Introduction
Lithium-ion batteries are at the core of modern energy systems, powering electric vehicles (EVs) and enabling renewable energy storage. Their performance and longevity are vital for both economic efficiency and environmental sustainability.
However, understanding how batteries degrade over time remains a complex challenge.
This article explores the concept of degradation modes and how TWAICE’s innovative approach in simulation models unlock new possibilities for analyzing and optimizing battery performance.
Challenges in Understanding Battery Aging
The degradation of lithium-ion batteries is inherently complex, involving mechanisms that interact and amplify one another. For instance, a 10% loss in battery capacity may result from different underlying causes, such as whether the battery was stored for two years or used consistently over the same period. Recognizing these nuances provides a deeper understanding of aging processes and enables more accurate simulations throughout a battery's lifetime.
What are the Degradation Modes?
Degradation modes provide a structured way to interpret how and where capacity loss occurs, bridging the gap between observable effects—such as capacity fade and power fade—and the underlying degradation mechanisms.
Three key degradation modes help categorize capacity loss based on the affected battery components:
Loss of Lithium Inventory (LLI): Results from side reactions like SEI (Solid Electrolyte Interphase) growth or lithium plating, which reduce the amount of available lithium.
Loss of Active Anode Material (LAMne): Reflects the degradation of active material in the anode due to particle cracking, binder decomposition, and similar mechanisms.
Loss of Active Cathode Material (LAMpe): Represents the degradation of the cathode’s active material, often linked to cathode decomposition.
Distinguishing between these modes, enables deeper insights into battery aging, enabling more targeted strategies to extend battery life and performance.
The TWAICE Advantage: Introducing Degradation Modes with Physics-Informed Semi-Empirical Aging Models
TWAICE addresses these challenges with its physics-motivated semi-empirical aging models. By combining the simplicity of empirical capacity fade models with the detailed insights offered by degradation modes, TWAICE offers a powerful approach to battery simulation. Key features include:
Degradation Mode Integration: Enables simulations of diverse capacity fade trajectories based on the dominant degradation mechanisms.
OCV Aging Modeling: Captures changes in the Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) curve over the battery’s lifetime, improving simulation accuracy for aged batteries.
How Degradation Modes Enhance Informed Battery Development
Through TWAICE’s degradation mode modeling, customers can simulate various degradation states of a battery cell under different operating conditions - provides enhanced interpretability and precision in understanding battery aging. By analyzing degradation modes, users can:
Identify Critical Aging Processes: The TWAICE model provides detailed outputs to deliver actionable insights as:
LLI: Analyze the impact of SEI growth or lithium plating on lithium availability.
LAM (Anode and Cathode): Assess how much each electrode has aged, providing a clear picture of anodic and cathodic capacity loss.
Make Data-Driven Decisions: Users can gain valuable insights to support critical decisions, in optimizing the sizing of battery components such as adjusting the size of the negative electrode for fast charging.
Mitigate Risks: Proactively address degradation-related challenges to enhance battery reliability such as potential lithium plating in highly aged anodes.
Conclusion
Understanding degradation modes transforms the way we approach battery simulation, offering deeper insights into aging processes and enabling precise optimization. TWAICE’s unique integration of empirical models with degradation modes provides customers with a powerful tool to enhance battery performance, safety, and lifespan. By leveraging this innovative approach, users can drive the next generation of battery-powered technologies.
Discover how TWAICE’s cutting-edge simulation models can transform your battery development process. Contact us today for a demo or consultation.