Electro-Chemo-Mechanical Domain to Enable Less Hysteretic Fast-Charging

A new avenue by transforming the conventional electrochemical domain into an electro-chemo-mechanical domain is proposed to achieve less hysteretic fast-charging based on the three pictures: i) electro-chemo-mechanics, ii) phase transition kinetics, and iii) ionic kinetics. Each concept is demonstrated leading to the electrochemical improvement using data-driven computation and experimental analyses, and its novel framework is generalized based on alkali-ion chalcogenide models. The mechanical strain lowers and delays the electrochemical yield point, which gives rise to extending the elastic region and enhancing the phase and ionic kinetics. This is experimentally verified with less hysteresis upon (dis)charging for all models. Implementing the electro-chemo-mechanical domain is central in alkali-ion chalcogenide batteries and broadens its application in other rechargeable batteries, ultimately playing a critical role in providing practical fast-charging solutions.