NOVELTY - A lithium ion battery comprises a lithium ion cell including at least one electrode containing an active material (32), a porous electrolyte percolation additive (40) to increase the void porosity of the active material and a non-aqueous electrolyte in contact with the active material. The lithium ion cell has an increased ability to allow ion diffusion into and out of the active material through the electrolyte and an increased ability to transfer heat out of the active material relative to an identical lithium ion cell without the porous electrolyte percolation additive.    USE - As lithium ion battery (claimed) used in an array of mobile networking and productivity enhancing electronic devices, such as cell phones, laptop computers, personal digital assistants, digital cameras; and for large format applications, such as traction batteries in electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles.    ADVANTAGE - The lithium ion cell has an increased ability to allow ion diffusion through the electrolyte into and out of the active material and an increased ability to transfer heat through the electrolyte and out of the active material relative to an identical lithium ion cell without the porous electrolyte percolation additive. The abilities of the lithium ion cell to allow ion diffusion and transfer heat are at least 10% greater than such abilities of an identical lithium ion cell without the porous electrolyte percolation additive. The lithium ion cell has an increased amount of active material with no reduction in the rate of active material utilization on discharge and no increase in internal electrical resistance of the active material relative to an identical lithium ion cell without the porous electrolyte percolation additive. The lithium ion cell has an increased gravimetric power density relative to an identical lithium ion cell without the porous electrolyte percolation additive. The lithium ion batteries allow enhanced ion diffusion into and out of an active material through an electrolyte and provide enhanced heat transfer out of the active material. The methods provide electrodes with enhanced porosity without employing a separate porosity additive or a separate electrolyte percolation additive. The combination of the porous electrolyte percolation additive with the active material increases a greater extent, relative to an identical battery without the porous electrolyte percolation additive, without a detrimental loss of power; provides a battery with higher gravimetric energy density, relative to a battery, e.g. an identical battery, without the porous electrolyte percolation additive. The combination of the porous electrolyte percolation additive with the active material increases amounts of active material useful for large format batteries for electric vehicles, e.g. by extending the range, that is by increasing the number of miles or distance able to be traveled, between battery charges, of an electric vehicle, and the like applications. Increasing the gravimetric energy density by increasing the mass of active material may reduce manufacturing processing to archive higher battery performance and, thus, make lithium ion batteries less expensive to manufacture.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for making a lithium ion battery electrode involving forming a mixture of lithium salt crystals, particles of an active material, a binder component and a solvent for the binder component, where the lithium salt crystals are insoluble in the solvent; applying the mixture to a current collector; and removing the solvent from the mixture and forming an article in which the active material, the binder component and the lithium salt crystals in the form of a layer are bound to the current collector.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows a schematic view of a half-cell of a lithium ion battery.    Half-cell (30)    Active material (32)    Current collector (34)    Separator assembly (36)    Active material particles (38)    Porous electrolyte percolation additive (40)    Carbon particles (44)