High-Speed Li-Ion Battery Manufacturing Process Applying the Dewatering Concept

Lithium-ion battery manufacturing is time- and energy-intensive because of the drying process. While current approaches aim to accelerate drying by reducing the amount of solvent, they compromise uniformity and pose challenges in mass production. This study introduces the dewatering concept, which is widely used in paper manufacturing, to the electrode manufacturing process and proposes a high-speed electrode manufacturing process applying dewatering (HEMPAD). It encompasses four sequential stages: casting battery slurries onto porous media, forming a filter cake through solvent dewatering, transferring the filter cake to a substrate, and subsequent drying of the filter cake. HEMPAD achieves a substantial reduction in processing time and energy consumption, effectively filtering out over 40% of the solvent during dewatering. The investigation encompasses an analysis of the microstructure and electrochemical properties under different negative pressures. The results reveal that HEMPAD, in the absence of negative pressure, displays a similar adhesion force and superior electrochemical performance compared to the conventional process. The introduction of HEMPAD in the electrode manufacturing process is promising for next-generation battery production as it enables faster drying speed, less energy consumption, and relatively stable electrochemical performance.