The amount of electrolyte lost in a Li powder electrode cell was measured quantitatively and compared with that in a Li foil electrode cell. The electrolyte consumption in the powder electrode cell was 30% less than that in the foil electrode cell after 50 cycles. The change in thickness of the Li electrode was also directly measured using an electro-micrometer. After 20 cycles, the variation in thickness of the powder electrode was less than 3% of its initial dimension and amounted to only 30% of that of the foil electrode. The small variation in the thickness of the electrode and small electrolyte loss were due to the porous character of the powder electrode and the stable and homogeneous SEI of the emulsified Li powders. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.