Rapid Method for Producing Uniform Lithium Ion Anodes for Low Production Demand

A novel, cost effective method of manufacturing thin, very uniform anodes for Lithium Ion Battery electrodes in limited production quantities will be developed and demonstrated. The effort will focus on: 1) decreasing processing time; 2) reducing material waste in small lot sizes; 3) lower investment cost for equipment used in low production volumes; 4) improving electrode uniformity of thickness and composition. The last objective is intended to improve cycling performance of extended cycle life by eliminating local areas of excessive charge or discharge, due to imbalance of active materials. The proposed method provides better separation of active material particles in the electrode matrix, so that each particle is fully wetted with electrolyte and in contact with conductive carbon particles to reduce internal resistance and insure that all active material is utilized in charge/discharge cycles. The method is scalable and can be adapted to batch production of different electrode sizes.