JP2012256583A - Manufacturing method of electrode for electrochemical element - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method of an electrode for an electrochemical element in which capacity adjustment is easy and which can be manufactured at a low cost.SOLUTION: A manufacturing method of an electrode for an electrochemical element comprises: a thickness adjustment step of adjusting an aluminum porous body having a communicating pore to a prescribed thickness by compressing the body; a filling step of filling the thickness-adjusted aluminum porous body with an active material; and a cutting step of cutting the aluminum porous body to a prescribed length dimension before the filling step.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing electrodes for electrochemical devices such as high-power lithium batteries (including “lithium secondary batteries”), electric double layer capacitors, lithium ion capacitors, and molten salt batteries.

  In recent years, electrochemical devices such as lithium batteries, electric double layer capacitors, lithium ion capacitors, and molten salt batteries have been widely used as portable small electronic devices such as mobile phones and notebook personal computers and power supplies for EVs. .

In these electrochemical elements, an electrode in which a mixture layer containing an active material is formed on a metal foil is generally used. For example, in the case of a positive electrode of a lithium secondary battery, as shown in FIG. 4, a positive electrode active material such as lithium cobaltate (LiCoO ₂ ) powder, polyvinylidene fluoride on both surfaces of a current collector 32 made of aluminum (Al) foil. A lithium secondary battery electrode 31 on which a positive electrode mixture layer 33 containing a conductive auxiliary such as a binder such as (PVDF) and carbon powder is formed is used. The positive electrode mixture made into a slurry by adding a solvent is applied onto the current collector 32 made of Al foil, and then the coated film is dried (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-143702 A

  In such a conventional lithium secondary battery, when adjusting the capacity, a method of adjusting the amount of active material per volume of slurry can be considered. However, since the slurry conditions must be adjusted for each electrode specification, the production cost There is a problem that becomes high.

  Such problems occur not only in lithium secondary batteries but also in other lithium batteries such as lithium primary batteries, and also in electrochemical devices such as electric double layer capacitors, lithium ion capacitors, and molten salt batteries. Yes.

  An object of this invention is to provide the manufacturing method of the electrode for electrochemical elements which capacity adjustment is easy in view of said problem, and can be manufactured at low cost.

The invention described in claim 1
A thickness adjusting step for compressing the aluminum porous body having continuous air holes and adjusting it to a predetermined thickness;
A filling step of filling the adjusted porous aluminum body with an active material;
A method for producing an electrode for an electrochemical element, comprising: a cutting step of cutting the porous aluminum body into a predetermined length before the filling step.

  For example, in the case of a lithium secondary battery, as a method of adjusting the capacity without changing the amount of active material per slurry volume, it is generally difficult to increase the thickness, so by changing the size of the electrode Although capacity adjustment methods have been performed, various electrodes must be prepared according to battery specifications.

  Therefore, as a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have focused on using a metal porous body, that is, an aluminum porous body (Al porous body) as a current collector. The slurry conditions are fixed, the thickness of the current collector is changed, and the amount of slurry to be filled is adjusted, so that the slurry is changed for each electrode specification or the slurry conditions are adjusted according to the amount of solvent. I came up with the idea that the capacity could be adjusted easily without any problems.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the amount of the material to be filled can be easily adjusted by carrying out the thickness adjusting step before filling the Al porous body having continuous air holes with the active material (slurry). Therefore, an electrode having a desired capacity can be obtained without changing the composition of the slurry containing the active material. For this reason, an electrode can be manufactured at low cost.

  Furthermore, since the thickness variation of the Al porous body can be reduced by the thickness adjusting step, the variation in capacity can also be reduced.

  The invention according to claim 1 is provided with a cutting step of cutting the aluminum porous body into a predetermined length before being filled with the active material, so that the Al porous material cut into a predetermined length is used. The body will be filled with the active material.

  For this reason, it is possible to eliminate the problem that a large amount of scrap material (remaining material) is generated, as in the method of cutting the long porous Al body before cutting into a predetermined length after filling the active material. In addition, the production cost can be reduced from the viewpoint of improving the yield in the production of the electrode for the lithium secondary battery using an expensive active material.

  In addition, by adding a step of cutting the porous aluminum body to a predetermined width dimension before filling the active material, it is possible to eliminate the filling of the active material in the end material in the width direction, thereby reducing the production cost. Further reduction can be achieved.

  In addition, as described above, in the case of the electrode of the conventional lithium secondary battery, since the capacity was adjusted by changing the size of the electrode, the large-sized electrode was wound many times to form a cylindrical battery. Although being used, the battery pack produced by combining such cylindrical batteries could not sufficiently increase the volume energy density.

  However, a battery pack that combines battery cells manufactured using positive and negative electrodes manufactured as described above using an Al porous body has a volume energy density that is lower than a battery pack that combines conventional cylindrical batteries. Improvement and space saving can be achieved. Specifically, for example, if the battery pack has the same volume, the volume energy density can be increased by 1.5 times or more, and when used as a vehicle-mounted battery pack, the cruising distance of the electric vehicle is improved by 1.5 times or more. It becomes possible. Further, if the battery pack has the same capacity, the volume can be reduced to 2/3 or less.

  That is, when combining conventional cylindrical batteries, the batteries could not be arranged at high density due to heat dissipation problems and restrictions due to the cylindrical shape. As a specific example, for example, in the case of an in-vehicle battery pack in which a 18650 type cylindrical battery is combined, the net battery volume remains at about 40% of the entire battery pack volume.

  On the other hand, the battery cell produced using the Al porous body electrode of the present invention is excellent in heat dissipation because the cell itself is thin, and can be formed into a square shape, so that it should be arranged at a high density. Can do.

  According to the experiment by the present inventor, it has been confirmed that when a battery pack having the same capacity as the above-described vehicle battery pack using a 18650 type cylindrical battery is produced, the volume can be reduced by up to 51%.

  Such an electrode is used not only as a lithium secondary battery but also as another lithium battery such as a lithium primary battery, and as an electrode of an electrochemical element such as an electric double layer capacitor, a lithium ion capacitor, or a molten salt battery. Also confirmed that it can be applied.

The invention described in claim 2
The said thickness adjusting process adjusts the thickness of the said aluminum porous body with a roller press, The manufacturing method of the electrode for electrochemical elements of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the thickness of the aluminum porous body is adjusted by a roller press, the thickness of the aluminum porous body can be adjusted only by adjusting the position of the roller. For this reason, the production cost can be further reduced.

The invention according to claim 3
A drying step of drying the aluminum porous body filled with the active material;
The method for producing an electrode for an electrochemical element according to claim 1, further comprising a compression step of compressing the dried porous aluminum body.

  In the method for producing an electrode for an electrochemical element, the solvent in the slurry is evaporated by providing a drying step. However, since the space in which the solvent is present remains as it is, the volume of the electrode is high and the packing density of the active material is low. By providing the compression step, the volume of the space remaining in the electrode can be optimized and a high-density electrode can be obtained. In addition, the electrode surface can be smoothed, and the risk of short circuit is reduced.

The invention of claim 4
4. The aluminum porous body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the aluminum porous body is an aluminum porous body whose surface oxygen content determined by EDX analysis at an acceleration voltage of 15 kV is 3.1% by mass or less. It is a manufacturing method of the electrode for electrochemical elements as described in an item.

