| dc.description.abstract | There is an ever-growing demand for Lithium-Ion Batteries in a widespread series of applications, where battery life and reliability are of key importance. There exist novel materials that are helping increase battery reliability and life but there is a lack of environment friendly and cost-effective processing techniques that are used to produce such energy storage devices. Current processing techniques use N-methyl-2 pyrrolidone as a solvent for electrode slurry, which is expensive and has the potential to damage the environment, increasing the risk of cancer and reproductive toxicity. Therefore, there is a need to move towards a solvent that is environmentally friendly, cheap to produce and can serve as a potential replacement. In this work, the use of deionized water has been experimentally evaluated to create an electrode processing technique that could become an environmentally friendly and cost-effective technique to produce Lithium-Ion Batteries.
This study focuses on the concepts of Lithium-Ion Batteries and their current electrode processing techniques. The proposed Aqueous Processing technique for electrode manufacture is discussed in detail along with a discussion of challenges currently being faced in this area. A 1-D physics based drying model is also developed as part of this study that is based upon evaporation, diffusion and sedimentation.
My analysis has shown that the proposed Aqueous Processing can be implemented using low-cost preparation methods and deionized water. Drying temperature has an effect on the agglomeration of particles that could impact the electrochemical performance of the electrode. My analysis has also shown that an optimal amount of dispersant needs to be added to reduce the effect of agglomeration while maintaining good film adhesion. The results from the 1-D show that at a higher drying temperature a larger volume fraction is observed at the top surface of the electrode. | en |
