Fabrication of vertically aligned porous graphite anodes via magnetic field-assisted freezing casting for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Electrode engineering is a practical way to enhance battery performance. The microstructure of the lithium-ion battery electrodes determines their electrochemical performance. Here, we manipulate the alignment of graphite flakes and the internal pore structure of graphite electrodes by a magnetic field-assisted freezing casting process. The pore walls of the aligned porous architecture prepared by the magnetic field-assisted freezing casting process are smoother than that of the freezing coating electrode and magnetically aligned electrode. The experiment results show that the rate performance of the graphite anode can be remarkably enhanced by the magnetic field-assisted freezing casting process. The aligned and porous architecture results in faster charge transport kinetics and a specific charge up to four times higher than that of the reference electrode at 3 C.