Highly Dispersed Poly(vinylidene fluoride) and Carbon Black in NMC Cathodes Produced Via Non-NMP Electrovaya Superpolymer 2.0 Processing Method

The development of low cost lithium ion batteries using a non-toxic, non-NMP and low cost production process stands as one of the most promising technology breakthroughs, especially with the surging demand for cost effective solutions for energy storage and electric mobility. We demonstrate for the first time that NMP is not required for achieving a microstructure comprising carbon black and PVDF binder with substantial uniform dispersion throughout the active materials. In turn, well-dispersed conductive additive and binder in the electrode, prepared via Electrovaya’s non-aqueous SuperPolymer 2.0 processing method, is observed via performing extensive microstructure characterization using TOF-SIMS, HAADF, and SEM/EDS techniques. These techniques provide information about the carbon black and PVDF binder distribution and uniformity within the cathode material which turn out to be intimately linked to the electrochemical performance of the battery. The composite cathode NMC material when coupled with graphite in a full cell shows an excellent electrochemical performance on par with other commercial lithium ion batteries that utilize conventional toxic NMP coating methods.