Method of making electrode
View Patent ↗Batteries and related compositions and methods are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method of making a battery can include heating at least one cathode including a cathode material in an atmosphere including oxygen, heating the cathode in a vacuum, adding the cathode into a housing, adding a separator into the housing, and adding an anode into the housing.
1. A method of making an electrode for a battery, the method comprising:
(a) mixing an electrode active material, a binder, and a solvent comprising a hydrocarbon and/or an aromatic compound to provide a slurry,
(b) coating the slurry onto a current collector to provide an electrode,
(c) heating the electrode in an atmosphere comprising oxygen at a partial pressure of form 0.1 inch to 4 inches Hg to oxidize residual hydrocarbon and/or aromatic compound solvent in the electrode to form carbon dioxide and water without substantially oxidizing the binder; and
(d) after step (c) heating the electrode in a vacuum to remove water from the electrode.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step (c) the atmosphere comprises oxygen at a partial pressure of from about 0.1 inch Hg to about 2 inches Hg.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (c) comprises heating the at least one electrode to a temperature of at least 160° C.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) comprises heating the at least one electrode at a temperature of at least about 160° C.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) comprises heating the at least one electrode at a temperature of from about 160° C. to about 240° C.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrode is a cathode.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the cathode active material comprises iron disulfide.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the cathode active material comprises manganese dioxide.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the binder comprises a styrenic block copolymer.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the binder comprises styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) comprises heating the electrode until the electrode active material includes about 600 ppm of water or less.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) comprises heating the electrode until the electrode active material includes from about 400 ppm to about 600 ppm of water.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) comprises heating the electrode for at least about four hours.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step (c) the atmosphere further comprises an inert gas in a mixture with the oxygen.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step (c) the atmosphere further comprises nitrogen in a mixture with the oxygen.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent includes the aromatic compound and the aromatic compound is oxidized to form carbon dioxide and water.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent includes a hydrocarbon and the hydrocarbon is oxidized to form carbon dioxide and water.