KR20170094920A - Electrode Coating Apparatus Capable of Simultaneously Coating Different Substances Constituting Electrode for Secondary Battery - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for simultaneously coating electrode components having different properties on a current collector and, more specifically, to an electrode coating apparatus comprising: a first coating unit applying a first electrode component on a current collector; and a second coating unit formed in a structure combined with the first coating unit and applying a second electrode component. The first electrode component and the second electrode component are respectively applied on the current collector through the first coating unit and the second coating unit.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an electrode coating apparatus capable of simultaneously coating different materials constituting an electrode for a secondary battery,

The present invention relates to an electrode coating apparatus capable of simultaneously coating different materials constituting an electrode for a secondary battery.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] As technology development and demand for mobile devices have increased, the demand for secondary batteries as energy sources has been rapidly increasing. Such secondary batteries generally include a battery case and an electrode assembly that is contained in the battery case in a state impregnated with the electrolyte .

The electrode assembly contained in the battery case is a chargeable / dischargeable power generation device having a laminated structure of a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode. The positive electrode and the negative electrode are respectively connected to a current collector made of aluminum (Al) foil and copper And a negative electrode slurry are applied and dried.

In order to uniformize the charging / discharging characteristics of the secondary battery, the positive electrode slurry and the negative electrode slurry must be precisely coated on the current collector, so that a slot die coating process is usually performed.

The slot die coating process of the electrode is largely divided into strip coating in which the slurry is continuously injected and batch coating in which the slurry is injected discontinuously.

Among them, in the stripe coating in which the electrode slurry is continuously injected, an insulating material coating is applied to both ends of the electrode mixture layer so that the anode and the cathode are in contact with each other and an internal short circuit does not occur and the electrode mixture layer is not separated from the current collector .

1 and 2 schematically show a perspective view of a conventional coating apparatus for coating an electrode slurry on a metal current collector and an insulating material on both sides of a slurry layer.

1, the coating apparatus 10 includes a slot die 20 through which an electrode slurry is discharged and a coating roll 40. The current collector 40 is coated while rotating the coating roll 40 .

The electrode slurry discharged from the slot die 20 is spread over one surface of the current collector 50 to form a slurry coating layer 52.

2, an insulating material may be applied to both ends of the slurry coating layer 52 to prevent short-circuiting of the current collector and desorption of the coating layer. Specifically, after forming the slurry coating layer 52 as shown in FIG. 1 An insulating coating layer 54 is formed by disposing a separate auxiliary slot die 30 at both ends of the slurry coating layer 52 and discharging an insulating material therefrom.

However, since the above-described coating apparatus and coating method using the coating apparatus for separating the electrode slurry and the coating apparatus for coating the electrode slurry separately, there is a disadvantage in that the manufacturing processability is low.

Particularly, when the width of the current collector is narrow in millimeters, the coating area on the current collector is also narrow. Therefore, it is difficult to secure space for separately operating the coating apparatus for applying the electrode slurry and the coating apparatus for the insulating coating layer, Since the slurry and the insulating coating are separately performed, there is a problem that the coating takes much time.

Therefore, there is a high need for a technique that can solve the problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and the technical problems required from the past.

Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrode coating apparatus capable of improving the manufacturing processability by simultaneously coating a heterogeneous material constituting an electrode on a current collector.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrode coating apparatus comprising:

An apparatus for simultaneously coating electrode components having different characteristics on a current collector,

A first coating portion applying a first electrode component onto the current collector and a second coating portion having a structure combined with the first coating portion and applying a second electrode component;

Wherein the first electrode component and the second electrode component are simultaneously applied on the current collector through the first coating portion and the second coating portion, respectively.

That is, the electrode coating apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, based on the structure consisting of a single apparatus in which a first coating portion and a second coating portion coating different first and second electrode components are combined, There is a merit that the coating process can be carried out at the same time, and thus the manufacturing processability is higher than the method of separately operating the coating apparatus.

In the present invention, the first and second coated portions are spatial concepts in which portions for applying the first and second electrode components in the electrode coating apparatus are partitioned, and they are partitioned into a shape sharing the slot die structure described below have.

Specifically, the electrode coating apparatus has a slot die structure in which the first coating portion and the second coating portion are mutually combined,

The slot die structure comprises:

A lower die having a first reservoir in which the first electrode component is filled and a first inlet communicating with the first reservoir to allow the first electrode component to flow into the first reservoir;

An upper die having a second reservoir in which the second electrode component is filled and a second inlet communicating with the second reservoir to allow the second electrode component to flow into the second reservoir; And

A shim member interposed between the lower die and the upper die to form a slotted nozzle and the first electrode component of the first reservoir and the second electrode component of the second reservoir are discharged through the slotted nozzle; .

It can be understood that the slot die is configured as a die by being mounted in a slot formed between a lower die and an upper die.

In the present invention, the first electrode component and the second electrode component can be independently applied via different shims, and a detailed structure for accomplishing this will be described in more detail with reference to the following non-limiting examples.

In one specific example, the shim member comprises a first shim for dispensing a first electrode component and a second shim for dispensing a second electrode component;

The first shim is interposed between the lower die and the second shim, and includes a first hollow portion communicating with the first storage portion, and a first opening for discharging the first electrode component is formed on one side of the first hollow portion ;

The second shim is interposed between the first shim and the upper die, and includes a second hollow portion communicating with the second storage portion, and a second opening for discharging the second electrode component is formed on one side of the second hollow portion Structure.

