Mapping internal temperatures during high-rate battery applications

T. M. M. Heenan, I. Mombrini, A. Llewellyn, S. Checchia, C. Tan, M. J. Johnson, A. Jnawali, G. Garbarino, R. Jervis, D. J. L. Brett, M. Michiel and P. R. Shearing ()
Additional contact information
T. M. M. Heenan: University College of London
I. Mombrini: University College of London
A. Llewellyn: University College of London
S. Checchia: The European Synchrotron
C. Tan: University College of London
M. J. Johnson: University College of London
A. Jnawali: University College of London
G. Garbarino: The European Synchrotron
R. Jervis: University College of London
D. J. L. Brett: University College of London
M. Michiel: The European Synchrotron
P. R. Shearing: University College of London

Nature, 2023, vol. 617, issue 7961, 507-512

Abstract: Abstract Electric vehicles demand high charge and discharge rates creating potentially dangerous temperature rises. Lithium-ion cells are sealed during their manufacture, making internal temperatures challenging to probe1. Tracking current collector expansion using X-ray diffraction (XRD) permits non-destructive internal temperature measurements2; however, cylindrical cells are known to experience complex internal strain3,4. Here, we characterize the state of charge, mechanical strain and temperature within lithium-ion 18650 cells operated at high rates (above 3C) by means of two advanced synchrotron XRD methods: first, as entire cross-sectional temperature maps during open-circuit cooling and second, single-point temperatures during charge–discharge cycling. We observed that a 20-minute discharge on an energy-optimized cell (3.5 Ah) resulted in internal temperatures above 70 °C, whereas a faster 12-minute discharge on a power-optimized cell (1.5 Ah) resulted in substantially lower temperatures (below 50 °C). However, when comparing the two cells under the same electrical current, the peak temperatures were similar, for example, a 6 A discharge resulted in 40 °C peak temperatures for both cell types. We observe that the operando temperature rise is due to heat accumulation, strongly influenced by the charging protocol, for example, constant current and/or constant voltage; mechanisms that worsen with cycling because degradation increases the cell resistance. Design mitigations for temperature-related battery issues should now be explored using this new methodology to provide opportunities for improved thermal management during high-rate electric vehicle applications.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05913-z

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