Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Multi-scale thermal stability study of commercial lithium-ion batteries as a function of cathode chemistry and state-of-charge

Journal Article · · Journal of Power Sources
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

This paper takes a critical look at the materials aspects of thermal runaway of lithium-ion batteries and correlates contributions from individual cell components to thermal runaway trends. An accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) was used to evaluate commercial lithium-ion cells based on LiCoO2 (LCO), LiFePO4 (LFP), and LiNixCoyAl1-x-yO2 (NCA) at various states of charge (SOC). Cells were disassembled and the component properties were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and temperature-resolved X-ray diffraction (TR-XRD). The whole cell thermal runaway onset temperature decreases and peak heating rate increases with SOC due to cathode destabilization. LCO and NCA cathodes are metastable, with NCA cells exhibiting the highest thermal runaway rates. By contrast, the LFP cathode is stable to >500 °C, even when charged. For anodes, the decomposition and whole cell self-heating onset temperature is generally independent of SOC. DSC exotherm onset temperatures of the anodes were generally within 10 °C of the onset of self-heating in whole cell ARC. Furthermore, onset temperatures of the cathodes were typically observed above the ARC onset of whole cell runaway. This systematic evaluation of component to whole cell degradation provides a scientific basis for future thermal modeling and design of safer cells.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
1559489
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1645962
OSTI ID: 1571605
OSTI ID: 1693521
Report Number(s):
SAND--2019-7237J; 676803
Journal Information:
Journal of Power Sources, Journal Name: Journal of Power Sources Journal Issue: C Vol. 435; ISSN 0378-7753
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (53)

