Electrode, electrochemical device, and method of making electrode

Abstract

An electrode comprises a planar collector, and an active material containing layer disposed on the collector. The active material containing layer comprises a plurality of particles containing an active material, and a binder for binding the particles containing the active material to each other and the particles containing the active material to the collector. The collector has a surface depressed in conformity to a form of the particles containing the active material.

1 . An electrode comprising a planar collector, and an active material containing layer disposed on the collector; 
 wherein the active material containing layer comprises a plurality of particles containing an active material, and a binder for binding the particles containing the active material to each other and the particles containing the active material to the collector, the collector having a surface depressed in conformity to a form of the particles containing the active material.    
   
   
       2 . The electrode according to  claim 1 , wherein a conductive auxiliary agent particle is contained in the binder in the active material containing layer.  
   
   
       3 . The electrode according to  claim 1 , wherein the particles containing the active material in the active material containing layer have a particle size of 0.1 to 500 μm.  
   
   
       4 . An electrochemical device comprising a pair of electrodes and an electrolyte interposed between the electrodes; 
 wherein at least one of the pair of electrodes includes a planar collector, and an active material containing layer disposed on the collector; and    wherein the active material containing layer comprises a plurality of particles containing an active material, and a binder for binding the particles containing the active material to each other and the particles containing the active material to the collector, the collector having a surface depressed in conformity to a form of the particles containing the active material.    
   
   
       5 . A method of manufacturing an electrode, the method comprising: 
 a particle layer forming step of forming a particle layer including a binder meltable by heating and a plurality of particles containing an active material on a planar collector, and    a rolling step of heating the particle layer and extending the particle layer by passing the collector and the particle layer between rotating rollers, so as to bind the particles containing the active material to each other with the binder and bind the particles containing the active material to the collector with the binder.    
   
   
       6 . The method of manufacturing an electrode according to  claim 5 , wherein the particle layer further includes a conductive auxiliary agent particle.  
   
   
       7 . The method of manufacturing an electrode according to  claim 6 , wherein the particle layer includes a plurality of composite particles each comprising the particles containing the active material integrated with each other beforehand by the binder including the conductive auxiliary agent particle.  
   
   
       8 . The method of manufacturing an electrode according to one of  claim 5 , wherein the rolling step is carried out by passing the collector and particle layer between heated rollers.  
   
   
       9 . The method of manufacturing an electrode according to one of  claim 5 , wherein a line pressure of 200×10 2  to 2000×10 2  N/m is applied between the rollers in the rolling step.  
   
   
       10 . The method of manufacturing an electrode according to one of  claim 5 , wherein, in the particle layer forming step, a binder layer, meltable by heating, including a conductive auxiliary agent particle is disposed beforehand on a surface of the collector, and the particle layer is formed on the binder layer.  
   
   
       11 . The method of manufacturing an electrode according to one of  claim 5 , wherein the particles containing the active material have a particle size of 0.1 to 500 μm.