Positive electrode for rechargeable lithium battery and rechargeable lithium battery including same

1. A positive electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery, comprising:

a current collector;

a positive active material layer disposed on the current collector and including a positive active material being capable of intercalating and de-intercalating lithium ions; and

a coating layer disposed on the positive active material layer, and comprising a binder and an inorganic additive,

wherein the binder is a poly(vinylidenefluoride-hexafluoropropylene) copolymer comprising 2 to 16 mole % of hexafluoropropylene.

2. The positive electrode of claim 1 , wherein the poly(vinylidenefluoride-hexafluoropropylene) copolymer comprises 6 to 14 mole % of hexafluoropropylene.

3. The positive electrode of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic additive is at least one selected from the group consisting of carbon-based materials; oxides including at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Si, Sn, Fe, Ba, Zr, Ti, W, V, Mg, and combinations thereof; and combinations thereof.

4. The positive electrode of claim 3 , wherein the inorganic additive is selected from the group consisting of graphite, denka black, ketjen black, acetylene black, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofiber, carbon nanowire, carbon nanoballs, activated carbon, colloidal silica, amorphous silica, fumed silica, colloidal alumina, amorphous alumina, tin oxide, titanium oxide, vanadium oxide, magnesium oxide, titanium sulfide (TiS 2 ), zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ), iron oxide, iron sulfide (FeS), iron titanate (FeTiO 3 ), barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ), and combinations thereof.

5. The positive electrode of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic additive is a hydrophobic surface-treated silica.

6. The positive electrode of claim 5 , wherein:

the hydrophobic surface-treated silica comprises a silica, and a hydrophobic surface-treatment layer disposed on a surface of the silica; and

the hydrophobic surface-treated layer comprises at least one surface-treatment compound selected from the group consisting of a substituted or unsubstituted silane-based compound, a substituted or unsubstituted siloxane-based compound, a substituted or unsubstituted silazane-based compound, and combinations thereof.

7. The positive electrode of claim 6 , wherein the surface treatment compound comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of dimethyldichlorosilane (DDS), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), aminosilane (AS), alkylsilane (RS), octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, and combinations thereof.

8. The positive electrode of claim 5 , wherein the hydrophobic surface-treated silica has aliphatic CH peaks at 2925-2990 cm −1 and 2881-2923 cm −1 , as determined by infrared absorption spectroscopy.

9. The positive electrode of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic additive has an average particle diameter of 2000 nm or less.

10. The positive electrode of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic additive has an average particle diameter of 5 to 1000 nm.

11. The positive electrode of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic additive is included in an amount of 20 to 4000 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the binder.

12. The positive electrode of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic additive is included in an amount of 100 to 2000 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the binder.

13. The positive electrode of claim 1 , wherein the positive active material is a compound selected from the group consisting of the compounds represented by the following Formulas 1 to 24:

Li a A 1−b B b D 2   Formula 1

wherein, in the above formula, 0.95≦a≦1.1 and 0≦b≦0.5,

Li a E 1−b B b O 2−c F c   Formula 2

wherein, in the above formula, 0.95≦a≦1.1, 0≦b≦0.5, and 0≦c≦0.05,

LiE 2−b B b O 4−c F c   Formula 3

wherein, in the above formula, 0≦b≦0.5 and 0≦c≦0.05,

Li a Ni 1−b−c Co b B c D α   Formula 4

wherein, in the above formula, 0.95≦a≦1.1, 0≦b≦0.5, and 0≦c≦0.05, 0<α≦2,

Li a Ni 1−b−c Co b B c O 2−α F α   Formula 5

wherein, in the above formula, 0.95≦a≦1.1, 0≦b≦0.5, and 0≦c≦0.05, 0<α<2,

Li a N 1−b−c C b B c O 2−α F 2   Formula 6

wherein, in the above formula, 0.95≦a≦1.1, 0≦b≦0.5, and 0≦c≦0.05, 0<α<2,

Li a Ni 1−b−c Mn b B c D α   Formula 7

wherein, in the above formula, 0.95≦a≦1.1, 0≦b≦0.5, and 0≦c≦0.05, 0<α≦2,

Li a Ni 1−b−c Mn b B c O 2−α F α   Formula 8

wherein, in the above formula, 0.95≦a≦1.1, 0≦b≦0.5, 0≦c≦0.05, and 0<α<2,

Li a Ni 1−b−c Mn b B c O 2−α F 2   Formula 9

wherein, in the above formula, 0.95≦a≦1.1, 0≦b≦0.5, 0≦c≦0.05, and 0≦α≦2,

Li a Ni b E c G d O 2   Formula 10

wherein, in the above formula, 0.90≦a≦1.1, 0≦b≦0.9, 0≦c≦0.9, and 0.001≦d≦0.2,

Li a Ni b Co c Mn d G e O 2   Formula 11

wherein, in the above formula, 0.90≦a≦1.1, 0≦b≦0.9, 0≦c≦0.5, 0≦d≦0.5, and 0.001≦e≦0.2,

Li a NiG b O 2   Formula 12

wherein, in the above formula, 0.90≦a≦1.1 and 0.001≦b≦0.1,

Li a CoG b O 2   Formula 13

wherein, in the above formula, 0.90≦a≦1.1 and 0.001≦b≦0.1,

Li a MnG b O 2   Formula 14

wherein, in the above formula, 0.90≦a≦1.1 and 0.001≦b≦0.1,

Li a Mn 2 G b O 4   Formula 15

wherein, in the above formula, 0.90≦a≦1.1 and 0.001≦b≦0.2,

QO 2 ,  Formula 16

QS 2 ,  Formula 17

LiQS 2 ,  Formula 18

V 2 O 5 ,  Formula 19

LiV 2 O 5 ,  Formula 20

LiIO 2 ,  Formula 21

LiNiVO 4 ,  Formula 22

Li 3−f J 2 (PO 4 ) 3 (0 ≦f≦ 3), and  Formula 23

Li 3−f Fe 2 (PO 4 ) 3 (0 ≦f≦ 2),  Formula 24

wherein, A is selected from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Mn, and combinations thereof; B is selected from the group consisting of Al, Ni, Co, Mn, Cr, Fe, Mg, Sr, V, a rare earth element, and combinations thereof; D is selected from the group consisting of O, F, S, P, and combinations thereof; E is selected from the group consisting of Co, Mn, and combinations thereof; F is selected from the group consisting of F, S, P, and combinations thereof; G is a transition element or a lanthanide element selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra, Sc, Y, Ti, Zr, Hf, Rf, V, Nb, Ta, Db, Cr, Mo, W, Sg, Tc, Re, Bh, Fe, Ru, Os, Hs, Rh, Ir, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, Zn, Cd, B, Al, Ga, In, Tl, Si, Ge, Sn, P, As, Sb, Bi, S, Se, Te, Po, Fe, La, Ce, Sr, and combinations thereof; Q is selected from the group consisting of Ti, Mo, Mn, and combinations thereof; I is selected from the group consisting of Cr, V, Fe, Sc, Y, and combinations thereof; and J is selected from the group consisting of V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and combinations thereof.

14. The positive electrode of claim 1 , wherein the positive electrode has an active mass density of at least 3.5 g/cc.

15. A rechargeable lithium battery comprising:

a positive electrode;

a negative electrode comprising a negative active material to intercalate and de-intercalate lithium ions; and

a non-aqueous electrolyte comprising a non-aqueous organic solvent and a lithium salt,

wherein the positive electrode comprises,

a current collector,

a positive active material layer disposed on the current collector, and comprising a positive active material to intercalate and de-intercalate lithium ions, and

a coating layer disposed on the positive active material layer, and comprising a binder and an inorganic additive,

wherein the binder is a poly(vinylidenefluoride-hexafluoropropylene) copolymer comprising 2 to 16 mole % of hexafluoropropylene.