Lithium-ion batteries degrade due to several mechanisms that occur during cell operation. These mechanisms can be parasitic reactions that lead to loss of lithium inventory or loss of active material. Some examples of these side reactions include the growth of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer, transition metal dissolution and deposition, lithium plating, solvent oxidation, etc. Thermal effects and mechanical fatigue on the electrodes also lead to cell aging and capacity fade.

For widespread implementation of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, batteries should last approximately 10 years.¹ Fast charging has also been heavily researched for accelerating this prevalent circumstance. However, charging at high currents can severely degrade the cell, affecting the cell’s lifetime. Algorithms that optimize charging can be effective to reduce cell aging. Physics-based battery models can be used to design these algorithms by restricting phenomena that occur in the cell that causes cell aging. For example, lithium plating can be prevented by restricting the overpotential of the reaction.

In our previous work, we have shown optimal charging profiles where the intercalation induced stresses, lithium plating and the SEI layer growth was restricted using reformulated physics-based models using model-based control ^2-3 In this talk, we show different optimal charging protocols for restricting different mechanisms, and analyze the interplay between them to predict optimal charging profiles.

References

1. M. T. Lawder, P. W. C. Northrop, and V. R. Subramanian, J. Electrochem. Soc., 161, A2099–A2108 (2014).
2. B. Suthar, P. W. C. Northrop, R. D. Braatz, and V. R. Subramaniand, J. Electrochem. Soc., 161, F3144–F3155 (2014).
3. M. Pathak, D. Sonawane, S. Santhanagopalan, R. D. Braatz, and V. R. Subramanian, ECS Trans., 75, 51–75 (2017).