating layer and a flexible insulating layer into a single integrated component. This unified structure provides comprehensive protection to internal interfaces during bending, preventing stripping while maintaining interface stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The binding structure is positioned beforehand to surround and protect the electrode stack structure before any bending occurs. The rigid insulating layer provides immediate structural support, while the flexible insulating layer accommodates deformation, creating a cushioning effect that prevents stress concentration on internal interfaces during subsequent bending operations.
3Strength
If conventional binding structures are used, then structural support is provided, but flexibility is reduced due to rigid constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The binding structure employs different materials with different properties at different locations: the rigid insulating layer provides structural support where needed, while the flexible insulating layer provides accommodation for deformation in other areas. This spatial differentiation of material properties allows the binding structure to simultaneously provide strength and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The binding structure is constructed as a composite of two insulating layers with different mechanical properties - a rigid insulating layer for structural support and a flexible insulating layer for deformation accommodation. This composite approach allows the binding structure to exhibit both strength and flexibility, resolving the contradiction between structural support and adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible secondary battery includes: an electrode stack structure including a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and a separator disposed between the first and second electrode layers; and a binding structure surrounding the electrode stack structure, where the binder structure is in fixed contact with a first side of the electrode stack structure and is in slidable contact with a second side of the electrode stack structure.