Fracture of electrodes in lithium-ion batteries caused by fast charging

During charging or discharging of a lithium-ion battery, lithium is extracted from one electrode and inserted into the other. This extraction-insertion reaction causes the electrodes to deform. An electrode is often composed of small active particles in a matrix. If the battery is charged at a rate faster than lithium can homogenize in an active particle by diffusion, the inhomogeneous distribution of lithium results in stresses that may cause the particle to fracture. The distributions of lithium and stress in a LiCoO2 particle are calculated. The energy release rates are then calculated for the particle containing preexisting cracks. These calculations predict the critical rate of charging and size of the particle, below which fracture is averted.

[1]  Zhigang Suo,et al.  Matrix cracking in intermetallic composites caused by thermal expansion mismatch , 1991 .

[2]  Chunsheng Wang,et al.  Nano- and bulk-silicon-based insertion anodes for lithium-ion secondary cells , 2007 .

[3]  A. Evans.  Microfracture from thermal expansion anisotropy—I. Single phase systems , 1978 .

[4]  Jian Xie,et al.  Orientation dependence of Li-ion diffusion kinetics in LiCoO2 thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering , 2008 .

[5]  Wei Shyy,et al.  Intercalation-Induced Stress and Heat Generation within Single Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode Particles , 2008 .

[6]  M. Stanley Whittingham,et al.  Materials Challenges Facing Electrical Energy Storage , 2008 .

[7]  F. Hart,et al.  LATTICE MODEL CALCULATION OF THE STRAIN ENERGY DENSITY AND OTHER PROPERTIES OF CRYSTALLINE LICOO2 , 1998 .

[8]  M. Verbrugge,et al.  The influence of surface mechanics on diffusion induced stresses within spherical nanoparticles , 2008 .

[9]  Thomas J. Richardson,et al.  Electron Microscopy Study of the LiFePO4 to FePO4 Phase Transition , 2006 .

[10]  J. Dahn,et al.  Electrochemical and In Situ X‐Ray Diffraction Studies of Lithium Intercalation in Li x CoO2 , 1992 .

[11]  Z. Suo,et al.  Mixed mode cracking in layered materials , 1991 .

[12]  G. Pistoia,et al.  Lithium batteries : science and technology , 2003 .

[13]  Candace K. Chan,et al.  High-performance lithium battery anodes using silicon nanowires. , 2008, Nature nanotechnology.

[14]  J. Amarilla,et al.  LiMn2O4-based composites processed by a chemical-route: Microstructural, electrical, electrochemical, and mechanical characterization , 2003 .

[15]  Mark W. Verbrugge,et al.  Evolution of stress within a spherical insertion electrode particle under potentiostatic and galvanostatic operation , 2009 .

[16]  Venkat Srinivasan,et al.  In situ measurements of stress evolution in silicon thin films during electrochemical lithiation and delithiation , 2010, 1108.0647.

[17]  John P. Dempsey,et al.  Design criteria for nanostructured Li-ion batteries , 2007 .

[18]  W. Shyy,et al.  Numerical Simulation of Intercalation-Induced Stress in Li-Ion Battery Electrode Particles , 2007 .

[19]  Xiaodong Wu,et al.  Cracking causing cyclic instability of LiFePO4 cathode material , 2005 .

[20]  Ying Wang,et al.  Developments in Nanostructured Cathode Materials for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries , 2008 .

[21]  J. Newman,et al.  A mathematical model of stress generation and fracture in lithium manganese oxide , 2006 .

[22]  G. Ceder,et al.  Tailoring the Morphology of LiCoO2: A First Principles Study , 2009 .

[23]  Young-Il Jang,et al.  TEM Study of Electrochemical Cycling‐Induced Damage and Disorder in LiCoO2 Cathodes for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries , 1999 .

[24]  M. Verbrugge,et al.  Modeling diffusion-induced stress in nanowire electrode structures , 2010 .

[25]  M. Doeff,et al.  TEM Study of Fracturing in Spherical and Plate-like LiFePO4 Particles , 2008 .

[26]  Kurt Maute,et al.  Stress generation in silicon particles during lithium insertion , 2010 .

[27]  M. Verbrugge,et al.  Diffusion-Induced Stress, Interfacial Charge Transfer, and Criteria for Avoiding Crack Initiation of Electrode Particles , 2010 .

[28]  Tanmay K. Bhandakkar,et al.  Cohesive modeling of crack nucleation under diffusion induced stresses in a thin strip: Implications on the critical size for flaw tolerant battery electrodes , 2010 .

[29]  R. Huggins.  Solid State Ionics , 1989 .

[30]  Yue Qi,et al.  Elastic softening of amorphous and crystalline Li–Si Phases with increasing Li concentration: A first-principles study , 2010 .

[31]  Jaephil Cho,et al.  Effect of LiCoO2 Cathode Nanoparticle Size on High Rate Performance for Li-Ion Batteries , 2009 .

[32]  William D. Nix,et al.  Decrepitation model for capacity loss during cycling of alloys in rechargeable electrochemical systems , 2000 .

[33]  Michelle V. Buchanan,et al.  Basic Research Needs for Electrical Energy Storage. Report of the Basic Energy Sciences Workshop on Electrical Energy Storage, April 2-4, 2007 , 2007 .

[34]  John Newman,et al.  Stress generation and fracture in lithium insertion materials , 2005 .

[35]  Z. Suo,et al.  Averting cracks caused by insertion reaction in lithium–ion batteries , 2010 .