Sheet-Form Electrode with Porous Supporting Layer for Flexible Secondary Batteries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Secondary batteries, particularly cable-type batteries, face issues with electrode active material layer release due to external forces and rapid volume expansion, leading to reduced capacity and deteriorated cycle life, which existing methods fail to adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A sheet-form electrode design featuring a current collector with a porous supporting layer to mitigate crack generation and prevent electrode active material layer release, incorporating a conductive material-coating layer and a polymer film for enhanced flexibility and adhesion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the amount of binder in the electrode active material layer is increased to provide flexibility during bending or twisting, then flexibility is improved, but electrode resistance rises and battery performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the electrode structure into multiple functional layers: a flexible substrate layer, an electrode active material layer, and a protective coating layer. This segmentation allows each layer to perform its specific function - the substrate provides flexibility while the coating maintains electrical performance, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and battery performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures combining flexible polymers in the substrate with conductive materials in the coating layer. This composite approach enables the electrode to simultaneously achieve mechanical flexibility and electrical conductivity, overcoming the trade-off between flexibility improvement and performance deterioration
2Adaptability or versatility
If intense external forces are applied to achieve shape variation in cable-type batteries, then adaptability is improved, but the electrode active material layer may be released
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a protective coating layer on the electrode active material layer before external forces are applied. This coating acts as a cushioning layer that prevents direct contact between intense external forces and the active material, thereby maintaining layer integrity while allowing shape variation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a flexible substrate layer and protective coating layer that can deform under external forces without breaking. These thin film structures provide mechanical protection to the electrode active material layer while enabling the cable-type battery to achieve various shapes through bending and twisting
3Ease of manufacture
If the electrode structure is designed for cable-type flexibility, then ease of manufacture is improved, but crack generation in the electrode active material layer occurs under external forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible substrate layers and protective coating films that inherently resist crack propagation. These thin film structures maintain integrity under bending and twisting forces, providing crack resistance while preserving the ease of manufacture of cable-type flexible electrode structures
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a sheet-form electrode for a secondary battery, comprising a current collector; an electrode active material layer formed on one surface of the current collector; and a first porous supporting layer formed on the electrode active material layer. The sheet-form electrode for a secondary battery according to the present disclosure has supporting layers on at least one surface thereof to exhibit surprisingly improved flexibility and prevent the release of the electrode active material layer from a current collector even if intense external forces are applied to the electrode, thereby preventing the decrease of battery capacity and improving the cycle life characteristic of the battery.