Thus, the first coating portion can be understood as a part of the electrode coating apparatus in which the first electrode component is applied while the lower die is configured in the form of a slot die by the first and second shims, and likewise, Can be understood as the remainder of the electrode coating apparatus to which the second electrode component is applied while being constructed in the form of a slot die by the second shim and the first shim. That is, these coating portions are spatial concepts for the upper die and the lower die that share the slot portions formed by the first and second shims.

The concrete structure of the first shim has a structure in which a first hollow portion and a first opening integrally extended from the hollow portion are formed on a plate having the same size as an inner surface of the upper and lower dies,

The second shim may have a structure in which a second hollow portion and a second opening integrally extended from the hollow portion are formed on a plate having the same size as the first shim.

Here, the first hollow portion and the second hollow portion may be formed in the first shim and the second shim, respectively, so as not to communicate with each other.

Specifically, the first shim is formed such that the first hollow portion is in the same plane as the first storage portion in a plan view;

The second shim is overlapped with the first shim and the first hollow portion and the first storage portion are sealed together from the second storage portion of the upper die so that a plate-shaped first partition is formed at a position corresponding to the first hollow portion And a second hollow portion may be formed on one side or both sides of the first bank.

Therefore, in the electrode coating apparatus according to the present invention, the first electrode component is only present in the space defined by the first hollow portion of the first shim and the first partition of the second shim, and is present in the upper die and the second hollow portion of the second shim Can be discharged through the first opening in an unmixed state with the second electrode component.

Likewise, since the second electrode component is isolated from the first storage portion of the lower die and the first hollow portion of the first shim by the outer surface of the first shim, the second hollow portion of the second shim is separated from the first hollow portion of the lower die, May be discharged through the second opening without being mixed with the first electrode component existing in the second opening.

The first opening of the first shim and the second opening of the second shim are formed adjacent to each other to form a slotted nozzle. The first opening integrally extended from each of the first hollow portion and the second hollow portion, The openings are not in communication with each other, and consequently, the first electrode component and the second electrode component can be discharged in the form of independent phases not mixed with each other.

In another specific example, the first shim has a first hollow portion formed in the same plane as the first storage portion in a plan view, a second partition wall of a shape crossing the center portion thereof is formed,

The second shim is overlapped with the first shim so that the first hollow portion partitioned by the second partition from the second storage portion of the upper die and the first storage portion are sealed together, A pair of plate-shaped third partitions are formed, a second hollow part is formed on one side of each of the third partitions,

A fourth partition wall may be formed between the third partition walls and a third hollow portion may be formed on both sides of the fourth partition wall to communicate with the second reservoir.

Here, the third hollow portion is hermetically sealed from the first storage portion and the first hollow portion of the lower die by the second septum of the first seam in a state where the first seam and the second seam are overlapped,

And a third opening for discharging the second electrode component may be further formed on one side of the third hollow portion.

In this structure, the first electrode component is guided only to the space defined by the first hollow portion of the first shim and the third partition walls of the second shim and the third partition of the second shim, And can be discharged through the first opening without being mixed with the two-electrode component.

Likewise, since the second electrode component is isolated from the first storage portion of the lower die and the first hollow portion of the first shim by the outer surface of the first shim, the second hollow portion of the second shim is separated from the first hollow portion of the lower die, May be discharged through the second opening without being mixed with the first electrode component existing in the second opening.

The second electrode component is further insulated from the first storage portion of the lower die and the first hollow portion of the first shim by the second partition of the first shim and the third hollow portion of the second shim is further isolated from the lower portion of the lower die and the first shim, And may be discharged through the third opening without being mixed with the first electrode component existing in the first hollow portion.

As such, the first opening of the first shim and the second opening and the third opening of the second shim are formed adjacent to each other to form a slot-like nozzle, and each of the first hollow, the second hollow and the third hollow The integrally extending first opening and the second opening and the third opening are not in communication with each other, and consequently, the first electrode component and the second electrode component can be discharged in the form of independent phases not mixed with each other.

In the present invention,

And a first inclined portion integrally extended from the first body portion so as to be inclined in a direction in which the slotted nozzle is formed;

The first storage unit forms a filling space with respect to the first electrode component in a structure indented inward from the inner surface of the first body unit toward the upper die, and the first inlet unit communicates with the first storage unit 1 through the outer surface of the main body part.

Similarly,

And a second inclined portion integrally extending from the second body portion so as to be inclined in a direction in which the slotted nozzle is formed;

The second storage unit forms a filling space with respect to the second electrode component in a structure inwardly indented from the inner surface of the second body unit facing the upper die, and the second inlet unit communicates with the second storage unit, 2 through the outer surface of the main body portion.

The upper die and the lower die may also have a shape symmetrical to each other with respect to the first and second shims.

In one specific example, the slit-shaped nozzle has a structure in which the discharge amount and the application area of the first electrode component in the current collector portion (a) adjacent to the first opening are relatively large, sectional area of the first opening is larger than a vertical cross-sectional area of any one of the second opening and the third opening so that the discharge amount and the application area of the second electrode component in the step (b) are larger than the discharge amount and the application area of the second electrode component in the step (b).

