Par Prof. Youngkwan Lee
Advanced Polymeric Material Lab, School of Chemical Engineering, SungKyunKwan University, Republic of Korea
For the next-generation Li-ion batteries, there is an urgent need to develop energy systems with higher energy density and longer cycle life. Si-anode and S-cathode of Li-ion batteries have attracted growing attention in recent years due to their high energy density that can meet the requirement for large-scale power system. Si anode suffer from significant intrinsic volume change (>300 %) during charging and discharging, while S cathode from low sulfur utilization and poor rechargeability in the form of soluble reaction intermediates of polysulfides (Li2S2 Li2S, etc.). In order to achieve high performance, it is crucial to control the electrode system to attain stable structure and facile charge transport. Polymer binders can support to link active materials together and to adhere to the current collector. A multi-functional binder composed of chitosan and natural rubber is applied to Si anode. The chitosan binder is also useful for the S cathode. Chitosan-rGO binder is prepared for S cathode. The structure and electrochemical performance of the Si anode or S cathode during the charging/discharging have been fully investigated.