POS6-0660
Solvent-free fabrication of thick LiFePO₄ electrodes using a thermoplastic binder for high-energy-density Li-ion batteries
When and Where
Nov 30, -0001
12:00am - 12:00am
Presenter(s)
Dae Kyom Kim (Chung-Ang University)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Dry electrode technology is emerging as an important manufacturing strategy for sustainable lithium-ion batteries by eliminating solvent evaporation, reducing energy consumption, and enabling thick electrode fabrication. Nevertheless, current dry electrode processes are largely dominated by polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binders, which form mechanical networks through fibrillation but contain fluorinated components and often show limited adhesion to current collectors. Herein, we propose maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MA) as a fluorine-free thermoplastic binder for hot-pressed dry LiFePO₄ (LFP) cathodes. The binder was designed to combine the melt processability of a polypropylene backbone with the interfacial functionality of grafted maleic anhydride groups. In this system, LFP was used as an active material and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were introduced as a conductive agent. The dry powder mixture was directly fabricated by hot pressing method at 150 °C, where PP-g-MA undergoes thermal softening and promotes electrode cohesion without the use of solvent. The maleic anhydride functionality is expected to improve the compatibility of the nonpolar polypropylene backbone with polar electrode components and to assist the dispersion of MWCNTs during dry mixing. This binder concept differs from conventional PTFE-based dry processing because electrode integrity is achieved through melt-activated thermoplastic adhesion rather than fibrillation. The PP-g-MA-based dry electrode approach offers a potential route toward PFAS-free electrode manufacturing while retaining the advantages of solvent-free processing.
