Open Access

The measurement of the active material volume fraction in composite electrodes of lithium-ion battery cells is difficult due to the small (sub-micrometer) and irregular structure and multi-component composition of the electrodes, particularly in the case of blend electrodes. State-of-the-art experimental methods such as focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) and subsequent image analysis require expensive equipment and significant expertise. We present here a simple method for identifying active material volume fractions in single-material and blend electrodes, based on the comparison of experimental equilibrium cell voltage curve (open-circuit voltage as function of charge throughput) with active material half-cell potential curves (half-cell potential as function of lithium stoichiometry). The method requires only (i) low-current cycling data of full cells, (ii) cell opening for measurement of electrode thickness and active electrode area, and (iii) literature half-cell potentials of the active materials. Mathematical optimization is used to identify volume fractions and lithium stoichiometry ranges in which the active materials are cycled. The method is particularly useful for model parameterization of either physicochemical (e.g., pseudo-two-dimensional) models or equivalent circuit models, as it yields a self-consistent set of stoichiometric and structural parameters. The method is demonstrated using a commercial LCO–NCA/graphite pouch cell with blend cathode, but can also be applied to other blends (e.g., graphite–silicon anode).

This article presents the development, parameterization, and experimental validation of a pseudo-three-dimensional (P3D) multiphysics model of a 350 mAh high-power lithium-ion pouch cell with graphite anode and lithium cobalt oxide/lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (LCO/NCA) blend cathode. The model describes transport processes on three different scales: Heat transport on the macroscopic scale (cell), mass and charge transport on the mesoscopic scale (electrode pair), and mass transport on the microscopic scale (active material particles). A generalized description of electrochemistry in blend electrodes is developed, using the open-source software Cantera for calculating species source terms. Very good agreement of model predictions with galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and surface temperature measurements is observed over a wide range of operating conditions (0.05C to 10C charge and discharge, 5°C to 35°C). The behavior of internal states (concentrations, potentials, temperatures) is discussed. The blend materials show a complex behavior with both intra-particle and inter-particle non-equilibria during cycling.