Porous Grid Current Collector for Higher Li-Ion Energy Density
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lithium-ion battery technologies face challenges in improving energy density due to limitations in existing material systems, with traditional porous current collectors being heavy, costly, or brittle, which hinders the achievement of higher energy density and longer battery life.
Innovation Solution
A current collector design comprising a support layer with a first electrically conductive layer having a grid structure and a second electrically conductive layer, formed through methods like printing or magnetron sputtering, which reduces weight and allows ion permeability, enhancing energy density and conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional porous current collectors are used, then ion permeability is achieved, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a porous polyolefin layer as the current collector substrate, which provides necessary ion permeability for lithium ion transmission. The porous structure allows ions to pass through while maintaining a lighter weight compared to traditional solid current collectors, directly addressing the contradiction between ion permeability and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by coating conductive materials (such as metal grids or conductive polymers) onto the porous polyolefin layer. This composite approach combines the ion permeability of the porous substrate with the electrical conductivity of the coating layer, achieving both requirements without significantly increasing weight.
2Quantity of substance
If traditional porous current collectors are used, then ion permeability is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The porous polyolefin layer can be manufactured using established processes such as electrospinning or phase separation, which are relatively mature technologies. This approach provides ion permeability while avoiding the need for complex fabrication processes, thus maintaining ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a simple coating process to deposit conductive materials onto the porous substrate. This copying approach, where a conductive layer is applied onto a pre-formed porous structure, simplifies manufacturing compared to creating porosity in the final composite structure, reducing both complexity and cost.
3Weight of moving object
If grid structure is used for first electrically conductive layer, then weight per unit area is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The first electrically conductive layer is designed with a grid structure that segments the conductive material into a network of interconnected lines or cells. This segmentation reduces the total amount of conductive material needed, thereby reducing weight per unit area, while the grid pattern is easy to manufacture using screen printing or electrospinning techniques, avoiding high precision requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the grid parameters such as line width, spacing, and mesh size to achieve the desired electrical conductivity and weight reduction. By carefully selecting these parameters within certain ranges, the grid structure can be manufactured with standard processes without requiring extreme precision, thus balancing weight reduction with manufacturing ease.
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 proposed current collector structure achieves a higher energy density by reducing inactive material proportion, improving electrical conductivity, and enabling efficient lithium ion transmission, thus addressing the limitations of existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
a first electrically conductive layer having a grid structure distributed on the first surface and/or the second surface of the support layer
Implementation Method 2
the current collector as a whole can have a porous structure, and the porous current collector is permeable to ions
Implementation Method 3
forming a first electrically conductive layer on a first surface and/or a second surface of the support layer by at least one of printing, printing, deposition, and magnetron sputtering
Data Source
AI summary
A current collector, an electrode sheet, and a fabrication method for a current collector are disclosed. The current collector includes a support layer, a first electrically conductive layer and a second electrically conductive layer. The support layer has a first surface and a second surface arranged opposite to each other. The first electrically conductive layer has a grid structure distributed on the first surface and/or the second surface of the support layer. The second electrically conductive layer is provided on a surface of the first electrically conductive layer away from the support layer.