Flexible Electrode Assembly for Curved Battery Cells
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrode assemblies face challenges in maintaining flexibility and preventing electrode misalignment when bent, leading to potential battery performance degradation and safety issues in devices with curved or varied shapes.
Innovation Solution
An electrode assembly with a laminated structure of positive and negative electrode plates separated by interposed separators, where both side end portions are bent in the same direction according to a curvature radius determined by the ratio of horizontal to vertical length, ensuring flexibility and maintaining battery characteristics even after repeated bending.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the electrode assembly is made with conventional rigid structure, then the battery characteristics are maintained, but the flexibility and ability to conform to curved device shapes is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode assembly employs thin film structures for the separator and electrode plates, enabling the entire assembly to be flexible while maintaining functional integrity. The separator specifically acts as a flexible component that allows bending without compromising battery characteristics, directly resolving the contradiction between flexibility and reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the electrode assembly is bent repeatedly, then the flexibility is improved, but the electrode positions may shift or separate leading to performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The separator acts as a flexible yet stabilizing component that maintains electrode positions during bending. Its thin film structure allows it to conform to curved shapes while its physical presence prevents electrode plates from shifting or separating, thus maintaining composition stability during repeated bending operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode assembly integrates the separator, positive electrode plate, and negative electrode plate into a unified laminated structure. This merging ensures that all components move together as a single unit during bending, preventing relative displacement and maintaining positional stability while achieving flexibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the horizontal length is increased relative to vertical length, then the flexibility and curved shape capability are improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The use of thin film separators and electrode plates reduces the overall thickness and increases flexibility, allowing the assembly to achieve curved shapes more easily. This thin film approach enables longer horizontal dimensions without proportionally increasing manufacturing difficulty, as the flexible nature of thin films accommodates dimensional variations better than rigid thick structures.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an electrode assembly, including two or more positive electrode plates and two or more negative electrode plates laminated with each of separators interposed therebetween, wherein both side end portions of the electrode assembly are bent together in the same direction by a curvature radius (R) satisfying the following Equation 1:S[{1/ln(x/y)}*t]=R 1wherein t is an average thickness (mm) of the laminated electrode assembly, x is a horizontal length of the electrode assembly, and y is a vertical length of the electrode assembly, and S is a constant of 10 or more, and ln(x/y)≥1.