Optimize battery performance

There is news from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Its researchers have now solved the mystery surrounding a central interface in lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolytes. This involves the layer that forms on the electrodes during the initial charging process of the batteries. Called the solid electrolyte interface (SEI), this layer - also known as the passivation layer - has an important function in battery life and electrochemical performance at the anode surface. It is subjected to severe stress during both charging and discharging.

Additives as a solution
Once the passivation layer breaks down, the electrolyte lacks a protective layer and degrades, causing the battery's performance to continue to decline. In the course of more than 50,000 simulations, the researchers have now thoroughly analyzed the SEI in terms of its composition and growth and derived findings from this. These allow the lifetime and performance of the batteries to be optimized by developing appropriate additives that are capable of influencing the characteristics of the SEI.

Source: elektronikpraxis.de, KIT, 14.03.2023
Image: Christine Heinrich, KIT researchers have used simulations to characterize the formation of the solid-electrolyte interface phase.