Modelling optimum thickness and architecture for lithium-ion battery cathodes

Commercial lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes traditionally comprise a homogeneous layer of stochastically mixed constituent materials. However, a significant barrier to cell performance is attributed to the architecture of the electrode; the trade-off between useful capacity and rate capability limits the cell performance during fast charging or discharging. This study develops a continuum model to emulate the behaviour of these electrodes. It presents optimal electrode thickness and active material (AM) volume fraction values that maximise cell performance for slurry-cast electrodes. Finally, the study demonstrates that by patterning the electrode architecture, volumetric energy density can be significantly improved, subject to manufacturing constraints, and provides quantitative design guidelines for future study. •Half-cell model to study capacity and rate capability trade-off of real electrodes.•A design guide for selecting application-specific optimal electrode thickness.•Parameterised, dimensionless maps for designing banded electrode architectures.