Modeling Investigation of Influencing Factors on Li Plating of Li-Ion Battery

Lithium plating is a known issue of rechargeable lithium-ion cells with carbon-based anodes. Accumulated metallic lithium plating growth accelerates aging and internal short circuit failures. Preventing lithium plating is an important consideration for cell design and operations. In real world applications, the cells in battery pack will age and very likely they age differently and sometimes they are used in extreme conditions and then it raises questions of how to detect and control lithium plating in service. A variety of factors influence lithium plating including cell design variables, intrinsic material properties, manufacturing conditions, as well as cell operation conditions. Understanding these factors has significant value in points of view of design and controls. Where are the optimization rooms in battery design without raising plating risks? How to determine the charging current limits as function of temperature, state of charge and battery conditions? Using experimental means to investigate plating has limitations in sensitivity and timeliness because in many scenarios plating does not show up in a detectable quantity and sometimes they are not stable. In this work, we develop a model to consider lithium plating. In the framework of electrochemical modeling the lithium plating reaction is included. The model is used to study lithium plating upon various design variables and application conditions. We are interested in how coating thickness, particle size characteristics, pulse current and duration, and driving cycles affect lithium plating. The aim of this modeling is to understand the relative impacts of these factors and provide guidance for cell designs and controls.