An Ion‐Conductive Grafted Polymeric Binder with Practical Loading for Silicon Anode with High Interfacial Stability in Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Abstract Binders are required to dissipate huge mechanical stress and enhance the lithium‐ion diffusion kinetics of silicon anodes during cycling. Herein, a stress‐distribution binder with high ionic conductivity (GG‐g‐PAM) is constructed by grating polyacrylamide (PAM) onto ion‐conductive guar gum (GG) backbone. The mechanical stress distribution toward the grafted PAM chain enables the effective stress dissipation of the GG‐g‐PAM binder, and thus maintains a stable electrode‐electrolyte interface during cycling. The stress dissipation ability of the GG‐g‐PAM binder is confirmed by PeakForce atomic force microscopy experiments and finite element simulations. In addition, lithium complexation sites provided by oxygen heteroatoms in GG of the GG‐g‐PAM binder construct the Li‐ion pathways for facilitating Li ionic diffusion in the Si anodes. The good cyclabilities of Ah‐level pouch cells based on Si nanoparticle anodes strongly confirm GG‐g‐PAM as a desirable binder for practical Si anodes.