Advanced pulse charging strategies enhancing performances of lithium-ion battery: Fundamentals, advances and outlooks

Li-ion batteries (LIBs) play a crucial role in powering electric vehicles (EVs) due to their high voltage, compact size, and exceptional energy density. However, the limitations associated with rapid charging remain a significant barrier to the expansion of EV market, prompting ongoing research into more efficient and safer charging techniques. A key challenge lies in balancing charging speed with battery longevity. The widely adopted constant current-constant voltage (CC-CV) charging protocol often results in polarization and lithium plating during high-speed charging, which poses serious risks to battery health. In response, pulse charging (PC) has emerged as a promising alternative for enhancing the stability of LIBs across various chemistries. Internal factors such as diffusion resistance, polarization, and precipitation critically impact external parameters such as voltage, current, and capacity. pulse charging mitigates these issues by reducing internal polarization, relieving structural strain, promoting uniform lithium plating, constructing low-resistance solid electrolyte interface (SEI) films, and improving performance under low-temperature conditions. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the effect of pulse charging on battery cycle stability and discusses optimized strategies for charging management, thermal regulation, and the orthogonal design-coupling model, all aimed at reducing charging time while maximizing battery life in EVs.