DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Optimizing the Composite Cathode Microstructure in All‐Solid‐State Batteries by Structure‐Resolved Simulations

Journal Article · · Batteries & Supercaps
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4]
  1. German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics Pfaffenwaldring 38–40 70569 Stuttgart Germany, Helmholtz Institute Ulm for Electrochemical Energy Storage (HIU) Helmholtzstraße 11 89081 Ulm Germany
  2. Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Institute of Energy and Climate Research Materials Synthesis and Processing (IEK-1) Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße 52425 Jülich Germany, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance: JARA-Energy 52425 Jülich Germany
  3. Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Institute of Energy and Climate Research Materials Synthesis and Processing (IEK-1) Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße 52425 Jülich Germany, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance: JARA-Energy 52425 Jülich Germany, RWTH Aachen University Institute of Mineral Engineering Department of Ceramics and Refractory Materials 52064 Aachen Germany
  4. German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics Pfaffenwaldring 38–40 70569 Stuttgart Germany, Helmholtz Institute Ulm for Electrochemical Energy Storage (HIU) Helmholtzstraße 11 89081 Ulm Germany, Ulm University, Institute of Electrochemistry Albert-Einstein-Allee 47 89081 Ulm Germany

Abstract All‐solid‐state batteries are considered as an enabler for applications requiring high energy and power density. However, they still fall short of their theoretical potential due to various limitations. One issue is poor charge transport kinetics resulting from both material inherit limitations and non‐optimized design. Therefore, a better understanding of the relevant properties of the cathode microstructure is necessary to improve cell performance. In this article, we identify optimization potentials of the composite cathode by structure‐resolved electrochemical 3D‐simulations. In our simulation study, we investigate the influence of cathode active material fraction, density, particle size, and active material properties on cell performance. Special focus is set on the impact of grain boundaries on the cathode design. Based on our simulation results, we can predict target values for cell manufacturing and reveal promising optimization strategies for an improved cathode design.

Research Organization:
US DOE-German BMBF Cooperation, Washington DC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
1992393
Journal Information:
Batteries & Supercaps, Journal Name: Batteries & Supercaps Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 6; ISSN 2566-6223
Publisher:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
Germany
Language:
English

References (70)

