High Capacity Rate Capable Aerosol Jet Printed Li‐Ion Battery Cathode

Abstract

A thick (170 μm) LiFePO4 cathode is fabricated through aerosol jet printing. The printed cathode displays a pattern of aligned high aspect ratio needles which, in cross section, produce micron scale channels. These channels surround regions of LiFePO4 that possess submicron pores. When tested in half cell configuration versus a Li‐foil anode, the specific discharge capacity of the printed cathode is 151 mAh g−1 at a C/15 rate and 105 mAh g−1 at 1C. These values correspond to area normalized discharge capacities of 2.5 and 1.7 mAh cm−2 at current densities of 0.2 and 2.4 mA cm−2, respectively. In a 50 cycle constant current charge/discharge test, the discharge capacity is stable, retaining 89% of its initial C/5 capacity. These results suggest that aerosol jet deposition is a promising printing technique for fabricating high capacity, rate capable, Li‐ion battery cathodes.