Wherein the current collecting portion (a) is a portion partitioned from the current collecting portion (b) so as to have an area of 80% to 99% of the total area of the current collector and the current collecting portion (b) may be the remaining portion of the current collector extending from one side of the boundary of (a) or both sides thereof facing each other.

In one example, the current collector portion (a) is coated with a first electrode component, and the current collector portion (b) is coated with a second electrode component that is bounded to the first electrode component. Thus, since the first electrode component and the second component can be applied in the form of independent phases from each other, their inherent physical properties can be maintained even when the application is completed.

The first electrode component applied to the current collector portion (a) may be a cathode active material or a negative active material for a secondary battery; Electrode additive; And a solvent, and the second electrode component applied to the current collector portion (b) may be a slurry of an electrode active material slurry for securing insulation property of the current collector portion (b) in which the electrode active material slurry is not coated in the current collector It may be an insulating material.

The insulating material may be, for example, at least one selected from fluorine resin, enamel resin and epoxy resin, but is not limited thereto.

As described above, in order to apply the electrode active material slurry for determining the capacity of the electrode to a large area of the current collector, in the present invention, the first opening may be designed to be larger than the vertical sectional area of the second opening, The vertical cross-sectional area of the opening may be between 300% and 3000% of the vertical cross-sectional area of the second opening. If the electrode coating apparatus further comprises a third opening, the second opening may have the same vertical cross-sectional area as the third opening.

However, it goes without saying that the vertical cross-sectional area of such openings can be designed in a desired form depending on the size of the current collector.

The present invention is also characterized in that the first electrode component is applied to the collector portion (a) which is integrally partitioned so as to have an area of 80% to 99% of the total area of the current collector,

Characterized in that a second electrode component is applied to a current collector portion (b) which is a remaining portion of the current collector extending from one side of the boundary of the current collector portion (a) to provide.

In the electrode having such a structure, the first electrode component may be a cathode active material or a negative active material for a secondary battery; Electrode additive; And a solvent, and the second electrode component may be an insulating material for securing the insulating property of the current collector portion (b) in which the electrode active material slurry is not coated in the current collector.

The electrode having such a structure provides an effect of greatly improving the safety by preventing a short circuit that occurs when the current collector portion where the electrode active material slurry is not applied contacts the adjacent electrode having the other polarity.

The current collector portion (b) may be a notched region for forming the electrode-tab portion or the electrode-tab portion in detail.

The present invention also provides a device including the secondary battery including at least one electrode and the secondary battery.

The secondary battery of the present invention is not particularly limited in its kind, but specific examples thereof include a lithium ion (Li-ion) secondary battery having a high energy density, a discharge voltage and an output stability, a lithium polymer ) Secondary battery, or a lithium secondary battery such as a lithium ion polymer secondary battery.

Generally, a lithium secondary battery is composed of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator, and a non-aqueous electrolyte containing a lithium salt.

The positive electrode is prepared, for example, by coating a mixture of a positive electrode active material, a conductive material and a binder on a positive electrode current collector and / or an extended current collector, and then drying the resultant. Optionally, do.

The cathode current collector and / or the elongated current collector are generally made to have a thickness of 3 to 500 micrometers. The positive electrode current collector and the elongate current collector are not particularly limited as long as they have high conductivity without causing a chemical change in the battery, and examples thereof include stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, titanium, A surface treated with carbon, nickel, titanium, or silver on the surface of stainless steel may be used. The anode current collector and the elongate current collector may have various shapes such as a film, a sheet, a foil, a net, a porous body, a foam, a nonwoven fabric, or the like by forming fine irregularities on the surface thereof to increase the adhesive force of the cathode active material.

The cathode active material may be a layered compound such as lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO ₂ ), lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO ₂ ), or a compound substituted with one or more transition metals; Lithium manganese oxides such as Li _{1 + x} Mn _{2 -x} O ₄ (where x is 0 to 0.33), LiMnO ₃ , LiMn ₂ O ₃ , LiMnO ₂ and the like; Lithium copper oxide (Li ₂ CuO ₂ ); Vanadium oxides such as LiV ₃ O ₈ , LiFe ₃ O ₄ , V ₂ O ₅ and Cu ₂ V ₂ O ₇ ; A Ni-site type lithium nickel oxide expressed by the formula LiNi _1-x M _x O ₂ (where M = Co, Mn, Al, Cu, Fe, Mg, B or Ga and x = 0.01 to 0.3); Formula _{LiMn 2-x M x O 2} ( where, M = Co, Ni, Fe , Cr, and Zn, or Ta, x = 0.01 ~ 0.1 Im) or Li ₂ Mn ₃ MO ₈ (where, M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, or Zn); LiMn ₂ O _{4 in} which a part of Li in the formula is substituted with an alkaline earth metal ion; Disulfide compounds; Fe ₂ (MoO ₄ ) ₃ , and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to these.

The conductive material is usually added in an amount of 1 to 30% by weight based on the total weight of the mixture including the cathode active material. Such a conductive material is not particularly limited as long as it has electrical conductivity without causing chemical changes in the battery, for example, graphite such as natural graphite or artificial graphite; Carbon black such as carbon black, acetylene black, ketjen black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black, and summer black; Conductive fibers such as carbon fiber and metal fiber; Metal powders such as carbon fluoride, aluminum, and nickel powder; Conductive whiskey such as zinc oxide and potassium titanate; Conductive metal oxides such as titanium oxide; Conductive materials such as polyphenylene derivatives and the like can be used.

