Development of Continuous Kneading Process for Cathode Electrode of Lithium-Ion Battery

The continuous kneading process using the twin shaft kneader has had been development for future mass production. We studied condition for continuous kneading, and the paddle arrangement in the kneader and dosing pattern of binder solution were discussed. Lithium cobaltite was chosen as a cathode active material. The slurries were prepared by the continuous kneading and these obtained slurries were evaluated viscosity characteristics and dispersion of the electrode materials. The battery performance of coin type cell using these obtained slurries was also evaluated. The experiments showed that the paddle arrangement and dosing pattern of binder solution influenced viscosity and battery performance, and the continuous kneading process can produce preferable properties of electrode slurry.