Ethylene vinyl acetate-based binder a promising material to produce high power and high energy electrodes with a prolonged cycle life

Abstract

Ethylene vinyl acetate, a hydro dispersible polymer largely used in the plastic industry, was employed as a polymer binder for the fabrication of the positive electrode of lithium-ion batteries. LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 was used as the active material. The electrode was prepared by painting a thin aluminum sheet with a suspension obtained by mixing the carbon, the active material, and the polymer in water. The electrode was first analyzed from a chemical-physical point of view. The electrode morphology was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the surface chemistry mapped by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The thermal stability was tested by heating the electrode in air using a simultaneous TG-DTA. The anodic stability of the polymer was examined versus a lithium anode. Finally the electrode was used to prepare a two electrodes lithium cell and the cell was tested to evaluate the electrode capacity retention as a function of the applied current and cycle number. The electrochemical properties of the electrode have been found very promising for the realization of high energy, high power, long cycle life batteries being capable of cycling for hundreds of cycles with excellent performance and reduced loss of capacity.