  The drying process is a crucial step in electrode manufacture as it can
affect the component distribution within the electrode. Phenomena such as
binder migration can have negative effects in the form of poor cell performance
(e.g. capacity fade) or mechanical failure (e.g. electrode delamination from
the current collector). We present a mathematical model that tracks the
evolution of the binder concentration in the electrode during drying. Solutions
to the model predict that low drying rates lead to a favourable homogeneous
binder profile across the electrode film, whereas high drying rates result in
an unfavourable accumulation of binder near the evaporation surface. These
results show strong qualitative agreement with experimental observations and
provide a cogent explanation for why fast drying conditions result in poorly
performing electrodes. Finally, we provide some guidelines on how the drying
process could be optimised to offer relatively short drying times whilst
simultaneously maintaining a roughly homogeneous binder distribution.
