WO2025199191A1 - Système de fabrication d'électrode de batterie à revêtement en poudre sèche à vitesse élevée - Google Patents

Système de fabrication d'électrode de batterie à revêtement en poudre sèche à vitesse élevée

Info

Publication number
WO2025199191A1
WO2025199191A1 PCT/US2025/020506 US2025020506W WO2025199191A1 WO 2025199191 A1 WO2025199191 A1 WO 2025199191A1 US 2025020506 W US2025020506 W US 2025020506W WO 2025199191 A1 WO2025199191 A1 WO 2025199191A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
powder
coating
roller
powder particles
substrate
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
PCT/US2025/020506
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Jay Jie Shi
Heng Pan
Hieu M. Duong
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Am Batteries Inc
Original Assignee
Am Batteries Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Am Batteries Inc filed Critical Am Batteries Inc
Publication of WO2025199191A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025199191A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • C09D—COATING COMPOSITIONS, e.g. PAINTS, VARNISHES OR LACQUERS; FILLING PASTES; CHEMICAL PAINT OR INK REMOVERS; INKS; CORRECTING FLUIDS; WOODSTAINS; PASTES OR SOLIDS FOR COLOURING OR PRINTING; USE OF MATERIALS THEREFOR
    • C09D5/00—Coating compositions, e.g. paints, varnishes or lacquers, characterised by their physical nature or the effects produced; Filling pastes
    • C09D5/03—Powdery paints
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/10—Energy storage using batteries

