Porosity of the cathode during the discharge of SOCl2/Li batteries: II. Model cathodes Original Research Article

During the discharge of Li/SOCl2 batteries, the porosity of the cathode decreases by deposition of LiCl and increases by swelling. In the first paper, the utilization of industrial cathodes did not allow us to quantitatively identify the effects of LiCl deposition and swelling. Using model cathodes at low current density and partial discharge of the cathode, both phenomena were identified permitting description of the LiCl deposition in the pore network. LiCl deposits mainly at the entrance of the widest pores without clogging them up; the maximum of the pore distribution shifts to pores centered on 50 nm. LiCl also deposits in narrow mesopores and large micropores.