Electrodes Formulation: Fabrication and Architectu res/Properties/Performance Relationships

Li-ion battery technology is based on the reversible insertion of lithium in the active material structure. In the electrode, powder of active material must be combined with various additives, such as polymeric binders and electronically conductive agents, which give the electrode the suitable mechanical and electrical properties for the operations of assembly of the film electrode with other battery cells (separator, second electrode) and its operation during the life of the battery. These additives shall remain in small quantities in the electrode so as not to excessively reduce the energy density of the battery. From these considerations was born the issue of formulation of electrodes which is to determine the optimal combination of additives to achieve the best performance of the active material. This requires technological objective to analyze the influence of the development of the electrode to its architecture process, understand all the interactions between the different constituents of the electrode under the action of various stimuli (mechanical, chemical, electric), and requires a multidisciplinary and multi-scale with the development of sophisticated characterization techniques, both the electrodes are complex composites.