Composite Foam-Metal Current Collector for Stronger Battery Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foam-metal current collectors in secondary batteries suffer from poor mechanical performance, leading to issues such as low strength and easy tearing during tab formation and welding.
Innovation Solution
A battery current collector is designed with a foam metal layer and a strength enhancement layer stacked and metallurgically bonded, ensuring structural strength and conductivity while allowing electrolyte flow, and can be produced through metallurgical bonding, welding, or sintering to adjust performance parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a foam-metal current collector is used, then conductivity and electrolyte flow are improved, but mechanical strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining foam metal material with strength enhancement material to form a layered composite current collector. The foam metal layer provides conductivity and electrolyte flow channels, while the strength enhancement layer provides mechanical strength. This composite structure resolves the contradiction between conductivity and mechanical strength by allowing each material to fulfill its primary function.
2Productivity
If a foam-metal current collector is used, then electrolyte flow is improved, but structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure combines foam metal with strength enhancement material, where the foam metal layer maintains open pores for electrolyte flow while the strength enhancement layer provides structural integrity. This allows the current collector to maintain both high electrolyte flow capability and structural stability during battery operation.
3Reliability
If tab punching or welding is performed on foam-metal current collector, then electrical connection is achieved, but mechanical performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The composite current collector with strength enhancement layer provides a robust substrate for tab formation and welding operations. The strength enhancement layer compensates for the mechanical weakness of foam metal, allowing tabs to be punched or welded with high strength and resistance to tearing, while maintaining electrical connection reliability.
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
The solution enhances mechanical performance, improves conductivity, and reduces production costs, while simplifying processing and preventing cracking during winding, thereby improving the reliability and efficiency of the current collector.
Implementation Method 1
The strength enhancement layer and the foam metal layer are connected by metallurgical bonding, and atoms on an interface between the strength enhancement layer and the foam metal layer mutually diffuse to bond.
Implementation Method 2
the foam metal layer includes a first foam metal layer disposed on one side of the strength enhancement layer and a second foam metal layer disposed on the other side of the strength enhancement layer, where the strength enhancement layer is provided with a through hole, so that electrolytes on two sides of the strength enhancement layer flow to each other
Data Source
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AI summary
This application provides a battery current collector and a preparation method thereof, a secondary battery, a battery module, a battery pack, and an electric apparatus. The battery current collector includes a foam metal layer (1) and a strength enhancement layer (2), where the strength enhancement layer (2) is a sheet-shaped metal layer, and the strength enhancement layer (2) and the foam metal layer (1) are stacked and metallurgically bonded, alleviating a problem of poor mechanical performance of current collectors in the related art. The strength enhancement layer (2) and the foam metal layer (1) are connected by metallurgical bonding, which helps ensure not only structural strength of the strength enhancement layer (2) and the foam metal layer (1), but also good conductivity between the strength enhancement layer (2) and the foam metal layer (1). Further, the manner of metallurgical bonding helps reduce production costs.