A nanostructured, porous NCM cathode material is investigated regarding its behavior during electrode processing and electrochemical performance. The results are related to the densely packed NCM original material from which the nanostructure has been derived. Chemical composition and structural parameters are not affected by the nanostructuring process; changes are limited to the particle morphology in terms of primary particle size, specific surface area, and porosity. Electrodes containing a porous NCM material deliver lower adhesion strength values when adding identical amounts of PVDF binder. Increasing the binder fraction from four to six parts increases also the adhesion strength to an acceptable level without deteriorating the cell capacity. Despite initially high electrode porosities of 65–70%, electrodes with nanostructured NCM are capable of withstanding calendering to 40% porosity without destroying the porous particles. Full-cell tests with 50 mAh pouch cells and graphite anodes reveal substantially improved C-rate capabilities for the nanostructured material in relation to the commercial original NCM. The advantage increases with increasing C-rate and corresponds to shorter diffusion pathways in nanostructured NCM. Remarkably, even at low C-rates (C/20) where diffusion effects are considered secondary, porous NCM lies ahead of the original material. This can be explained by the higher surface area and thereby enlarged interface to the electrolyte, which eases delithiation. Long-term cycling up to 1100 cycles displayed further benefits for the nanostructured active material as one of the most prominent degradation factors, that is, crack formation and particle fragmentation, does not occur throughout the complete cycling procedure—in contrast to the bulk particles of original NCM.

The use of thicker electrodes can contribute to a reduction in cell costs. However, the properties of the electrode must be kept in view to be able to meet the performance requirements. Herein, the possibility of simultaneous multilayer slot die coating is investigated to improve the electrode properties of medium‐ and high‐capacity anodes. The stable coating window of the two‐layer slot die coating process is investigated to produce property‐graded multilayer electrodes. Electrodes with different styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) gradients are investigated with regard to adhesive force and electrochemical performance. An increase in the adhesive force of up to 43.5% and an increase in the discharge capacity is observed.

Sodium‐ion batteries are an emerging technology that is still at an early stage of development. The electrode processing for anode and cathode is expected to be similar to lithium‐ion batteries (drop‐in technology), yet a detailed comparison is not published. There are ongoing questions about the influence of the active materials on processing parameters such as slurry viscosity, coating thicknesses, drying times, and behavior during fast drying. Herein, the expected drying time for the same areal capacity of anodes (graphite vs. hard carbon) and cathodes (lithium iron phosphate vs. Prussian blue analogs) are compared based on respective specific capacities reported in the literature. Estimates are made for the materials’ impact on production speed or dryer length. Within the experimental part, water‐based slurries of the same composition are mixed using different active materials according to identical procedure and the viscosity is compared. When drying at a constant drying rate (0.75 g m⁻² s⁻¹), lithium iron phosphate electrodes with different areal capacities (1–3 mAh cm⁻²) are shown to have the highest adhesion. For high drying rates (3 g m⁻² s⁻¹) at constant areal capacity, especially the investigated electrodes based on hard carbon show that no binder migration occurs.

This study addresses the improved cycling stability of Li‐ion batteries based on Fe–Ti‐doped LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (LNMO) high‐voltage cathode active material and graphite anodes. By using 1 wt% Li₃PO₄ as cathode additive, over 90% capacity retention for 1000 charge–discharge cycles and remaining capacities of 109 mAh g⁻¹ are reached in a cell with an areal capacity of 2.3 mAh cm⁻² (potential range: 3.5–4.9 V). Cells without the additive, in contrast, suffer from accelerated capacity loss and increase polarization, resulting in capacity retention of only 78% over 1000 cycles. An electrolyte consisting of ethylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, and LiPF₆ is used without additional additives. The significantly improved cycling stability of the full cells is mainly due to two factors, namely, the low Mn^III content of the Fe–Ti‐doped LNMO active material and the use of the cathode‐additive Li₃PO₄. Crystalline Li₃PO₄ yields a drastic reduction of transition metal deposition on the graphite anode and prevents Li loss and the propagation of cell polarization. Li₃PO₄ is added to the cathode slurry that makes it a very simple and scalable process, first reported herein. The positive effects of crystalline Li₃PO₄ as electrode additive, however, should apply to other cell chemistries as well.

To quantify absolute amounts of electrolyte components in lithium-ion cells, we developed a method for electrolyte extraction from pouch cells using a diluent and subsequent analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer and an ultraviolet/visible light detector. From LiNi _1/3 Co _1/3 Mn _1/3 O ₂ (NCM111)/graphite lithium-ion pouch cells containing 1 M LiPF ₆ in ethylene carbonate (EC)/dimethyl carbonate (DMC) 1:1 by weight with 3 wt% vinylene carbonate (VC), electrolytes were extracted using diethyl carbonate as diluent and HPLC analyses were subsequently performed to investigate electrolyte decomposition upon electrochemical aging. Complementary analysis methods, namely X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, gas chromatography, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry were applied. During formation, only VC decomposition and associated deposition of polymerized VC on the anode was identified. However, after long-term cycling, EC decomposition was dominant. Furthermore, LiPF ₆ decomposition and deposition of LiF on the anode were detected. Electrochemically untreated cells showed no change in electrolyte composition during storage. Unlike analyzing relative values (concentrations/quantity ratios), where only VC decomposition is detected, our approach determining absolute amounts reveals more details and allows to identify decomposition mechanisms in electrolytes upon electrochemical aging.