Simultaneous operando measurements of the local temperature, state of charge, and strain inside a commercial lithium-ion battery pouch cell

Xinghua Yu, Zhili Feng, Yang Ren, Daniel Henn, Zhenggang Wu, Ke An, Bi Wu, Christian Fau, Chen Li, Stephen J. Harris

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

A high energy X-ray diffraction technique is employed in a new way to make operando through-thickness measurements inside a large format commercial Li-ion pouch cell. The technique, which has a sub-mm in-plane spatial resolution, simultaneously determines the local temperature, the local state of charge of both electrodes (as opposed to the global average state of charge determined electrochemically), and the local in-plane elastic strain in the current collectors, all without embedding any intrusive sensors that alter battery behavior. As both thermal strain and mechanical strain develop during the charge-discharge cycling of the pouch cell, a novel approach developed herein makes it possible to separate them, allowing for measurement of the local temperature inside the battery. The operando experiment reveals that the temperature inside the cell is substantially higher than the external temperature. We propose that mechanical strain is due primarily to load transfer from the electrode to the current collector during lithiation, allowing determination of the local binder. Detailed local SOC mapping illustrates non-uniform degradation of the battery pouch cell. The possibility for 3D measurements is proposed. We believe that this new approach can provide critically needed data for validation of detailed models of processes inside commercial pouch cells.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)A1578-A1585
JournalJournal of the Electrochemical Society
Volume165
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 2018

Funding

This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. Research sponsored by the Clean Vehicles Consortium - US-China Clean Energy Research Center. SJH acknowledges support from the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Vehicle Technologies Office of the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) under the Advanced Battery Materials Research (BMR) Program. The use of the Advanced Photon Source of Argonne National Laboratory was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. We thank Charles Kurtz for help with the experimental setup.

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