Minimizing Cathode Volume Change via Design of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties

When and Where

Dec 1, 2022
9:45am - 10:00am

Hynes, Level 3, Ballroom C

Presenter

Howard Qingsong Tu

Taylor Kranbuhl

Shafee Farzanian

Co-Author(s)

Howard Qingsong Tu¹,Taylor Kranbuhl¹,Shafee Farzanian¹

Rochester Institute of Technology¹

Abstract

Howard Qingsong Tu¹,Taylor Kranbuhl¹,Shafee Farzanian¹

Rochester Institute of Technology¹

Integrating the NCM material (high capacity and working voltage) into the composite cathode of solid-state batteries (SSB) is the crucial step for the development of SSBs with high energy density. However, the poor rate capability and the inferior cycling stability of the composite cathode have been observed, which seriously bottleneck its practical implementation. It has been reported these drawbacks are mainly attributed to the contact loss between the cathode particles and solid electrolyte (SE) particles under the random volume expansion-contraction cycles of primary particles inside secondary particles. 1-2 The systematic theoretical investigations in this work enable the understanding of the cathode volume change affected by the SE plastic deformation, the particle size dispersion, and the stress evolution inside the composite. Strategies to minimize the overall volume change and to prevent SE fracture from the modeling will provide important guidance for the experimental optimizations of the composite cathode, and therefore for the final commercialization of the solid-state batteries. 1. Yan P, Zheng J, Liu J, Wang B, Cheng X, Zhang Y, et al. Tailoring grain boundary structures and chemistry of Ni-rich layered cathodes for enhanced cycle stability of lithium-ion batteries. Nat Energy. 2018;3(7):600-5 2. Lin F, Nordlund D, Li Y, Quan MK, Cheng L, Weng T-C, et al. Metal segregation in hierarchically structured cathode materials for high-energy lithium batteries. Nat Energy. 2016;1(1):1-8