Knowledge Bank

Lithium-ion batteries play a fundamental role in the development and commercial success of electric vehicles, due to their higher charge and discharge efficiency, and their high energy density. On the other hand, significant research challenges are still present, for instance understanding and mitigating the degradation processes that lead to capacity and power fade in batteries, as well as prototyping and characterizing new materials for improving the energy density, safety, and reduce costs. In this scenario, coin cell testing is a very important experimental technique to analyze the performance of Lithium-ion batteries, and collect data to develop and verify behavioral models that can describe the charging and discharging dynamics and the voltage response of the battery in presence of variable input current. The proposed research project focuses on studying the process of analyzing the charging/discharging performance of Li-ion cell electrode materials through coin cell fabrication and half-cell testing. By analyzing the experimental data, important information can be found on the charging and discharging performance and efficiency of the cell. In addition, the dynamics of the lithium transport process can be assessed, as well as its dependence on usage and environmental factors such as C-rate, State of Charge (SOC) and temperature. This study will provide quantitative information on the physical and chemical properties of electrode materials, and improve our understanding on how such materials can improve the energy density, safety, and reduce costs of Lithium-ion batteries.