Lithium cell with mixed polymer system

A lithium cell and method for producing, wherein an electrode contains a first polymer and a separator contains a second polymer having a melting point below that of the first polymer. The first polymer may be the same in the anode and the cathode, or one electrode may contain the first polymer and the other electrode contain a third polymer. The first polymer may be a homopolymer, and the second polymer may be a copolymer, and may contain the first and/or third polymers as components. In one embodiment, the first polymer is polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and the second polymer is PVDF and hexafluoropropylene. The relatively high melting point first and/or first and third polymer(s) permits high temperature drying of the electrodes, which facilitates water removal and thereby increases cell life. It also reduces swelling of the porous structure, which facilitates permeation of the electrolyte.