Definitions

  • Li-ion batteries have generally become the predominant type of battery used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. Fabrication of Li-ion batteries involves numerous steps, each of which can affect the quality of the battery itself, as well as the cost involved in manufacturing the battery.
  • One conventional manufacturing process is referred to as “spreader roller coating”, which is diagrammatically represented in FIG. 1.
  • the conventional spreader roller coating system 10 generally includes a reservoir or chamber 12 that receives and dispenses powder particles 14 onto a moving substrate 16 (e.g., a current collector foil). Rollers 18, 20 on opposite ends of the system 10 maintain movement of the substrate 16 along a substrate direction 22.
  • the substrate 16 is passed through a pair of spreading rollers 24, 26 to spread and distribute the powder particles 14 uniformly on the surface of the substrate 16 to achieve a uniform coating on the substrate 16 having a first thickness 28.
  • the substrate 16 is subsequently passed through a pair of calender rollers 30, 32 which compress and densify the powder particles 14 to a second thickness 34.
  • the calender rollers 30, 32 densify and compress the powder particles onto the substrate surface, with such compression and densification causing the powder particles to adhere to each other and the substrate 16. Compression and densification performed by the calender rollers 30, 32 with or without heating promote cohesion and adhesion of the powder particles 14 to the substrate 16, and after such process, a dry electrode is produced.
  • Such spreader roller coating technology is described in, e.g., International Patent Application No. PCT/US23/69175, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
  • Another conventional manufacturing process generally includes formation of an electrode slurry having an active material, a conductive additive, and a binder, mixed in an organic solvent, and the electrode slurry is applied to a metal foil material. Once applied to the foil material, the solvent is dried out or evaporated while the active electrode mixture remains attached to the metal foil material surface.
  • the solvent may be toxic and can necessitate additional steps for handling/discarding that increase the overall cost of the manufacturing process. The cost of removing the solvent from the coated material on the metal foil therefore involves an additional step that also increases the overall cost of the manufacturing process.
  • an exemplary system for high speed, dry powder coating battery electrode fabrication includes a powder feeding system with multiple powder deposition or dispersion units (e.g., scattering rollers, or the like) controlled by motors to enable uniform application of the powder particles onto the substrate.
  • the powder dispersion units can obtain powder from a common powder hopper or reservoir.
  • the system can include one or more dedicated powder hoppers or reservoirs for each of the powder dispersion units.
  • the combined scattering or dispersion operation can simplify the control system and reduces the space occupied by the machine components of the system.
  • the system includes multiple powder application/spreading rollers that allow for application and spreading of powder particles in series.
  • the spreading rollers can be disposed in series to sequentially spread the powder particles dispensed onto the substrate.
  • the spreading rollers can impart a pre- calendering compaction force on the powder particles.
  • the system can include intermediate pre-calendering compaction rollers configured to apply a compaction after each of the spreading stages and prior to calendering.
  • High speed or high rate delivery of powders through single application/spreading roller can be challenging due to the powder lumps formed by high mass loading and large force/pressure required to move large amount of powders.
  • the exemplary system including multiple powder applications in series helps distribute powders over multiple passages, and reduces the mass loading and force/pressure experienced by powders, which avoids powder lumps and inhomogeneity in powder layers. A smoother application and layering of power particles is therefore achieved. From an environment or spacing perspective, having multiple powder applications in series allows the system and process to be highly scalable when a high powder coating rate is needed. Without the in-series configuration, a system would need to be scaled up by using large containers, large scatters, and more powerful motors. Such scaling up is not always straightforward.
  • the exemplary in series configuration allows for scale-up to be achieved by introducing more scatters/dispensers and spreading rollers. Further, the inseries spreading roller configuration allows for high speed coating applications.
  • the powder loading rate (g/min) from each scattering roller can be independently adjustable to achieve a high coating quality and speed. The system therefore enables low cost manufacturing, while allowing the electrode fabrication speed to be at or above 100 m/min (e.g., for Li-ion battery electrode fabrication).
  • an exemplary powder coating system for high speed, dry powder coating battery electrode fabrication includes a powder feeding assembly including one or more powder particle chambers, a first powder deposition system, and a second powder deposition system.
  • the system includes a spreading roller assembly including a first spreading roller, and a second spreading roller.
  • the first powder deposition system is configured to receive the powder particles from the one or more powder particle chambers and dispense a first amount of the powder particles onto a surface of the substrate.
  • the first spreading roller is disposed downstream of the first powder deposition system and is configured to spread the first amount of the powder particles into a first uniform coating on the substrate.
  • the second powder deposition system is configured to receive the powder particles from the one or more powder particle chambers and dispense a second amount of the powder particles onto the first uniform coating.
  • the second spreading roller is disposed downstream of the second scattering system and is configured to spread the second amount of the powder particles into a second uniform coating on the first uniform coating.
  • the first powder deposition system and the second powder deposition system can be disposed below the one or more powder particle chambers to receive the powder particles from the one or more powder particle chambers.
  • the one or more powder particle chambers can include internal baffles to guide the powder particles into the respective first and second powder deposition systems.
  • the one or more powder particle chambers can include a first powder particle chamber configured to guide the powder particles to the first powder deposition system, and a second powder particle chamber configured to guide the powder particles to the second powder deposition system.
  • the one or more powder particle chambers can include a single powder particle chamber configured to guide the powder particles to both the first and second powder deposition systems.
  • the first and second powder deposition systems can include scattering rollers.
  • Each scattering roller can include a gap adjuster to regulate a gap adjacent to the scattering roller. Regulation of the gap adjacent to the scattering roller can control a volume of the powder particles dispensed by the respective first and second powder deposition systems.
  • the first and second powder deposition systems can be positioned in series over the substrate.
  • the first and second spreading rollers can be positioned in series over the substrate.
