Bio-inspired porous channels for thermal management of lithium-ion batteries: the PorousMorphoGrid approach

Abstract

Enhancing the lifecycle, performance, and safety of lithium-ion batteries requires efficient thermal management strategies. While liquid cooling systems are widely adopted for their superior efficiency, research on incorporating porous materials into channel designs remains limited. This study introduces the PorousMorphoGrid cooling configuration, a novel bio-inspired channel system that integrates porous media to capitalize on their high surface-to-volume ratio, thereby significantly improving heat transfer. The design mimics Morpho butterfly wings to reduce pressure drop and optimize fluid distribution. A liquid cold plate featuring 12 transverse PorousMorphoGrid channels is investigated for its thermal regulatory potential. To further enhance cooling performance while minimizing operational cost, a multilayer neural network is employed to predict system behavior under varied design and flow conditions. Results demonstrate that the PorousMorphoGrid architecture reduce pressure drop by 16.84 % compared to conventional rectangular channels. Subsequent investigations into partially filled porous channels reveal that filling 33.3 % of the channel length in counter-flow configuration enhances thermal uniformity by 27.2 % relative to fully porous scenario. Optimization analysis identifies a 23.48  mm porous filling length as ideal, achieving a pressure drop of 136.19  Pa while maintaining thermal stability ($T_{\max }$ < 27.35 °C; $\Delta T_b$ < 1.8 °C). The proposed PorousMorphoGrid cooling configuration marks a significant advancement in battery thermal management, offering an effective synthesis of bio-inspired design and porous media integration to reduce energy consumption, optimize pressure loss, and promote thermal uniformity.