Method for the production of electrodes and electrodes made using such a method

A method for the manufacturing of electrodes with at least one porous surfacial layer comprising anisotropically shaped electrochemically active particles having a longest axis which is at least 1.5 times longer than a shortest axis, and having a ratio of said longest axis to a second longest axis which is smaller than 2, comprising at least the following steps:

• (a) coupling of paramagnetic nanometer-sized particles to the surface of said anisotropically shaped electrochemically active particles for the generation of composites of said paramagnetic nanometer-sized particles with said anisotropically shaped electrochemically active particles;
• (b) preparation of a slurry of said composites of said paramagnetic nanometer-sized particles with said anisotropically shaped electrochemically active particles, said slurry including a solvent mixed with a binder or a liquid binder able to release a volatile or elutable component;
• (c) application of said slurry to a planar substrate to form a film having a thickness in the range of 1-1000 micro-meter;
• (d) application of a magnetic field at least to the film and orienting said composites of said paramagnetic nanometer-sized particles with said anisotropically shaped electrochemically active particles leading to a slurry-coated substrate in which said composites of said paramagnetic nanometer-sized particles with said anisotropically shaped electrochemically active particles are arranged in that their shortest axes are, at least region-wise, essentially aligned along a common preferred axis oriented parallel to said substrate in said region;
• and
• (e) either during or after application of said magnetic field according to step (d), conducting at least one of:
• (i) evaporation of said solvent with solidification of the binder,
• (ii) solidification of the binder and release of said volatile component, and
• (iii) solidification of the binder and subsequent elution of the elutable component,
• under a condition that said surfacial layer is formed with a solid volume fraction below 100%.