Comparison of an Experimental Electrolyte Wetting of a Lithium-Ion Battery Anode and Separator by a Lattice Boltzmann Simulation

The filling with electrolyte and the subsequent wetting of the electrodes is a quality-critical and time-intensive process in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries. The exact processes involved in the wetting are still under investigation due to their poor accessibility. The accurate replication of the wetting phenomena in porous media can be demonstrated in other research fields by lattice Boltzmann simulations. Therefore, this paper deals with the comparison of experimental wetting and the simulative investigation of the wetting processes of lithium-ion battery materials by a lattice Boltzmann simulation. Particular attention is paid to the interfaces between the battery materials. These effects are relevant for a simulation of the wetting properties at the cell level. The experimental results show a 43% faster wetting of the interface between an anode and a separator than with only an anode. Overall, the simulation results show a qualitatively successful reproduction of the experimental wetting phenomena. In addition, the steps for a more precise simulation and the development of the Digital Twin are shown. This extension enables simulations of the electrolyte wetting phenomena in manufacturing lithium-ion batteries and the quantification of the wetting times.