Battery electrode with network of interconnected areas of high porosity and methods for its manufacture

Abstract

A method for producing a battery electrode, comprising: applying a coating of an ion transport medium to a first surface of an electrically conductive film; forming a two-dimensional array of low-porosity regions on the coating; applying a subsequent coating of the ion transport medium to the previously applied coating; and forming a subsequent two-dimensional array of low-porosity regions on the subsequent coating; wherein a respective residue of each coating, other than the respective two-dimensional array of low-porosity regions, defines a respective network of interconnected high-porosity regions, wherein for each coating, each of the low-porosity regions is bounded by one or more of the high-porosity regions surrounding it;wherein each of the highly porous regions has a respective feature size D and wherein an intralayer spacing P is defined between adjacent of the highly porous regions of each coating such that each pair of adjacent two-dimensional arrangements has a respective alignment error E between them and wherein a respective first electrically conductive path is formed over the respective networks of high porosity regions above them if D ≤ E ≤ P; and wherein a second electrically conductive path is formed through all coatings over the networks of the high porosity regions.

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