Rheological Properties of Aqueous Sodium Alginate Slurries for LTO Battery Electrodes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Rheology

Background:

• Growing trend towards water-based electrode manufacturing for sustainability and safety.
• Lithium titanate (LTO) is a stable active material suitable for aqueous processing.
• Sodium alginate (SA) shows promise as a bio-based binder but presents slurry stability challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive rheological study on LTO and SA anode slurries.
• To investigate the impact of material interactions on slurry stability.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of anionic and non-ionic surfactants in enhancing slurry stability.

Main Methods:

• Rheological characterization of anode slurries composed of LTO and SA.
• Analysis of complex material interactions between differentially sized particles.
• Comparison of slurry stability with and without the addition of anionic and non-ionic surfactants.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the complex interplay of material interactions affecting slurry stability.
• Identified specific surfactant types that can mitigate stability issues in LTO-SA slurries.
• Provided insights into optimizing water-based electrode slurry formulations.

Conclusions:

• Surfactants can significantly enhance the stability of LTO-SA anode slurries.
• This research contributes to the development of more stable and sustainable water-based battery electrode manufacturing processes.
• Understanding material interactions is key to overcoming challenges in aqueous slurry formulation.