New progress in flexible electrode research
Researcher Li Xianfeng, researcher Zhang Huamin, and associate researcher Zhang Hongzhang of the Energy Storage Technology Research Department of Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences have made new progress in the research of high-load flexible self-supporting electrodes. The related work was published in Advanced Functional Materials (Adv.Funct .Mater.) on.
Nanoscale active material particles have great potential in electrochemical applications due to their high specific surface and short ion/electron transport paths. However, as the loading of nanoparticles on the electrode increases, the particles are easily detached from the electrode, which limits its practical application. In 2016, the team first reported the preparation of "triple-continuous" electrodes (Adv. Funct. Mater.) with excellent bonding strength and electron/ion mass transfer by "phase inversion" method, which solved the above problems well , realizing the flexibility of the electrode. On this basis, the research team realized the self-supporting and high active material loading (such as sulfur 24 mg/cm2) of the flexible electrode in 2017.
On the basis of the above research results, the team further developed the overall current collection technology for flexible self-supporting electrodes. This technology greatly improves the electronic conductivity of the electrode surface and interior by "in situ chemical deposition" of a three-dimensional continuous metal-based current collector network on the electrode surface and interior. In addition, the preparation cost of the current collecting network is low and it is easy to enlarge, and the areal density of the current collecting network is much lower than that of traditional aluminum foil, copper foil, nickel foam, etc., which can further reduce the overall weight of the device and lay a solid foundation for the practical application of high specific energy flexible batteries. foundation.
