(Invited) Environmentally Benign Solvents Processed Electrically Conductive Polymer Binder for Si Battery

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Green processing of lithium rechargeable battery electrode without NMP solvent and PFAs materials is highly desired for battery manufacturing. The properties of electrode binder play a critical function to achieve green manufacturing process. Electrode binder has been recognized as an important component for the successful engineering of modern lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. Electrode binder provides cohesion among the micron and nano-size electrode particles, adhesion between particles and current collectors, and modulates particles volume changes during charge and discharge. The alloy material-based anode such as Si and Sn, is an attractive candidate for lithium-ion batteries and solid-state battery because it delivers much greater theoretical (e.g. Si at 4200 mAh/g) specific capacity than that of a traditional graphite anode material (∼370 mAh/g). However, the widespread application of silicon materials has remained a significant challenge because of the large volume change during lithium insertion and extraction processes, disrupting the electrode surface, electrode mechanical formation and cell integrity. The instabilities of the alloy materials lead to loss of the electrical contact in the electrode and increased parasitic reactions with electrolyte, causing the battery failure and significantly shorten the battery life. To address those challenges, multifunctional conductive polymers have been re-designed. In the design of conductive polymers, organic functionalities that has strong interaction with environmentally benign solvents are introduced via bottom-up synthetic approaches to achieve green processability. Here, we are reporting a functional electrode binder that enables green processing and has the full functions of conductivity, adhesion and surface protection for the Si materials.