Lattice Boltzmann simulation of ion transport during the charging process of porous electrodes in randomly reconstructed seawater desalination batteries

The economics and desalination results of desalination cells are superior to those of other desalination technologies due to their unique electrochemical mechanisms. Nevertheless, there has been a paucity of research into the potential mechanisms of pore-scale ion removal during the operation of this specific type of battery. In this paper, the relationship between electrode microstructure and cell performance is investigated by establishing a lattice Boltzmann model and a high-fidelity two-dimensional electrode structure. The results demonstrate that the random morphology and irregular agglomeration of particles result in significant differences in electrode performance. During electrode deionization, the ion embedding process is faster in particles close to the main flow. In addition, sodium ions are inserted faster in small particles than in large particles. If the particles comprising the electrode exhibit a localized uneven distribution, it is advantageous to have a greater density of particles in the vicinity of the flow channel. The larger the reaction interface per unit area, the faster the interpolation rate of the particle, while the larger the total area, the larger the interpolation capacity of the particle.