Positive electrodes and rechargeable lithium batteries including the same

A positive electrode, comprising

• a positive electrode current collector;
• and
• a positive electrode mixture layer on the positive electrode current collector,
• wherein the positive electrode mixture layer comprises:
• a positive electrode active material;
• and
• a binder comprising a hydrogenated carboxylated nitrile butadiene rubber,
• wherein the hydrogenated carboxylated nitrile butadiene rubber comprises, based on a total weight of 100 wt % of the hydrogenated carboxylated nitrile butadiene rubber:
• 20 wt % to 40 wt % of a first structural unit derived from acrylonitrile and represented by Chemical Formula 1;
• 30 wt % to 78 wt % of a second structural unit comprising a hydrogenated butadiene-derived structural unit represented by Chemical Formula 2A and a butadiene-derived structural unit represented by Chemical Formula 2B;
• 2 wt % to 10 wt % of a third structural unit represented by Chemical Formula 3;
• and
• 0 wt % to 20 wt % of a fourth structural unit represented by Chemical Formula 4,
• wherein the hydrogenated butadiene-derived structural unit represented by Chemical Formula 2A is in an amount of greater than or equal to 90 wt % and less than 100 wt % based on a total amount of 100 wt % of the second structural unit, and
• wherein the butadiene-derived structural unit represented by Chemical Formula 2B is in an amount of greater than 0 wt % and less than or equal to 10 wt % based on the total amount of 100 wt % of the second structural unit:
• in Chemical Formula 3,
• R1 being hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted C1 to C20 alkyl group, an ester group (—COOR, where R is a substituted or unsubstituted C1 to C20 alkyl group), a cyano group (—CN), a pyrrolidonyl group (—C3H5NHCO), a carboxyl group (—COOH), a caprolactamyl group (—NCOC5H10), a morpholinyl group (—NC4H8O), a hydroxy group (—OH), an amino group (—NH2), a vinyl group (—CH═CH2), an epoxy group (—CHOCH2), or a thiol group (—SH).