Aging-induced, rate-independent Lithium plating: A complete mechanism analysis throughout the battery lifecycle

Peng Wang, Rui Xiong, Weixiang Shen and Fengchun Sun

Applied Energy, 2025, vol. 393, issue C, No S0306261925008244

Abstract: Lithium-ion battery aging poses a critical challenge, and understanding its mechanisms is key to extending battery life. While most aging side reactions are largely influenced by current rate (C-rate), some reactions, such as aging-induced lithium plating, occur independently of C-rate and play a major role in battery aging. A rate-independent lithium plating has a profound impact on battery performance and longevity. To investigate this phenomenon, we conducted systematic aging tests including battery disassembly, scanning electron microscope imaging, and half-cell testing. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that aging is accompanied by the formation of a distinct open circuit voltage (OCV) plateau, which contracts over time as lithium deposition on the anode initially increases and then stabilizes. Additionally, we introduced an innovative phase-based scaling technique to segment and scale the anode's over-discharge potential curve. This technique enabled precise alignment of the electrode open circuit potential with battery OCV throughout its lifecycle, achieving a root mean square error below 10 mV under both plating and non-plating conditions. Furthermore, a strong correlation was identified between lithium plating and capacity degradation inflection point, underscoring its critical role in accelerating performance degradation. These findings provide valuable insights into battery aging mechanisms and contribute to developing more effective strategies for optimizing battery performance and extending battery life.

Keywords: Lithium-ion battery; Lithium plating; Aging modes; Aging trajectory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261925008244
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:appene:v:393:y:2025:i:c:s0306261925008244

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 405891/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126094

Access Statistics for this article

Applied Energy is currently edited by J. Yan

More articles in Applied Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().