Micron Size NaCrO 2 Particles Enable High‐loading Dry‐processed Electrode for Sodium Ion Batteries

Wu, Junlin [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)]; Tang, Wei [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)]; Yang, Haoqing [Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)]; Lee, Dong Ju [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)]; Xu, Dapeng [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)]; Li, Feng [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)]; Qin, Jianting [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)]; Kim, Sihyun [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)]; Gao, Hongpeng [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)]; Jeon, Yuju [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)]; Tran, Duc [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)]; Chen, Yuting [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)]; Mu, Anthony [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)]; Bian, Wenjuan [Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)]; Sun, Hongtao [Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)]; Chen, Zheng [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000291864298)

doi:10.1002/smll.202501504

DOE OSTI · 2584163

Micron Size NaCrO 2 Particles Enable High‐loading Dry‐processed Electrode for Sodium Ion Batteries

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Abstract

Dry-process fabrication using fibrillatable binder is emerging as a promising method to produce high-loading electrodes for energy storage applications, favored by its cost-efficiency and eco-friendliness. While previous studies have demonstrated the advantages of dry process over the traditional slurry method, there remains a gap in understanding how the particle size of active materials influences the mechanical and electrochemical performance of dry electrodes. In this study, four different particle size NaCrO 2 materials (Average size, S-NCO: 0.6 µm, M1-NCO 1.5 µm, M2-NCO: 4.4 µm, and L-NCO: 9.9 µm) are synthesized to investigate the effect of particle size on dry-processed high-loading electrodes. The findings reveal that the larger micron-sized (>4.4 µm) NCO dry films exhibit significantly improved tensile strength and electrochemical performance, primarily ascribed to the low film porosity, abundant inter-particle connection by the binder, comprehensive carbon coverage, and efficient percolation of the conductive pathway. Notably, a full cell incorporated with a high loading (5.2 mAh cm −2 ) and high active material ratio (96.5 wt.%) L-NCO film electrode demonstrates promising cycling stability and rate capability. Furthermore, these results provide valuable insights regarding the design and fabrication of dry-processed electrodes for future energy storage applications.

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Wu, Junlin [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Tang, Wei [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Yang, Haoqing [Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)], Lee, Dong Ju [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Xu, Dapeng [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Li, Feng [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Qin, Jianting [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Kim, Sihyun [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Gao, Hongpeng [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Jeon, Yuju [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Tran, Duc [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Chen, Yuting [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Mu, Anthony [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Bian, Wenjuan [Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)], Sun, Hongtao [Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)], Chen, Zheng [University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000291864298). 2025-04-21. Micron Size NaCrO 2 Particles Enable High‐loading Dry‐processed Electrode for Sodium Ion Batteries. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202501504

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