Critical Current Density in Solid‐State Lithium Metal Batteries: Mechanism, Influences, and Strategies journal February 2021
30 Years of Lithium-Ion Batteries journal June 2018
Elucidating the Role of Microstructure in Thiophosphate Electrolytes – a Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study of β ‐Li 3 PS 4 journal April 2022
High Active Material Loading in All‐Solid‐State Battery Electrode via Particle Size Optimization journal November 2019
Anode‐Free Full Cells: A Pathway to High‐Energy Density Lithium‐Metal Batteries journal May 2020
Fast Charging of Lithium‐Ion Batteries: A Review of Materials Aspects journal July 2021
Rechargeable Batteries of the Future—The State of the Art from a BATTERY 2030+ Perspective journal December 2021
Designing Cathodes and Cathode Active Materials for Solid‐State Batteries journal July 2022
Ionic Conductivity versus Particle Size of Ball‐Milled Sulfide‐Based Solid Electrolytes: Strategy Towards Optimized Composite Cathode Performance in All‐Solid‐State Batteries journal April 2022
What Limits the Rate Capability of Ultrathick Composite Electrodes in Lithium‐Ion Batteries? A Case Study on the Thickness‐Dependent Impedance of LiCoO 2 Cathodes journal July 2022
Synthesis and Structure Refinement of LiCoO2Single Crystals journal November 1998
A new algorithm for three-dimensional voronoi tessellation journal August 1983
Modification in the electronic structure of cobalt bronze LixCoO2 and the resulting electrochemical properties journal October 1989
Single crystal cathodes enabling high-performance all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries journal September 2020
Microstructural parameters governing the mechanical stress and conductivity of all-solid-state lithium-ion-battery cathodes journal September 2023
Lithium metal anodes: Present and future journal September 2020
Li diffusion in LiCoO2 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition journal September 2006
Thermodynamic consistent transport theory of Li-ion batteries journal March 2011
In-situ Li7La3Zr2O12/LiCoO2 interface modification for advanced all-solid-state battery journal August 2014
Key parameters governing the densification of cubic-Li7La3Zr2O12 Li+ conductors journal June 2017
Toward practical all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries with high energy density and safety: Comparative study for electrodes fabricated by dry- and slurry-mixing processes journal January 2018
Ion transport limitations in all-solid-state lithium battery electrodes containing a sulfide-based electrolyte journal August 2018
Lithium-ion batteries – Current state of the art and anticipated developments journal December 2020
Low temperature sintering of fully inorganic all-solid-state batteries – Impact of interfaces on full cell performance journal January 2021
High-rate lithium cycling in a scalable trilayer Li-garnet-electrolyte architecture journal January 2019
Towards better Li metal anodes: Challenges and strategies journal March 2020
Transport and mechanical aspects of all-solid-state lithium batteries journal May 2022
A review of mechanics-related material damages in all-solid-state batteries: Mechanisms, performance impacts and mitigation strategies journal April 2020
Utmost limits of various solid electrolytes in all-solid-state lithium batteries: A critical review journal July 2019
Effect of positive electrode microstructure in all-solid-state lithium-ion battery on high-rate discharge capability journal January 2020
On the Additive Microstructure in Composite Cathodes and Alumina-Coated Carbon Microwires for Improved All-Solid-State Batteries journal February 2021
Grain Boundary Contributions to Li-Ion Transport in the Solid Electrolyte Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (LLZO) journal November 2017
Structure, Chemistry, and Charge Transfer Resistance of the Interface between Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 Electrolyte and LiCoO 2 Cathode journal July 2018
Approaching Practically Accessible Solid-State Batteries: Stability Issues Related to Solid Electrolytes and Interfaces journal November 2019
Garnet-Type Solid-State Electrolytes: Materials, Interfaces, and Batteries journal April 2020
Microstructural Modeling of Composite Cathodes for All-Solid-State Batteries journal December 2018
Effect of the 3D Structure and Grain Boundaries on Lithium Transport in Garnet Solid Electrolytes journal May 2021
All-Solid-State Li Batteries with NCM–Garnet-Based Composite Cathodes: The Impact of NCM Composition on Material Compatibility journal June 2022
3D Impedance Modeling of Metal Anodes in Solid-State Batteries–Incompatibility of Pore Formation and Constriction Effect in Physical-Based 1D Circuit Models journal September 2022
Interfacial Processes and Influence of Composite Cathode Microstructure Controlling the Performance of All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries journal May 2017
High Capacity Garnet-Based All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries: Fabrication and 3D-Microstructure Resolved Modeling journal June 2018
Analysis of Interfacial Effects in All-Solid-State Batteries with Thiophosphate Solid Electrolytes journal January 2020
Modeling Effective Ionic Conductivity and Binder Influence in Composite Cathodes for All-Solid-State Batteries journal February 2020
Impact of Cathode Material Particle Size on the Capacity of Bulk-Type All-Solid-State Batteries journal March 2018
Fast Solid-State Li Ion Conducting Garnet-Type Structure Metal Oxides for Energy Storage journal January 2015
A solid future for battery development journal September 2016
Negating interfacial impedance in garnet-based solid-state Li metal batteries journal December 2016
Batteries and fuel cells for emerging electric vehicle markets journal April 2018
Lithium metal anodes for rechargeable batteries journal January 2014
Controlling and correlating the effect of grain size with the mechanical and electrochemical properties of Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 solid-state electrolyte journal January 2017
Progress and perspectives on halide lithium conductors for all-solid-state lithium batteries journal January 2020
All ceramic cathode composite design and manufacturing towards low interfacial resistance for garnet-based solid-state lithium batteries journal January 2020
Free standing dual phase cathode tapes – scalable fabrication and microstructure optimization of garnet-based ceramic cathodes journal January 2022
A sinter-free future for solid-state battery designs journal January 2022
An advanced model framework for solid electrolyte intercalation batteries journal January 2011
Structure and dynamics of the fast lithium ion conductor “Li7La3Zr2O12” journal January 2011
Continuous plating/stripping behavior of solid-state lithium metal anode in a 3D ion-conductive framework journal March 2018
Tortuosity in electrochemical devices: a review of calculation approaches journal November 2016
Versatile and efficient pore network extraction method using marker-based watershed segmentation journal August 2017
Microstructure and Li-Ion Conductivity of Hot-Pressed Cubic Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 journal January 2015
Development of First Principles Capacity Fade Model for Li-Ion Cells journal January 2004
Influence of NCM Particle Cracking on Kinetics of Lithium-Ion Batteries with Liquid or Solid Electrolyte journal June 2020
Editors’ Choice—Quantifying the Impact of Charge Transport Bottlenecks in Composite Cathodes of All-Solid-State Batteries journal April 2021
Influence of Lithium Ion Kinetics, Particle Morphology and Voids on the Electrochemical Performance of Composite Cathodes for All-Solid-State Batteries journal February 2022
Characterization of Electronic and Ionic Transport in Li 1- x Ni 0.33 Mn 0.33 Co 0.33 O 2 (NMC 333 ) and Li 1- x Ni 0.50 Mn 0.20 Co 0.30 O 2 (NMC 523 ) as a Function of Li Content journal January 2016
Quantitative Characterization of LiFePO 4 Cathodes Reconstructed by FIB/SEM Tomography journal January 2012
Electrochemical Properties of Composite Cathode Using Bimodal Sized Electrolyte for All-Solid-State Batteries journal January 2019
Effect of Microstructure on the Ionic Conductivity of an All Solid-State Battery Electrode journal January 2019
Multiscale modeling of lithium ion batteries: thermal aspects journal January 2015
Efficient cell design and fabrication of concentration‐gradient composite electrodes for high‐power and high‐energy‐density all‐solid‐state batteries journal July 2019