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A reaction engineering approach to non-aqueous battery lifetime
Journal article   Open access

A reaction engineering approach to non-aqueous battery lifetime

Sophia E. Lee, Oliver C. Harris, Tana Siboonruang and Maureen Tang
Joule, v 5(3), pp 551-563
17 Mar 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2020.12.022
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2020.12.022View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Open Access (Publisher-Specific),  Open

Abstract

batteries catalysis engineering
Complex side reactions drive capacity fade in modern Li-ion batteries and are a key factor in achieving extended battery lifetimes. Unfortunately, the interconnected nature of the reaction pathways means that optimizing one aspect of performance can result in a shift between benign and detrimental side reactions, and that simple Coulombic efficiency is unable to capture these differences. Because batteries are ultimately chemical reactors, reaction engineering principles can provide a suitable framework for understanding. The electrocatalytic systems of Li-O2 batteries and electrochemical CO2 reduction demonstrate both the importance of quantifying reaction selectivity and the key role that reactor geometry plays in this process. Recent findings from these fields suggest that battery side reactions should also be studied in reactors that have been optimized for analytics. In this reaction engineering context, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of existing analytical tools and present pathways for designing new reactors that can directly evaluate Li-ion battery reaction selectivity. Quantification of selectivity and reaction parameters can direct materials design and improve lifetime prediction. [Display omitted] •A Li inventory model demonstrates complexity of battery capacity fade prediction•Electrocatalysis-inspired methods for studying battery side reactions are explored•Novel reactor designs for improved battery analytics are proposed Extending the lifetime of non-aqueous batteries, particularly Li-ion, is necessary to reduce large-scale energy storage costs and to mitigate the environmental concerns of battery disposal and recycling. Better understanding of the complex side reaction networks is necessary for improved lifetime. This perspective proposes that considering battery interfaces in the context of catalytic selectivity may provide a powerful approach to this problem. Extracting meaningful measurements of reaction selectivity requires detailed attention to reactant and product transport, as illustrated by recent findings in aqueous electrocatalysis. Ultimately, new reactor designs that control interelectrode communication while maintaining a realistic battery environment must be developed to measure reaction rates directly. This knowledge in turn could enable physics-based predictive models of battery lifetime. Longer lifetime will improve the economic and environmental costs of Li-ion batteries. Predicting and controlling lifetime requires better understanding of chemical side reactions. Here, we argue that battery side reactions are essentially a problem of catalytic selectivity. In this reaction engineering context, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of existing analytical tools and present pathways for designing new reactors that can directly evaluate Li-ion battery reaction selectivity.

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13 citations in Scopus

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Web of Science research areas
Chemistry, Physical
Energy & Fuels
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
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