  • the scattering rollers of the first and second scattering systems can be positioned at an equal distance from the surface of the substrate. In some embodiments, the scattering rollers of the first and second scattering systems can be positioned at different distances from the surface of the substrate.
  • the system can include a first conditioning roller disposed downstream of the first spreading roller.
  • the first conditioning roller can be configured to apply a pre-compression to the first uniform coating on the substrate.
  • the system can include a second conditioning roller disposed downstream of the second spreading roller. The second conditioning roller can be configured to apply a pre-compression to the second uniform coating on the first uniform coating.
  • the second powder deposition system is disposed downstream of the first spreading roller.
  • the first uniform coating formed by the first spreading roller defines a first uncompressed coating on the substrate.
  • the second uniform coating formed by the second spreading roller defines a second uncompressed coating on the first uniform coating.
  • a thickness of the first uniform coating and the second uniform coating is equal. In some embodiments, a thickness of the first uniform coating and the second uniform coating is different.
  • the powder feeding assembly can include a third powder deposition system disposed downstream of the second spreading roller.
  • the third powder deposition system is configured to receive the powder particles from the one or more powder particle chambers and dispense a third amount of the powder particles onto the second uniform coating.
  • the spreading roller assembly can include a third spreading roller disposed downstream of the third powder deposition system and configured to spread the third amount of the powder particles into a third uniform coating on the second uniform coating.
  • the system can include a calendering assembly including a calender roller disposed downstream of the second spreading roller. The calender roller can be configured to compress the first and second uniform coatings into a compressed powder coating on the surface of the substrate.
  • an exemplary powder coating system includes a substrate including a surface and a powder feeding assembly disposed above the surface of the substrate.
  • the powder feeding assembly includes one or more powder particle chambers, a first powder deposition system, and a second powder deposition system.
  • the system includes a spreading roller assembly including a first spreading roller, and a second spreading roller.
  • the system includes a calendering assembly including a first calendering roller.
  • the one or more powder particle chambers are configured to receive and dispense powder particles onto the substrate.
  • the first powder deposition system is configured to receive the powder particles from the one or more powder particle chambers and dispense a first amount of the powder particles onto the surface of the substrate.
  • the first spreading roller is disposed downstream of the first powder deposition system and configured to spread the first amount of the powder particles into a first uniform coating on the substrate.
  • the second powder deposition system is configured to receive the powder particles from the one or more powder particle chambers and dispense a second amount of the powder particles onto the first uniform coating.
  • the second spreading roller is disposed downstream of the second powder deposition system and configured to spread the second amount of the powder particles into a second uniform coating on the first uniform coating.
  • the calender roller is disposed downstream of the second spreading roller. The calender roller is configured to compress the first and second uniform coatings into a compressed powder coating on the surface of the substrate.
  • an exemplary method of dry powder coating includes dispensing a first amount of powder particles received from one or more powder particle chambers onto a surface of a substrate using a first powder deposition system.
  • the method includes passing the substrate through a first spreading roller disposed downstream of the first powder deposition system to spread the first amount of the powder particles into a first uniform coating on the substrate.
  • the method includes dispensing a second amount of the powder particles received from the one or more powder particle chambers onto the first uniform coating using a second powder deposition system.
  • the method includes passing the substrate through a second spreading roller disposed downstream of the second powder deposition system to spread the second amount of the powder particles into a second uniform coating on the first uniform coating.
  • FIG. l is a diagrammatic view of a conventional spreader roller coating system.
  • FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary system for high speed, dry powder coating battery electrode fabrication in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, including a common powder hopper.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary system for high speed, dry powder coating battery electrode fabrication in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, including separate dedicated powder hoppers.
  • FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary system for high speed, dry powder coating battery electrode fabrication in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, including conditioning rollers disposed between spreader rollers.
  • FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary system 100 for high speed, dry powder coating battery electrode fabrication (hereinafter “system 100”).
  • system 100 can be used to manufacture a coated substrate usable in, e.g., Li-ion batteries, solid state batteries, or the like.
  • the system 100 uses spreader roller coating electrode manufacturing technology in with in-series scattering rollers (and/or other dispensing or dispersion means) and in-series spreading rollers to allow for faster application of the powder coating onto the substrate.
  • the system 100 can be incorporated into a containment enclosure (e.g., a containment chamber) for deposition of the powder coating onto a substrate or web 102, e.g., a continuously moving substrate or web 102.
  • the web 102 can be a metal foil.
  • the web 102 includes a top surface 104 on which the powder coating is applied.
  • the powder coating includes at least a cathode material or an anode material, e.g., for rechargeable lithium batteries, or the like.
  • a binder material can be mixed in with the powder particles as part of the dry powder coating applied to the web 102.
  • the bottom surface of the web 102 can also receive the powder coating either concurrently with the top surface 104 or subsequent to the top surface being coated.
  • Conveying rollers can be positioned on opposite proximal and distal ends 106, 108 of the web 102 and suspend the web 102 as it passes through the containment enclosure. The rollers an rotate in a combined manner to maintain the continuous movement of the web 102 through the containment enclosure in a web direction 110.
  • the system 100 includes a powder feeding assembly 112 that includes a reservoir or chamber 114 (e.g., a hopper) configured to receive and dispense the powder particles 116 onto the top surface 104 of the web 102.
  • the powder particles 116 can be a composite including active materials and binder materials.
  • electric conductive materials can be added into the composite powder particle 116 mixture.
  • the weight ratio of active material (relative to the remainder of other components/materials) in the powder particles 116 can be about, e.g., 1-100% inclusive, 70-90% inclusive, 80-90% inclusive, 90-100% inclusive, or the like.
  • the weight ratio of active materials can be at least, e.g., 70%, 80%, 90%, or the like, with the remainder including other components/materials.
