Thick Electrode Conductive Path for Battery Energy Density
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for increasing electrode film thickness in lithium ion secondary batteries face manufacturing difficulties, making it challenging to produce electrodes with higher energy density while maintaining stability and cycle characteristics.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a conductive member that forms a conductive path between the active material and the current collector, coated with a coating agent including a resin and conduction assisting agent, to enhance electrical connectivity and stability, allowing for thicker electrodes and a gellated electrolyte to improve cycle characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the film thickness of the electrode is increased to improve energy density, then the energy density is improved, but the manufacturing of the electrode becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode is divided into multiple thin layers (first electrode layer, second electrode layer, third electrode layer) instead of using a single thick layer. This segmentation allows each layer to be manufactured within feasible thickness limits while the cumulative effect achieves the desired high energy density. The conductive member is also segmented into multiple conductive layers distributed across different electrode layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive member extends in the thickness direction (z-direction) to connect multiple electrode layers, adding a dimensional aspect to the conductive path. This vertical connectivity through the thickness dimension enables electrical connection across segmented layers without requiring each layer to be excessively thick for manufacturing.
2Quantity of substance
If the film thickness of the electrode is increased to improve energy density, then the energy density is improved, but the stability and cycle characteristics deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Dividing the thick electrode into multiple thinner layers improves cycle characteristics and stability by reducing mechanical stress and improving electrolyte penetration throughout the electrode structure. Each thin layer can undergo volume changes more easily without causing delamination or structural failure, while the conductive member maintains electrical connectivity across all layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive member is pre-installed within the electrode structure before the electrode is assembled into the battery. This preliminary placement ensures that conductive paths are established in advance, maintaining electrical connectivity throughout the thickness direction even as the electrode undergoes expansion and contraction during cycling, thereby improving stability and cycle life.
3Quantity of substance
If conventional methods are used to apply slurry to increase electrode film thickness, then the energy density is improved, but the electrode manufacturing becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying a single thick slurry coating that is difficult to manufacture, the electrode is constructed by stacking multiple thin slurry-coated layers. Each layer can be manufactured using conventional slurry application methods within their optimal thickness range, and the layers are subsequently assembled with conductive members to form the complete thick electrode structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive member is preliminarily placed within the electrode structure before final assembly. This allows the slurry to be applied in manageable thin layers without needing to accommodate the conductive member during the coating process, simplifying the manufacturing of each individual layer while achieving the desired thick overall electrode structure through subsequent assembly.
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 enables the production of non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries with increased electrode film thickness, stable operation under vibration, and improved cycle characteristics by ensuring homogeneous electrode reactions and preventing deformation.
Implementation Method 1
a conductive member which forms a conductive path in contact with an active material and electrically connects the first principal surface to the second principal surface
Implementation Method 2
coated with a coating agent that includes a coating resin and a conduction assisting agent
Implementation Method 3
the electrolyte of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is gellated. Thus, even under increased vibration, an influence of gellation is low so that the constitutional member of an electrode can be stably maintained
Data Source
AI summary
To provide a structure which allows production of an electrode, even if the film thickness of an electrode is increased; and a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery using the same.A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a power generating element including: two electrodes having different polarity and formed by forming an active material layer on a current collector; and an electrolyte layer positioned between the electrodes, wherein at least one of the active material layers of the two electrodes having different polarity contains an active material and a conductive member made from an electron conducting material, the active material layer has a first principal surface which comes into contact with the electrolyte layer side, and a second principal surface which comes into contact with the current collector side, at least a part of the conductive member forms a conductive path electrically connecting the first principal surface to the second principal surface, and the conductive path is in contact with the active material in the periphery of the conductive path, at least a part of the surface of the active material is coated with a coating agent that includes a coating resin and a conduction assisting agent, and an electrolyte solution contained in the electrolyte layer or the two electrodes having different polarity is a gel phase electrolyte.