Effect of calendering and temperature on electrolyte wetting in lithium-ion battery electrodes. (December 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Davoodabadi, Ali; Li, Jianlin; Zhou, Hui; Wood, David L.; Singler, Timothy J.; Jin, Congrui
• Is Part Of: Journal of energy storage. Volume 26(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-12
• Subjects: Lithium-ion battery -- Formation process -- Electrolyte wetting -- Calendering degree -- Wetting temperature -- Contact angle; Energy storage -- Periodicals; Energy storage -- Research -- Periodicals; 621.3126
• DOI: 10.1016/j.est.2019.101034
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-152X

Abstract

Highlights: Experimental and theoretical study on electrolyte imbibition through electrodes. A systematic study of the effect of manufacturing factors on electrolyte wetting rate. Increasing calendering degree adversely influences electrolyte wetting rate. Switching anode manufacturing from conventional to aqueous processing retards wetting. Increasing temperature is significant only for electrolytes with high salt concentrations. Abstract: The formation process during which the liquid electrolyte wets into the porous electrode films usually takes several days or weeks at elevated temperatures, which poses a distinct bottleneck in the manufacturing line of lithium-ion batteries, especially for large-size batteries. However, despite the significance of achieving rapid and complete wetting, reliable scientific investigation on the wettability between the porous electrode and the liquid electrolyte has rarely been reported. In this study, a systematic study of the effect of different manufacturing factors on electrolyte wetting rate is conducted. The effect of calendering degree and wetting temperature on the electrodes obtained through both organic solvent-based processing and water-based processing are studied in detail. The results suggest that although increasing calendering degree increases volumetric energy density, it generally reduces electrolyte wetting rate. While switching anode manufacturing from conventional processing to aqueous processing retards the electrolyte wetting process, switching cathode processing from organic system to aqueous system can drastically influence the pore structure of the cathodes, resulting in irregularly shaped wetted regions. The results also show that while the electrolyte wetting rate of all the tested electrolytes increases with increasing temperature, the change is significant only for the electrolytes with relatively high salt concentrations. Graphical abstract: Image, graphical abstract