Single-paper flexible Li-ion battery cells through a paper-making process based on nano-fibrillated cellulose

Abstract

Recently, a need for mechanically flexible and strong batteries has arisen to power technical solutions such as active RFID tags and bendable reading devices. In this work, a method for making flexible and strong battery cells, integrated into a single flexible paper structure, is presented. Nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC) is used both as electrode binder material and as separator material. The battery papers are made through a paper-making type process by sequential filtration of water dispersions containing the battery components. The resulting paper structure is thin, 250 μm, and strong with a strength at break of up to 5.6 MPa when soaked in battery electrolyte. The cycling performances are good with reversible capacities of 146 mA h g⁻¹ LiFePO₄ at C/10 and 101 mA h g⁻¹ LiFePO₄ at 1 C. This corresponds to an energy density of 188 mW h g⁻¹ of full paper battery at C/10.