Booster Adhesion of Crystalline Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Binder by Heat Treatment for Ni‐rich Layered Oxide Cathode in Lithium‐ion Batteries

Abstract High energy density of lithium‐ion batteries is crucial for highly efficient battery systems. Ni‐rich layered oxide cathode materials with a high specific capacity have garnered considerable interest. Ni‐rich cathode materials exhibit rather large volume fluctuations during charging and discharging, unlike traditional cathode materials. This study investigated the electrochemical performance of a Ni‐rich cathode with a focus on controlling binder adhesion of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), which is the most feasible cathode binder for battery manufacturing, to mitigate the failure mode of volume changes. A simple heat treatment of 200 °C over melting point is effective to enhance binding force by altering nanoscale alignment of PVDF. The study evaluates the electrochemical properties of the Ni‐rich cathode with different levels of binder adhesion to determine the optimal binder conditions for high performance.