| Program B01-4 | Muonic X-rays imaging to detect metallic Li deposited in a Li-ion battery |
|---|---|
| Principal Investigator | UMEGAKI, Izumi (KEK-IMSS) |
In this research, we aim to realize the detection of metallic lithium
(Li) deposition inside lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by imaging muon
characteristic X-rays. In our previous work, we showed that elemental
analysis with muon X-ray can detect metallic Li inside a Li-ion
battery by using the difference in atomic capture rate of muon
between Li in charged anode and Li metal. Amount of metallic Li
deposition can be estimated by creating a calibration curve as the
average information of an electrode with an area of about
3 cm (width) × 4 cm (height). If
we establish an imaging technique of
muonic X-rays that Group B01 is working on, we will be able to
realize imaging of Li to clarify the relationship between generation
of metallic Li deposition and thermal instability of LIBs.
In recent years, with the expansion of the LIB market, the reuse of
used batteries and the recycle of resources have become increasingly
important. However, in general, used batteries are not only degraded
in capacity, but are also thought to have metallic Li
deposition. Therefore, it is a major issue to collect and deal used
batteries in a safe way. Metallic Li is deposited on the anode of a
LIB as a result of the reduction of Li under inappropriate usage
conditions, which may cause a short circuit between electrodes and
heat generation, thereby reducing the thermal stability of the
LIBs. The relationship between the growth of metallic Li deposition
and the acceleration of the thermal reaction of LIBs is considered
important for handling used batteries more safely than ever
before. It's getting more and more necessary to detect
nondestructively in order to support the technological attempts to
dissolve or eliminate metallic Li deposition.
Elemental analysis with muonic X-rays has high potential to become a
unique and powerful nondestructive analysis method in a wide range of
research fields. We would like to promote this project in
collaboration with group B01 of Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research
on Innovative Area to open up a new research field.
Fig. 1. (a) Cross-sectional SEM image and
(b) schematic picture of metallic Li deposition on the charged
anode. The relationship between intensity of muonic X-rays from Li
and capacity corresponding to amount of Li.
Members
- Principal Investigator
-
UMEGAKI, Izumi
(KEK-IMSS)
- Research Collaborators
Reference Materials
- I. Umegaki et al., Anal. Chem. 92(12), 8194–8200 (2020).
- I. Umegaki et al., J. Comput. Chem., Jpn. 19, 99–105 (2021).