Enabling Fast Charging Battery

 

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​The United States DOE has identified extreme fast charging (XFC, i.e., recharge in 10 min or less at a charging rate of 6C and above) as a critical challenge that must be overcome in order to achieve widespread adoption of EVs. INL, as one of partners in the DOE-sponsored eXtreme Fast Charge Cell Evaluation (XCEL) program,  identifies the bottlenecks of applying such high rates to batteries and the relavent implications to performance, life, and safety. Understanding of the aging implications of XFC is crucial to optimize material, electrode, and cell designs and operating conditions to achieve XFC targets. The XCEL program has six major research thrusts—namely, cathode, charging protocol, anode design, heterogeneity, heat generation and Li-plating detection. INL researchers lead the cathode and charging protocol thrusts and provide key support to anode design, heat generation, electrolyte thrust, and heterogeneity thrust. Noteably, the INL's Advanced Electrolyte Model (AEM) has been instrumental in deriving formulations for new electrolytes for XFC applications. With these new formulations, AEM provides genomic-level property sets that cover ionic transport, thermodynamics, ion solvation kinetics, surface charge effects, electrolyte permeation, and other metrics. The latest publications on enabling XCEL can be found below.

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A recent article Extended Cycle Life Implications of Fast Charging for Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode​​ led by Tanim et al. reports the complex evolution of Lithium-ion battery cathode degradation at multiple length scales under extended extreme fast charging, i.e., charging in 10 to 15 min at rates up to 9C and cycled up to 1000 times. Cathode aging issues remain minimal in early cycling, but ​​begin to evolve differently in later cycling, resulting in complex and convoluting effects. ​

INL research provides key understanding on the bottlenecks of extreme fast charging (charge in 10 to 15 min at >6C and above) and identifying ways to enable XFC.

Publications

​2023​

• ​ Quantifying the impact of operating temperature on cracking in battery electrodes, using super-resolution of microscopy images and stereology​ ​
• ​​ Rational designs to enable 10-min fast charging and long cycle life in lithium-ion batteries​ ​
• ​ Synchrotron methods to measure internal temperature of lithium-ion batteries​ ​
• ​ Quantitative Analysis of Origin of Lithium Inventory Loss and Interface Evolution over Extended Fast Charge Aging in Li Ion Batteries ​

​2022​

• Developing extreme fast charge battery protocols – A review spanning materials to systems​​​ ​
• The Evolution of LiNi_0.5 Mn_0.3 Co_0.2​​O₂ Particle Damage from Fast Charging in Optimized, Full Li-Ion Cells​​ ​
• Simultaneous neutron and X-ray tomography for visualization of graphite electrode degradation in fast-charged lithium-ion batteries​​ ​
• ​ Enabling Extreme Fast-Charging: Challenges at the Cathode and Mitigation Strategies​ ​
• Quantifying the Impact of Charge Rate and Number of Cycles on Structural Degeneration of Li-Ion Battery Electrodes​​ ​
• Multimodal quantification of degradation pathways during extreme fast charging of lithium-ion batteries​ ​
• Carbon-Binder Weight Loading Optimization for Improved Lithium-Ion Battery Rate Capability​​ ​
• Projecting Recent Advancements in Battery Technology to Next-Generation Electric Vehicles​ ​
• A Comprehensive Understanding of the Aging Effects of Extreme Fast Charging on High Ni NMC Cathode​ ​
• Sensitivity and reliability of key electrochemical markers for detecting lithium plating during extreme fast charging ​

​2021​

• Methodologies for Design, Characterization and Testing of Electrolytes that Enable Extreme Fast Charging of Lithium-ion Cells ​
• Using In Situ High-Energy X-ray Diffraction to Quantify Electrode Behavior of Li-Ion Batteries from Extreme Fast Charging​​​​ ​
• Quantifying the influence of charge rate and cathode-particle architectures on degradation of Li-ion cells through 3D continuum-level damage models​​​ ​
• Fast-Charging Aging Considerations: Incorporation and Alignment of Cell Design and Material Degradation Pathways ​
• Quantification of heterogeneous, irreversible lithium plating in extreme fast charging of lithium-ion batteries​​ ​
• Revealing causes of macroscale heterogeneity in lithium ion pouch cells via synchrotron X-ray diffraction​ ​
• Extended Cycle Life Implications of Fast Charging for Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode​ ​
• A Review of Existing and Emerging Methods for Lithium Detection and Characterization in Li‐Ion and Li‐Metal Batteries​ ​

​2020​

• Heterogeneous Behavior of Lithium Plating during Extreme Fast Charging ​
• ​ Electrode scale and electrolyte transport effects on extreme fast charging of lithium-ion cells
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​2019​

• Electrochemical Quantification of Lithium Plating: Challenges and Considerations​​ ​
• ​ Extreme fast charge challenges for lithium-ion battery: variability and positive electrode issues​​
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​2018​​

• Fast charge implications: Pack and cell analysis and comparison​​​ ​