A High-Performance Polyurethane–Polydopamine Polymeric Binder for Silicon Microparticle Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Micro silicon (Si) has been one of the most promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to high theoretical specific capacity and material sources. Nonetheless, an unavoidable huge volume expansion of Si microparticles (SiMPs) and the uncontrolled growth of the solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) during the cycling still inhibit its commercialization. Among the strategies to overcome these problems, the design of a polymer binder is more feasible. Herein, a binder derived from two of the most common polymers, polyurethane (PU) and polydopamine (PDA), has been synthesized by a simple heating and mixing method for SiMP anodes in LIBs. In the PU–PDA binder, the synergistic effect of PU and PDA enables it to adapt to the volume expansion of SiMPs and maintain the electrode integrity and provides excellent cycling performance and long cycle life. The SiMP anodes with the PU–PDA binder have a capacity retention above 1000 mA h g–1 after 1000 cycles at a current density of 0.2 C and could deliver a discharging specific capacity of 1399 mA h g–1 at 4 C. Our research provides a safe, simple, and efficient PU–PDA polymer binder for SiMP anodes in the next-generation LIBs.

High-Performance Carboxymethyl Cellulose Integrating Polydopamine Binder for Silicon Microparticle Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries

“…We also performed an electrochemical impedance test to study the internal impedance change of two electrodes during cycling and calculated the diffusion coefficient of Li + through the Warburg impedance based on the diffusion-controlled behavior. In Figure d,e, two electrodes display similar EIS curves, consisting of two semicircles in high frequency related to the SEI layer resistance ( R sei ) and the interphase resistance ( R int ), the arc related to the charge-transfer impedance ( R ct ) in the middle frequency, and the straight line related to the Warburg impedance ( W dif ) result from the ion diffusion resistance . During the origin cycles, the internal impedance of the Si@CMC electrode is relatively smaller according to the smaller radii of arc in EIS curves, and after 50 cycles, the internal impedance of the Si@CMC-10% PDA electrode shows a trend of gradual decrease and tends to be stable, which can be seen clearly from Figure S14.…”

“…In Figure 4d,e, two electrodes display similar EIS curves, consisting of two semicircles in high frequency related to the SEI layer resistance (R sei ) and the interphase resistance (R int ), the arc related to the charge-transfer impedance (R ct ) in the middle frequency, and the straight line related to the Warburg impedance (W dif ) result from the ion diffusion resistance. 32 During the origin cycles, the internal impedance of the Si@CMC electrode is relatively smaller according to the smaller radii of arc in EIS curves, and after 50 cycles, the internal impedance of the Si@CMC-10% PDA electrode shows a trend of gradual decrease and tends to be stable, which can be seen clearly from Figure S14. The gradually stable electrochemical impedance also indicates that the electrochemical reaction inside the Si@CMC-10% PDA electrode becomes more stable.…”

“…The Si microparticles (SiMPs, Shanghai Yao Tian Nano Material Co., Ltd) were pretreated with ball milling, as reported in our recent work. 32 Twenty grams of SiMPs, 100 mL of absolute ethyl alcohol, and 250 g of tungsten carbide balls were added into a tungsten carbide mill pot and ball-milled for 48 h at 500 rpm, followed by centrifugation and drying at 60 °C to obtain the SiMPs for anode slurry preparation.…”

The pursuit of commercial silicon-based microparticle anodes for advanced lithium-ion batteries: A review

“…For improving the mechanical properties of the binder, ensuring the conductive network of electrodes, and enhancing the binding interaction with Cu current collectors, a series of binders with crosslinked networks using various metal cations, supramolecular, and functional polymers or monomers were also developed to overcome the challenges of SiMP electrodes [152][153][154][155][156][157][158].…”

Anode Reinforcement by Polydopamine Glue in Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

“…PDA, a catechol-based polymer, offers simple surface coating and strong adhesion to various materials, including metal oxides. 16 Although PDA is well-established in batteries 18,19 and fuel cells, 20 Herein, we propose a novel strategy to effectively address the detachment of IrO 2 nanoparticles by applying a PDA nanolayer coating to the preformed IrO 2 -based CL. The conventional nanoparticle-based CLs tend to degrade under rigorous cell operating conditions.…”