Binder-free germanium nanoparticle/carbon composite anode material for lithium-polymer batteries with high capacity and high-speed charge/discharge characteristics.

High-Capacity Lithium-Polymer Battery Anode Made of Carbonized Film with Dispersed Germanium Nanoparticles

This technology implements a composite anode structure where germanium nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed within a carbon substrate without the need for a polymer binder. This is achieved by surface-modifying germanium nanoparticles, mixing and curing them with a self-assembling block copolymer and a thermosetting resin, and then carbonizing the mixture.

Conventional germanium anodes have faced limitations in achieving high-speed charge/discharge performance and long-term stability due to structural instability caused by volume expansion during charge/discharge cycles, particle aggregation, and loss of electrical contact.

By using surface-modified germanium nanoparticles that self-assemble within a block copolymer and are then mixed, cured, and carbonized with a thermosetting resin, this technology prevents nanoparticle aggregation and forms a stable, conductive carbonized film structure anchored in a carbon matrix. This can be utilized to enhance both the quality and productivity of secondary battery anode materials.

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Key Features:

• Anode manufacturing method involving coating a current collector with a mixture of germanium nanoparticles, a block copolymer, and a thermosetting resin, followed by curing and carbonization.
• Anode for secondary batteries featuring a conductive carbonized film with dispersed germanium nanoparticles formed on the surface of a current collector.
• A configuration where the conductive carbonized film is formed by carbonizing a thermosetting thin film in which germanium nanoparticles are dispersed.
• A configuration that achieves a uniformly dispersed structure by surface-modifying germanium nanoparticles and mixing, curing, and carbonizing them with a block copolymer and a thermosetting resin.

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