Engineers develop new method to spot lithium-ion battery problems

Mechanical engineers at the University of Sheffield have developed a new way of determining the internal structure and condition of the batteries that power many of the electronic devices and vehicles that are at the heart of our daily lives.

The technique, published as part of a study in it Energy Storage Magazinecould be used to identify battery problems much earlier, before they reach the point of being beyond repair, helping to extend their life cycles, reduce e-waste and reduce demand for new batteries that use critical raw materials.

Manufacturers could use the new method to help them detect battery defects during production, reducing the number of defective batteries reaching consumers, and use it during service to provide a more accurate assessment of battery health.

Researchers from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Mechanical Engineering developed the technique using a single ultrasonic wave to reverse engineer a lithium-ion battery cell for the first time. Lithium-ion batteries are used in electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops, and also to power electric vehicles.

Currently, the main way to accurately assess the internal condition of a lithium-ion battery is by using an X-ray machine, which is expensive and impractical for companies, manufacturers and consumers. This means that defects can go unnoticed and not be identified until the battery shows visible damage, such as swelling, which often occurs when the battery is no longer repairable.

The Sheffield breakthrough points a promising direction towards the development of a new low-cost but effective system for assessing the health of lithium-ion batteries, although it is still in the early stages and requires further development to make it widely accessible to the industry.

The technique also opens up the possibility of developing small sensors that could be installed in the battery to monitor its status in real time. This could be a significant advance for monitoring the health of electric vehicle batteries, but could also be developed for use in smaller consumer electronics such as laptops and mobile phones.

Royce Copley, research associate at the University of Sheffield and lead author of the study, said: “Lithium-ion batteries are essential components of many of the electronic devices we all rely on every day, in many aspects of our lives. Boosting electric vehicles and their health is key to determining how far an electric car can travel before needing to be charged.

“We’ve all been in that situation when we’ve noticed that our phone’s battery doesn’t seem to last as long, or our phone suddenly turns off when we’re out and about and need it the most. It’s even more frustrating when the battery on a new device seems to drain quickly, even if you bought it recently.

“The technique we have developed in Sheffield could help put an end to these problems. It could form the basis of a cheap but incredibly effective way of detecting problems in batteries before they reach the consumer.”

Professor Rob Dwyer-Joyce, professor of lubrication engineering at the University of Sheffield and also a researcher on the study, said: “This method has the potential to make the batteries in our electronic devices much more reliable. While it currently has a limited accuracy under certain conditions “Under test conditions, with more research and development, it could be used in the production phase, so that manufacturers can detect problems before shipping them. “It could also be used during service to help our electric vehicles, but also small consumer electronics, last longer.”

After publishing the research, Sheffield engineers are looking for an industrial partner to help them develop the technology.

Professor Dwyer-Joyce added: “The research we have carried out is at the fundamental stage. We have shown what is possible in the laboratory – how we can determine the internal structure of a battery – and we are now looking to take it to the next level with a “We’re really excited about this advancement and we’re looking forward to progressing the technology and seeing where it takes us.”