  • the other components/materials can be powder materials other than active powder materials in the mixture.
  • the other components/materials can include, e.g., binder materials (such as polymer binder materials, for example), conductive materials (such as conductive carbon-based or carbon-containing materials, for example), combinations thereof, or the like.
  • the weight ratio of active material (relative to the remainder of other components/materials) in the powder particles 116 can be, e.g., more than 70%, or the like.
  • the powder particles 116 can include composite particles, where a first set of particles is attached , adhered, bound, or otherwise stuck onto a second set of particles.
  • each of the first set of particles is dimensioned smaller than each of the second set of particles.
  • the smaller particle size can be less than about 1 um, and the bigger particle size can be larger than about 1 um.
  • the first and second sets of particles can be characterized by an average particle size using, e.g., a volume-based average, or the like.
  • the first and second sets of particles can exhibit average particle sizes different by between a factor of, e.g., 10 and 100 inclusive, 50 and 200 inclusive, 100 and 500 inclusive, 200 and 2,000 inclusive, greater than a factor of 2,000, or the like.
  • an average diameter of the smaller of the two sets of particles can be about 1 nanometer and the larger o the two sets of particles can be about 5 micrometers, for a factor of 5,000.
  • the bigger particles can be active materials, e.g., cathode materials for a battery, anode materials for a battery, combinations thereof, or the like.
  • the smaller particles can be, e.g., polymer binder materials, a mixture of binder and conductive materials, combinations thereof, or the like.
  • the weight ratio of active material (relative to binder, conductive materials and/or other non-active materials) in the powder can be about, e.g., 1-100% inclusive, or the like. In some embodiments, the weight ratio of active material (relative to binder, conductive materials and/or other non-active materials) in the powder can be, e.g., more than 70%, or the like.
  • the weight ratio of active material (relative to binder, conductive materials and/or other non-active materials) in the powder can be about, e.g., 50-100% inclusive, 60-100% inclusive, 70-100% inclusive, 80-100% inclusive, 90-100% inclusive, 95-100% inclusive, 96-97% inclusive, or the like. In some embodiments, higher percentages (by weight) of the active materials can be used, since the volumetric and gravimetric energy density of the battery (among other performance metrics) are improved when greater amounts of active material are included.
  • the active materials in a rechargeable battery or a lithium ion battery can include cathode materials (such as, e.g., lithium metal oxide), cathode materials (such as, e.g., NCM (Lithium Nickel Cobalt Manganese Oxide), LMO (Lithium Manganese Oxide), NCA (Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide), LCO (Lithium Cobalt Oxide), lithium polyanion type cathode materials (such as, e.g., LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate), LiMnxFei- x PO4, Li2FeSiO4), and/or anode materials (e.g., based on carbonaceous anode materials, graphite, Si, Si-based composites, SiO x , lithium alloyable materials, or lithium transition metal oxide anode materials).
  • cathode materials such as, e.g., lithium metal oxide
  • cathode materials such as, e
  • the active materials can include cathode materials (including, e.g., sodium transition metal oxide, such as NamFei ⁇ MnicCh, sodium polyanion materials, such as Na2MnSiO4, Prussian Blue Analogues), cathode materials (such as, e.g., NazMnFe(CN)6), and/or anode materials (including, e.g., carbonaceous anode, sodium alloyable materials, sodium transition metal oxide, or Prussian Blue Analogues anode materials).
  • cathode materials including, e.g., sodium transition metal oxide, such as NamFei ⁇ MnicCh, sodium polyanion materials, such as Na2MnSiO4, Prussian Blue Analogues
  • cathode materials such as, e.g., NazMnFe(CN)6
  • anode materials including, e.g., carbonaceous anode, sodium alloyable materials, sodium transition metal oxide, or Prussian Blue Analogues anode materials
  • the active materials in the powder particle mixture can include, e.g., solid electrolyte materials, including LiflnCle and LLZO materials, or the like.
  • the binder materials can include polymeric materials (such as, e.g., PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene), PEO (Polyethylene oxide), or PMMA (Poly(methyl methacrylate)), SBR (Polystyrene butadiene rubber binder), CMC (Carboxymethyl cellulose binder), or PAA (Polyacrylic acid), or polyolefins, which are electrical insulators), or the like.
  • the binder materials can be polymer electrolytes (such as, e.g., PEO/lithium triflate polymer electrolyte, or the like).
  • the binder can be solid state electrolyte composites (including, e.g., inorganic solid electrolytes and polymeric binders, polymer electrolyte binders or organic binders, such as LiflnCle /PMMA composite, LLZO/polymer electrolyte composite, or the like).
  • solid state electrolyte composites including, e.g., inorganic solid electrolytes and polymeric binders, polymer electrolyte binders or organic binders, such as LiflnCle /PMMA composite, LLZO/polymer electrolyte composite, or the like).
  • the conductive materials can include, e.g., carbon black (CB), carbon nanotubes, graphene, conductive polymer materials, or inorganic conductive materials, which are electrically conductive.
  • functional additives can be included in the composite electrode.
  • the functional additives can be, e.g., silica, alumina, zirconium oxide, combinations thereof, or the like.
  • the chamber 114 is dimensioned and positioned to be above or near two or more scattering rollers 118a, 118b, 118c (collectively referred to as scattering rollers 118 or powder dispensing units).
  • the system 100 can include different scattering and/or dispensing systems in the form of, e.g., multiple pneumatic sprayers, nozzles, conveyor belts, rollers, dispensing tubes, mechanical feeders, electrostatic powder feeders, vibration feeders, electrostatic spray deposition, combinations thereof, or the like.
  • the chamber 114 therefore spans across all scattering rollers 118 positioned in series below the chamber 114. As an example of the system 100, FIG.
  • the scattering rollers 118 can be positioned in an aligned manner both horizontally relative to each other and vertically relative to the top surface 104 of the web 102. Such alignment can be equal in both horizontal and vertical directions.
  • the scattering rollers 118 can be positioned at different vertical positions relative to the top surface 104 of the web 102.
  • the first scattering roller 118a can be positioned further from the top surface 104 than the second and third scattering rollers 118b, 118c. From a space saving point of view, the position of the scattering rollers 118a, 118b, 118c can be close to the web 102. Furthermore, it is crucial that the powder dispersed from the scattering rollers 118a, 118b, 118c have minimum (or no) impact on the web 102 stability.
  • the chamber 114 includes multiple internal guiding baffles 120 that direct the powder particles 116 towards the respective scattering rollers 118.
  • the baffles 120 are configured to uniformly distribute the powder particles 116 between the scattering rollers 118 to ensure uniform application of powder particles 116 by each of the scattering rollers 118.
  • the baffles 120 can be positioned to create unequal distribution of powder particles 116 for specific scattering rollers 118, thereby allowing for different quantities of powder particle 116 application at the respective scattering rollers 118.
  • the position of the baffles 120 can be controlled to vary the amount of powder particles 116 fed into the respective scattering rollers 118.
