Worried about your battery’s stability during cycling? Here’s how in-operando XRD can help
Think back to your last time on a rollercoaster… chances are that it was exhilarating, unpredictable, and full of dizzying twists and turns! But hopefully it was still a safe experience despite all this, thanks to the rollercoaster’s careful design, sturdy materials and structure, safety features, and regular maintenance.
In fact, the ups and downs of a rollercoaster ride are quite a bit like the frequent charge-discharge cycles during a battery’s lifetime. And, just as a robust rollercoaster is essential for a safe ride, cells that ensure battery stability through these fluctuations are essential for both performance and safety.
Tackling capacity degradation from cycling
But, unlike in rollercoasters, achieving this stability in batteries can sometimes be difficult – particularly when it comes to developing new battery materials with high energy density. Specifically, batteries can be prone to capacity degradation during cycling. This can happen for various reasons, including particle cracking, lithium retention in electrodes, electrolyte degradation, and dendrite formation.
These degradation mechanisms are typically invisible, but they can disrupt your battery’s entire system. You could think of them like hidden flaws in a rollercoaster’s design. So, to develop more successful battery materials that minimize capacity degradation, we need to better understand these mechanisms – to make the invisible visible.
An X-ray view of your battery stability and health
In-operando X-ray diffraction (XRD) can help you do just that! This innovative technique helps you investigate the changes in crystal structure during cycling that can contribute to battery degradation and failure. It’s like an X-ray vision into your battery’s health – and therefore its stability and performance – all in real-time.
And, with the Empyrean XRD platform, you can perform comprehensive in-operando measurements across multiple battery cell types, from smaller coin and electrochemical cells to larger pouch and prismatic cells.
Stability possibilities for multiple kinds of cell
For instance, the Empyrean is suitable for all coin cells with an X-ray transparent window on at least one side, and its specialized coin cell holder can be used for charge-discharge cycling. Electrochemical cells can also be mounted on the Empyrean. We can even supply these cells, equipped with heating and cooling options.
And when it comes to pouch and prismatic cells, the Empyrean is just as useful. With support for 60kV excitation, it enables the high-intensity Ag radiation needed for pouch cell research. With this radiation and a GaliPIX3D detector, it can analyze pouch cells up to 5mm thick. Plus, its multilayer focusing mirrors, which deliver a bright, high-resolution X-ray beam, can significantly reduce measurement times.
Whatever your battery cell type, it’s clear that in-operando XRD is a great way to get more visibility over your materials. And this means you can develop safer, more stable, longer-lasting batteries – despite their rollercoaster charging cycles.
Want to know more about the benefits of in-operando XRD for your battery stability? Check out our brochure for a full overview of all our battery research and quality control solutions!
And for the latest updates on our advanced materials solutions, don’t forget to follow our dedicated LinkedIn page.
Further reading