Evolution of Li Dendrite Growth on Graphite Anodes Under Fast-Charging Conditions

The increased adoption of Li-ion batteries in large scale applications, such as electromobility, pushes the limits of the capabilities of the technology. In particular, the Li-ion needs to reach every increasing charging current to meet the ever increasing demands of the technology. Fast-charging is crucial in the adoption of electric vehicles and decreasing so-called ‘range anxiety’, however fast-charging can lead to critical failures of the Li-ion battery due to the formation of Li-dendrites, when Li plates on the anode instead of being intercalated. Here we propose an experiment operando x-ray tomography experiment, using the ID19 beamline, to directly monitor a graphite anode under fast-charging conditions in order to investigate when and where Li-plating starts and the evolution of the process in real time. The aim is to investigate the role of the physical properties of the electrolyte, operating conditions and anode morphology for the occurrence of Li-plating.