<p>Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely employed across various applications due to their high operating voltage, energy density, and extended cycle life. This study investigated the effect of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) molecular weight (MW), a commonly utilized LIB binder, on the rheological properties of anode slurries. Steady shear and creep tests revealed an increase in the viscosity and yield stress of the slurries with increasing CMC MW. The temporal stability of the slurries, evaluated through a hysteresis loop test, showed significant thixotropic phenomenon up to shear rate of 10&#xa0;s⁻¹ regardless of MW. Although the temperature stability of the slurry improved with increasing MW, the viscosity as a function of temperature at a given shear rate exhibited markedly different behavior depending on the MW. Small-amplitude oscillatory shear tests confirmed that both the crossover frequency and elasticity increased with increasing MW. Additionally, in suspensions composed of carbon black (CB) and binder, the size of conductive particle aggregates was observed to increase with increasing MW. This is inferred to contribute to the formation of an efficient graphite/CB network structure, thereby enhancing the rheological properties and stability. This study is expected to contribute to establishing suitable processing conditions for stable LIB manufacturing by analyzing the rheological properties of anode slurry and predicting its internal structure.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>