"It can't be done!" - Lessons from operando X-ray studies of real-format pouch cells without windows or synchrotrons
Refreshments for attendees will be served at 3:30pm in the meeting room next to the Lecture Theatre.

Abstract:
The manufacture of state-of-art Li-ion batteries require the consideration of $/KWh at cell and pack level at end of life (EOL) ie 80% capacity retention after 1000s of cycles. As a result, we need to simultaneously increase cell performance and longevity.

Extending battery lifetimes in state-of-the-art batteries requires an academic understanding of degradation processes within industry-like manufactured cells. Ideally, we would like to directly observe the intercalation reactions directly within the real cells as a function of cycling to trace the origins of degradation. Unfortunately, most operando studies of these batteries employ either ½-coin cell configurations and/are compromised cells to cater the geometry of the X-ray experiments.

Here, I will summarize our recent developments to employ industry-like cells with in-house x-ray diffraction/absorption and electron microscopy to track the degradation in Ni-rich NMC (NMC811) // graphite single-layer pouch cells after prolonged cycling.1 This new capability enables us to examine the fundamental intercalation reactions occurring in real cells under drive cycles for electric vehicle applications. As a result, it provides new insight into the origin of oxygen loss induced degradation. In state-of-art Ni-rich cell chemistries.[1,-4]
References:
[1] PRX Energy (2024, in press) – 10.26434/chemrxiv-2023-zs9kp-v2
[2] Chemical Reviews 122 (2022), 5641-5681
[3] Joule 7 (2023) 1623-1640
[4] ACS Energy Letters 8 (2023), 5025-5031

Short Biography:
Louis Piper is Professor of Battery Innovation and heads the Battery Materials and Cells group at WMG. He co-leads the Faraday Institution Degradation and FutureCat Phase II projects that focus on developing next generation cathode chemistries and understanding how to improve capacity retention in state-of-art Ni-rich and phosphate cells.

He has published almost 200 publications has various projects with industry partners and government agencies. Louis completed his PhD in surface Physics at Warwick University (2006) before moving to the USA. He was an Associate Research Professor for Boston University and the beamline contact scientist at the NSLS (X1B beamline) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (2006-2010). He was then Physics faculty at State University of New York, Binghamton (Assistant Professor to Full Professor, 2010-2020) Director the Material Science & Engineering program.

His research area is at the interface between physics, chemistry, and engineering, and typically involve employing new capabilities to solve long-standing problems in materials science. His current research focus is on employing novel methods for studying real-format batteries to improve performance by connecting new materials, pilot line cell manufacturing and advanced characterization (e.g. operando x-ray methods).
Date: 6 March 2024, 16:00
Venue: Hume-Rothery Building, Parks Road OX1 3PH
Venue Details: Hume-Rothery Lecture Theatre (fully wheelchair accessible)
Speaker: Professor Louis Piper (University of Warwick/FutureCAT)
Organising department: Department of Materials
Organiser: Lorraine Laird (Department of Materials)
Organiser contact email address: communications@materials.ox.ac.uk
Host: Professor Andrew Watt (University of Oxford)
Part of: Materials Departmental Colloquia
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Public
Editor: Lorraine Laird