  When heated in an oxygen-containing environment, the porous Al body is likely to oxidize and form an oxide film on the surface. In the case of an Al porous body with an oxide film, the entire surface area cannot be used effectively, so that a sufficient amount of the active material cannot be supported, and the contact resistance between the active material and the Al porous body should be lowered. I can't.

  In view of such a situation, the present inventor has developed a method for producing an Al porous body without heating Al in an oxygen-containing environment. As a result, an Al porous body with a small amount of oxygen on the surface, that is, an Al porous body with a small oxide film on the surface can be obtained.

  Specifically, the foamed resin having continuous air holes formed with an Al layer is immersed in a molten salt and heated to a temperature not higher than the melting point of Al while applying a negative potential to the Al layer. By decomposing, an Al porous body whose surface oxygen content determined by EDX analysis at an acceleration voltage of 15 kV is 3.1% by mass or less can be obtained.

  By using such an Al porous body, the amount of active material supported can be increased, and the contact resistance between the active material and the Al porous body can be kept low, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the active material. be able to.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, capacity | capacitance adjustment is easy and the manufacturing method of the electrode for electrochemical elements which can be manufactured at low cost can be provided. Moreover, the electrode for electrochemical elements suitable for manufacture of the battery pack which can aim at the improvement of volume energy density or space saving can be provided.

It is a figure explaining an example of the manufacturing method of Al porous object in the present invention. It is a figure explaining the procedure of manufacture of the electrode for lithium secondary batteries of one embodiment of this invention. In one Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which illustrates typically a mode that the precursor of the electrode for lithium secondary batteries is cut | disconnected. It is sectional drawing which shows the form of the conventional electrode for lithium secondary batteries typically. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the all-solid-state lithium secondary battery in which the electrode for electrochemical elements which concerns on one embodiment of this invention was used. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electric double layer capacitor in which an electrode for an electrochemical element according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lithium ion capacitor in which an electrode for an electrochemical element according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a molten salt battery in which an electrode for an electrochemical element according to an embodiment of the present invention is used.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the following, a method for manufacturing an electrode for an electrochemical element will be described first, and then a lithium battery, an electric double layer capacitor, a lithium ion capacitor, and a molten salt battery using the electrode for an electrochemical element will be described.

[A] Electrode for Electrochemical Element First, a method for producing an electrode for an electrochemical element will be described first, and a method for producing an Al porous body will be described. Then, the production of an electrode for a lithium secondary battery will be described as an example. A method for producing an electrode for an electrochemical element using an Al porous body will be described.

1. Production of Porous Aluminum Body First, a method for producing an aluminum porous body used for the electrode for an electrochemical element of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a method for producing a porous aluminum body, and schematically shows how an aluminum structure (porous body) is formed using a resin molded body as a core material.

  First, a base resin molded body is prepared. FIG. 1A is an enlarged schematic view showing a part of a cross section of a foamed resin molded body having continuous air holes as an example of a base resin molded body, and pores are formed using the foamed resin molded body 1 as a skeleton. It shows a state. Next, the surface of the resin molded body is made conductive. By this step, a thin conductive layer is formed on the surface of the resin molded body 1 using a conductive material. Subsequently, aluminum plating in a molten salt is performed to form an aluminum plating layer 2 on the surface of the resin molded body on which the conductive layer is formed (FIG. 1B). As a result, an aluminum structure in which the aluminum plating layer 2 is formed on the surface using the base resin molded body as a base material is obtained. Thereafter, the foamed resin molded body 1 is decomposed and disappeared to obtain an aluminum structure (porous body) 3 in which only the metal layer remains (FIG. 1 (c)). Hereinafter, each step will be described in order.

(1) Preparation of porous resin molded body First, a porous resin molded body having a three-dimensional network structure and continuous air holes is prepared as a base resin molded body. Arbitrary resin can be selected as a raw material of a porous resin molding. Examples of the material include foamed resin moldings such as polyurethane, melamine, polypropylene, and polyethylene. Although described as a foamed resin molded article, a resin molded article having an arbitrary shape can be selected as long as it has continuous pores (continuous vent holes). For example, what has a shape like a nonwoven fabric entangled with a fibrous resin can be used instead of the foamed resin molded article.

  The foamed resin molded body preferably has a continuous ventilation hole with a porosity of 40 to 98% and a cell diameter of 50 to 1000 μm, but more preferably a porosity of 80 to 98% and a cell diameter of 50 μm to 500 μm. Foamed urethane and foamed melamine have high porosity, and have excellent porosity and thermal decomposability, and therefore can be preferably used as a porous resin molded article. Urethane foam is preferable in terms of pore uniformity and availability, and foamed urethane is preferable in that a cell having a small cell diameter can be obtained.

The porous resin molded body often has residues such as foaming agents and unreacted monomers in the foam production process, and it is preferable to perform a washing treatment for the subsequent steps. For example, the urethane foam forms continuous pores as a whole by forming a three-dimensional network of resin molded bodies as a skeleton. The urethane skeleton has a substantially triangular shape in a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction. Here, the porosity is defined by the following equation.
Porosity [%] = (1− (weight of porous material [g] / (volume of porous material [cm ³ ] ×
Material density))) × 100

  In addition, the cell diameter is enlarged as the surface of the resin molded body with a micrograph, and the number of pores per inch (25.4 mm) is counted as the number of cells, and the average cell diameter = 25.4 mm / number of cells is average. Find the correct value.

(2) Conduction of resin molded body surface In order to perform electroplating, the surface of the foamed resin is subjected to a conductive treatment in advance. The treatment method is not particularly limited as long as it is a treatment that can provide a conductive layer on the surface of the foamed resin, electroless plating of a conductive metal such as nickel, vapor deposition and sputtering of aluminum, etc., carbon, etc. Arbitrary methods, such as application | coating of the electroconductive coating material containing these electroconductive particles, can be selected.

  As an example of the conductive treatment, a method of conducting the conductive treatment by sputtering of aluminum and a method of conducting the conductive treatment of the surface of the foamed resin using carbon as conductive particles will be described below.

(A) Sputtering of aluminum The sputtering treatment using aluminum is not limited as long as aluminum is used as a target, and may be performed according to a conventional method. For example, after attaching a foamed resin to the substrate holder, while applying an inert gas, a DC voltage is applied between the holder and the target (aluminum) to cause the ionized inert gas to collide with the aluminum. The aluminum particles sputtered off are deposited on the foamed resin surface to form an aluminum sputtered film. The sputtering treatment is preferably performed at a temperature at which the foamed resin does not dissolve. Specifically, the sputtering treatment may be performed at about 100 to 200 ° C, preferably about 120 to 180 ° C.

(B) Carbon coating Prepare a carbon coating as a conductive coating. The suspension as the conductive paint preferably contains carbon particles, a binder, a dispersant and a dispersion medium. In order to uniformly apply the conductive particles, the suspension needs to maintain a uniform suspension state. For this reason, it is preferable that the suspension is maintained at 20 ° C to 40 ° C.

