Nondestructive Lithium-Plating Detection Based on Reversible Lithium Reintercalation in Lithium-ion Batteries

Abstract

Lithium plating in lithium-ion batteries can cause critical safety and performance issues, including internal short circuits, severe capacity degradation, and reduced thermal stability. Developing efficient detection methods is imperative to mitigate the safety risks associated with lithium plating. However, most advanced detection techniques require destructive battery disassembly, whereas existing nondestructive approaches often involve extended detection times or have limited practical applicability. To address these challenges, a nondestructive lithium-plating detection method based on the reversible lithium reintercalation mechanism is proposed. This method extracts the direct current internal resistance during the rest phase of pulse charging as a key feature, normalizes this feature, and applies clustering algorithms for nondestructive identification. Experimental analysis of large-format cells, together with post-mortem validation, confirms the effectiveness of the proposed approach. With applicability across wide temperature ranges and diverse current conditions, and relying only on readily obtainable features, this approach enables nondestructive lithium-plating detection and significantly enhances the operational safety and stability of batteries.