Binder-Free Electrodes and Their Application for Li-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) as energy supply and storage systems have been widely used in electronics, electric vehicles, and utility grids. However, there is an increasing demand to enhance the energy density of LIB. Therefore, the development of new electrode materials with high energy density becomes significant. Although many novel materials have been discovered, issues remain as (1) the weak interaction and interface problem between the binder and the active material (metal oxide, Si, Li, S, etc.), (2) large volume change, (3) low ion/electron conductivity, and (4) self-aggregation of active materials during charge and discharge processes. Currently, the binder-free electrode serves as a promising candidate to address the issues above. Firstly, the interface problem of the binder and active materials can be solved by fixing the active material directly to the conductive substrate. Secondly, the large volume expansion of active materials can be accommodated by the porosity of the binder-free electrode. Thirdly, the ion and electron conductivity can be enhanced by the close contact between the conductive substrate and the active material. Therefore, the binder-free electrode generally exhibits excellent electrochemical performances. The traditional manufacture process contains electrochemically inactive binders and conductive materials, which reduces the specific capacity and energy density of the active materials. When the binder and the conductive material are eliminated, the energy density of the battery can be largely improved. This review presents the preparation, application, and outlook of binder-free electrodes. First, different conductive substrates are introduced, which serve as carriers for the active materials. It is followed by the binder-free electrode fabrication method from the perspectives of chemistry, physics, and electricity. Subsequently, the application of the binder-free electrode in the field of the flexible battery is presented. Finally, the outlook in terms of these processing methods and the applications are provided.