Improved Mechanical and Electrochemical Properties of Artificial Graphite Anode Using Water-Based Binders in Lithium-Ion Batteries

In recent years, many studies have focused on the active materials of anodes to improve the performance of LIBs, while limited attention has been given to polymer binders, which act as inactive ingredients. However, polymer binders have amazing influence on the electrochemical performance of anodes. Herein, to investigate the binding performance between MCMB artificial graphite and the copper current collector, three binders such as PVDF, MSBR, and CMC+SBR were used to prepare the anode electrodes. The mechanical and electrochemical tests were conducted for different MCMB electrodes. The results show that the water-based binders (CMC+SBR and MSBR) made better adhesion properties for the coating on the current collector in comparison with the organic solvent-based binder (PVDF). MCMB anode fabricated with CMC+SBR binder shows the highest discharge capacity and the best rate performance at various C-rates of 0.2C, 0.5C, and 1C that result in the brilliant electrochemical performance. Therefore, artificial graphite anode materials using cheap aqueous CMC+SBR binder instead of toxic solvent like NMP and expensive PVDF improve electrochemical property and reduce the cost of LIBs.