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Title: Resolving the Discrepancy in Tortuosity Factor Estimation for Li-Ion Battery Electrodes through Micro-Macro Modeling and Experiment

Journal Article · · Journal of the Electrochemical Society
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0731814jes· OSTI ID:1480558

Battery performance is strongly correlated with electrode microstructural properties. Of the relevant properties, the tortuosity factor of the electrolyte transport paths through microstructure pores is important as it limits battery maximum charge/discharge rate, particularly for energy-dense thick electrodes. Tortuosity factor however, is difficult to precisely measure, and thus its estimation has been debated frequently in the literature. Herein, three independent approaches have been applied to quantify the tortuosity factor of lithium-ion battery electrodes. The first approach is a microstructure model based on three-dimensional geometries from X-ray computed tomography (CT) and stochastic reconstructions enhanced with computationally generated carbon/binder domain (CBD), as CT is often unable to resolve the CBD. The second approach uses a macro-homogeneous model to fit electrochemical data at several rates, providing a separate estimation of the tortuosity factor. The third approach experimentally measures tortuosity factor via symmetric cells employing a blocking electrolyte. Comparisons have been made across the three approaches for 14 graphite and nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide electrodes. Analysis suggests that if the tortuosity factor were characterized based on the active material skeleton only, the actual tortuosities would be 1.35-1.81 times higher for calendered electrodes. Correlations are provided for varying porosity, CBD phase interfacial arrangement and solid particle morphology. (C) The Author(s) 2018. Published by ECS.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308; AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1480558
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1482500; OSTI ID: 1558106
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5400-71184; /jes/165/14/A3403.atom
Journal Information:
Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Journal Name: Journal of the Electrochemical Society Vol. 165 Journal Issue: 14; ISSN 0013-4651
Publisher:
The Electrochemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 119 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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