Correlation between internal structure and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of multiphase slurry systems.

Slurry for lithium-ion batteries is prepared from an active material, a carbon conductive additive, and a polymeric binder in a solvent, and its morphological change is evaluated over time using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. A schematic model of the internal structure and dispersion states of the slurry components during 7 days of storage is proposed on the basis of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement. The EIS results reveal that the conductive path constructed by the network structure of the slurry components breaks over time, which can be worsened by mechanical agitation. In order to confirm the morphological change, the slurry is freeze-dried and then prepared to fixate the locations of the slurry components. The existence of a network structure (or flocculation) is verified by morphological observations. In addition, the dispersity index and Micro-CT are introduced as new methods representing the dispersion state of the slurry components.