Surface film formation on a graphite electrode in Li-ion batteries: AFM and XPS study journal January 2005
Thermal stability of LixCoO2, LixNiO2 and λ-MnO2 and consequences for the safety of Li-ion cells journal August 1994
Thermal stability of LixCoO2 cathode for lithium ion battery journal June 2002
Thermal stability of LiPF6–EC:EMC electrolyte for lithium ion batteries journal July 2001
Abuse behavior of high-power, lithium-ion cells journal January 2003
Recent studies on the correlation between surface chemistry, morphology, three-dimensional structures and performance of Li and Li-C intercalation anodes in several important electrolyte systems journal September 1997
A consideration of lithium cell safety journal September 1999
100 Wh Large size Li-ion batteries and safety tests journal September 1999
On safety of lithium-ion cells journal September 1999
Safety characteristics of Li(Ni0.8Co0.15Al0.05)O2 and Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2 journal February 2006
A study on the newly observed intermediate structures during the thermal decomposition of nickel-based layered cathode materials using time-resolved XRD journal May 2006
Thermal stabilities of delithiated olivine MPO4 (M=Fe, Mn) cathodes investigated using first principles calculations journal March 2010
Effects of solvents and salts on the thermal stability of LiC6 journal October 2004
The Buried Carbon/Solid Electrolyte Interphase in Li-ion Batteries Studied by Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy journal August 2014
A comparative study of thermal runaway of commercial lithium ion cells journal September 2018
Thermal abuse performance of high-power 18650 Li-ion cells journal April 2004
Diagnostic examination of thermally abused high-power lithium-ion cells journal October 2006
How dynamic is the SEI? journal December 2007
Structural changes in a commercial lithium-ion battery during electrochemical cycling: An in situ neutron diffraction study journal December 2010
Thermomechanical analysis and durability of commercial micro-porous polymer Li-ion battery separators journal March 2011
Thermal runaway caused fire and explosion of lithium ion battery journal June 2012
Safety of large-capacity lithium-ion battery and evaluation of battery system for telecommunications journal December 2013
Probing the heat sources during thermal runaway process by thermal analysis of different battery chemistries journal February 2018
State of charge influence on thermal reactions and abuse tests in commercial lithium-ion cells journal September 2018
XRD study of phase transformations in lithiated graphite anodes by Rietveld method journal May 2017
Thermal Stability and Reactivity of Cathode Materials for Li-Ion Batteries journal March 2016
Thermal Stability of Lithium Nickel Oxide Derivatives. Part I: Li x Ni 1.02 O 2 and Li x Ni 0.89 Al 0.16 O 2 ( x = 0.50 and 0.30) journal November 2003
Thermal Stability of Lithium Nickel Oxide Derivatives. Part II:  Li x Ni 0.70 Co 0.15 Al 0.15 O 2 and Li x Ni 0.90 Mn 0.10 O 2 ( x = 0.50 and 0.30). Comparison with Li x Ni 1.02 O 2 and Li x Ni 0.89 Al 0.16 O 2 journal November 2003
Correlating Structural Changes and Gas Evolution during the Thermal Decomposition of Charged Li x Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O 2 Cathode Materials journal January 2013
Test of Reaction Kinetics Using Both Differential Scanning and Accelerating Rate Calorimetries As Applied to the Reaction of Li x CoO 2 in Non-aqueous Electrolyte journal May 2001
Failure and Stabilization Mechanisms of Graphite Electrodes journal March 1997
The existence of a temperature-driven solid solution in LixFePO4 for 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 journal February 2005
Thermal-runaway experiments on consumer Li-ion batteries with metal-oxide and olivin-type cathodes journal January 2014
Thermal runaway of commercial 18650 Li-ion batteries with LFP and NCA cathodes – impact of state of charge and overcharge journal January 2015
Multi-scale study of thermal stability of lithiated graphite journal January 2011
Electrical energy storage for transportation—approaching the limits of, and going beyond, lithium-ion batteries journal January 2012
Thermal stability of Fe–Mn binary olivine cathodes for Li rechargeable batteries journal January 2012
In-depth safety-focused analysis of solvents used in electrolytes for large scale lithium ion batteries journal January 2013
Electrical Energy Storage for the Grid: A Battery of Choices journal November 2011
A Comparison Between the High Temperature Electrode /Electrolyte Reactions of Li[sub x]CoO[sub 2] and Li[sub x]Mn[sub 2]O[sub 4] journal January 2001
Accelerating Rate Calorimetry Study on the Thermal Stability of Lithium Intercalated Graphite in Electrolyte. I. Experimental journal June 1999
Comparison of the Reactivity of Various Carbon Electrode Materials with Electrolyte at Elevated Temperature journal January 1999
The Reaction of Charged Cathodes with Nonaqueous Solvents and Electrolytes: I. Li[sub 0.5]CoO[sub 2] journal January 2001
The Reactions of Li[sub 0.5]CoO[sub 2] with Nonaqueous Solvents at Elevated Temperatures journal January 2002
Thermal Stability of the Solid Electrolyte Interface on Carbon Electrodes of Lithium Batteries journal January 2004
Investigations of the Exothermic Reactions of Natural Graphite Anode for Li-Ion Batteries during Thermal Runaway journal January 2005
Time-Resolved XRD Study on the Thermal Decomposition of Li[sub 1−x]Ni[sub 0.8]Co[sub 0.15]Al[sub 0.05]O[sub 2] Cathode Materials for Li-Ion Batteries journal January 2005
Thermal Behavior of Lithiated Graphite with Electrolyte in Lithium-Ion Batteries journal January 2006
Electrochemical and Thermal Studies of Carbon-Coated LiFePO[sub 4] Cathode journal January 2009
On the Thermal Behavior of Lithium Intercalated Graphites journal January 2011
Predicting High-Temperature Decomposition of Lithiated Graphite: Part II. Passivation Layer Evolution and the Role of Surface Area journal January 2018
Thermal Degradation of Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) Layers by Phosphorus Pentafluoride (PF 5 ) Attack journal January 2017
Experimental Analysis of Thermal Runaway in 18650 Cylindrical Li-Ion Cells Using an Accelerating Rate Calorimeter journal April 2017

Cited By (1)

Extended theoretical analysis of crystallisation kinetics being studied by in situ XRD journal December 2019

Figures / Tables (9)

Table 1(p. 6)table Table 1
Figure 1(p. 7)figure Figure 1
Figure 2(p. 9)figure Figure 2
Figure 3(p. 10)figure Figure 3
Figure 4(p. 12)figure Figure 4
Figure 5(p. 14)figure Figure 5
Figure 6(p. 15)figure Figure 6
Figure 7(p. 17)figure Figure 7
Figure 8(p. 19)figure Figure 8

Similar Records

Thermal stability of electrodes in Lithium-ion cells
Journal Article · Sun Feb 06 23:00:00 EST 2000 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society · OSTI ID:751229

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
Calorimetry
Lithium-ion
Temperature-resolved X-ray diffraction
Thermal runaway
Thermogravimetric analysis