  The reason for this is that when the temperature of the suspension is below 20 ° C., the uniform suspension state collapses, and only the binder forms a layer on the surface of the skeleton that forms the network structure of the synthetic resin molding. Because it does. In this case, the applied carbon particle layer is easy to peel off, and it is difficult to form a metal plating that is firmly adhered. On the other hand, when the temperature of the suspension exceeds 40 ° C., the amount of evaporation of the dispersant is large, and the suspension is concentrated as the coating treatment time elapses, and the amount of carbon applied tends to fluctuate. The particle size of the carbon particles is 0.01 to 5 μm, preferably 0.01 to 0.5 μm. If the particle size is large, the pores of the porous resin molded body may be clogged or smooth plating may be hindered. If it is too small, it is difficult to ensure sufficient conductivity.

  The application of the carbon particles to the resin molded body is possible by immersing the target resin molded body in the suspension, and performing drawing and drying. As an example of a practical manufacturing process, a long sheet-like strip-shaped resin having a three-dimensional network structure is continuously drawn out from a supply bobbin and immersed in a suspension in a tank. The strip-shaped resin immersed in the suspension is squeezed with a squeeze roll, and excess suspension is squeezed out. Subsequently, the belt-shaped resin is wound on a winding bobbin after the dispersion medium of the suspension is removed by hot air injection or the like from a hot air nozzle and sufficiently dried. The temperature of the hot air is preferably in the range of 40 ° C to 80 ° C. When such an apparatus is used, the conductive treatment can be performed automatically and continuously, and a skeleton having a network structure without clogging and having a uniform conductive layer is formed. The metal plating in the next process can be performed smoothly.

(3) Formation of aluminum layer: Molten salt plating Next, electrolytic plating is performed in molten salt to form an aluminum plating layer on the surface of the resin molded body. By performing aluminum plating in a molten salt bath, a uniformly thick aluminum layer can be formed on the surface of a complicated skeleton structure, such as a porous resin body having a three-dimensional network structure. A direct current is applied in a molten salt using a resin molded body having a conductive surface as a cathode and aluminum having a purity of 99.0% as an anode. As the molten salt, an organic molten salt that is a eutectic salt of an organic halide and an aluminum halide, or an inorganic molten salt that is a eutectic salt of an alkali metal halide and an aluminum halide can be used.

  Use of an organic molten salt bath that melts at a relatively low temperature is preferable because plating can be performed without decomposing the resin molded body as a base material. As the organic halide, imidazolium salt, pyridinium salt and the like can be used. Specifically, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMIC) and butylpyridinium chloride (BPC) are preferable. Since the molten salt deteriorates when moisture or oxygen is mixed in the molten salt, the plating is preferably performed in an atmosphere of an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon and in a sealed environment.

  As the molten salt bath, a molten salt bath containing nitrogen is preferable, and among them, an imidazolium salt bath is preferably used. When a salt that melts at a high temperature is used as the molten salt, the resin is dissolved or decomposed in the molten salt faster than the growth of the plating layer, and the plating layer cannot be formed on the surface of the resin molded body. The imidazolium salt bath can be used without affecting the resin even at a relatively low temperature.

As the imidazolium salt, a salt containing an imidazolium cation having an alkyl group at the 1,3-position is preferably used. Particularly, aluminum chloride + 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AlCl ₃ + EMIC) molten salt is stable. Is most preferably used because it is high and difficult to decompose. Plating onto foamed urethane resin or foamed melamine resin is possible, and the temperature of the molten salt bath is 10 ° C to 60 ° C, preferably 25 ° C to 45 ° C. The lower the temperature, the narrower the current density range that can be plated, and the more difficult it is to plate on the entire porous body surface. At a high temperature of 60 ° C. or higher, a problem that the shape of the base resin is impaired tends to occur.

In molten salt aluminum plating on metal surfaces, it has been reported that additives such as xylene, benzene, toluene and 1,10-phenanthroline are added to AlCl ₃ -EMIC for the purpose of improving the smoothness of the plating surface. The present inventors have found that, in particular, when aluminum plating is performed on a porous resin body having a three-dimensional network structure, the addition of 1,10-phenanthroline has a specific effect on the formation of the aluminum structure. That is, the first feature that the aluminum skeleton forming the porous body is not easily broken and the second feature that uniform plating with a small difference in plating thickness between the surface portion and the inside of the porous body can be obtained. It is.

  Due to the above-mentioned two characteristics that the plating is hard to break and the plating thickness is uniform inside and outside, when the finished aluminum porous body is pressed, a porous body in which the entire skeleton is hardly broken and is pressed uniformly can be obtained. When an aluminum porous body is used as an electrode material for a battery or the like, the electrode is filled with an electrode active material and the density is increased by pressing, and the skeleton easily breaks during the active material filling process or pressing. It is extremely effective in applications.

  From the above, it is preferable to add an organic solvent to the molten salt bath, and 1,10-phenanthroline is particularly preferably used. The amount added to the plating bath is preferably 0.25 to 7 g / L. If it is 0.25 g / L or less, plating with poor smoothness is brittle, and the effect of reducing the difference in thickness between the surface layer and the inside is difficult to obtain. On the other hand, if it is 7 g / L or more, the plating efficiency is lowered and it is difficult to obtain a predetermined plating thickness.

On the other hand, an inorganic salt bath can be used as the molten salt as long as the resin is not dissolved. The inorganic salt bath is typically a two-component or multi-component salt of AlCl ₃ -XCl (X: alkali metal). Such an inorganic salt bath generally has a higher melting temperature than an organic salt bath such as an imidazolium salt bath, but is less restricted by environmental conditions such as moisture and oxygen, and can be put into practical use at a low cost overall. . When the resin is a foamed melamine resin, it can be used at a higher temperature than the foamed urethane resin, and an inorganic salt bath at 60 ° C. to 150 ° C. is used.

  The aluminum structure which has a resin molding as a frame | skeleton core by the above process is obtained. In the above, the aluminum layer is formed by molten salt plating. However, it can be performed by any method such as vapor deposition, sputtering, vapor phase method such as plasma CVD, and application of aluminum paste.

  Depending on applications such as various filters and catalyst carriers, the resin and metal composite may be used as they are, but the resin is removed when used as a porous metal body without resin due to restrictions on the use environment. In the present invention, the resin is removed by decomposition in a molten salt described below so that oxidation of aluminum does not occur.

(4) Removal of resin: treatment with molten salt Decomposition in molten salt is performed by the following method. A resin molded body having an aluminum plating layer formed on the surface is immersed in a molten salt, and the foamed resin molded body is removed by heating while applying a negative potential (potential lower than the standard electrode potential of aluminum) to the aluminum layer. When a negative potential is applied while being immersed in the molten salt, the foamed resin molded product can be decomposed without oxidizing aluminum.

  The heating temperature can be appropriately selected according to the type of the foamed resin molded body. When the resin molding is urethane, decomposition takes place at about 380 ° C., so the temperature of the molten salt bath needs to be 380 ° C. or higher. However, in order not to melt aluminum, the melting point of the aluminum (660 ° C.) or lower is required. It is necessary to process at temperature. A preferable temperature range is 500 ° C. or more and 600 ° C. or less.

  The amount of negative potential to be applied is on the minus side of the reduction potential of aluminum and on the plus side of the reduction potential of cations in the molten salt. By such a method, it is possible to obtain an aluminum porous body having continuous air holes, a thin oxide layer on the surface, and a small oxygen amount of 3.1% by mass or less.

