Modeling the Anisotropic Transport Behavior for Axisymmetric 2D Electrode Particles Using a Modified Pseudo-2D Model Framework

This presentation extends widely used pseudo-2D (P2D) Li-ion battery models to include electrode particles that have strong crystal-scale anisotropies and possibly non-spherical shapes. Typical P2D models predict Li transport with representative spherical electrode particles by solving a one-dimensional diffusion equation in spherical coordinates. However, battery electrodes (graphite, NMC, etc.) may have strong crystalline anisotropies, leading to transport and mechanical properties that vary by orders of magnitude depending on crystallographic orientations. The anisotropic transport can cause large concentration gradients, possibly leading to particle fracture associated with concentration-induced stress. The remainder of the P2D model, such as Li-ion transport within the electrolyte solvent, remains essentially unchanged. The charge-transfer boundary conditions at the particle surfaces do need to accommodate the crystallographic anisotropy. The present model discretizes representative electrode particles in a two-dimensional finite-volume axisymmetric geometry, accounting for the anisotropic behaviors. The computational burden is greater than it is for the one-dimensional spherical solution. However, the P2D model with two-dimensional axisymmetric particle discretization still runs in only a few minutes on a typical personal computer. The model shows how electrode-particle anisotropy affects the battery performance, such as charge-discharge characteristics and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The model also predicts the concentration gradients and correlated stress for various axisymmetric, non-spherical particles.