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Pore-scale modeling of capillary-driven binder migration during battery electrode drying

Marcel Weichel1,2,*, Martin Reder2,3, Gerit Mühlberg2, David Burger4, Philip Scharfer4, Wilhelm Schabel4, Britta Nestler1,2,3, and Daniel Schneider1,2,3

  • *Contact author: marcel.weichel@kit.edu
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Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 105403 – Published 9 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/39jz-45j8

Abstract

Sodium-ion batteries employing hard carbon electrodes are considered a drop-in technology for lithium-ion batteries. Electrode drying is a critical manufacturing step, as binder migration during pore emptying impacts the mechanical integrity and electrical performance of the electrode. Existing modeling approaches predominantly rely on the film shrinkage phase in a one dimensional way or neglect the capillary transport, resulting in a lack of physically consistent microstructure resolved predictions of binder migration. In this work, a spatially resolved pore scale continuum model is extended to explicitly describe capillary-driven binder transport during pore emptying. The model is applied to hard carbon microstructures with varying mean particle diameters. The simulations reveal that smaller particle sizes lead to a more homogeneous binder distribution, whereas higher evaporation rates and increased surface tension promote stronger binder gradients. Variations in solvent viscosity show only a minor influence on binder migration, as long as no hydrophilic or hydrophobic behavior is present. Finally, the simulations demonstrate that an explicit description of capillary transport and microstructural effects is essential for accurately predicting binder migration and provides a basis for the targeted optimization of electrode drying processes.

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Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 105403– Published 9 October, 2026
  • Received 19 March 2026
  • Accepted 11 September 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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