The binder is a component which assists in bonding of the active material and the conductive material and bonding to the current collector, and is usually added in an amount of 1 to 30% by weight based on the total weight of the mixture containing the cathode active material. Examples of such binders include polyvinylidene fluoride, polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), starch, hydroxypropylcellulose, regenerated cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, tetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene , Polypropylene, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM), sulfonated EPDM, styrene butylene rubber, fluorine rubber, various copolymers and the like.

The filler is optionally used as a component for suppressing the expansion of the anode, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a fibrous material without causing a chemical change in the battery. Examples of the filler include olefin polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene; Fibrous materials such as glass fibers and carbon fibers are used.

The negative electrode is manufactured by applying and drying a negative electrode active material on the negative electrode current collector and / or the extended current collector, and may optionally further include the components as described above.

The cathode current collector and / or the extension current collector are generally made to a thickness of 3 to 500 micrometers. The negative electrode current collector and / or the elongated current collector are not particularly limited as long as they have electrical conductivity without causing chemical changes in the battery, and examples thereof include copper, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, titanium, Surface treated with carbon, nickel, titanium, silver or the like on the surface of copper or stainless steel, and aluminum-cadmium alloy may be used. In addition, like the positive electrode collector, fine unevenness can be formed on the surface to enhance the bonding force of the negative electrode active material, and it can be used in various forms such as films, sheets, foils, nets, porous bodies, foams and nonwoven fabrics.

Examples of the negative electrode active material include carbon such as non-graphitized carbon and graphite carbon; _{Li x Fe 2 O 3 (0≤x≤1} ), Li x WO 2 (0≤x≤1), Sn x Me 1-x Me 'y O z (Me: Mn, Fe, Pb, Ge; Me' : Metal complex oxides such as Al, B, P, Si, Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 elements of the periodic table, Halogen, 0 < x &lt; Lithium metal; Lithium alloy; Silicon-based alloys; Tin alloy; _{SnO, SnO 2, PbO, PbO} 2, Pb 2 O 3, Pb 3 O 4, Sb 2 O 3, Sb 2 O 4, Sb 2 O 5, GeO, GeO 2, Bi 2 O 3, Bi 2 O 4, and Bi ₂ O ₅ ; Conductive polymers such as polyacetylene; Li-Co-Ni-based materials and the like can be used.

The separation membrane is interposed between the anode and the cathode, and an insulating thin film having high ion permeability and mechanical strength is used. The pore diameter of the membrane is generally 0.01 to 10 micrometers, and the thickness is generally 5 to 300 micrometers. Such separation membranes include, for example, olefinic polymers such as polypropylene, which are chemically resistant and hydrophobic; A sheet or nonwoven fabric made of glass fiber, polyethylene or the like is used. When a solid electrolyte such as a polymer is used as an electrolyte, the solid electrolyte may also serve as a separation membrane.

The electrolytic solution may be a non-aqueous electrolytic solution containing a lithium salt, and is composed of a non-aqueous electrolytic solution and a lithium salt. As the non-aqueous electrolyte, non-aqueous organic solvents, organic solid electrolytes, inorganic solid electrolytes, and the like are used, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Examples of the non-aqueous organic solvent include N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, butylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, gamma -Butyrolactone, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, tetrahydroxyfuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, dimethylsulfoxide, 1,3-dioxolane, formamide, dimethylformamide, dioxolane , Acetonitrile, nitromethane, methyl formate, methyl acetate, triester phosphate, trimethoxymethane, dioxolane derivatives, sulfolane, methylsulfolane, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, propylene carbonate Nonionic organic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran derivatives, ethers, methyl pyrophosphate, ethyl propionate and the like can be used.

Examples of the organic solid electrolyte include a polymer electrolyte such as a polyethylene derivative, a polyethylene oxide derivative, a polypropylene oxide derivative, a phosphate ester polymer, an agitation lysine, a polyester sulfide, a polyvinyl alcohol, a polyvinylidene fluoride, Polymers containing ionic dissociation groups, and the like can be used.

Examples of the inorganic solid electrolyte include Li ₃ N, LiI, Li ₅ NI ₂ , Li ₃ N-LiI-LiOH, LiSiO ₄ , LiSiO ₄ -LiI-LiOH, Li ₂ SiS ₃ , Li ₄ SiO ₄ , Nitrides, halides and sulfates of Li such as Li ₄ SiO ₄ -LiI-LiOH and Li ₃ PO ₄ -Li ₂ S-SiS ₂ can be used.

The lithium salt is a material that is readily soluble in the non-aqueous electrolyte, for example, LiCl, LiBr, LiI, LiClO 4, LiBF 4, LiB 10 Cl 10, LiPF 6, LiCF 3 SO 3, LiCF 3 CO 2, LiAsF _{6, LiSbF 6, LiAlCl 4,} CH 3 SO 3 Li, CF 3 SO 3 Li, (CF 3 SO 2) 2 NLi, chloroborane lithium, lower aliphatic carboxylic acid lithium, lithium tetraphenyl borate and imide have.

