Raymond B. Smith

Current-induced transition from particle-by-particle to concurrent intercalation in phase-separating battery electrodes

Many battery electrodes contain ensembles of nanoparticles that phase-separate on (de)intercalation. In such electrodes, the fraction of actively intercalating particles directly impacts cycle life: a vanishing population concentrates the current in a small number of particles, leading to current hotspots. Reports of the active particle population in the phase-separating electrode lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4; LFP) vary widely, ranging from near 0% (particle-by-particle) to 100% (concurrent intercalation). Using synchrotron-based X-ray microscopy, we probed the individual state-of-charge for over 3,000 LFP particles. We observed that the active population depends strongly on the cycling current, exhibiting particle-by-particle-like behaviour at low rates and increasingly concurrent behaviour at high rates, consistent with our phase-field porous electrode simulations. Contrary to intuition, the current density, or current per active internal surface area, is nearly invariant with the global electrode cycling rate. Rather, the electrode accommodates higher current by increasing the active particle population. This behaviour results from thermodynamic transformation barriers in LFP, and such a phenomenon probably extends to other phase-separating battery materials. We propose that modifying the transformation barrier and exchange current density can increase the active population and thus the current homogeneity. This could introduce new paradigms to enhance the cycle life of phase-separating battery electrodes.

Li Intercalation into Graphite: Direct Optical Imaging and Cahn-Hilliard Reaction Dynamics.

Lithium intercalation into graphite is a critical process in energy storage technology. Studies of Li intercalation kinetics have proved challenging due to structural and phase complexity, and sample heterogeneity. Here we report direct time- and space-resolved, all-optical measurement of Li intercalation. We use a single crystal graphite electrode with lithographically defined disc geometry. All-optical, Raman and reflectance measurements distinguish the intrinsic intercalation process from side reactions, and provide new insight into the microscopic intercalation process. The recently proposed Cahn-Hilliard reaction (CHR) theory quantitatively captures the observed phase front spatial patterns and dynamics, using a two-layer free-energy model with novel, generalized Butler-Volmer kinetics. This approach unites Cahn-Hilliard and electrochemical kinetics, using a thermodynamically consistent description of the Li injection reaction at the crystal edge that involves a cooperative opening of graphene planes. The excellent agreement between experiment and theory presented here, with single-crystal resolution, provides strong support for the CHR theory of solid-state reactions.

Toward Optimal Performance and In-Depth Understanding of Spinel Li4Ti5O12 Electrodes through Phase Field Modeling

Computational modeling is vital for the fundamental understanding of processes in Li-ion batteries. However, capturing nanoscopic to mesoscopic phase thermodynamics and kinetics in the solid electrode particles embedded in realistic electrode morphologies is challenging. In particular for electrode materials displaying a first order phase transition, such as LiFePO

Explaining key properties of lithiation in TiO2 -anatase Li-ion battery electrodes using phase-field modeling

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Intercalation Kinetics in Multiphase-Layered Materials

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Simple formula for Marcus–Hush–Chidsey kinetics

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Multiphase Porous Electrode Theory

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Simple formula for asymmetric Marcus-Hush kinetics

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In Situ Observation and Mathematical Modeling of Lithium Distribution within Graphite

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Interplay of phase boundary anisotropy and electro-auto-catalytic surface reactions on the lithium intercalation dynamics in LiXFePO4 plateletlike nanoparticles

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