Strategies for designing high-performance hard carbon anodes with enhanced lithium-ion diffusion and rate capability

The performance of the electrodes is closely related to the structure of the electrode sheet, and the construction of advanced electrodes is crucial for the lithium-ion diffusion process in high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Hard carbon, with its irregular polycrystalline microstructure, is an ideal candidate material for the anode electrode of LIBs. However, its have some drawbacks such as low initial coulombic efficiency (ICE), low capacity and poor rate performance. In this work, two electrode casting approaches are proposed and tested in pouch cells, which are double-layer blade coated electrode and patterned coated electrode. The results show that both coating methods show a combination of high ICE and rate capability, exceeding the performance of conventional single-coated electrodes composed of the same material. The designed coating method improves the dynamics of lithium ion diffusion process in the electrode, and the magnification performance and comprehensive electrochemical performance are improved. The research has a wide application prospect and can provide design guidance for obtaining high-power batteries.