Invented by JUNG; Injoe

Batteries are at the heart of our digital world. From smartphones to electric cars, we all depend on rechargeable batteries every day. But as our gadgets get bigger and need to last longer, traditional battery designs can’t keep up. Today, let’s explore a new electrode invention that could change how batteries are made and used. We’ll break down the background and market, the science and history, and the details of this fresh idea—so you can understand why it matters and how it works.

Background and Market Context

Rechargeable batteries are everywhere—inside your phone, your laptop, your electric scooter, and even in large energy storage units that power buildings or help balance the electric grid. Over the past few years, the demand for batteries that last longer and charge faster has exploded. People want devices that can last all day and cars that go farther between charges. Businesses want batteries that don’t wear out quickly and can be filled up fast, making electric vehicles or power grids more useful and reliable.

One big challenge is that as battery capacity increases, the size of the battery’s inner plates—called electrodes—also gets bigger. These electrodes are like sponges that soak up the liquid (electrolyte) inside the battery. For the battery to work well, this soaking process, called “wetting,” has to be just right. If the liquid doesn’t reach every part of the electrode, some parts won’t work as they should, leading to lower battery life, slower charging, or even safety risks.

When battery makers try to build bigger batteries, the time needed for the soaking process goes up. This slows down how quickly batteries can be made, which makes them more expensive. If soaking is not even, some parts of the battery might wear out faster, or dangerous chemical reactions might happen in certain spots. This is a real issue for everyone who makes or uses batteries. Companies spend lots of money and time trying to solve this problem, but most methods add cost or make the battery less powerful.

So, the market is hungry for a solution that lets batteries get bigger, charge faster, and last longer—without raising the price or hurting safety. That’s why new electrode designs, like the one we discuss here, are so important. They could help companies build better batteries for cars, phones, and even renewable energy systems, meeting the growing global demand for energy storage.

The new electrode concept we’ll look at is designed for rechargeable batteries and aims to make the soaking process quicker and more even, even as the battery gets bigger. This could improve how fast batteries are made, how long they last, and how safe they are, giving companies an edge in a fast-moving, competitive market.

Scientific Rationale and Prior Art

To understand why this new electrode design matters, it helps to know how electrodes and batteries work, and what other people have tried in the past.

Inside every rechargeable battery, there are two main plates: the positive electrode and the negative electrode. These plates are coated with special materials that can hold and release lithium ions as the battery charges and discharges. Between these plates is a thin layer called a separator, and everything is soaked in a liquid called the electrolyte. When you charge or use the battery, ions move back and forth between the two plates through the electrolyte.

For this to work well, the electrolyte has to reach every part of the plates. If some areas stay dry, those spots don’t work right. This can make the battery weaker, shorten its life, or cause risky chemical reactions. As batteries get bigger—like in electric cars or energy storage—the chance for “dry spots” grows. The soaking process, which is supposed to get the electrolyte into every little nook and cranny, can take a long time in large electrodes.

Battery developers have tried a few things to fix this. Some have added more time to the soaking process, but this slows down the factory and raises costs. Others have tried poking holes or making grooves in the electrode layers to help the liquid spread faster. But if you poke too many holes or make the holes too big, the electrode can get weak, or the coating can start to fall off, which hurts the battery’s performance.

Past designs often used the same number and size of holes all over the electrode. This meant that some areas, like the edges, might get too many holes (where soaking is already easy), while the center (where soaking is harder) didn’t get enough. This led to uneven soaking, wasted space, or lost material—none of which is good for a battery.

Scientists and engineers know that in a large flat electrode, the middle is the hardest place for the electrolyte to reach. The edges are close to where the liquid comes in, so they soak up quickly. The center is farthest from the liquid’s entry point, so it takes longer to get wet. If you could make the soaking process faster in the center, you’d get a more even, reliable battery without wasting time or material.

Earlier attempts to solve this problem included using special chemicals to help the soaking, but these can be expensive or make the battery less stable. Others tried using different materials for the plates, but this often means changing the whole battery design, which is costly and hard to scale up. The search has always been for a simple, low-cost solution that works with current battery-making tools.