  • the powder particles 116 can be introduced into the chamber 114 from above (e.g., in a direction towards the web 102), with gravity feeding and distributing the powder particles 116 towards the scattering rollers 1 18.
  • the spinning scattering rollers 118 incrementally pass the powder particles 116 downward such that dropping powder particles 122 fall onto the top surface 104 of the web 102.
  • the powder particles 122 are thereby deposited onto the web 102 directly upstream of each respective spreader roller 128a, 128b, 128c.
  • the system 100 can include gap adjusters 124, 126 positioned on opposing sides of each scattering roller 1 18.
  • the gap adjusters 124, 126 can be movable or controllable to reduce or increase the gap between the gap adjusters 124, 126 and the respective scattering rollers 118, allowing for a customized volume of powder particles 116 to be passed over the scattering rollers 118 and directed onto the web 102.
  • the gap can be independently adjustable for each of the scattering rollers 118 to allow for different volumes of powder particles 116 to be introduced by each scattering roller 118, depending on the needs of the manufacturing process.
  • the volume of powder particles 116 can be equally set for each of the scattering rollers 118.
  • the amount of powder particles 116 introduced by the scattering roller 118 can be automatically adjusted by a feedback control loop, as discussed below.
  • Motors of the scattering rollers 118 can be controlled simultaneously to have the same rotation, ensuring a uniform application of powder particles 116 onto the web 102.
  • the rotational speed of the scattering rollers 118 can be selectively adjusted to vary the volume of powder particles 1 16 applied by the respective scattering rollers 118.
  • the powder loading rate (g/min) from each scattering roller 118 can be regulated/controlled.
  • Such customization and control of the powder particle 116 release at the respective scattering rollers 118 can be used to achieve a high coating quality and speed.
  • the rotational speed of each of the scattering rollers 118 can be independently and automatically adjusted by a feedback control loop, as discussed below.
  • the grouped arrangement of the powder feeding assembly 112 advantageously simplifies the control system and reduces the space required for the system 100 (as compared to separated hoppers and scattering units).
  • the system 100 includes two or more pairs of spreading rollers 128a-128c, 130a- 130b (collectively referred to as spreading rollers 128, 130) for spreading the powder particles 122 deposited onto the web 102 by the respective scattering rollers 118.
  • the spreading rollers 128, 130 are positioned generally below and downstream of the corresponding scattering rollers 118.
  • Each pair of spreading rollers 128, 130 includes a first spreading roller 128 positioned adjacent to the top surface 104 of the web 102, and a second spreading roller 130 positioned adjacent to the opposing bottom surface of the web 102, thereby sandwiching the web 102 between the rollers 128, 130.
  • the spreading rollers 128, 130 are distributed offset from each other and positioned in series along the web direction 110 for optimized spreading of the powder particles 122.
  • the in-series spreading rollers 128, 130 incrementally spread each amount of the powder particles 122 on the web 102 to ensure even distribution of the powder particles 122 as the desired powder particle 122 coating thickness is achieved.
  • the first pair of spreading rollers 128a, 130a is positioned downstream or distally from the first scattering roller 118a.
  • the first scattering roller 118a releases a first amount of powder particles 122 onto the top surface 104 of the web 104, and the first pair of spreading rollers 128a, 130a spread or distribute the powder particles 122 over the top surface 104 to create a uniform distribution of the powder particles 122 in the form of a first coating layer 132.
  • the second scattering roller 118b is positioned downstream or distally from the first pair of spreading rollers 128a, 130a such that the second scattering roller 118b releases a second amount of powder particles 122 (which can be the same or different from the first amount of powder particles 122) onto the first coating layer 132.
  • the second pair of spreading rollers 128b, 130b is positioned downstream or distally from the second scattering roller 118b to spread or distribute the powder particles 122 over the first coating layer 132 to create uniform distribution of the powder particles 122 in the form of a second coating layer 134.
  • the third scattering roller 118c is positioned downstream or distally from the second pair of spreading rollers 128b, 130b such that the third scattering roller 1 18c releases a third amount of powder particles 122 (which can be the same or different from the first and second amounts of powder particles 122) onto the second coating layer 134.
  • the third pair of spreading rollers 128c, 130c is positioned downstream or distally from the third scattering roller 118c to spread or distribute the powder particles 122 over the second coating layer 134 to create uniform distribution of the powder particles 122 in the form of a third coating layer 136.
  • the vertical position of the spreading rollers 128a-c relative to the web 102 can increase incrementally along the web direction 110 based on the increasing thickness of the coating layers 132, 134, 136.
  • the gap or nip formed between the roller 128a and the web 102 is dimensioned smaller than the gap or nip formed between the roller 128b and the web 102 which, in turn, is dimensioned smaller than the gap or nip formed between the roller 128c and the web 102.
  • the increase in the gap or nip accommodates the additional powder particles 122 deposited onto the web 102 after passage of the web 102 under each respectively spreading roller 128, which increases the overall thickness of the coating layers 132, 134, 136.
  • the spreading roller 128a reduces the thickness of the initial application of the powder particles 122 by the scattering roller 118a by spreading the powder particles 122 on the web 102, thereby achieving the reduced thickness at the first coating layer 132.
  • Additional powder particles 122 are deposited onto the first coating layer 132, which increases the overall thickness of the powder particles 122 on the web 102.
  • This increased thickness is received by the spreading roller 128b having a greater gap or nip relative to the web 102.
  • the spreading roller 128b reduces the thickness of the powder particles 122 deposited by the scattering roller 118b by spreading the powder particles 122 on the first coating layer 132, thereby achieving the reduced thickness at the second coating layer 134.
  • Additional powder particles 122 are deposited onto the second coating layer 134, which increases the overall thickness of the powder particles 122 on the web 102. This increased thickness is received by the spreading roller 128c having a greater gap or nip relative to the web 102.
  • the spreading roller 128c reduces the thickness of the powder particles 122 deposited by the scattering roller 118c by spreading the powder particles 122 on the second coating layer 134, thereby achieving the reduced thickness at the third coating layer 136.
  • a multi-layer coating of the same powder particles 122 can thereby be created before calendering compression occurs.
  • the powder particles 122 are distributed or spread to cover the entire or substantially entire lateral surface of the web 102 or coating layer.
  • the overall thickness of the uncompressed (or pre-compressed) dry powder coating can therefore be incrementally increased before reaching the compression stage of the system 100.
  • the resulting third coating layer 136 covers the entire top surface 104 of the web 102 with no uncoated areas formed.
