Direct Measurements of Effective Ionic Transport in Porous Li-Ion Electrodes

Detailed battery models require mass-transport resistance parameters such as ionic conductivity and salt diffusivity. Effective transport properties can be related to the tortuosities of the porous layers containing the electrolyte. Nevertheless, relatively few direct tortuosity measurements have been performed for cathodes and for anodes. Tortuosities of several Li-ion cathode and anode films were determined using a previously developed polarization-interrupt method. Also, a new and more robust procedure using liquid gallium to delaminate electrodes from aluminum current collectors was developed and validated. This method was shown to be superior to the previous mechanical removal procedure, especially with regard to repeatability. Multiple experiments were performed to assess the effect of the carbon and binder amounts and porosity on electrode tortuosity. Results are well fit with a modified Bruggeman-type function, showing as expected that tortuosity is inversely related to porosity. Additionally, increasing the amount of carbon and binder increases the electrode tortuosity due to small particles plugging the pores.