As the molten salt used for the decomposition of the resin, a halide salt of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal can be used so that the electrode potential of the aluminum layer becomes base. Specifically, it is preferable to include one or more selected from the group consisting of lithium chloride (LiCl), potassium chloride (KCl), sodium chloride (NaCl), and aluminum chloride (AlCl ₃ ). A eutectic molten salt mixed to lower the melting point is more preferred. By such a method, it is possible to obtain an aluminum porous body having continuous air holes, a thin oxide layer on the surface, and a small oxygen amount of 3.1% by mass or less.

  As the aluminum porous body, an aluminum porous body having a porosity of 40 to 98% and a cell diameter of 50 to 1000 μm is preferably used. More preferably, the porosity is 80 to 98%, and the cell diameter is 350 to 900 μm.

2. Next, a method for producing a slurry will be described by taking the case of a positive electrode of a lithium secondary battery as an example. An active material powder such as LiCoO ₂ , a binder such as PVDF, and a conductive aid such as acetylene black are mixed at a predetermined ratio, and a predetermined amount of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (mixture) is mixed with the obtained mixture (mixture). NMP) and the like are added and kneaded to prepare a slurry. The mixing ratio of these materials is appropriately determined in consideration of electrode capacity, conductivity, slurry viscosity, and the like.

3. Production of Electrode for Lithium Secondary Battery Next, production of an electrode for an electrochemical element will be described by taking production of an electrode for a lithium secondary battery as an example. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for manufacturing the electrode for the lithium secondary battery of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electrode for the lithium secondary battery, from the upstream side, in the order of the thickness adjustment process, lead welding process, width direction cutting process, filling process, drying process, compression process, and length direction cutting process, It is manufactured by performing each process.

(1) Thickening step The Al porous body 3 manufactured based on the above manufacturing method is unwound, and the thickness of the Al porous body 3 is adjusted to a predetermined thickness by a roller press through a thickness adjusting roll. .

(2) Lead welding step Next, the lead 4 is unwound and the lead 4 is welded to the adjusted Al porous body 3 to produce a current collector.

(3) Width direction cutting step Next, the current collector is cut into a predetermined length by cutting the current collector with a cutter in the width direction.

(4) Filling step Next, the slurry produced based on the above production method is filled into the continuous air holes of the current collector using a roll.

(5) Drying step Next, the solvent contained in the slurry is volatilized by passing through a drying furnace.

(6) Compression process Next, by compressing to predetermined thickness through a roll, a space | gap is made small and the filling density of a mixture is adjusted, and the precursor 11 is produced.

(7) Longitudinal Cutting (Slit) Step Next, the precursor 11 is cut (slit) in the length direction and divided in the width direction to produce a lithium secondary battery electrode 21.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams schematically illustrating a state in which the precursor of the electrode for the lithium secondary battery is cut in the present embodiment. FIGS. 3A and 3B are a plan view and a cross section before cutting. It is a figure, (c), (d) is the top view and sectional drawing after a cutting | disconnection. In FIG. 3, 12 and 22 are electrode main-body parts (mixture filling part). As shown in FIG. 3, the precursor is cut at the center of the width and the center of the lead 4 to produce the lithium secondary battery electrode 21.

  As mentioned above, although the manufacturing method of the electrode for lithium secondary batteries was demonstrated, it manufactures similarly about other lithium batteries, such as a lithium primary battery, and also an electrode for electric double layer capacitors, a lithium ion capacitor, and a molten salt battery. Can do.

[B] Electrochemical element Next, the electrochemical element using the electrochemical element electrode produced as described above is divided into a lithium battery, an electric double layer capacitor, a lithium ion capacitor, and a sodium battery. explain.

1. Lithium Battery First, the characteristics of the positive electrode for a lithium battery manufactured as described above using an Al porous body will be described, and then the configuration of the lithium secondary battery will be described.

(1) Features of a positive electrode for a lithium battery produced using an Al porous body As a conventional positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery, an electrode in which an active material is applied to the surface of an Al foil (current collector) is used. . Lithium secondary batteries have higher capacities than nickel metal hydride batteries and capacitors, but there is a need for higher capacities for automotive applications, and in order to improve battery capacity per unit area, The coating thickness is increased. Further, in order to effectively use the active material, the active material must be mixed with a conductive additive because the aluminum foil as a current collector and the active material must be in electrical contact. Yes.

  On the other hand, in the present invention, an electrode filled with an active material mixed with a conductive additive or a binder using an Al porous body as a current collector is used. This Al porous body has a high porosity and a large surface area per unit area. As a result, since the contact area between the current collector and the active material is increased, the active material can be used effectively, the capacity of the battery can be improved, and the mixing amount of the conductive assistant can be reduced.

  As described above, since the lithium secondary battery using the Al porous body as the current collector can improve the capacity even with a small electrode area, the energy density of the battery is made higher than the lithium secondary battery using the conventional Al foil. be able to.

  In the above description, the effect on the secondary battery has been mainly described. However, the effect of increasing the contact area when the Al porous body is filled with the active material is the same as in the case of the secondary battery. Can be improved.

(2) Configuration of Lithium Secondary Battery Lithium secondary batteries include a case where a solid electrolyte is used as an electrolyte and a case where a nonaqueous electrolytic solution is used. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of an all-solid lithium secondary battery (using a solid electrolyte as an electrolyte) in which an electrode for an electrochemical element (lithium secondary battery) according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. The all solid lithium secondary battery 60 includes a positive electrode 61, a negative electrode 62, and a solid electrolyte layer (SE layer) 63 disposed between the two electrodes. The positive electrode 61 includes a positive electrode layer (positive electrode body) 64 and a positive electrode current collector 65, and the negative electrode 62 includes a negative electrode layer 66 and a negative electrode current collector 67.

  As described above, a non-aqueous electrolyte may be used as the electrolyte. In this case, a separator (porous polymer film, nonwoven fabric, paper, etc.) is disposed between the two electrodes, and the non-aqueous electrolyte is used. Is impregnated in both electrodes and separators.

  Hereinafter, the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the electrolyte constituting the lithium secondary battery will be described in this order.

(A) Positive electrode When using the Al porous body as a positive electrode current collector of a lithium secondary battery, a material capable of removing and inserting lithium can be used as the positive electrode active material. An electrode suitable for a lithium secondary battery can be obtained by filling the Al porous body cut into a size.

(A) Positive electrode active material Examples of such a positive electrode active material include lithium cobaltate (LiCoO ₂ ), lithium nickelate (LiNiO ₂ ), nickel cobaltate lithium (LiCo _0.3 Ni _0.7 O ₂ ), Lithium manganate (LiMn ₂ O ₄ ), lithium titanate (Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ ), lithium manganate compound (LiM _y Mn _2-y O ₄ ; M = Cr, Co, Ni), lithium acid, etc. are used it can. These active materials are used in combination with a conductive aid and a binder.

It is also possible to use a transition metal oxide such as conventional lithium iron phosphate and its compounds _{(LiFePO 4, LiFe 0.5 Mn 0.5} PO 4) a is olivine compound. The transition metal element contained in these materials may be partially substituted with another transition metal element.

