Laser Edge Straightening for Battery Electrode Overhang Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing electrodes in lithium ion batteries face challenges in minimizing the overhang tolerance between positive and negative electrodes, which limits battery capacity and safety due to uneven coating of active materials.
Innovation Solution
A method involving laser cleaning technology is applied to remove excess electrode active material at the ends, ensuring a straight edge and minimizing the area difference between positive and negative electrodes, thereby optimizing battery capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the coating thickness is increased to achieve high battery capacity, then the battery capacity is improved, but the end portions of the electrode active material become difficult to make straight, increasing overhang tolerance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing laser processing on the electrode active material ends before battery assembly to remove irregularities and create straight edges. This preliminary treatment ensures that even with thick coatings required for high capacity, the ends remain straight and overhang tolerance is minimized, thus resolving the contradiction between achieving high capacity and maintaining manufacturing precision.
2Reliability
If the area of the negative electrode is increased to cover the positive electrode and prevent lithium precipitation, then safety is improved, but the overhang increases, reducing battery capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical cutting methods with laser processing technology to achieve precise removal of electrode active material at the ends. This substitution enables much higher precision in controlling the end geometry, allowing the negative electrode to just sufficiently cover the positive electrode for safety while minimizing unnecessary overhang that would reduce capacity, thus resolving the contradiction between safety and capacity.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional methods (press, scraper, ultrasonic wave) are used to remove excess active material, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but the difference in area between positive and negative electrodes cannot be minimized, limiting capacity improvement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical methods (press, scraper, ultrasonic wave) with laser processing technology. This substitution provides significantly higher precision in removing electrode active material, enabling minimal area difference between positive and negative electrodes to be achieved. The laser method allows precise control of the removed material amount, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and precision in area difference control.
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
This approach effectively reduces overhang tolerance, enhancing battery capacity and stability by ensuring a precise overlap area between electrodes, leading to improved performance within the same battery size.
Implementation Method 1
radiating a laser such that the end of an electrode active material layer, which has been obtained by applying the electrode active material, becomes straight, thereby removing the electrode active material
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an electrode manufacturing method, an electrode manufactured thereby, and a battery comprising the same, the electrode manufacturing method comprising the steps of: applying an electrode active material onto a collector; and radiating a laser such that the end of an electrode active material layer, which has been obtained by applying the electrode active material, becomes straight, thereby removing the electrode active material.The present invention is advantageous in that the difference in area between active materials applied to the positive and negative electrodes, respectively, is minimized, thereby increasing the capacity and improving the stability of the battery.