4D imaging of lithium-batteries using correlative neutron and X-ray tomography with a virtual unrolling technique
- The temporally and spatially resolved tracking of lithium intercalation and electrode degradation processes are crucial for detecting and understanding performance losses during the operation of lithium-batteries. Here, high-throughput X-ray computed tomography has enabled the identification of mechanical degradation processes in a commercial Li/MnO2 primary battery and the indirect tracking of lithium diffusion; furthermore, complementary neutron computed tomography has identified the direct lithium diffusion process and the electrode wetting by the electrolyte. Virtual electrode unrolling techniques provide a deeper view inside the electrode layers and are used to detect minor fluctuations which are difficult to observe using conventional three dimensional rendering tools. Moreover, the ‘unrolling’ provides a platform for correlating multi-modal image data which is expected to find wider application in battery science and engineering to study diverse effects e.g. electrode degradation or lithium diffusion blocking during battery cycling.
Author: | Ralf F. ZiescheORCiD, Tobias Arlt, Donal P. FineganORCiD, Thomas M.M. Heenan, Alessandro Tengattini, Daniel BaumORCiD, Nikolay Kardjilov, Henning Markötter, Ingo MankeORCiD, Winfried Kockelmann, Dan J.L. Brett, Paul R. Shearing |
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Document Type: | Article |
Parent Title (English): | Nature Communications |
Volume: | 11 |
First Page: | 777 |
Date of first Publication: | 2020/02/07 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13943-3 |