Pressure Improves Performance and Cycle Life of Lithium-ion Batteries - Batteries News

Pressure Improves Performance and Cycle Life of Lithium-ion Batteries

Research Team Investigates Influence of Pressure During Formation and Cyclic Aging

Gas evolution is a known aging mechanism of lithium-ion batteries, which occurs during both formation and cycling under harsh conditions – for example at elevated temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius. If this gas remains between the electrode layers, the resistance increases and an irreversible lithium loss occurs. By using pressure, the gas can be forced out of the electrode layers to minimize the detrimental effects. A team from MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster has now investigated in detail the influence of pressure on the performance and the cycle life of lithium-ion batteries.

Previous studies have mainly focused on the impact of pressure on long-term aging of battery cells. The research teams identified both positive and negative effects, depending on the pressure level, cell type and active material.

MEET scientist Kai Büscher, says :

In our study, we therefore investigated the influence of pressure if it is only used during formation and not over the entire cycling process,

The researchers cyclic aged various cell chemistries at 20 degrees Celsius and 60 degrees Celsius under three different conditions: without pressure, with pressure only during formation and with pressure during both formation and cyclic aging.

The team identified a positive effect of the pressure on the performance and cycle life of the batteries whenever the cells developed gas during formation and/or cyclic aging.

Büscher, says:

It could be sufficient to apply pressure only during formation, as under moderate conditions – such as a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius – gas development often no longer occurs during cycling,

Without gas development, the pressure has no significant effect.

The MEET researcher, concludes :

Using it selectively is therefore one simple way to slow down the aging of batteries and improve their performance without developing new active materials or electrolytes,

The entire study has been published by the authors Kai Büscher, Dr Bastian Heidrich and Dr Philip Niehoff, MEET Battery Research Center as well as Prof. Dr Martin Winter, MEET Battery Research Center and Helmholtz Institute Münster of Forschungszentrum Jülich, in the

Journal of The Electrochemical Society.

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