Method of manufacturing an electrode product

• US 7,883,553 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2008
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Maxwell Technologies Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Mitchell, Porter, Xi, Xiaomei, Zhong, Linda
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, MINH N
• Application Number:
  US12/136,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20080236742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 296/233, 296/234, 296/235, 296/00, 295/921, 297/29, 429/212, 429/249, 4292315-2319
• US Class Current: 29/623.3
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/28 arranged or disposed on a current collector; Layers or phases between electrodes and current collectors, e.g. adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/30 characterised by their material
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/38 Carbon pastes or blends; Binders or additives therein
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/86 specially adapted for electrodes carbonisation or activation of carbon for the manufacture of electrodes H01G11/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/13 Energy storage using capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/43 Electric condenser making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49112 including laminating of indefinite length material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49114 including adhesively bonding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49115 including coating or impregnating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base

Abstract

A deformable and compressible active electrode dry film is manufactured from dry mixed dry active electrode material and dry binder powder. The electrode film and a current collector with a first surface may be stacked such that the first surface of the current collector is in contact with the dry film. The active electrode dry film and current collector may then be processed in a laminating device, such as a calendar. Lamination both densifies the active electrode film and bonds the film to the current collector.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an electrode product, the method comprising:

providing a current collector comprising a first surface;

dry mixing dry particles of active electrode material and dry binder to form a dry powder;

providing a dry film of the dry mixed dry active electrode material and dry binder powder;

stacking the dry film and the current collector so that the first surface is in contact with the dry film;

and laminating the current collector and the dry film by pressing the current collector and the dry film to cause the dry film to densify and to adhere to the first surface, thereby obtaining a laminated electrode product;

wherein the step of laminating is performed so that the dry film is densified without spreading to an extent necessitating trimming of the dry film after laminating.

2. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing a current collector comprises providing the current collector with a dried layer of adhesive material.

3. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing a current collector comprises providing the current collector comprising a material that causes the current collector to be capable of stretching to a lesser degree than the dry film.

4. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 1, wherein laminating consists of a single pass through a laminator.

5. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 1, wherein the dry film is not separately densified.

6. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 1, wherein the step of lamination is performed so as not to cause the dry film to spread beyond the current collector.

7. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 1, wherein the step of mixing further comprises:

dry mixing the dry particles of active electrode material with dry polymer and a conduction promoter to form a dry powder material; and

wherein the step of providing the dry film comprises;

fibrillizing the dry powder material using a dry high-shear technique.

8. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 1, wherein the product comprises a double-layer capacitor.

9. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 1, wherein the step of lamination comprises processing the dry film and the current collector between rolls of a laminator.

10. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 9, wherein the step of processing comprises heating a surface of at least one of the laminator rolls.

11. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 9, wherein the step of processing comprises heating surface of at least one of the laminator rolls to a temperature between about 100 degrees Celsius and about 300 degrees Celsius.

12. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 9, wherein:

the dry film and the current collector pass between a first laminator roll and a second laminator roll; and

the step of processing further comprises setting a gap between the first laminator roll and the second laminator roll so that thickness of the dry film is reduced by between about 30 and about 70 percent, the step of setting a gap being performed before the dry film and the current collector pass between the first and second laminator rolls.

13. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 9, further comprising cooling the laminated electrode product.

14. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 13, wherein the step of cooling comprises S-wrapping the laminated electrode product on a pair of chilling rolls and cooling the chilling rolls using a liquid with a temperature of between about 18 and about 22 degrees Celsius.

15. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 9, wherein the rolls of the laminator apply pressure of between about 50 and about 1000 pounds per linear inch of width of the dry film to the current collector and the dry film.

16. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 9, wherein the rolls of the laminator apply pressure of between about 350 and about 650 pounds per linear inch of width of the dry film to the current collector and the dry film.

17. The method of manufacturing an electrode according to claim 9, wherein the rolls of the laminator apply pressure of about 500 pounds per linear inch of width of the dry film to the current collector and the dry film.