Three-dimensional lithium-ion batteries with interdigitated electrodes

Secondary lithium-ion batteries have found multiple applications in portable electronics where high charge and discharge rates are not required to improve performance. However, lithium-ion batteries are currently being sought for high power applications that require long cycle life, such as those encountered in the transportation sector. To meet these performance requirements, the shortcomings that have relegated the use of conventional lithium-ion batteries to low-power applications need to be addressed. In an attempt to fabricate batteries with high power densities, current technology is moving toward electrode materials with irregular surfaces resulting in high interfacial surface areas and short characteristic lithium-ion diffusion lengths. The use of three-dimensional (3D) architectures with interdigitated electrodes with the above described electrode characteristics have been proposed to alleviate these shortcomings because it allows a significant decoupling of the inversely proportional relationship between energy and power density. This conference proceeding manuscript is focused on the idealized calculations of both nanowire and foam 3D architectures utilizing electrode and electrolyte components that are currently being developed. A brief discussion of the use of electrodeposition as the main synthetic technique towards realizing a truly 3D solid-state lithium-ion cell is also presented.