Poly(4-vinylbenzoic acid): A Re-Engineered Binder for Improved Performance from Water-Free Slurry Processing for Silicon Graphite Composite Electrodes
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
In silicon-based lithium-ion batteries, polymeric binders play the crucial role of “gluing” the electrode matrix together, providing strong adhesion between the active silicon (Si) and conductive carbon particles and keeping them in electrical contact, despite considerable volumetric changes during cycling. While remarkable progress has been seen in the development of binders, improved cycling performance is still needed to fully enable Si anodes. Achieving that end requires in turn a better understanding of the relationship between binder properties and cell cycling performance. Here, we describe a novel polymer binder, poly(4-vinylbenzoic acid) (P4VBA), developed by re-engineering the widely used poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) binder to explore that relationship. The modified structure produces a binder that is more compatible with 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) slurries and affords much improved cycling performance of the fabricated cells. Compared with PAA binders, P4VBA provides higher initial and average capacities and better capacity retention. While P4VBA offers an interesting alternative to wet processing of the Si-based electrodes, this re-engineered binder is an initial effort to develop a better binder material by exploring the relationship between binder and cell cycling performance.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Vehicle Technologies Office; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 1735953
- Journal Information:
- ACS Applied Energy Materials, Journal Name: ACS Applied Energy Materials Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 2; ISSN 2574-0962
- Publisher:
- American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English