This is where the new electrode invention comes in. By carefully adjusting the number and spacing of holes across the electrode, it aims to speed up soaking where it’s needed and avoid weakening the plate where it’s not. This idea is clever because it solves the soaking problem without needing new chemicals or big changes to the battery’s structure.

Invention Description and Key Innovations

Let’s look closely at what makes this electrode design new and special.

At its core, this invention is about making an electrode for rechargeable batteries that soaks up the electrolyte liquid faster and more evenly. The electrode is made of two main parts: a substrate (usually a thin metal sheet, like copper) and a layer of “active material” (this is the stuff that stores the battery’s energy).

The key idea is that the layer of active material has a lot of tiny holes in it, but the number and placement of these holes is not the same everywhere. Instead, the electrode has a first density portion and a second density portion:

– The first density portion is in the center of the electrode and has more holes packed closely together.
– The second density portion is at the edges and has fewer holes, spaced farther apart.

Why do it this way? The center of the electrode is the hardest spot for the soaking liquid to reach. By adding more holes here, the liquid can get in faster, helping the whole electrode get wet more evenly. At the edges, where soaking is already quick, you don’t need as many holes. This keeps the electrode strong so it doesn’t lose material or get weak at the edges, which could hurt battery life.

The invention also carefully controls the size, depth, and spacing of the holes. For example, the holes in the center are closely spaced, with intervals as tight as 40 micrometers (that’s about half the width of a human hair), while the holes at the edge can be spaced as far as 145 micrometers. Both sets of holes can be about 20 to 70 micrometers wide. The depth of the holes can range from just a bit into the layer to all the way through it. This balance keeps the electrode strong but lets the liquid flow where it’s needed.

The width of the densely packed center part can cover anywhere from 10% to 90% of the total width of the electrode. The ratio of dense center to sparse edges can be tuned, too, depending on the battery’s size and shape. This means the design is flexible and can be adjusted for different battery types, from small phone batteries to big electric vehicle batteries.

Tests of this design show impressive results. In one example, a battery using the new electrode soaked up electrolyte 40% faster than a regular electrode with no holes. The area of the electrode that stayed dry was reduced from 10% of the total (in old designs) to less than 1% in the new design. And, because the edges were not weakened by too many holes, the electrode kept its energy-holding ability and did not lose material.

The invention also helps with battery safety and life. If the soaking is uneven, lithium metal can build up in dry spots, which can cause short circuits or fires. By making sure the soaking is even, this design helps prevent those risks. Faster soaking also means factories can make batteries more quickly, lowering costs and increasing supply.

The electrode can be used with common materials—copper for the substrate, and regular negative or positive electrode active materials like graphite or silicon-carbon composite. It can be made with the same tools factories already use, so it’s easy to adopt without big investments in new equipment.

This invention is not just for one battery shape or size. The design can be used for cylindrical, prismatic, pouch, or coin-type batteries. It works with both winding and stacked battery designs. This makes it a highly versatile solution for many kinds of batteries, from mobile devices to cars to grid storage.

By focusing on where the soaking problem actually happens (the center of the electrode), and adding holes only where they are needed, this invention solves a tough problem in a simple, effective way. It helps batteries charge faster, last longer, and stay safer, all while fitting into the way batteries are already made. This kind of smart, practical innovation can have a big impact on the battery market and on all the devices we use every day.

Conclusion

The new electrode design is a smart answer to a real problem in battery making. By using more holes in the center and fewer at the edges, it helps the soaking liquid reach every part of the battery plate, even as batteries get bigger. This makes batteries faster to build, longer-lasting, safer, and able to charge more quickly. Because the design uses common materials and fits with today’s manufacturing tools, it’s easy for companies to start using it right away. With the demand for better batteries growing every year, this invention stands out as a simple but powerful way to keep our devices, cars, and grids running stronger and longer.

Click here https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/ and search 20250336981.