Some common bonding materials used to hold graphite powder together to fabricate electrodes for supercapacitors include:
Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) - Dissolved PVDF polymer creates a porous binder matrix holding the graphite particles together with good electrochemical stability.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) - Similar to PVDF but with higher temperature stability. Creates porous network binding structure.
Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) - An inexpensive cellulose-based binder option. Forms a crosslinked gel-like matrix.
Graphene nanoplatelets - Adding graphene further enhances conductivity while helping adhere particles.
Carbon black - Small amounts of high surface area carbon black can improve physical integrity.
The ideal binder creates robust cohesion between graphite grains to form a porous electrode layer on the current collector while allowing good electrolyte penetration.
Factors like cost, electrochemical stability, adhesive strength, viscosity, and conductivity guide optimal binder selection for graphite powder electrodes for supercapacitor fabrication.