The Role of Glove Boxes in Lithium Battery Manufacturing

Against the backdrop of rapid development of new energy vehicles, energy storage systems, and consumer electronics, lithium batteries, as important energy carriers, have high requirements for material stability, environmental sensitivity, and safety in their manufacturing processes. Glove boxes, with their precise control over the environment, have become important equipment in the research and production process of lithium batteries.

1、 Why do lithium battery manufacturers need glove boxes?

The electrode materials (such as lithium cobalt oxide, ternary materials, lithium iron phosphate) and electrolytes (containing flammable organic solvents) of lithium batteries are extremely sensitive to air, moisture, and temperature: for example, the chemical activity of the positive electrode material makes it easy to oxidize in air, and lithium cobalt oxide may cause fires due to thermal decomposition; Rich lithium manganese based materials need to be strictly isolated from oxygen to prevent structural collapse; Although lithium iron phosphate has high stability, it may undergo hydrolysis in humid environments. So the manufacturing process of lithium batteries needs to be carried out in an atmosphere environment that can strictly control water and oxygen. Lithium battery glove boxes can provide a precise and controllable inert atmosphere environment.

2、 The role of glove boxes in lithium battery manufacturing

The glove box solves many problems in lithium battery manufacturing by creating an inert atmosphere environment (such as nitrogen, argon) and humidity control:

In the process of preparing positive electrode materials, from mixing raw materials to sintering, the glove box can provide an oxygen free environment, effectively avoiding the oxidation of metal powders such as cobalt and nickel. In the mixing process, if exposed to oxygen, some metals will oxidize first, resulting in uneven material composition and affecting electrode performance. During the sintering process, the reaction activity between the material and oxygen is higher in high-temperature environments. The function of the glove box to isolate oxygen can ensure the integrity of the electrode structure, guarantee the quality of the positive electrode material, and thus improve the overall performance of the battery.

The preparation, coating, and packaging of the electrolyte are all completed in a glove box, which can isolate external oxygen and moisture. Once the organic solvents in the electrolyte come into contact with moisture, hydrolysis reactions may occur, changing the composition of the electrolyte and reducing its performance. At the same time, the inert atmosphere environment of the glove box can also continue to play a role in the coating and packaging process. For some new solid electrolytes, such as sulfide systems, their sensitivity to air is extremely high, and even extremely small amounts of air contact may lead to a significant decrease in their performance. Therefore, the entire process from synthesis to packaging must be completed in a glove box to reduce the risk of explosion and ensure the safety of the production process.

The deposition of lithium metal negative electrode needs to be carried out in an ultra-low humidity and oxygen free environment to prevent dendrite formation of lithium metal during the deposition process. The growth of dendrites will act like thorns, piercing through the separator inside the battery, causing a short circuit and ultimately leading to thermal runaway; The pretreatment of silicon-based negative electrodes (such as surface coating) relies on inert atmosphere protection. Without the inert atmosphere environment provided by the glove box, silicon-based negative electrodes are prone to react with oxygen to form an insulation layer during the pretreatment process. This insulation layer will hinder the transfer of electrons, greatly reducing the charging and discharging performance of the battery.