Foldable Battery Electrode Layout With Localized Folding Portions

The electrode is divided into multiple unit electrodes along slitting lines, with folding portions positioned between them. This segmentation allows the electrode to be folded at specific locations without requiring wide uncoated bending regions, as each unit electrode can be independently folded. The coating is strategically applied to cover most of the electrode surface while leaving only minimal uncoated areas for folding, thereby maintaining high energy density while enabling foldability.

The coating is applied to the electrode sheet before the slitting and notching operations. This preliminary coating action allows the coating process to cover the entire sheet uniformly, and then precise uncoated portions are created through controlled removal or masking during subsequent slitting and notching steps. This sequence ensures that the coating pattern is established first, providing a baseline for precise geometric definition in later steps, thereby achieving high manufacturing precision while managing process complexity.

The electrode structure incorporates localized uncoated portions specifically at the folding portions, while the majority of the electrode surface maintains coating for active material functionality. This local quality differentiation ensures that uncoated areas are created only where folding occurs, providing the necessary flexibility and alignment capability without sacrificing the coated active material areas that contribute to battery capacity. The uncoated portions are precisely positioned and sized to enable folding while minimizing dead space.