Optimal spatial distribution of microstructure in porous electrodes for Li-ion batteries

This paper applies simultaneous optimization to the design of spatially-varying porosity profiles in next-generation electrodes to maximize the capacity of Li-ion batteries, based on porous electrode theory. This paper designs a porous positive electrode made of lithium cobalt oxide, which is commonly used in lithium-ion batteries for various applications. For a fixed amount of active material, optimal grading of the porosity across the electrode decreases the Ohmic resistance by 25%, which in turn increases the electrode capacity to hold and deliver energy. Over 40% enhancement was observed in the robustness of the optimal electrode designs to variations in model parameters due to manufacturing imprecision. The results are sufficiently promising to justify investment in the development of experimental procedures to fabricate batteries that have a graded porosity across the electrode.