The global production of lithium-ion batteries is expected to increase due to the growing demand for electric vehicles and energy storage solutions. In this case, it is critical to produce environmentally and economically viable electrodes.
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Overcoming Obstacles in Efficient Battery Manufacturing
The electrode coating and drying procedures account for 10% of battery production's carbon emissions. The standard coating electrode collector foils approach requires thin slurries containing 45% solvent.
The hazardous compound NMP (N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone) is currently employed as a solvent in cathode production, which must then be rigorously recovered and reused.
Drying and recovering the solvent from typically wet electrode slurries after application to the current collector foil accounts for approximately 45% of the energy used to produce lithium-ion batteries.
The drying equipment, which can extend up to 80 meters, also occupies a significant amount of space within the facility.
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Investigating novel technologies for producing electrodes with little or no solvent content using continuous twin-screw compounding is an attractive technique for improving battery production's cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency.
This approach can significantly reduce solvent usage while ensuring that the electrode pastes are properly blended. Moreover, the flexibility in screw configuration can help refine the electrode structure, which improves performance.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific – Production Process & Analytics.
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