Hierarchical Synchrotron X-ray Tomography of End-of-life EV Lithium Batteries: imaging studies to explore non-uniform degradation and evalua

Establishing viable 2nd life opportunities for batteries retired from EV applications is central to improving the circularity of the battery economy. We aim to continue our study on how cooling influences battery ageing after their 1st life and explore their 2nd application. To achieve this, we plan to use hierachical X-ray CT at BM18 to perform an experiment with dual aims, considering different cell geometries which are deployed in EVs including cylindrical and pouch cells. This proposal builds upon our previous experiments (ME-1612). Our objective is to perform non-destructive scans with hierarchically increasing resolution at key locations in pouch cell and 18650s. Hierachical CT will provide an opportunity to obtain a structural overview of the cell module (multiple cells) at 21 µm followed by multiple the electrode volume down to 4 µm, overcoming the ‘spatial-scale barrier’ in conventional CTs. This will inform new insights into SOH and durability for recycling or 2nd life.