For a given proportion of active material, conductive agent, and binder, performance of the lithium ion battery depends on microstructure of the electrode. Uniform distribution of de-agglomerated particles of carbon black on the active material in the slurry is crucial for establishing a conductive network around the active particles and for improving the adhesion of the electrode to the current collector. Herein, we demonstrate that pre-mixing of carbon black and LiFePO₄ via dry ball-milling achieves the desired microstructure in the electrode coating. Homogeneity of slurry of LiFePO₄ in Poly(vinylidene fluoride)/N-methyl -2-pyrrolidone is demonstrated using measurement of viscosity and dynamic light scattering. Dried electrodes are shown to be uniform via SEM imaging and by a novel “linearly resolved electrical resistivity measurement” technique. Through peel tests it is shown that adhesion of the electrode to the current collector is improved. These improvements reflect in the electrochemical characteristics of the electrode such as increased cycling stability, higher exchange current density and ability of the electrode to perform at a higher C-rate. The electrodes prepared with this method, at an optimal composition, give a higher discharge voltage of ~3 V at 10 C compared to values of 2.4–2.8 V reported for unmodified LiFePO₄ so far.

对于给定比例的活性材料，导电剂和粘合剂，锂离子电池的性能取决于电极的微观结构。炭黑的解团聚颗粒在浆料中的活性材料上的均匀分布对于在活性颗粒周围建立导电网络以及改善电极与集电器的粘合性至关重要。在此，我们证明了通过干式球磨对炭黑和LiFePO ₄进行预混合可以在电极涂层中实现所需的微观结构。LiFePO ₄浆料的均质性通过测量粘度和动态光散射证明了聚偏二氟乙烯/ N-甲基-2-吡咯烷酮中的氟乙烯。通过SEM成像和新颖的“线性分辨电阻率测量”技术，可以证明干燥的电极是均匀的。通过剥离测试表明，电极与集电器的粘合性得到改善。这些改进反映在电极的电化学特性中，例如增加的循环稳定性，更高的交换电流密度和电极在更高C速率下的性能。与迄今未改性的LiFePO ₄报道的2.4-2.8 V的值相比，用这种方法制备的电极在最佳的组成下在10 C时可提供〜3 V的更高放电电压。