Research Teams from National Pukyong University and Busan University Develop High-Performance Silicon Anode Batteries

Professor Jo Gyeyong and Lee Jinhong's Team Applies Fluoropolymer-Based Binder

Published in International Journal 'Chemical Engineering Journal'

Professor Jo Gye-yong (Department of Industrial Chemistry) at the National Pukyong National University and Professor Lee Jin-hong (Department of Organic Materials Systems Engineering) at Pusan National University jointly developed a high-performance anode battery applying a crosslinked binder material based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF).

Research team (from left: Professor Jin-Hong Lee of Pusan National University, Master Se-Hoon Kim, Professor Kye-Yong Cho, Doctoral candidate Young-Je Kwon).

The research team achieved this result by developing a crosslinked copolymer binder based on the fluorine-based polymer PVDF, which has a three-dimensional network structure used in silicon anode materials for next-generation batteries such as secondary batteries.

Currently, graphite anodes, which are representative electrode materials, have low theoretical capacity. Silicon is being developed as a promising anode material for next-generation batteries with higher capacity to replace graphite. However, silicon materials have limitations in commercial viability due to significant volume changes during charge and discharge cycles.

To secure the stability of such silicon anodes, binders using various materials such as polyvinyl alcohol and polyacrylic acid have been extensively studied, but linear chains of binders have the disadvantage of low resistance to stress generated during volume expansion.

To solve this problem, the research team applied a three-dimensional crosslinked network based on fluorine-based polymers, which have high electrochemical stability and are widely used in commercial electrode manufacturing, improving the stability of silicon anodes and successfully increasing electrode capacity and cycle life.

Dr. Kwon Young-je, a first author of the study and a doctoral student, said, “The fluorine-based polymer crosslinked copolymer binder shows improved rheological properties and better electrolyte affinity, enabling stable and effective fabrication of silicon anodes. It also mitigates particle pulverization of silicon anodes, securing their stability.”

Schematic and characteristics of stable electrode operation using a PVDF-based crosslinked copolymer binder.

This research was conducted with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea’s Excellent Young Researchers program and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The research paper titled ‘A stress-adaptive interlinked 3D network binder for silicon anodes via tailored chemical bonds and conformation of functionalized poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) terpolymers’ was recently published in an international journal (IF 15.1, top 3.2% in JCR).

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