Furthermore, as other positive electrode active materials, for example, TiS ₂ , V ₂ S ₃ , FeS, FeS ₂ , LiMS _x (M is a transition metal element such as Mo, Ti, Cu, Ni, Fe, or Sb, It is also possible to use a sulfide-based chalcogenide such as Sn, Pb), or a lithium metal having a metal oxide such as TiO ₂ , Cr ₃ O ₈ , V ₂ O ₅ , or MnO ₂ as a skeleton. Note that the above-described lithium titanate (Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ ) can also be used as a negative electrode active material.

(B) Solid electrolyte In addition to the positive electrode active material, if necessary, a solid electrolyte may be further added to fill the Al porous body. By filling the Al porous body with a positive electrode active material and a solid electrolyte, an electrode more suitable as a positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery can be obtained. However, the proportion of the active material in the material filled in the Al porous body is preferably 50% by mass or more and more preferably 70% by mass or more from the viewpoint of securing the discharge capacity.

  As the solid electrolyte, a sulfide-based solid electrolyte having high lithium ion conductivity is preferably used. Examples of such a sulfide-based solid electrolyte include a sulfide-based solid electrolyte containing lithium, phosphorus, and sulfur. It is done. These sulfide-based solid electrolytes may further contain elements such as O, Al, B, Si, and Ge.

Such a sulfide-based solid electrolyte can be obtained by a known method. For example, lithium sulfide (Li ₂ S) and diphosphorus pentasulfide (P ₂ S ₅ ) are prepared as starting materials, and the ratio of Li ₂ S and P ₂ S ₅ is about 50:50 to 80:20 in molar ratio. , Mixed and melted and rapidly cooled (melting and quenching method) or mechanically milled (mechanical milling method).

  The sulfide-based solid electrolyte obtained by the above method is amorphous. Although it can be used in this amorphous state, it may be heat-treated to obtain a crystalline sulfide solid electrolyte. Crystallization can be expected to improve lithium ion conductivity.

(C) Conductive auxiliary agent and binder When filling the Al porous body with the above active material mixture (active material and solid electrolyte), a conductive auxiliary agent and a binder are added as necessary, and an organic solvent and water are added thereto. It mixes and a positive mix slurry is produced.

  As the conductive assistant, for example, carbon black such as acetylene black (AB) and ketjen black (KB) and carbon fiber such as carbon nanotube (CNT) can be used.

  As the binder, for example, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), xanthan gum and the like can be used.

(D) Solvent As described above, an organic solvent or water can be used as the solvent used when preparing the positive electrode mixture slurry.

  The organic solvent can be appropriately selected as long as it does not adversely affect the material filled in the Al porous body (that is, the active material, the conductive additive, the binder, and, if necessary, the solid electrolyte). .

  Examples of such organic solvents include n-hexane, cyclohexane, heptane, toluene, xylene, trimethylbenzene, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, ethyl methyl carbonate, propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, butylene carbonate, vinylene carbonate, vinyl ethylene carbonate. , Tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, 1,3-dioxolane, ethylene glycol, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and the like can be used.

  Further, when water is used as the solvent, a surfactant may be used in order to improve the filling property.

(E) Filling slurry As a filling method of the prepared positive electrode mixture slurry, a known method such as a dip filling method or a coating method can be used. Examples of the coating method include roll coating method, applicator coating method, electrostatic coating method, powder coating method, spray coating method, spray coater coating method, bar coater coating method, roll coater coating method, dip coater coating method, doctor Examples thereof include a blade coating method, a wire bar coating method, a knife coater coating method, a blade coating method, and a screen printing method.

(B) Negative electrode For the negative electrode, a copper or nickel foil, punching metal, porous body or the like is used as a current collector, and alloys such as graphite, lithium titanate (Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ ), Sn and Si, Alternatively, a negative electrode active material such as lithium metal is used. A negative electrode active material is also used in combination with a conductive additive and a binder.

(C) Electrolyte As described above, in the lithium secondary battery, there are a case where a solid electrolyte is used as an electrolyte and a case where a nonaqueous electrolytic solution is used.

  Each solid electrolyte described above is used as the solid electrolyte.

  As the non-aqueous electrolyte, a solution obtained by dissolving a supporting salt in a polar aprotic organic solvent is used. As such a polar aprotic organic solvent, for example, ethylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, propylene carbonate, γ-butyrolactone, sulfolane and the like are used. As the supporting salt, lithium tetrafluoroborate, lithium hexafluorophosphate, and an imide salt are used. Although it is preferable that the concentration of the supporting salt serving as an electrolyte is high, a concentration around 1 mol / L is generally used because there is a limit to dissolution.

2. Electric Double Layer Capacitor FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of an electric double layer capacitor in which an electrode for an electrochemical element (electric double layer capacitor) according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. In the organic electrolyte solution 143 partitioned by the separator 142, an electrode material in which an electrode active material (activated carbon) is supported on an Al porous body is disposed as the polarizable electrode 141. The polarizable electrode 141 is connected to the lead wire 144, and the whole is housed in the case 145.

  By using the Al porous body as a current collector, the surface area of the current collector is increased and the contact area with the activated carbon as the active material is increased, so that an electric double layer capacitor capable of high output and high capacity can be obtained. Obtainable.

(1) Production of electrode In order to produce an electrode for an electric double layer capacitor, activated carbon is filled in an Al porous body current collector as an active material. Activated carbon is used by adding a conductive additive, a binder, and, if necessary, a solid electrolyte.

(B) Active material (activated carbon)
In order to increase the capacity of the electric double layer capacitor, it is better that the amount of activated carbon as a main component is large, and the activated carbon is preferably 90% or more in terms of the composition ratio after drying (after solvent removal). Moreover, although a conductive support agent and a binder are necessary, it is a factor of a capacity | capacitance fall, and since a binder becomes a factor which further increases internal resistance, it is better to have as few as possible. The conductive auxiliary agent is preferably 10% by mass or less, and the binder is preferably 10% by mass or less.

Activated carbon has a specific surface area of preferably 1000 m ² / g or more because the larger the surface area, the larger the capacity of the electric double layer capacitor. Activated carbon can use plant-derived coconut shells, petroleum-based materials, and the like. In order to improve the surface area of the activated carbon, it is preferable to perform activation treatment using water vapor or alkali.

(B) Other additives As the conductive additive, for example, carbon black such as acetylene black (AB) and ketjen black (KB) and carbon fiber such as carbon nanotube (CNT) can be used.

  As the binder, for example, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), xanthan gum and the like can be used.

  A slurry of activated carbon paste is prepared by mixing an organic solvent or water as a solvent with a mixture composed of the above active material and other additives.

  The organic solvent can be appropriately selected as long as it does not adversely affect the material (active material, conductive additive, binder, and solid electrolyte as required) filled in the Al porous body.

  Examples of such organic solvents include n-hexane, cyclohexane, heptane, toluene, xylene, trimethylbenzene, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, ethyl methyl carbonate, propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, butylene carbonate, vinylene carbonate, vinyl ethylene carbonate. , Tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, 1,3-dioxolane, ethylene glycol, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and the like can be used.

  Further, when water is used as the solvent, a surfactant may be used in order to improve the filling property.

(C) Slurry filling The prepared activated carbon paste (slurry) is filled in the Al porous body current collector cut in advance to the predetermined length, dried, and compressed by a roller press or the like as necessary. As a result, the density is improved and an electrode for an electric double layer capacitor is obtained.

