Nanoparticle battery electrodes deposited through electrophoretic deposition could lead to lighter and more efficient batteries. At top is a schematic of the EPD process. The middle is an electron microscope image of the nanoparticle electrode.
Materials scientists have developed a simple, robust way to fabricate carbon-free and polymer-free, lightweight colloidal films for lithium-ion battery electrodes, which could greatly improve battery performance. By developing a method for additive-free electrodes that maintain high conductivity, the researchers have opened new possibilities for reducing the weight and volume of batteries, while also creating a template system for studying the physics of nanoparticle electrodes. The work, led by Richard Robinson, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, and graduate student Don-Hyung Ha, is featured in the Oct. 10 issue of Nano Letters (Vol. No. Nanoparticles have been extensively investigated as an active cathode and anode in lithium-ion batteries - common components of electronic devices - because they can enhance the batteries' electrochemical properties. To use colloidal nanoparticles for the electrodes, it had been necessary to combine them with carbon-based conductive materials for enhancing charge transport, as well as polymeric binders to stick the particles together and to the electrode substrate, Robinson said.
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