Large-Scale Compatible Roll-to-Roll Coating of Paper Electrodes and Their Compatibility as Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Sustainable Engineering

Background:

• Lithium-ion battery (LIB) development prioritizes performance over recyclability, leading to complex recycling processes and low recovery rates.
• There is a critical need to redesign LIBs and incorporate sustainable materials to improve their environmental footprint.
• Bio-materials offer a promising avenue for creating more eco-friendly energy storage solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop fully disposable and resource-efficient paper-based electrodes for LIBs.
• To investigate the use of nanographite and microcrystalline cellulose composites coated on paper separators.
• To evaluate the electrochemical performance and long-term stability of these novel paper-based anodes.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of paper-based electrodes using a large-scale roll-to-roll coating technique.
• Characterization of electrode properties, including density and electrical conductivity, after calendering.
• Assembly and testing of LIB half-cell coin cells to assess specific capacity and cycling stability.

Main Results:

• The best performing electrode (roll 08) achieved a high density of 1.117(97) g/cm³ and excellent electrical conductivity (resistivity of 0.1293(17) mΩ·m).
• The paper-based anode demonstrated a specific capacity of 147 mAh/g, representing 40% of graphite's theoretical capacity.
• The electrodes exhibited good long-term stability with sustained battery capacity over extended cycling.

Conclusions:

• Paper can serve as both a separator and a substrate for anode material coating in LIBs.
• This novel design concept significantly enhances the recyclability and resource efficiency of energy storage devices.
• The findings support the potential of bio-materials in developing next-generation sustainable batteries.