INSA Lyon – Energy storage: a global challenge monitored via micro-ct

26 Jan 2021
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Energy storage, and batteries in particular, has been one of the most active industrial fields for many years. Today the stakes grow bigger by the day, with the exponential growth of electric mobility, connected devices and our means of communication.

 

 
Current Context of Energy Storage
 
There is one basic principle when talking about electrochemical battery: transforming electrical energy into chemical energy during charging and conversely to restore electrical energy during discharge. This tenet has been used in lead batteries for 150 years. Designed more than 30 years ago, Lithium-ion batteries are as for today the most widespread solution in various sectors. Its very high efficiency (3 times more power than a lead battery of the same weight) and the large number of cycles make it the most efficient solution.
 
Nevertheless, there are many issues to improve existing products: storage capacity, manufacturing cost, safety, ecological cost and of course life expectancy. The work detailed in this application note was focused on these last two points.
 
 
Introduction to Lithium - ion batteries
Lithium - ion batteries are used from cell phones to electric cars thus are becoming today's energy storage solution for various areas. Significant power as well as autonomy make these batteries the most widespread solution as for today. Nevertheless, many projects are currently underway, focusing on different aspects such as : storage capacity, security, ecological cost and of course life expectancy.
What is it ?  
Li-ion batteries are made up of a multitude of cells, each one being able of generating a few volts. Every cell is formed of two electrodes that will exchange ions, lithium in Li-ion batteries. The analysis on a very small scale of the chemical components of the electrodes is then an essential step to improve the performance of the batteries.
 
How does it work ? 
Conventional means of materials analysis often require the destruction of the sample and do not allow the evolution of a battery to be monitored over the charge and discharge cycles. In addition, these techniques provide two-dimensional information only, which is unsuitable for the analysis of a three-dimensional porous network
 

In the race to improve energy storage, the EasyTom CT system is a key tool

Using a laboratory micro-CT has been validated for analyzing the microstructure of materials in Li-ion cells with a silicon electrode, both for ex situ analyses on an inert sample and for in situ experiments. With the EasyTom 160, it is now possible to quantify the three-dimensional distribution of silicon in the electrode and to observe a number of degradation phenomena over the course of a cycle.

This advance lets labs and research centers speed up their work significantly, while still relying on synchrotron sources when the limits of laboratory equipment are reached.
Discover all our CT systems: micro-CT, nano-CT, high-energy CT and custom projects.
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