Electrodes and rechargeable lithium batteries including the same

Abstract

An electrode may include a current collector, a coating layer on the current collector, and an active (e.g., electrically active) material layer on the coating layer, wherein the coating layer includes a carbon-based conductive (e.g., electrically conductive) material and a copolymer binder, and the copolymer binder includes about 5 mol % to about 20 mol % of a hydrophilic structural unit and about 80 mol % to about 95 mol % of a hydrophobic structural unit, based on 100 mol % of the copolymer binder. The electrode may maximize or increase capacity (e.g., electrical capacity) while minimizing or reducing production cost, thereby ensuring long cycle-life characteristics and improving or enhancing high-voltage characteristics and high-temperature storage characteristics. The rechargeable lithium battery including the electrode may exhibit high initial charge/discharge capacity and efficiency even under high voltage driving conditions and may implement long cycle-life characteristics.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.