This technology enhances lithium-ion conductivity by applying a magnetic field to a polycrystalline cathode active material slurry, aligning its crystal structure along the c-axis. By adjusting the solvent content to 5–10 wt%, the magnetic alignment efficiency is maximized within a viscosity range of 2500–3600 cP.
Polycrystalline cathode active materials typically exhibit lower lithium-ion conductivity than single-crystal counterparts, and previous attempts to address this have faced limitations in processability and cost. Specifically, improper slurry viscosity often resulted in poor magnetic alignment or compromised uniformity on the electrode surface.
This technology involves controlling the viscosity of a slurry composed of cathode active materials (such as LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2), conductive agents, and polar aprotic solvents. By applying a 1–20T magnetic field to align the crystal orientation, the process manages XRD c-plane peaks to achieve a highly oriented cathode with a θRFA of 55.9–57.0 degrees. Applicable to EV batteries using ternary NCM cathodes and high-rate discharge power tool batteries, it offers the practical advantage of quantitatively managing alignment quality using XRD-based relative surface angle metrics.
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