(Invited) Advances in Coating Technology for Improving Electrode Manufacturing

Although current electrode manufacturing technology produces reliable cells for lithium ion batteries, formulation composition and process engineering limit the electrode cost and performance range. These manufacturing limits can manifest in several ways including safety issues, toxic material exposure, slurry inventory management, low production rates, as well as costly downstream and support processes. Performance can suffer from energy and power density limits, short cycle life, and costly material components, among others. By improving electrode coating technology, advances are centered on many of the core issues that limit the growth of lithium ion batteries into less traditional applications such as transportation and grid storage. Formulation chemistry and process improvements for cathode electrode production will be presented with a focus on commercialization targets for emerging energy storage markets for lithium ion batteries.