For the purpose of improving the charge-discharge characteristics and the flame retardancy, the nonaqueous electrolytic solution is preferably a solution prepared by dissolving or dispersing in a solvent such as pyridine, triethylphosphite, triethanolamine, cyclic ether, ethylenediamine, glyme, hexaphosphoric triamide, N, N-substituted imidazolidine, ethylene glycol dialkyl ether, ammonium salt, pyrrole, 2-methoxyethanol, aluminum trichloride and the like may be added have. In some cases, halogen-containing solvents such as carbon tetrachloride and ethylene trifluoride may be further added to impart nonflammability. In order to improve the high-temperature storage characteristics, carbon dioxide gas may be further added. FEC (Fluoro-Ethylene Carbonate, PRS (Propene sultone), and the like.

In one specific _{example, LiPF 6, LiClO 4, LiBF} 4, LiN (SO 2 CF 3) 2 , such as a lithium salt, a highly dielectric solvent of DEC, DMC or EMC Fig solvent cyclic carbonate and a low viscosity of the EC or PC of And then adding it to a mixed solvent of linear carbonate to prepare a lithium salt-containing non-aqueous electrolyte.

As described above, the electrode coating apparatus according to the present invention is based on a structure composed of a single apparatus in which a first coating portion and a second coating portion, which coat first and second electrode components of different characteristics, are combined, There is an advantage in that the manufacturing processability is higher than that in which the electrode components can be simultaneously coated and thus the coating apparatus is separately operated.

1 and 2 are schematic diagrams of an electrode coating apparatus according to the prior art;
3 is an exploded schematic view of an electrode coating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a schematic diagram showing a superposition structure of a first shim and a second shim;
5 is a vertical sectional view of the electrode coating apparatus;
6 is a bottom view of an electrode coating apparatus in which a slot-type nozzle is formed;
7 is a schematic view of a structure for applying electrode components to the surface of a current collector with an electrode coating apparatus according to the present invention;
8 is a schematic diagram of an electrode according to one embodiment of the present invention;
9 is a schematic view of a shim member according to another embodiment of the present invention;
10 is a schematic view of a coating process using an electrode coating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention;
11 is an enlarged view of a portion A in Fig. 10; Fig.
12 is an exploded schematic view of an electrode coating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention;
13 is a schematic diagram showing a superposition structure of a first shim and a second shim;
14 is a bottom view of an electrode coating apparatus in which a slot-type nozzle is formed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited by the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded view of an electrode coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 schematically shows a superposition structure of a first core and a second core. In FIGS. 5 and 6, A vertical sectional view and a bottom view of the coating apparatus are respectively shown.

3 and 4, the electrode coating apparatus 100 includes a lower die 110, an upper die 120, And a slotted die structure in which shim members 130 interposed between the lower die 110 and the upper die 120 are combined. That is, one slot is formed between the upper die 120 and the lower die 110, and the slotted die is configured by mounting the core member 130 in the slot.

The lower die 110 includes a first reservoir 112 in which the first electrode component is filled and a first reservoir 112 in communication with the first reservoir 112 to allow the first electrode component to enter the first reservoir 112 And includes a first inlet 114.

The upper die 120 has a second reservoir 122 in which the second electrode component is filled and a second reservoir 122 in communication with the second reservoir 122 to allow the second electrode component to enter the second reservoir 122 And a second inlet 124.

The shim member 130 includes a first padding 131 and a second padding 131 which form a slot-like nozzle (102 in Fig. 6) for guiding the first electrode component from the first storage unit 112 to the outside and discharging the same, And a second shim 132 forming a slot-like nozzle (102 in Fig. 6) for guiding the component from the second storage part 122 to the outside and discharging the component.

The first padding 131 is interposed between the lower die 110 and the second padding 132 and is disposed on a plate of the same size as the inner surface of the upper and lower dies 110, And a first opening 131b extending from the first hollow portion 131a integrally with the first hollow portion 131a and having a first hollow portion 131a communicating with the first hollow portion 131a, The first opening 131b is a portion where the first electrode component of the first storage portion 112 is discharged through it.

The second padding 132 is interposed between the upper die 120 and the first padding 131 and is in communication with the second storage portion 122 on a plate having the same size as the inner surface of the upper and lower dies 110 A pair of second hollow portions 132b and a second opening 132c integrally extended from the second hollow portion 132b at one side of the second hollow portions 132b, The opening 132c is the portion through which the second electrode component of the second reservoir 122 of the upper die 120 is discharged.

The first padding 131 has a first hollow portion 131a in a plan view and has the same shape as the first storage portion 112. The second padding 132 has a first padding 131, The first hollow portion 131a and the first hollow portion 131 are formed in a position corresponding to the first hollow portion 131a so that the first hollow portion 131a and the first storage portion 112 are sealed together from the second storage portion 122 of the upper die in the overlapped state. A first barrier rib 132a is formed. The second hollow portion 132b is formed on both sides of the first partition 132a so that the first hollow portion 131a and the second hollow portion 132b are not communicated with each other.

Thus, with the upper die 120, the lower die 110, the first padding 131 and the second paddle 132 forming a slotted die, the first electrode component is connected to the first reservoir 112, The upper die 120 and the second shim 132 move in a space defined by the first hollow portion 131a of the first shim 131 and the first partition 132a of the second shim 132, And may be discharged through the second opening 132c without being mixed with the second electrode component existing in the second hollow portion 132b.

