关键词: 羧甲基纤维素, 石墨负极, 粘结剂抗衡离子, 界面离子传输, 阳离子富集界面屏障

Abstract:

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a water-processable binder widely used for graphite anodes. However, a microscopic understanding of why the identity of CMC counterions (Li⁺/Na⁺/K⁺) strongly affects electrode performance remains limited. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to track Li⁺ transport accessibility across electrolyte/CMC/graphite three-phase interfaces, comparing pure CMC-Li, CMC-Na, CMC-K, and mixed-counterion CMC binders. We find that CMC-Li sustains a continuous Li⁺ transport pathway from the electrolyte through the binder phase toward graphite. In contrast, in CMC-Na and CMC-K, Na⁺/K⁺ ions preferentially enrich at the graphite/binder interface, forming a cation-enriched interfacial layer which reduces Li⁺ accessibility to graphite. Partial replacement of Na⁺/K⁺ in CMC-Na and CMC-K with Li⁺ weakens this interfacial blocking effect and increases Li⁺ accessibility. Furthermore, a stage-resolved kinetic analysis visualizes the progressive suppression of Li⁺ crossing the binder phase upon the barrier layer formation. These results provide a microscopic rationale for the experimentally observed performance advantage of CMC-Li over CMC-Na and CMC-K binders.

Key words: Carboxymethyl cellulose binder, Graphite anode, Binder counterions, Interfacial ion transport, Cation-enriched interfacial barrier