New thick electrodes can raise EV battery power output by 75%

A research team at South Korea’s Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), led by Professor Kyeong Min Jeong, has developed a novel thick electrode design that significantly enhances electric vehicle (EV) battery performance by increasing power output by approximately 75% without sacrificing energy storage capacity. This breakthrough addresses the common tradeoff in battery design where thicker electrodes, while storing more charge and extending driving range, typically suffer from reduced power output due to slower lithium-ion transport through the electrode’s interior. By optimizing the internal pore structure—specifically balancing large pores and the carbon-binder domain (CBD) micropores—the team created faster ion pathways that maintain electronic conductivity, enabling both high areal capacity and strong, responsive power delivery during demanding conditions like rapid acceleration. The researchers introduced a new analytical framework called the Dual-Pore Transmission Line Model (DTLM), which more accurately represents ion transport through two distinct pore pathways rather than averaging porosity as a single value. This model links electrical