The second electrode component is formed by the plate outer surface of the first shim 131 formed on both sides of the first hollow portion 131a by the second hollow portion 132b of the second shim 132, The first hollow part 131a of the lower die 110 and the first padding 131 is separated from the first hollow part 131a of the first padding 131 and the first storage part 112 of the first padding 110, And may be discharged through the second opening 132c without being mixed with the first electrode component existing in the second opening 132c.

As described above, the electrode coating apparatus 100 according to the present invention has a structure in which the first and second shims 131 and 132 have different hollow portions and opening positions, Not only are the two electrode components configured to be discharged independently of each other, but even if the first and second electrode components are discharged at the same time, these components are not overlapped while being applied to the different current collector portions.

The specific shape of the lower die 110 includes a first body portion 116 having a hexahedron structure and a second body portion 116 integrally extended from the first body portion 116 so as to be inclined in a direction in which the slot- And the first storage portion 112 includes a first inclined portion 118 which is formed in a first indented structure on the inner surface of the first body portion 116 facing the upper die 120, The first inlet 114 is communicated with the first storage 112 and is pierced through the lower surface of the first body 116.

The specific shape of the upper die 120 includes a second body portion 126 having a hexahedron structure and a second body portion 126 extending integrally from the second body portion 126 so as to be inclined in a direction in which the slot- 2 inclined portion 128 and the second storage portion 122 has a structure that is inwardly recessed from the inner surface of the second body portion 126 toward the upper die 120, And the second inlet 124 communicates with the second reservoir 122 and is pierced through the upper surface of the second body 126.

The first opening 131b of the first padding 131 and the second opening 132c of the second padding 132 are positioned adjacent to each other on the lower surface of the electrode coating apparatus 100, To form the slotted nozzles 102 of the apparatus 100. Thus, the first electrode component and the second electrode component can be applied in parallel at locations adjacent to each other.

However, the first opening 131b and the second opening 132c, which are integrally extended from the first hollow portion 131a and the second hollow portion 132b, respectively, are not in communication with each other, So that the first electrode component and the second electrode component can be ejected in the form of independent phases that are not mixed with respect to each other.

The first opening 131b and the second opening 132c are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance W in a plan view, The first electrode component and the second electrode component are formed on the basis of different positions of the first opening 131b and the second opening 132c, , And can be discharged to different parts of the current collector.

The first shim 131 and the second shim 132 are constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The first shim 131 and the second shim 132 form a first The first hollow portion 131a and the second hollow portion 132b do not communicate with each other and the first opening 131b and the second opening 132b do not communicate with each other, (The opening width or sectional area) and the number of the openings can be appropriately changed according to the desired application shape, as long as the openings 132c are not in communication with each other.

In addition, since the first electrode component is based on the slot structure of the lower die 110, the first padding 131 and the second paddle 132 in order to independently discharge the first electrode component, An aggregate of each constitution related to ejection is defined as a first coating section 104, and similarly, an aggregate of each constitution in which a second electrode element participates in ejection is defined as a second coating section 106.

In other words, the first coating portion 104 includes a slotted nozzle 102 formed by the first shim 131 and the second shim 132 based on the lower die 110, The first coating part 106 includes a slotted nozzle 102 formed by the second shim 132 and the first shim 131 based on the upper die 120. The first coating part 104, (106) share a slot-type nozzle (102).

That is, the electrode coating apparatus 100 according to the present invention comprises a single device in which a first coating portion 104 and a second coating portion 106 for coating first and second electrode components of different characteristics are combined Based on the structure, it is possible to coat each electrode component at the same time, and there is an advantage in that the manufacturing processability is higher than the method of separately operating the coating apparatus.

FIG. 7 schematically shows a structure in which an electrode coating apparatus according to the present invention applies electrode components to a surface of a current collector.

6, the slit-shaped nozzle 102 is configured such that the discharge amount and the application area of the first electrode component 141 in the portion a of the current collector 140 adjacent to the first opening 131b, Is larger than the discharge amount of the second electrode component 142 and the application area in the portion (b) of the current collector 140 farther from the current collector 140 portion a adjacent to the first opening 131b Specifically, the vertical cross-sectional area of the first opening 131b is approximately ten times larger than the vertical cross-sectional area of the second opening 132c.

Accordingly, the first opening 131b has a relatively large application area to the current collector 140 adjacent thereto, and the second opening 132c has a narrow application area to the current collector 140 adjacent thereto.

At the same time, since the first opening 131b and the second opening 132c are formed in the slit-shaped nozzle 102 at different positions, the first electrode component 141 and the second electrode component 142 are connected to the housing And is discharged to different parts of the whole body 140.

Since the first opening 131b and the second opening 132c are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in plan view, the first electrode component 141 and the second electrode component 142 may be coated at the initial coating point The electrode components 141 and 142 may be expanded in both directions while being flattened by the lower surface of the electrode coating apparatus 100. As a result, The first electrode component 141 and the second electrode component 142 may be formed on the current collector 140 on the same line.

This will be described in more detail with reference to a vertical sectional view of the electrode according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

8, the electrode 200 has a first electrode component 141 as an electrode active material slurry on one side of the current collector, and the first electrode component 141 is coated on the first electrode component 141 with respect to the boundary I of the first electrode component 141 And a second electrode component 142 which is an insulating material.

That is, since the electrode 200 according to the present invention has the first electrode component 141 and the second component 142 formed at boundaries I, The physical properties can be maintained.

