Thick-film electrode and manufacturing method thereof

Crack-free thick-film electrode combining a carbon nanotube-bonded nonwoven substrate with a photocured active layer

This technology features a thick-film electrode structure that prevents physical cracking and ensures uniform ionic conductivity by laminating an electrode active layer, containing multifunctional monomers and electrolyte, onto a nonwoven polymer substrate with carbon bodies bonded to the surface via π-electron interactions.

Conventional thick-film electrodes suffer from physical cracks caused by solvent evaporation during drying, as well as reduced electrical conductivity due to the uneven distribution of conductive agents and binders. Furthermore, as the electrode thickness increases, the ion transport distance lengthens, leading to degraded electrochemical performance.

This technology utilizes a photocurable multifunctional monomer to cure the electrode active layer without a separate drying process, while the carbon-bonded nonwoven polymer substrate improves the uniformity of conductive agent distribution and ionic conductivity in the thickness direction. Applicable to high-loading electrodes for EVs and large-capacity ESS cells requiring high energy density, this technology can increase active material loading to over 40 ㎎/㎠ while reducing the need for solvent drying equipment.

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Key Features:

• Nonwoven polymer substrate with a semi-interpenetrating polymer network structure, where carbon bodies are bonded to the surface via π-electron interactions
• Electrode active layer formed on the polymer substrate, containing a cross-linked polymer derived from multifunctional monomers, electrolyte, active material, and conductive agent
• Thick-film electrode with a thickness of 100 to 500㎛, consisting of two or more unit electrode active layers stacked in the thickness direction
• Step of forming an electrode active layer by applying and curing a slurry composition containing multifunctional monomers, electrolyte, active material, and conductive agent onto the polymer substrate

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for a single-ion conductor-based multidimensional free-form power system.

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