Cathode and lithium battery including cathode

1. A cathode comprising:

a cathode active material comprising a lithium transition metal oxide, wherein the lithium transition metal oxide comprises nickel and a non-nickel transition metal, wherein a content of the nickel in the lithium transition metal oxide is about 50 mole percent or greater with respect to a total number of moles of transition metals in the lithium transition metal oxide;

a conducting agent comprising a linear carbonaceous conducting agent; and

a binder composition comprising

a first fluorinated binder not containing a polar functional group,

a second fluorinated binder comprising a polar functional group,

a first non-fluorinated binder comprising a cyano group, and

a second non-fluorinated binder comprising a cyanoalkyl group.

2. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein an amount of the second non-fluorinated binder is about 2 weight percent or less, based on a total weight of the cathode active material, the conducting agent, and the binder.

3. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the second non-fluorinated binder comprises a non-fluorinated polymer comprising a cyanoalkyl group depending from a backbone of the non-fluorinated polymer.

4. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the second non-fluorinated binder comprises a polymer comprising a group of the formula —OH and a group of the formula —O—RCN wherein R is an alkyl group.

5. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the second non-fluorinated binder comprises a cyanoalkyl polyvinyl alcohol, a cyanoalkyl pullulan, a cyanoalkyl cellulose, a cyanoalkyl hydroxymethyl cellulose, a cyanoalkyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, a cyanoalkyl hydroxypropyl cellulose, a cyanoalkyl starch, a cyanoalkyl dextrin, a cyanoalkyl collagen, a cyanoalkyl carboxymethyl cellulose, or a combination thereof, and

the cyanoalkyl group comprises a C1-C10 alkyl group.

6. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the second non-fluorinated binder comprises cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol, a cyanoethyl pullulan, a cyanoethyl cellulose, a cyanoethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, a cyanoethyl hydroxymethyl cellulose, a cyanoethyl hydroxypropyl cellulose, a cyanoethyl starch, a cyanoethyl dextrin, a cyanoethyl collagen, a cyanoethyl carboxymethyl cellulose, or a combination thereof.

7. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the second non-fluorinated binder is a cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol represented by Formula 1:

wherein, in Formula 1, n and m each denote a molar fraction of a repeating unit, 0≤n<1, 0<m<1, n+m=1, and x=2.

8. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the first fluorinated binder is a vinylidene fluoride binder and has a weight average molecular weight of about 1,000,000 Daltons or less.

9. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the second fluorinated binder comprises:

a repeating unit derived from a polar functional group-containing monomer;

a repeating unit derived from vinylidene fluoride; and

optionally, a repeating unit derived from a fluorine-containing monomer comprising tetrafluoroethylene, hexafluoropropylene, chlorotrifluoroethylene, fluorovinyl, perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether, or a combination thereof.

10. The cathode of claim 9 , wherein the second fluorinated binder has a weight average molecular weight of about 1,000,000 Daltons or greater.

11. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the polar functional group of the second fluorinated binder comprises a carboxylic acid group, a sulfonic acid group, a phosphoric acid group, an amino group, a hydroxyl group, a salt thereof, or a combination thereof.

12. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein a weight ratio of the first fluorinated binder to the second fluorinated binder is about 90:10 to about 10:90.

13. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the first non-fluorinated binder comprises a repeating unit derived from an acrylonitrile monomer and a repeating unit derived from an olefin monomer.

14. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the linear carbonaceous conducting agent comprises a carbon nanotube, a carbon nanofiber, a carbon nanorod, or a combination thereof.

15. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the linear carbonaceous conducting agent has an aspect ratio of about 2 or greater.

16. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the conducting agent further comprises a particulate carbonaceous conducting agent, and

the particulate carbonaceous conducting agent has an aspect ratio of less than 2.

17. The cathode of claim 15 , wherein the particulate carbonaceous conducting agent comprises carbon black, acetylene black, Ketjen black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black, summer black, natural graphite, artificial graphite, or a combination thereof.

18. The cathode of claim 15 , wherein a weight ratio of the linear carbonaceous conducting agent to the particulate carbonaceous conducting agent is about 90:10 to about 10:90.

19. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the lithium transition metal oxide is a compound represented by Formula 2:

Li a Ni x Co y M z O 2-b A b   Formula 2

wherein, in Formula 2, 1.0≤a≤1.2, 0≤b≤0.2, 0.7≤x<0.99, 0<y≤0.3, 0<z≤0.3, x+y+z=1,

M is Mn, V, Mg, Ga, Si, W, Mo, Fe, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ti, Al, B, or a combination thereof, and

A is F), S, Cl, Br, or a combination thereof.

20. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the lithium transition metal oxide is a compound represented by Formula 3, Formula 4, or a combination thereof:

LiNi x Co y Mn z O 2 ,  Formula 3

or

LiNi x Co y Al z O 2 ,  Formula 4

wherein, in Formula 3 and Formula 4, 0.8≤x≤0.99, 0<y≤0.2, and 0<z≤0.1.

21. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein a loading level of the cathode is about 4.0 milliampere hours per square centimeter or greater.

22. The cathode of claim 1 , wherein the cathode does not break when bent about 90 degrees or greater, as measured by a flexural property test in accordance with ASTM D790.

23. A lithium battery comprising:

the cathode of claim 1 ;

an anode; and

an electrolyte between the cathode and the anode.