  • the powder coating also defines a substantially uniform thickness with a minimum thickness variation along the width and length of the web 102.
  • the in-series arrangement of the scattering rollers 1 18 and spreading rollers 128, 130 therefore allows for a faster and more accurate application and spreading of powder particles 122 on the web 102, allowing a more efficient means for reaching the desired dry powder coating thickness (as compared to individual scattering and spreading roller assemblies).
  • dry powder coating the interfaces and interactions between and among the powder particles 122 within a layer 132, 134, 136 is expected to be substantially equivalent to interfaces and interactions between and among the powder particles 122 bordering the interface between the layers 132, 134, 136.
  • the powder particles 122 fall onto one another (in multiple layers 132, 134, 136) in the same manner as if the web 102 was initially being coated to reach the layer 136 from the beginning (as compared to being incrementally coated to build the layer thickness).
  • the system 100 can include one chamber 114 for one type of powder particle 116, and another chamber 114 positioned distally relative to the first chamber 114 to distribute the same or another type of powder particle 116, with each chamber 1 14 having the associated scattering rollers 118 and spreading rollers 128, 130 (see, e.g., FIG. 3).
  • the in-series arrangement of the spreading rollers 128, 130 allows for electrode architecture tunability or customization during a high speed coating application. For example, the amount of powder particles 122 released at each scattering roller 118 and/or the distribution applied by each pair of spreading rollers 128, 130 can be adjusted or customized depending on the desired structure of the resulting electrode. The customization and control at the scattering rollers 118 and the spreading rollers 128, 130 ensures a high loading precision and high line speed for application in battery electrode manufacturing.
  • the web 102 is continuously moved to pass between one or more pairs of calender rollers 138, 140 disposed downstream or distally from the spreading rollers 128c, 130c.
  • One calender roller 138 is positioned adjacent to the top surface 104 of the web 102, and the other calender roller 140 is positioned adjacent to the opposing bottom surface of the web 102, thereby sandwiching the web 102 between the rollers 138, 140.
  • the calender rollers 138, 140 are configured to compress and densify the powder coating layer 136 to achieve a compressed powder coating layer 142 having a predetermined thickness.
  • the thickness of the compressed powder coating layer 142 is dimensioned smaller than the thickness of the powder coating layer 136.
  • the process performed by the calender rollers 138, 140 enables the coated electrode to reach the desired porosity and achieve sufficient mechanical properties.
  • the densification step of the calender rollers 138, 140 can be performed with or without heat.
  • the calendering rollers 138, 140 can be heated.
  • only one or both rollers 138, 140 can be heated.
  • the temperature of one or both heated rollers 138, 140 can be set from, e.g., room temperature to a temperature above the melting point of the polymer binder material of the power particle 116 mixture.
  • the temperate for the heated calendering roller(s) 138, 140 can be set to less than about, e.g., 100°C above the melting point of the polymer binder material.
  • the system 100 can include two or more pairs of calender rollers arranged in series for improved compression and densification of the powder coating layer 136.
  • each set of calender rollers can incrementally compress and densify the powder particles 122 to ensure gradual and even compression/densification of the powder coating layer 136.
  • the spreading rollers 128 can only spread or redistribute the powder particles 122 on the web 102 without compaction or compression.
  • each spreading roller 128 can apply a pre-compression to the powder particles 122 to ensure stability in each of the powder coating layers 132, 134, 136 prior to dispersion of additional powder particles 122. Such pre-compression can initially bond the powder particles to each other and/or the web 102. In such embodiments, the precompression forces applied by the spreading rollers 128 is less than the compression forces applied by the calender rollers 138, 140.
  • the powder coating layer 136 sits on the web 102 without adhering to the web 102.
  • the dry powder coating is adhered to the web 102 and powder particles 122 in the coating layers 132, 134, 136 are bonded together via a binder material in the coating layer 132 and/or mechanical force between the coating layers and the web 102 due to the compressive forces applied to the powder coating.
  • an additional spreading assembly including the chamber 114, scattering rollers 118, spreading rollers 128, 130, and calender rollers 138, 140 can be disposed distally from the spreading assembly illustrated in FIG. 2 in order to create a second layer of powder particles on the compressed layer 142.
  • the type/formulation of powder particle mixture in the respective spreading assemblies can be the same or different, depending on the type of electrode being formed.
  • the system 100 can include a feedback control loop that detects characteristics of the powder particle coating being formed on the web 102 and automatically, in real-time, adjusts operation of one or more components of the system 100 to achieve the desired electrode characteristics.
  • the system 100 can include multiple sensors 148a-d (referred to collectively as “sensors 148”) disposed above the web 102 to detect the powder particle coating characteristics.
  • the sensors 148a-c can be disposed downstream of each respective spreading roller 128a-c and the sensor 148d can optionally be disposed downstream of the calendering roller 138.
  • the sensors 148 can include, e.g., height sensors (such as, but not limited to, capacitive sensors, inductive sensors, ultrasonic sensors, laser-based sensors, or the like), vision sensors, combinations thereof, or the like.
  • the sensors 148 can include, e.g., sensors which detect an extinction and/or scattering property of the material through the volume of the material (such as, but not limited to, X-ray sensors, beta ray sensors, or the like).
  • the X-ray and/or beta ray sensors can be used to detect an attribute of the mass loading of the material (e.g., an average loading and/or a loading variation, or the like).
  • the sensors 148a-c can be used to detect the thickness and/or uniformity (as non-limiting examples) of each layer 132, 134, 136, respectively.
  • Data from the sensors 148a-c can be transmitted to a central controller 150.
  • the controller 150 can communicate with components of the system 100 to automatically, in real-time, adjust operation of the components of the system 100 to achieve the desired electrode characteristics.
  • the controller 150 can regulate the amount of powder particles 122 deposited by each of the scattering rollers 118 to independently adjust the resulting layers 132, 134, 136.
  • the controller 150 can adjust the gap or nip between the respective spreading rollers 128 and the web 102 to reduce or increase the amount of spreading.
  • a powder removal assembly e.g., a vacuum, or the like, can be positioned at the distal end 108 of the system 100 prior to the calender rollers 138, 140 to remove any uncompressed power particles 122.
  • a powder removal assembly can be positioned after the calender rollers 138, 140 to remove any uncompressed powder particles.
