A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher has made a breakthrough in the field of fast-charging lithium-ion batteries, and it could usher in an era of safer and longer-lasting packs.
Weiyu Li, a mechanical engineering assistant professor, used a computational model to explain lithium plating, per a news release. The phenomenon involves the development of lithium on the surface of an anode, which can degrade the battery or even cause a fire.
Fires are extremely rare in lithium batteries, though this is one concern people have about switching to electric vehicles. In fact, gas-powered vehicles are much more likely to catch fire.
Still, this increased understanding could improve battery safety and life. The study was published in ACS Energy Letters in March.
"The mechanisms that trigger lithium plating, until now, have not been well understood," according to the university. "With her model, Li studied lithium plating on a graphite anode in a lithium-ion battery. The model revealed how the complex interplay between ion transport and electrochemical reactions drives lithium plating."
Li analyzed operating conditions and material properties to understand how lithium plating arises. Previous work in the arena has focused on "extreme cases," per the release, but she created a diagram of strategies to mitigate plating. Li said other researchers need only follow the parameters and won't have to "perform any additional simulations."
"This physics-based guidance is valuable because it enables us to determine the optimal way to adjust the current densities during charging, based on the state of charge and the material properties, to avoid lithium plating," she said.
Li's next step is to examine the mechanical factors of lithium plating, including stress generation, to assess their impact.
Such work is improving the technology that supports the transition from dirty to clean energy sources. EVs, for example, produce far less pollution over their lifespans than gas-powered vehicles, even if you include battery manufacturing. If batteries are charged with renewable energy, this all but eliminates their use-phase emissions, making them over four times less polluting, according to Visual Capitalist.
Better batteries also mean better EVs, which are cheaper to operate. Qualified models also cost about the same as traditional vehicles because of government incentives through the Inflation Reduction Act.
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President Trump has said he intends to roll back the IRA, so it's future is murky. Congress would need to approve any major changes to the legislation.
For now, though, the incentives are intact. This is good news for communities, too, as reducing pollution will only improve human health and bring us closer to a cleaner, cooler future.
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