Ag-Coated Cu/Polylactic Acid Composite Filament for Lithium and Sodium-Ion Battery Current Collector Three-Dimensional Printing via Thermoplastic Material Extrusion
Alexis Maurel, Hyeonseok Kim, R. Russo, Sylvie Grugeon, Michel Armand, S. Panier, L. Dupont
Abstract
This article focuses on the development of polylactic acid– (PLA-) based thermoplastic composite filament for its use, once 3D printed via thermoplastic material extrusion (TME), as current collector at the negative electrode side of a lithium-ion battery or sodium-ion battery. High electronic conductivity is achieved through the introduction of Ag-coated Cu charges, while appropriate mechanical performance to allow printability was maintained through the incorporation of poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether average M n ∼ 500 (PEGDME500) as a plasticizer into the PLA polymer matrix. Herein, thermal, electrical, morphological, electrochemical, and printability characteristics are discussed thoroughly. While Ag-Li alloy formation is reported at 0.1V upon cycling, its use with active materials such as Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (LTO) or Li 2 -terephthalate (Li 2 TP) operating at a plateau at higher potential is demonstrated. Furthermore, its ability to be used with negative electrode active material of sodium-ion battery technology in a wide potential window is demonstrated.