  • the compressive force range provided by the calender rollers of the system 100 can be about, e.g., 10-2000 N/mm or higher, inclusive, 10-1900 N/mm inclusive, 10-1800 N/mm inclusive, 10-1700 N/mm inclusive, 10-1600 N/mm inclusive, 10-1500 N/mm inclusive, 10-1400 N/mm inclusive, 10- 1300 N/mm inclusive, 10- 1200 N/mm inclusive, 10-1100 N/mm inclusive, 10-1000 N/mm inclusive, 10-900 N/mm inclusive, 10-800 N/mm inclusive, 10-700 N/mm inclusive, 10-600 N/mm inclusive, 10-500 N/mm inclusive, 10-400 N/mm inclusive, 10-300 N/mm inclusive, 10-200 N/mm inclusive, 10-100 N/mm inclusive, 10-50 N/mm inclusive, 10-20 N/mm inclusive, 20-2000 N/mm inclusive, 30-2000 N/mm inclusive, 40-2000 N/mm inclusive, 50-2000 N/mm inclusive, 100-2000 N/mm inclusive, 200-2000 N/mm inclusive, 300-2000 N/mm inclusive, 400-2000 N
  • N/mm inclusive 1000-2000 N/mm inclusive, 1100-2000 N/mm inclusive, 1200-2000
  • N/mm inclusive 1300-2000 N/mm inclusive, 1400-2000 N/mm inclusive, 1500-2000
  • N/mm inclusive 1900-2000 N/mm inclusive, 20-1500 N/mm inclusive, 20-1000 N/mm inclusive, 20-500 N/mm inclusive, 20-300 N/mm inclusive, 10 N/mm, 20 N/mm, 30 N/mm,
  • a single chamber 114 can be used to receive and dispense powder particles 116.
  • the mixture of the powder particles 116 can be substantially uniform or equal to ensure that each stage of dispensing applies the same type of powder particles 116 on the web 102.
  • multiple dedicated, spaced chambers 114a, 114b, 114c can be used for each respective scattering roller 118a, 118b, 118c.
  • FIG. 3 shows an exemplary system 200 which can be substantially similar to the system 100, except for the distinctions noted herein.
  • the system 200 includes multiple chambers 114a-c, each configured to receive powder particles 116a, 116b, 116c, respectively.
  • the chambers 114 can be completely separate from each other, such that powder particles 116 are provided independently into the respective chambers 114.
  • the chambers 114 can be connected to each other with, e.g., pipes, or the like, to share the powder particles 116 provided into the chambers 114.
  • the formulation of the powder particles 116a-c (e.g., the powder particle mixture) can be the same, such that the layers 132, 134, 136 are formed with the same powder particles.
  • two or more of the chambers 114a- c can receive different formulations or mixtures of powder particles 116a-c, such that the layers 132, 134, 136 are formed from different powder particles.
  • the amount of powder particles 116a-c dispensed from the respective chambers 114a-c can be the same, or can be selectively varied by, e.g., adjusting the speed of the scattering rollers 118a-c, operating the gap adjusters 124, 126, any other metering means, combinations thereof, or the like.
  • the amount of powder particles 122a, 122c can be the same, while the amount of powder particles 122b can be less to create a thinner intermediate layer (as a non-limiting example). Customization of the layer formation can therefore be achieved with the system 200.
  • the in-series spreading rollers 128, 130 can be used to only spread and uniformly disperse the powder particles 122 on the web 102 at each stage of spreading.
  • the spreading rollers 128, 130 can apply an initial pre-compression or pre-compaction force on the powder particles 122 at one or more stages to initially bond the powder particles 122 to each other and/or the web 102, preventing disruption of the underlying layer (e.g., layer 132) when a subsequent layer of powder particles 122 is dispensed over it.
  • conditioning rollers 144 can be used between the respective spreading rollers 128, 130.
  • the conditioning rollers 144, 146 can be used perform the pre-compression or precompaction action prior to depositing additional powder particles 122 on the web 102 (or the underlying powder coating layer).
  • the spreading rollers 128, 130 can essentially perform only a spreading action of the powder particles 122 deposited on the web 102, and the conditioning rollers 144, 146 can apply the pre-compression force on the uniformly spread powder particles 122 to initially bond the powder particles 122 to each other and/or the web 102.
  • the pre-compression force is lower than the compression forces applied by the calendering rollers 138, 140.
  • the pre-compression force applied by the conditioning rollers 144, 146 can be sufficient to compress the loosely spread powder particles 122 on the web 102 to reduce the pore volume.
  • the pore volume reduction can depend on the powder particle 122 type, which can range from about 1 % to about 60%. As an example, with reference to incoming pore volume and/or porosity, if a pore volume of 1 unit (or 40%) was reduced by 10%, this would be a reduction from 1 to 0.9 (and a change from 40% to 37.5%).
  • the pore volume reduction can be about, e.g., 5-20% inclusive, of the pore volume of the spread coated powder layer for a Li-ion battery cathode or anode.
  • the pore volume reduction can be achieved with the spreading rollers 128, 130 instead of (or in addition to) the conditioning rollers 144, 146.
  • the spreading rollers 128a, 130a spread the initial amount of powder particles 122 on the web 102 to form layer 132, and the conditioning rollers 144a, 146a apply a pre-compression force on the layer 132 to bond the powder particles 122 to each other and the web 102.
  • additional powder particles 122 are dispensed on the layer 132 with the scattering roller 118b
  • the spreading rollers 128b, 130b are used to spread the powder particles 122 on the layer 132 to form layer 134
  • the conditioning rollers 144b, 146b apply a pre-compression force on the layer 134 to bond the powder particles 122 to each other and the underlying layer 132.
  • additional powder particles 122 are dispensed on the layer 134 with the scattering roller 118c, the spreading rollers 128c, 130c are used to spread the powder particles 122 on the layer 134 to form layer 136, and the conditioning rollers 144c, 146c apply a precompression force on the layer 136 to bond the powder particles 122 to each other and the underlying layer 134.
  • the pre-compression steps can therefore maintain the stability and structure of the layers 132, 134, 136 prior to passage through the calendering rollers 138, 140, ensuring uniformity in the layer formation process.
  • the pre-compression stage can gently push on the powdered material to slightly reduce the open space within the powdered material.
  • pre-compression can induce a change of about 1 volume percent in the volume fraction of solids (e.g., increasing the volume fraction from 50 to 51%, for example).
  • pre-compression can induce a change of less than about 5 volume percent in the volume fraction of solids.
  • the precompression or conditioning rollers can be used to compress the loosely spread powder coating to a pore volume of about 10% or less than the pore volume of the spread coated powder layer.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Battery Electrode And Active Subsutance (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un système de revêtement en poudre qui comprend un ensemble d'alimentation en poudre et un ensemble de rouleaux d'étalement. L'ensemble de rouleaux d'étalement comprend un premier et un second rouleau d'étalement. Une ou plusieurs chambres de particules de poudre sont conçues pour recevoir des particules de poudre et transférer les particules de poudre aux premier et second systèmes de dépôt de poudre. Un premier système de dépôt de poudre distribue une première quantité des particules de poudre sur une surface du substrat, et le premier rouleau d'étalement étale la première quantité des particules de poudre en un premier revêtement uniforme sur le substrat. Le second système de dépôt de poudre distribue une seconde quantité des particules de poudre sur le premier revêtement uniforme, et le second rouleau d'étalement étale la seconde quantité des particules de poudre en un second revêtement uniforme sur le premier revêtement uniforme.
PCT/US2025/020506 2024-03-20 2025-03-19 Système de fabrication d'électrode de batterie à revêtement en poudre sèche à vitesse élevée Pending WO2025199191A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US202463567632P 2024-03-20 2024-03-20
US63/567,632 2024-03-20

