Booster Adhesion of Crystalline Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Binder by Heat Treatment for Ni-rich Layered Oxide Cathode in Lithium-ion Batteries

High energy density of lithium-ion batteries is crucial for highly efficient battery systems. Ni-rich layered oxide cathode materials with a high specific capacity have garnered considerable interest. Ni-rich cathode materials exhibit rather large volume fluctuations during charging and discharging, unlike traditional cathode materials. This study investigated the electrochemical performance of a Ni-rich cathode with a focus on controlling binder adhesion of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), which is the most feasible cathode binder for battery manufacturing, to mitigate the failure mode of volume changes. A simple heat treatment of 200 degrees C over melting point is effective to enhance binding force by altering nanoscale alignment of PVDF. The study evaluates the electrochemical properties of the Ni-rich cathode with different levels of binder adhesion to determine the optimal binder conditions for high performance.