Summary
- Dry electrode coating process can lead to better, greener, and more cost-effective batteries
- The process eliminates the use of hazardous solvents and relies on advanced fluoropolymer binders with Teflon™
- Chemours is a leading brand in this field and supports the scale-up of the dry electrode coating process
- The process enables thicker electrodes, improved battery performance, and potential reduction in charging times
- Companies like Tesla, PowerCo, and LG Energy Solutions are already implementing the dry electrode coating process in production scale
Article
The dry electrode coating process has the potential to revolutionize battery production by eliminating the use of hazardous solvents, leading to cost savings and improved battery performance. This process relies on advanced fluoropolymer binders, such as Teflon™, which do not need to be dissolved in solvents to form an electrode coating.
Chemours, a specialty chemical company, is a key player in the development of the dry electrode coating process. Tejas Upasani, Global EV Technology Manager at Chemours, emphasizes the company’s history of innovation and its commitment to supporting the scale-up of this new application. The dry process involves using similar active materials and conductive additives as the wet slurry process, but the key difference lies in the binder, which enables the coating without the need for solvents.
The advantages of the dry electrode coating process include environmental friendliness, cost savings in production floor space, and improved battery performance. By using advanced fluoropolymer binders, thicker electrodes can be created, leading to enhanced power density. Companies like Tesla, PowerCo, a Volkswagen subsidiary, and LG Energy Solutions are already exploring the production of batteries using the dry electrode process at various stages of development.
One of the challenges in scaling up the dry electrode coating process is adhesion to the electrode surface. The industry currently uses carbon-coated current collectors to facilitate adhesion, but there is ongoing research to improve the adhesion of the dry material directly to the current collector, eliminating the need for the carbon coating. Additionally, efforts are being made to reduce the amount of inactive materials in the electrodes, which can be expensive and difficult to scale up.
Uniformity of the dry coating mixture across large areas of battery electrodes is another challenge that needs to be addressed. Chemours collaborates with manufacturers to determine the ideal mix and ensure homogeneity in the coating process. Understanding the fibrillation characteristics is key to enabling the dry electrode process, and Chemours offers a range of fluoropolymer binder products tailored to meet the needs of different manufacturing processes.
There are proposed regulations in Europe around PFAS that could potentially impact the use of PTFE in the dry electrode coating process. Chemours supports industry-wide regulations based on science and data, and is committed to responsible manufacturing practices to meet regulatory requirements. The company believes that fluoropolymers are essential for the transition to clean energy and is dedicated to addressing concerns through collaboration and innovation.
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