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Critical deformation of Li-Ion batteries


​​​​​​​​​Researchers at SYMMES/STEP involved in an international consortium of public institutions CEA-ILL-ESRF (France) Materials Center Leoben (Austria) and the manufacturer Varta (Austria) have determined the cause of the premature degradation of the​ Li-ion batteries. They suggest better control of the electrode manufacturing stage to prevent it.​​

Published on 16 May 2024

​​A manifold of degradation mechanisms causes premature capacity fade of Li-ion batteries. To understand their origin, we need a detailed diagnosis of battery (mal-)function over time. Here we employ correlative neutron and X-ray imaging to observe microstructural changes over time inside high energy density cylindrical cells and focus on unraveling the causes of localized defects where the silicon-graphite anode becomes damaged.

In the study, a team of researchers led by SYMMES/STEP [collaboration] examined Li-ion batteries during their lifetime using state-of-the-art, non-intrusive imaging techniques available at neutron and X-ray sources, respectively the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL). Their sophisticated combination allowed to gain multidimensional information on the components and elements inside working battery cells.

The team identified macroscopic deformations in the wound structure of the copper current collector. The deformed areas already existed in fresh battery cells that only went through the initial activation cycle (the first charging-discharging cycle). Further investigations revealed that these defects are due to local accumulations of silicon occurring during electrode manufacturing. Upon activation, the largest agglomerates expand heavily, which leads to deformations in the current collector, wasting capacity before the cell ever went into use.

This kind of approach is at the heart of the Battery Hub created in Grenoble by the CEA, the ESRF and the ILL as a European platform for battery diagnosis and investigations using standardised, integrated and multi-technique workflows.

3D RENDERING OF THE CELL OBTAINED FROM THE COMBINATION AND CORRELATION OF THE DIFFERENT MEASUREMENTS PERFORMED WITH NEUTRONS AND X-RAY PHOTONS​ (© Erik Lubke – ILL).

Fundings: european projects ECO2LIB (H2020) and INNOVAXN (ITN Marie Curie) and Battery Hub atGrenoble leadedby​ CEA
​Collaboration
Institut Laue-Langevin, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, IRIG, Grenoble (France), VARTA Innovation GmbH (Austria), Materials Center Leoben Forschung GmbH (Austria).

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