New eco-friendly low-cost binders for Li-ion anodes

Abstract

In the production of commercial Li-ion batteries, the active materials slurries are generally prepared using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF) as binder because of its good adhesion properties and electrochemical stability. Unfortunately, there are some disadvantages related to the use of PVdF: the most important is the use of toxic and environmentally unfriendly solvents, such as N-methyl-pyrrolidone (NMP), and the second is the high costs. In the light of these considerations, it seemed straightforward to investigate the suitability of some water-soluble, inexpensive, and eco-friendly materials to test as alternative binders (sodium alginate, chitosan tragacanth gum, gelatin). The rheological properties of these materials have been investigated in addition to the electrochemical characterization. Furthermore, graphite electrodes with PVdF, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) binders have been considered for sake of comparison. We found that some of these water-soluble binders, besides good electrochemical performances, showed a high adhesion to the current collector and a good electrochemical stability under the experimental conditions employed, which makes them interesting for the next generation of Li-ion batteries.

A Sustainable Tamarind Kernel Powder Based Aqueous Binder for Graphite Anode in Lithium‐Ion Batteries

“…Hence, the C‐TK4 is the better electrode composition due to its longevity and stability with respect to cycling. The obtained results of C‐TK4 in terms of capacity and long cycle life are also found to be better than the other aqueous binder based graphite anodes reported in the literature …”

Sustainable Battery Materials from Biomass

“…In food industry, gelatin (denatured and hydrolyzed collagen) finds especially widespread application, owing to its binder properties. Consequently, it has also been employed as a binder for battery applications, where it shows comparable performance to other biopolymer binders . Its high dispersion and adhesion ability, together with electrochemical stability, make it a promising candidate for different cathode applications …”

Tragacanth Gum as Green Binder for Sustainable Water‐Processable Electrochemical Capacitor

“…Here, we propose for the first time the exploitation of tragacanth (TRGC), a natural gum exudated from some species of gummifer shrub in the Middle Eastern counties, as a truly green binder for supercapacitor electrode fabrication. TRGC has been recently listed as possible candidate for the sustainable fabrication of energy storage devices [8] and was tested in rechargeable batteries with comparable performance to many other bio‐derived binders [12] . A comparison with CMC‐based slurry is presented, revealing superior electrochemical performance of TRGC, mainly ascribable to a more favorable surface porosity of the electrodes.…”

“…TRGC has been recently listed as possible candidate for the sustainable fabrication of energy storage devices [8] and was tested in rechargeable batteries with comparable performance to many other bio-derived binders. [12] A comparison with CMC-based slurry is presented, revealing superior electrochemical performance of TRGC, mainly ascribable to a more favorable surface porosity of the electrodes.…”