  As a filling method of the activated carbon paste, known methods such as a dip filling method and a coating method can be used. Examples of the coating method include roll coating method, applicator coating method, electrostatic coating method, powder coating method, spray coating method, spray coater coating method, bar coater coating method, roll coater coating method, dip coater coating method, doctor Examples thereof include a blade coating method, a wire bar coating method, a knife coater coating method, a blade coating method, and a screen printing method.

(2) Production of electric double layer capacitor The electrodes obtained as described above are punched out to an appropriate size to prepare two sheets, and are opposed to each other with a separator interposed therebetween. The separator is preferably a porous film or non-woven fabric made of cellulose or polyolefin resin. And it accommodates in a cell case using a required spacer, and impregnates electrolyte solution. Finally, the electric double layer capacitor can be manufactured by sealing the case with an insulating gasket.

  When a non-aqueous material is used, it is preferable to sufficiently dry materials such as electrodes in order to reduce the moisture in the electric double layer capacitor as much as possible. The electric double layer capacitor may be manufactured in an environment with little moisture, and the sealing may be performed in a reduced pressure environment.

  The method for manufacturing the electric double layer capacitor described above is an embodiment, and the method for manufacturing the electric double layer capacitor is not limited as long as the electrode manufactured according to the present invention is used. May be produced.

  As the electrolyte, both aqueous and non-aqueous electrolytes can be used, but the non-aqueous electrolyte is preferable because the voltage can be set higher.

  For example, potassium hydroxide can be used as the aqueous electrolyte.

  Non-aqueous electrolytes include ionic liquids, and there are many combinations in combination with cations and anions. As the cation, lower aliphatic quaternary ammonium, lower aliphatic quaternary phosphonium, imidazolinium and the like are used, and as the anion, imide such as metal chloride ion, metal fluoride ion and bis (fluorosulfonyl) imide. Compounds and the like are known.

  In addition, there are polar aprotic organic solvents, and specifically, ethylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, propylene carbonate, γ-butyrolactone, sulfolane and the like are used. As the supporting salt in the non-aqueous electrolyte, lithium tetrafluoroborate, lithium hexafluorophosphate, or the like is used.

3. Lithium Ion Capacitor FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a lithium ion capacitor using an electrode for an electrochemical element (lithium ion capacitor) according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the organic electrolyte solution 143 partitioned by the separator 142, an electrode material carrying a positive electrode active material on an Al porous body is arranged as a positive electrode 146, and an electrode material carrying a negative electrode active material on a current collector is arranged as a negative electrode 147. ing. The positive electrode 146 and the negative electrode 147 are connected to the lead wire 144, and the whole is housed in the case 145.

  By using an Al porous body as a positive electrode current collector, a surface area of the current collector is increased, and a lithium ion capacitor capable of high output and high capacity even when activated carbon as an active material is thinly applied is obtained. Can do.

(1) Production of Positive Electrode To produce a lithium ion capacitor electrode (positive electrode), an Al porous body current collector is filled with activated carbon as an active material. Activated carbon is used by adding a conductive additive, a binder, and, if necessary, a solid electrolyte.

(B) Active material (activated carbon)
In order to increase the capacity of the lithium ion capacitor, it is better that the amount of activated carbon as a main component is large, and the activated carbon is preferably 90% or more in terms of the composition ratio after drying (after solvent removal). Moreover, although a conductive support agent and a binder are necessary, it is a factor of a capacity | capacitance fall, and since a binder becomes a factor which further increases internal resistance, it is better to have as few as possible. The conductive auxiliary agent is preferably 10% by mass or less, and the binder is preferably 10% by mass or less.

Activated carbon has a specific surface area of preferably 1000 m ² / g or more because the larger the surface area, the larger the capacity of the lithium ion capacitor. Activated carbon can use plant-derived coconut shells, petroleum-based materials, and the like. In order to improve the surface area of the activated carbon, it is preferable to perform activation treatment using water vapor or alkali.

(B) Other additives

  As the conductive assistant, for example, carbon black such as acetylene black (AB) or ketjen black (KB), carbon fiber such as carbon nanotube (CNT), or a composite material thereof can be used.

  As the binder, for example, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), xanthan gum and the like can be used.

  A slurry of activated carbon paste is prepared by mixing an organic solvent or water as a solvent with a mixture composed of the above active material and other additives.

  As the organic solvent, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone is often used. Further, when water is used as the solvent, a surfactant may be used in order to improve the filling property.

  As organic solvents, in addition to N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, organic solvents that do not adversely affect the materials (active material, conductive assistant, binder, and solid electrolyte as required) filled in the Al porous body If it is, it can select suitably.

  Examples of such organic solvents include n-hexane, cyclohexane, heptane, toluene, xylene, trimethylbenzene, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, ethyl methyl carbonate, propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, butylene carbonate, vinylene carbonate, vinyl ethylene carbonate. , Tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, 1,3-dioxolane, ethylene glycol and the like.

(C) Slurry filling The prepared activated carbon paste (slurry) is filled in the Al porous body current collector cut in advance to the predetermined length, dried, and compressed by a roller press or the like as necessary. As a result, the density is improved and an electrode for a lithium ion capacitor is obtained.

  As a filling method of the activated carbon paste, known methods such as a dip filling method and a coating method can be used. Examples of the coating method include roll coating method, applicator coating method, electrostatic coating method, powder coating method, spray coating method, spray coater coating method, bar coater coating method, roll coater coating method, dip coater coating method, doctor Examples thereof include a blade coating method, a wire bar coating method, a knife coater coating method, a blade coating method, and a screen printing method.

(2) Production of negative electrode The negative electrode is not particularly limited, and a conventional negative electrode for a lithium secondary battery can be used. However, since the conventional electrode using a copper foil as a current collector has a small capacity, An electrode in which a porous material made of copper such as nickel or nickel is filled with an active material is preferable.

  In order to operate as a lithium ion capacitor, it is preferable that the negative electrode is doped with lithium ions in advance.

  A known method can be used as the doping method. For example, a method of attaching a lithium metal foil on the negative electrode surface and immersing it in an electrolyte solution, or arranging an electrode with lithium metal attached in a lithium ion capacitor and assembling the cell, between the negative electrode and the lithium metal electrode And a method of electrically doping with an electric current, or a method of assembling an electrochemical cell with a negative electrode and lithium metal, and taking out and using the negative electrode electrically doped with lithium.

  In any method, it is better to increase the amount of lithium doping in order to sufficiently lower the potential of the negative electrode. However, if the remaining capacity of the negative electrode is smaller than the positive electrode capacity, the capacity of the lithium ion capacitor is reduced, so the positive electrode capacity is not doped. It is preferable to leave it in

(3) Electrolytic solution The same electrolytic solution as the nonaqueous electrolytic solution used for the lithium secondary battery is used. As the non-aqueous electrolyte, a solution in which a supporting salt is dissolved in a polar aprotic organic solvent is used. As such a polar aprotic organic solvent, for example, ethylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, propylene carbonate, γ-butyrolactone, sulfolane and the like are used. As the supporting salt, lithium tetrafluoroborate, lithium hexafluorophosphate, and an imide salt are used.

