Low cost high power dry powder injected electrodes and method of making same

Abstract

A method for producing an electrode for an energy storage device includes: forming a current collector from a conductive material; forming a primer layer on the current collector; injecting dry powder electrode materials into the primer layer, wherein the dry powder electrode materials injected into the primer layer form an electrode film in electrical contact with the current collector.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . An electrode for an energy storage device, comprising:
 a current collector formed from a conductive material; and   an electrode film comprising dry powder electrode materials injected into a primer layer, the dry powder electrode materials comprising dry powder active material particles,   wherein the dry powder electrode materials are embedded into the primer layer forming electrical contact with the current collector.   
     
     
         17 . The electrode of  claim 16 , wherein the primer layer comprises conductive material particles, a binder configured to bond the conductive material particles to the current collector, and a solvent configured to dissolve the binder. 
     
     
         18 . The electrode of  claim 17 , wherein the primer layer further comprises active material particles. 
     
     
         19 . The electrode of  claim 17 , wherein the primer layer comprises a primer layer slurry having a viscosity high enough to form a coherent layer on the current collector but low enough to permit injected dry powder electrode materials to be embedded in the primer layer deep enough to make electrical contact with the current collector. 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The electrode of  claim 16 , wherein the dry powder electrode materials comprise dry powder conductive carbon material particles. 
     
     
         22 . The electrode of  claim 16 , wherein the dry powder electrode materials comprise one or more dry powder particle-to-particle binders. 
     
     
         23 . The electrode of  claim 16 , wherein the current collector has a thickness of about 10-80 μm. 
     
     
         24 . The electrode of  claim 16 , wherein the primer layer has a thickness of about 2-50 μm before the dry powder electrode materials are injected. 
     
     
         25 . The electrode of  claim 16 , wherein the electrode film has a thickness of about 50-300 μm. 
     
     
         26 . The electrode of  claim 16 , wherein unattached dry powder electrode materials disposed on a surface of the electrode film are pressed into the electrode film. 
     
     
         27 . The electrode of  claim 16 , wherein the primer layer has a viscosity higher than 200 cP and lower than 100,000 cP. 
     
     
         28 . The electrode of  claim 16 , wherein the electrode film has a thickness of about 80-90 μm. 
     
     
         29 . The electrode of  claim 16 , wherein the dry powder electrode materials comprise one or more dry powder particle-to-particle binders in an amount 1-2% of the dry powder electrode materials. 
     
     
         30 . The electrode of  claim 16 , wherein a total binder content of the electrode is about 1.5%. 
     
     
         31 . A lithium-ion capacitor comprising the electrode of  claim 16 . 
     
     
         32 . The lithium-ion capacitor of  claim 31 , wherein the dry powder active material particles comprise graphite. 
     
     
         33 . An ultracapacitor comprising the electrode of  claim 16 . 
     
     
         34 . The ultracapacitor of  claim 33 , wherein the dry powder active material particles comprise activated carbon. 
     
     
         35 . A battery comprising the electrode of  claim 16 . 
     
     
         36 . The battery of  claim 35 , wherein the dry powder active material particles comprise activated carbon.