Modulation of Lithium Plating in Li-Ion Batteries with External Thermal Gradient

Li-ion battery safety is often threatened by undesirable lithium metal electrodeposition or dendrite growth, during charging. The unpredictable and complex onset of widely ranging lithium morphologies limits reproducibility, making prevention and detection strategies difficult to assess. This work blends the fundamentals of classical metallurgical dendrite growth with traditional Li-ion battery charging, to prove the ability to modulate lithium metal deposition through an applied interelectrode thermal gradient. With NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) cathode warmed to 40 °C and graphite anode cooled to 0 °C, irreversible lithium plating is observed within 10 cycles, and complete cell deactivation within 20 cycles. The stages of failure over these first 20 cycles are assessed with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. This work provides a technique for accelerated aging and the reliable study of lithium deposition in Li-ion batteries.