(4) Production of Lithium Ion Capacitor The electrode obtained as described above is punched out to an appropriate size and is made to face the negative electrode with a separator interposed therebetween. The negative electrode may be previously doped with lithium ions, and when a method of doping after assembling the cell is taken, an electrode connected with lithium metal may be disposed in the cell.

  The separator is preferably a porous film or non-woven fabric made of cellulose or polyolefin resin. And it accommodates in a cell case using a required spacer, and impregnates electrolyte solution. Finally, the case is covered and sealed with an insulating gasket, so that a lithium ion capacitor can be produced.

  In order to reduce the moisture in the lithium ion capacitor as much as possible, it is preferable that the material such as the electrode is sufficiently dried. In addition, the lithium ion capacitor may be manufactured in an environment with little moisture, and the sealing may be performed in a reduced pressure environment.

  Note that the above-described method for manufacturing a lithium ion capacitor is an embodiment, and as long as the electrode manufactured according to the present invention is used, the method for manufacturing a lithium capacitor is not limited and is manufactured by a method other than the above. It may be.

4). Molten salt battery The Al porous body can also be used as an electrode material for a molten salt battery. When an Al porous body is used as a positive electrode material, a metal compound capable of intercalating cations of a molten salt serving as an electrolyte, such as sodium chromite (NaCrO ₂ ) and titanium disulfide (TiS ₂ ) as an active material Is used. The active material is used after adding a conductive additive and a binder.

  As the conductive assistant, acetylene black or the like can be used. Moreover, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) etc. can be used as a binder. When sodium chromate is used as the active material and acetylene black is used as the conductive aid, PTFE is preferable because both can be firmly fixed.

  The Al porous body can also be used as a negative electrode material for a molten salt battery. When an Al porous body is used as a negative electrode material, sodium alone, an alloy of sodium and another metal, carbon, or the like can be used as an active material. Sodium has a melting point of about 98 ° C., and the metal softens as the temperature rises. Therefore, it is preferable to alloy sodium with other metals (Si, Sn, In, etc.), and among these, sodium and Sn An alloy of these is particularly preferable because it is easy to handle.

  Sodium or a sodium alloy can be supported on the surface of the Al porous body by a method such as electrolytic plating or hot dipping. Alternatively, a metal (such as Si) that is alloyed with sodium is attached to the Al porous body by a method such as plating, and then charged in a molten salt battery to form a sodium alloy.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a molten salt battery in which an electrode for an electrochemical element (molten salt battery) according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. The positive electrode 121 carrying the positive electrode active material on the surface of the Al skeleton part of the Al porous body, the negative electrode 122 carrying the negative electrode active material on the surface of the Al skeleton part of the Al porous body, and the molten salt as an electrolyte are impregnated. The separator 123 is housed in a case 127.

  A pressing member 126 including a pressing plate 124 and a spring 125 that presses the pressing plate 124 is disposed between the upper surface of the case 127 and the negative electrode 122. By providing the pressing member 126, even when there is a change in volume of the positive electrode 121, the negative electrode 122, and the separator 123, the respective members can be brought into contact with each other by being pressed evenly. The current collector (Al porous body) of the positive electrode 121 and the current collector (Al porous body) of the negative electrode 122 are connected to the positive electrode terminal 128 and the negative electrode terminal 129 by lead wires 130, respectively.

  As the molten salt as the electrolyte, various inorganic salts or organic salts that melt at the operating temperature can be used. As the cation of the molten salt, alkali metals such as lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb) and cesium (Cs), beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca) One or more selected from alkaline earth metals such as strontium (Sr) and barium (Ba) can be used.

In order to lower the melting point of the molten salt, it is preferable to use a mixture of two or more salts. For example, when potassium bis (fluorosulfonyl) amide [KN (SO ₂ F) ₂ ; KFSA] and sodium bis (fluorosulfonyl) amide [Na—N (SO ₂ F) ₂ ; NaFSA] are used in combination, The operating temperature of the battery can be 90 ° C. or lower.

  The molten salt is used by impregnating the separator. A separator is provided in order to prevent a positive electrode and a negative electrode from contacting, and a glass nonwoven fabric, a porous resin porous body, etc. can be used for it. The above positive electrode, negative electrode, and separator impregnated with molten salt are stacked and housed in a case, and used as a molten salt battery.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to lithium secondary batteries as examples.

[1] Electrode Example A (A1 to A3) for lithium secondary battery
In this example, the composition of the slurry is fixed, Al porous bodies having different thicknesses are prepared by adjusting the thickness, and electrodes for lithium secondary batteries having different capacities are produced.

1. Production of Lithium Secondary Battery Electrode (1) Example A1
(A) Production of porous aluminum body As a foamed resin molded body, a urethane foam having a thickness of 1.0 mm, a porosity of 95%, and a number of pores (number of cells) per inch of about 50 is prepared. It cut | disconnected and produced the aluminum porous body using the method described in Embodiment. Specifically, it is as follows.

(Formation of conductive layer)
By immersing the urethane foam in a carbon suspension and drying, a conductive layer having carbon particles attached to the entire surface was formed. The components of the suspension include graphite + carbon black 25%, and include a resin binder, a penetrating agent, and an antifoaming agent. The particle size of carbon black was 0.5 μm.

(Molten salt plating)
A urethane foam with a conductive layer formed on the surface is used as a workpiece, set in a jig having a power supply function, and then placed in a glove box with an argon atmosphere and low moisture (dew point -30 ° C or lower), and melted at a temperature of 40 ° C. I was immersed in a salt aluminum plating bath (33mol% EMIC-67mol% AlCl 3). The jig on which the workpiece was set was connected to the cathode side of the rectifier, and a counter electrode Al plate (purity 99.99%) was connected to the anode side. By applying a direct current having a current density of 3.6 A / dm ² for 90 minutes and plating, an Al structure in which an Al plating layer having a weight of 150 g / m ² was formed on the surface of the urethane foam was obtained. Stirring was performed with a stirrer using a Teflon (registered trademark) rotor. Here, the current density is a value calculated by the apparent area of the urethane foam.

  A sample of the skeleton portion of the obtained porous Al body was sampled and cut and observed at a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the skeleton. The cross section has a substantially triangular shape, which reflects the structure of the urethane foam as the core material.

(Decomposition and removal of urethane)
The aluminum structure was immersed in a LiCl—KCl eutectic molten salt at a temperature of 500 ° C., and a negative potential of −1 V was applied for 30 minutes. Bubbles were generated in the molten salt due to the decomposition reaction of the polyurethane. Then, after cooling to room temperature in the atmosphere, the molten salt was removed by washing with water to obtain a porous aluminum body from which the resin was removed. This Al porous body had continuous ventilation holes, and the porosity was as high as that of the urethane foam used as a core material.

  When the obtained aluminum porous body was dissolved in aqua regia and measured with an ICP (inductively coupled plasma) emission spectrometer, the Al purity was 98.5% by mass. Moreover, it was 1.4 mass% when carbon content was measured by the high frequency induction heating furnace combustion-infrared absorption method of JIS-G1211. Furthermore, as a result of EDX analysis of the surface with an acceleration voltage of 15 kV, almost no oxygen peak was observed, and it was confirmed that the oxygen content of the aluminum porous body was below the EDX detection limit (3.1 mass%).