The electrode 200 according to the present invention can also greatly improve the safety by preventing a short circuit which is generated when the current collector portion where the electrode active material slurry is not applied is brought into contact with the adjacent electrode having the opposite polarity due to the insulating material.

3 to 8 show an electrode coating apparatus and an electrode to which the second electrode component is additionally applied on both sides with reference to the first electrode component. Alternatively, the core member 300 shown in Fig. It is also possible to implement an electrode coating apparatus in which the second electrode component is applied only to one side of the first electrode component.

9 is a plan view of the shim member 130 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4, the second shim 320 is formed in a plate shape that does not communicate with the first hollow portion 310a of the first shim 310, and the first hollow portion 310a and the second hollow portion 310b The second hollow portion 320a is formed only on one side of the corresponding position, and the electrode coating apparatus including the shim member 300 has a structure in which the second electrode component is disposed on one side with respect to the first electrode component Can be applied.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a process of applying an electrode coating apparatus including a core member having such a structure and a schematic view of the electrode manufactured thereby.

Referring to these drawings, in a state in which a pair of electrode coating apparatuses 300a and 300b are positioned symmetrically with respect to the central portion C of the sheet 340 on the sheet 340 of the current collector, The element 341 is applied and the second electrode component 342 is applied to a portion adjacent to the center C where the first electrode component 341 is not applied.

In such a structure, the electrode tab 210 may be notched at the central portion C of the sheet 340, and the electrode tab 210 may be formed at the portion where the electrode tab 210 is formed, The insulating material coating portion 342 having a linear structure connecting both ends in the vertical direction with respect to the protruding direction of the electrode tab 210 is formed after the notching process.

12 to 14 schematically show the structure of the electrode coating apparatus and the core member constituting the electrode coating apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to these drawings, an electrode coating apparatus 400 includes a lower die 410, an upper die 420; And a slotted die structure in which a pair of shim members 430 interposed between the lower die 410 and the upper die 420 are combined. That is, one slot is formed between the upper die 420 and the lower die 410, and the slotted die is constituted by mounting the core members 430 in this slot.

The lower die 410 includes a first reservoir 412 in which the first electrode component is filled and a second reservoir 412 in communication with the first reservoir 412 to allow the first electrode component to enter the first reservoir 412 And includes a first inlet 414.

The upper die 420 is in fluid communication with the second reservoir 422 to fill the second electrode component and the second electrode component into the second reservoir 422 And a second inlet 424.

The shim member 430 includes a first shim 431 forming a slot-like nozzle (402 in Fig. 14) for guiding the first electrode component from the first storage portion 412 to the outside and discharging the same, And a second shim 432 for guiding the component from the second storage part 422 to the outside and forming a slot-like nozzle for discharging the component.

The first padding 431 has a first hollow portion 431a formed in the same plane as the first storage portion, and a second partition 450 having a shape crossing the central portion thereof is formed.

The second padding 432 is in a state of being overlapped with the first padding 431 and the first hollow portion 431a in which the second storage portion of the upper die is partitioned by the second partition wall 450 and the first storage portion are sealed A pair of plate-shaped second partition walls 432a are formed at positions corresponding to the first hollow portion 431a and a second hollow portion 432b is formed at one side of each of the second partition walls 432a. Respectively.

The second shim 432 has a fourth partition wall 434 formed between the second partition walls 432a and a third hollow portion 434 communicating with the second storage portion on both sides of the fourth partition wall 434 433a are additionally formed.

Here, the third hollow portion 433a is formed by the second partition wall 450 of the first padding 431 in a state where the first padding 431 and the second padding 432 are overlapped with each other, And a third opening 436 for discharging the second electrode component is further formed on one side of the third hollow portion 433a.

In this structure, the first electrode component is a space defined by the first hollow portion 431a of the first shim 431 and the second partition walls 432a of the second shim 450 and the second shim 432 The second hollow portion 432b of the upper die and the second shim 432 and the second electrode component existing in the third hollow portion 433a are not mixed with the first opening 431b Lt; / RTI &gt;

Similarly, the second electrode component is configured such that the second hollow portion 432b of the second shim 432 is spaced apart from the first storage portion of the lower die by the outer surface of the first shim 431, And is discharged from the hollow portion 431a through the second opening 432c without being mixed with the first electrode component existing in the first hollow portion 431a of the lower die and the first shim 431, .

The second electrode component is also configured such that the third hollow portion 433a of the second shim 432 is connected to the first storage portion of the lower die and the first shim 432a of the lower die by the second septum 450 of the first shim 431 431 and is not further mixed with the first electrode component existing in the lower die and the first hollow portion 431a of the first shim 431, And can be discharged through the opening 436.

