Mechanical and Electrochemical Behavior of Lithium-Ion Battery Systems

Lithium-ion batteries couple chemical reactions with mechanical deformation, resulting in complex behaviour that dictates performance, longevity and safety. During charge and discharge, lithium ions intercalate into electrode materials, causing volumetric expansion and contraction. These dimensional changes generate internal stresses that can lead to particle fracture, loss of electrical contact and growth of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Repeated cycling under varying temperatures, rates and pressures further alters electrode microstructure and overall cell geometry. Advanced measurement techniques—such as in-situ dilatometry, tomography and operando diffraction—have revealed non-linear and asymmetric expansion patterns, particularly in silicon-based anodes and high-nickel cathodes. Mechanical constraints within battery modules influence pressure distribution and can exacerbate gas evolution or delamination. Understanding the interplay between electrochemical reactions, phase transitions and stress evolution is critical for optimising cell design, improving cycle life and ensuring the safe deployment of lithium-ion systems in electric vehicles, portable electronics and grid storage.

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Mechanical and Electrochemical Behavior of Lithium-Ion Battery Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in mechanical and electrochemical behavior of lithium-ion battery systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Lithiation: Insertion of lithium ions into electrode host structures during charging, causing material expansion.

Delithiation: Removal of lithium ions from electrodes during discharge, resulting in contraction.

Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI): A passivation layer formed on anodes from electrolyte decomposition, influencing capacity retention and mechanical stress.

Dilatometry: Measurement of dimensional changes in electrode or cell thickness during electrochemical cycling.

Operando diffraction: Real-time X-ray or neutron diffraction technique for monitoring crystal structure and strain evolution inside working cells.

Pouch cell: A battery format using flexible aluminium-plastic laminate enclosures, sensitive to volume changes and pressure distribution.

References

1. Reversible and Irreversible Expansion of Lithium-Ion Batteries Under a Wide Range of Stress Factors. Journal of The Electrochemical Society (2021).
2. A Dilatometric Study of Graphite Electrodes during Cycling with X-ray Computed Tomography. Journal of The Electrochemical Society (2021).
3. Volume Deformation of Large-Format Lithium Ion Batteries under Different Degradation Paths. Journal of The Electrochemical Society (2019).