Poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) as a biodegradable binder in a negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries

In this work, graphite-based negative electrode for lithium-ion battery consisting a novel and biodegradable binder poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is compared with standard graphite electrode with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a binder. The rate and cycling performance of lithium ion insertion/extraction of electrodes with PHBV in a half-cell configuration are evaluated. Moreover, on the basis of the electrochemical tests it is concluded that the electrode with PHBV binder is characterized by similar specific capacity and diffusion coefficient of lithium ions as conventional graphite electrode with PVDF binder.