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2025199191A1 true WO2025199191A1 (fr) 2025-09-25

Family

ID=97140180

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2025/020506 Pending WO2025199191A1 (fr) 2024-03-20 2025-03-19 Système de fabrication d'électrode de batterie à revêtement en poudre sèche à vitesse élevée

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2025199191A1 (fr)

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4248923A (en) * 1977-12-19 1981-02-03 Institutul De Cercetari Textile Multilayer bonded fabric and method of and apparatus for making same
US5198281A (en) * 1989-04-17 1993-03-30 Georgia Tech Research Corporation Non-woven flexible multiply towpreg fabric
US20050264811A1 (en) * 2001-12-21 2005-12-01 Neophotonics Corporation Three dimensional engineering of planar optical structures
US20210060650A1 (en) * 2018-06-08 2021-03-04 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Powder layer former
US20210122114A1 (en) * 2018-06-29 2021-04-29 The University Of Manchester Powder deposition
US20220288676A1 (en) * 2019-05-02 2022-09-15 Tekna Systèmes Plasma Inc. Additive manufacturing powders with improved physical characteristics, method of manufacture and use thereof

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4248923A (en) * 1977-12-19 1981-02-03 Institutul De Cercetari Textile Multilayer bonded fabric and method of and apparatus for making same
US5198281A (en) * 1989-04-17 1993-03-30 Georgia Tech Research Corporation Non-woven flexible multiply towpreg fabric
US20050264811A1 (en) * 2001-12-21 2005-12-01 Neophotonics Corporation Three dimensional engineering of planar optical structures
US20210060650A1 (en) * 2018-06-08 2021-03-04 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Powder layer former
US20210122114A1 (en) * 2018-06-29 2021-04-29 The University Of Manchester Powder deposition
US20220288676A1 (en) * 2019-05-02 2022-09-15 Tekna Systèmes Plasma Inc. Additive manufacturing powders with improved physical characteristics, method of manufacture and use thereof

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
AU2020328890B2 (en) An electrode material and components therefrom for use in an electrochemical device and processes for the manufacture thereof
KR101726958B1 (ko) 리튬 이온 2차 전지용 전극의 제조 장치
US12255333B2 (en) High performance electrodes, materials, and precursors thereof
KR102679683B1 (ko) 에너지 저장 장치 전극 제조를 위한 방법 및 장치
CN108886136A (zh) 多区域的硫电极及其制造方法
CN111247669B (zh) 用于储能装置电极制备的方法和设备
WO2025199191A1 (fr) Système de fabrication d'électrode de batterie à revêtement en poudre sèche à vitesse élevée
US20250357464A1 (en) Electrode for Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices
US20210005879A1 (en) Multi-layered graphene electrodes, materials, and precursors thereof
CN121565861A (zh) 一种含补锂剂的石墨负极材料及其制备方法与应用
CN117673450A (zh) 卤化物固态电解质膜及其制备装置、制备方法
WO2025255247A1 (fr) Système de mélange de poudre sèche continue
WO2025137023A1 (fr) Système de fabrication d'électrode de batterie
WO2025222213A1 (fr) Procédé et appareil pour une fabrication à sec sans solvant d'électrodes à l'aide de poudres
RU2833593C2 (ru) Электродный материал и его компоненты для использования в электрохимическом устройстве и способы его изготовления
CN121263872A (zh) 用于在二次离子电池制造过程中将电极材料涂覆到基材的硬件和制造方法
WO2025240557A1 (fr) Système de fabrication d'électrode de batterie à revêtement en poudre sèche double face
WO2018165427A1 (fr) Materiaux actifs pour électrodes haute performance, matériaux et précurseurs correspondants
KR101833663B1 (ko) 고성능 전극, 재료 및 이의 전구체
CN121847356A (zh) 一种宽幅气相分散粉体静电沉积装置及其使用方法
CN120048833A (zh) 流体化装置和包括所述流体化装置的电池制造系统
CN121532854A (zh) 电极制造技术
HK40010277A (en) Methods and apparatuses for energy storage device electrode fabrication
HK40029857A (en) Methods and apparatuses for energy storage device electrode fabrication
WO2018165430A1 (fr) Électrodes à hautes performances à domaines multiples, matériaux et précurseurs correspondants

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 25774408

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1