(B) Thickness adjustment process Using a roller press, the thickness of the Al porous body was adjusted to 0.4 mm.

(C) Cutting process in the width direction After the thickness adjusting process, the Al porous body was cut in a width direction of 48 mm in the width direction.

(D) Filling step LiCoO ₂ (active material): acetylene black (conducting aid): PVDF (binder) is blended at a weight ratio of 96: 2: 2, and NMP is 80 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the blend. Slurried. This slurry was filled into an Al porous body by a roll coating method, and excess slurry adhering to the surface was removed with a blade.

(E) Drying Step The Al porous body filled with the active material was preliminarily dried at 120 ° C. for 10 minutes, and then dried at 120 ° C. for 60 minutes to produce an active material filled Al porous body.

(F) Compression process Thereafter, the thickness of the Al porous body was set to 0.2 mm by compression molding with a roll press.

(G) Cutting process in length direction After the compression process, the Al porous body was cut in a length direction of 180 mm in the length direction.

(2) Example A2
A positive electrode was produced in the same manner as in Example A1, except that the thickness of the porous Al body was 0.6 mm and the thickness after compression molding was 0.5 mm.

(3) Example A3
A positive electrode was produced in the same manner as in Example A1, except that the thickness of the Al porous body was 0.9 mm, and the thickness after compression molding of the active material-filled Al porous body was 0.5 mm.

2. Measurement of Capacity (1) Measuring Method The filling capacity was calculated based on the active material filling amounts of Examples A1 to A3.

(2) Measurement results Table 1 shows the measurement results.

  From Table 1, it has been confirmed that electrodes having various capacities can be produced simply by adjusting the thickness of the Al porous body.

(Example B)
(1) Production of Al porous body An Al porous body having a width of 1 m and a length of 100 m was produced using a polyurethane foam having a thickness of 1.4 mm, a porosity of 97%, and a cell diameter of about 450 μm.

(2) Thickness adjustment step Using a roller press, the thickness of the Al porous body was adjusted to 1.2 mm.

(3) Cutting step The Al porous body was slit into a width of 10 cm, and further cut into 10 cm lengths to form a plate.

(4) Filling step LiCoO ₂ , acetylene black, and PVDF were blended at a weight ratio of 88: 6: 6, and slurried at 80 parts by weight of NMP with respect to 100 parts by weight of the blend. This slurry was filled into an Al porous body by a roll coating method, and excess slurry adhering to the surface was removed with a blade.

(5) Drying process The Al porous body filled with the active material was dried at 120 ° C. for 60 minutes to produce an active material-filled Al porous body.

(6) Compression step Subsequently, an electrode having an Al porous body thickness of 0.8 mm, a width of 10 cm, a length of 10 cm, and a filling capacity of 12 mAh / cm ² was obtained by compression molding with a roll press.

  According to the above example, it was confirmed that an electrode for a lithium secondary battery having a predetermined filling capacity can be manufactured at a low cost by cutting the long Al porous body before filling the active material.

[2] Battery Pack In the following, a battery pack is manufactured by combining square stacked battery cells in which positive and negative electrodes are manufactured using an Al porous body, and a conventional cylindrical battery is combined. A comparison was made.

1. Production of Positive Electrode An Al porous body having a thickness of 5 mm was produced using a method similar to the method shown in Example A1. Next, LiNiMnO (LiNi _1/2 Mn _3/2 O ₄ ) (positive electrode active material): acetylene black (conductive auxiliary agent): PVDF (binder) is blended at a weight ratio of 90: 5: 5, and blended Slurry was made with 80 parts by weight of NMP (solvent) per 100 parts by weight of the product. This slurry was filled in an Al porous body, dried and pressed to a thickness of 3.4 mm. Next, after cutting into a size of 10 × 10 cm, a tab lead was welded to produce a positive electrode with an area capacity density of 100 mAh / cm ² .

2. Production of Negative Electrode An Al porous body having a thickness of 4 mm was produced using a method similar to the method shown in Example A1. Next, LTO (lithium titanate: Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ ) (negative electrode active material): acetylene black (conductive aid): PVDF (binder) is blended at a weight ratio of 90: 5: 5, and blended Slurry was made with 80 parts by weight of NMP (solvent) per 100 parts by weight of the product. This slurry was filled in an Al porous body, and after drying, pressed to a thickness of 2.7 mm. Next, after cutting into a size of 10 × 10 cm, a tab lead was welded to prepare a negative electrode having an area capacity density of 120 mAh / cm ² .

3. Preparation of Battery Cell Ten positive and negative electrodes prepared as described above were prepared and laminated alternately with a nonwoven fabric separator in between. Using 400 cc of a solution obtained by dissolving LiPF ₆ in a solvent of EC: DEC = 1: 1 at a concentration of 1 mol / L as an electrolytic solution, sealing with aluminum laminate produces a square stacked battery cell (thickness 61 mm). did. The voltage of the fabricated cell was 3.2 V and the capacity was 100 Ah.

4). Production of Battery Pack Next, four produced cells were connected in series to produce a battery pack of 12V-100Ah. This battery pack had a volume of 2.9 L and a volume energy density of 414 Wh / L.

5. Comparison with conventional battery packs Generally, the energy density of an in-vehicle lithium secondary battery pack using 18650 type cylindrical batteries is announced as 200 to 250 Wh / L, and the battery pack of this embodiment In this case, it was found that the volume energy density nearly twice as large as the battery pack was obtained, and that the volume could be reduced by up to 51% when the battery pack was produced with the same voltage and capacity.

  While the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiments within the same and equivalent scope as the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Foam resin 2 Al (aluminum) plating layer 3 Al (aluminum) porous body 4 Lead 11 Precursor 12, 22 Electrode main-body part 21, 31 Electrode for lithium secondary batteries 32 Current collector 33 Positive electrode mixture layer 60 All solid lithium Secondary battery 61 Positive electrode 62 Negative electrode 63 Solid electrolyte layer (SE layer)
64 Positive electrode layer 65 Positive electrode current collector 66 Negative electrode layer 67 Negative electrode current collector 121, 146 Positive electrode 122, 147 Negative electrode 123, 142 Separator 124 Holding plate 125 Spring 126 Press member 127, 145 Case 128 Positive electrode terminal 129 Negative electrode terminal 130, 144 Lead Wire 141 Polarized electrode 143 Organic electrolyte

Claims (4)

A thickness adjusting step for compressing the aluminum porous body having continuous air holes and adjusting it to a predetermined thickness;
A filling step of filling the adjusted porous aluminum body with an active material;
A method for producing an electrode for an electrochemical element, comprising: a cutting step of cutting the porous aluminum body into a predetermined length before the filling step.   The method for producing an electrode for an electrochemical element according to claim 1, wherein the thickness adjusting step adjusts the thickness of the aluminum porous body by a roller press. A drying step of drying the aluminum porous body filled with the active material;
The method for producing an electrode for an electrochemical element according to claim 1, further comprising a compression step of compressing the dried porous aluminum body.   4. The aluminum porous body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the aluminum porous body is an aluminum porous body whose surface oxygen content determined by EDX analysis at an acceleration voltage of 15 kV is 3.1% by mass or less. The manufacturing method of the electrode for electrochemical elements as described in a term.

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