Application of a new acrylonitrile/butylacrylate water-based binder for negative electrodes of lithium-ion batteries

•A new poly(acrylonitrile-butylacrylate), P(AN-BA), water-based binder for LIB anodes.•The 1/2 wt. ratio of AN/BA is favorable to binder due to its high flexibility, adhesion and diffusivity.•P(AN-BA) binder improves electrochemical anodic performance, compared to SBR binder.

This communication introduces a new, environmentally friendly, water-based binder, poly(acrylonitrile-butylacrylate) (P(AN-BA)), for negative electrodes of lithium-ion batteries. Butylacrylate (BA) and acrylonitrile (AN) with three different weight ratios were chosen as monomers to synthesize a series of emulsion copolymers. These products were then used as potential binders for graphite anodes, and their electrochemical performance was compared to the conventional styrene-butadien rubber (SBR) binder. The binder synthesized with a 1/2 weight ratio of AN/BA was the optimal combination for graphite electrodes due to its flexibility with good adhesion, resulting in a high diffusion coefficient and capacity for lithium ions. These contributed to the electrochemical performance of the P(AN-BA) binder that was superior to the SBR binder electrodes.