Lithium-ion battery electrode inspection using pulse thermography

•We introduce a novel method to monitor lithium-ion battery electrode quality.•We develop correction algorithms to compensate for camera limitations.•We demonstrate the method׳s performance on many different electrode defect types.

Pulse thermography was used to experimentally evaluate lithium-ion battery electrode quality. The camera data was processed to improve high frequency capabilities. Lab manufactured electrodes with gross defects, thickness variations, and composition variations were all detectable with this method. A thickness difference of 4 μm (4 percent of total) was detectable with the method. Lab electrodes were compared with commercial electrodes with comparable results. Both types of electrodes showed a significant thickness oscillation that has not previously been reported in lithium-ion battery electrodes. The results suggest that pulse thermography can be used as an effective tool for online quality control.