The first opening 431b of the first shim 431 and the second opening 432c and the third opening 436 of the second shim 432 are formed adjacent to each other to form a slotted nozzle A first opening 431b, a second opening 432c, and a third opening 436 integrally extended from the first hollow portion 431a, the second hollow portion 432b, and the third hollow portion 433a, So that the first electrode component and the second electrode component can be discharged in the form of independent phases that are not mixed with respect to each other.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (20)

An apparatus for simultaneously coating electrode components having different characteristics on a current collector,
A first coating portion applying a first electrode component onto the current collector and a second coating portion having a structure combined with the first coating portion and applying a second electrode component;
Wherein the first electrode component and the second electrode component are simultaneously applied on the current collector through the first coating portion and the second coating portion, respectively. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrode coating apparatus comprises a slot die structure in which a first coating unit and a second coating unit are mutually combined,
The slot die structure comprises:
A lower die having a first reservoir in which the first electrode component is filled and a first inlet communicating with the first reservoir to allow the first electrode component to flow into the first reservoir;
An upper die having a second reservoir in which the second electrode component is filled and a second inlet communicating with the second reservoir to allow the second electrode component to flow into the second reservoir; And
A shim member interposed between the lower die and the upper die to form a slotted nozzle, wherein a first electrode component of the first storage part and a second electrode component of the second storage part are discharged through the slotted nozzle;
Wherein the electrode coating apparatus comprises: The method according to claim 2,
And a first inclined portion integrally extended from the first body portion so as to be inclined in a direction in which the slotted nozzle is formed;
The first storage unit forms a filling space with respect to the first electrode component in a structure indented inward from the inner surface of the first body unit toward the upper die, and the first inlet unit communicates with the first storage unit (1) and the outer surface of the main body (1). 3. The apparatus of claim 2,
And a second inclined portion integrally extending from the second body portion so as to be inclined in a direction in which the slotted nozzle is formed;
The second storage unit forms a filling space with respect to the second electrode component in a structure inwardly indented from the inner surface of the second body unit facing the upper die, and the second inlet unit communicates with the second storage unit, And the outer surface of the second main body portion. 3. The method of claim 2,
The shim member comprises a first shim for dispensing a first electrode component and a second shim for dispensing a second electrode component;
Wherein the first shim is interposed between the lower die and the second shim and includes a first hollow portion communicating with the first storage portion and having one or more first and second hollow portions for discharging the first electrode component on one side of the first hollow portion, An opening is formed;
Wherein the second shim includes a second hollow communicating with the second reservoir and interposed between the first shim and the upper die and having one or more members for discharging the second electrode component on one side of the second hollow portion, And two openings are formed in the electrode. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first shim has a structure in which a first hollow portion and a first opening integrally extended from the hollow portion are formed on a plate having the same size as an inner surface of the upper and lower dies,
Wherein the second shim has a structure in which a second hollow portion and a second opening integrally extended from the hollow portion are formed on a plate having the same size as the first shim. The electrode coating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first hollow portion and the second hollow portion are formed in the first shim and the second shim, respectively, so as not to communicate with each other. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first shim comprises a first hollow portion in a planar form identical to the first storage portion;
A plate-shaped partition wall is formed at a position corresponding to the first hollow portion so that the first hollow portion and the first storage portion are sealed together from the second storage portion of the upper die in a state in which the second shim overlaps with the first shim , And a second hollow portion is formed on one side or both sides of the partition wall. [6] The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first shim has a first hollow portion in the same plane as the first storage portion in a plan view, a second partition wall having a shape crossing the center portion thereof,
The second shim is overlapped with the first shim so that the first hollow portion partitioned by the second partition from the second storage portion of the upper die and the first storage portion are sealed together, A pair of plate-shaped third partitions are formed, a second hollow part is formed on one side of each of the third partitions,
Wherein a fourth partition wall is formed between the third partition walls and a third hollow portion communicating with the second reservoir is formed on both sides of the fourth partition wall. [12] The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the third hollow portion is hermetically sealed from the first storage portion and the first hollow portion of the lower die by the second partition wall of the first shim, with the first shim and the second shim overlapping each other,
And a third opening for discharging the second electrode component is further formed on one side of the third hollow portion. 6. The electrode coating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the openings of the first shim and the openings of the second shim are formed adjacent to each other to form a slot-like nozzle. The slit-shaped nozzle according to claim 11, wherein the slit-shaped nozzle is formed such that a discharge amount and a coating area of the first electrode component at a current collector portion (a) adjacent to the first opening are relatively large, sectional area of the first opening is larger than the vertical cross-sectional area of any one of the second opening and the third opening so that the discharge amount and the application area of the second electrode component in the step (b) . 13. The electrode coating apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the vertical cross-sectional area of the first opening is 300% to 3000% of the vertical cross-sectional area of the second opening, and the second opening has the same vertical cross-sectional area as the third opening. The method of claim 12, wherein the current collector portion (a) is a portion of the current collector portion divided from the current collector portion (b) so as to have an area of 80% to 99% Is a remaining portion of the current collector extending from one side of the boundary of the current collector portion (a) to both sides from boundaries facing each other. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein a first electrode component is applied to the collector portion (a) and a second electrode component is applied to the collector portion (b) Wherein the electrode coating apparatus is characterized by: The method of claim 1, wherein the first electrode component comprises a cathode active material or a negative active material for a secondary battery; Electrode additive; And an electrode active material slurry containing a solvent. The electrode coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode component is an insulating material for securing insulation property of the current collector part (b) in which the electrode active material slurry is not coated in the current collector. The first electrode component is applied to the current collector portion (a) so as to have an area of 80% to 99% of the total area of the current collector,
Wherein a second electrode component is applied to a current collector portion (b) which is a remaining portion of the current collector extending from one side of the boundary of the current collector portion (a) or both sides facing each other. A secondary battery comprising at least one electrode according to claim 18. A device comprising a secondary cell according to claim 19.

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