Distributed reference electrode for lithium plating detection and fast charging optimization in Lithium-Ion batteries

The increasing prevalence of electric vehicles and energy storage systems has led to a significant demand for sophisticated battery management systems and internal sensing technologies, aimed at enhancing safety and efficiency. A key component is the reference electrode, which is indispensable and has been extensively investigated in various studies. Nevertheless, conventional reference electrodes often encounter problems such as high blocking effect and low spatial resolution, which impair their capacity to detect localized phenomena, including lithium plating in commercial cells. In this study, a novel distributed reference electrode integrated into the battery separator was developed to overcome these limitations. The proposed design utilizes a multi-layer annular design with a sandwich structure, featuring hierarchical porosity to minimize the blocking effect and ensure accurate potential measurements across different regions of the battery. A thorough experimental characterization and analysis were conducted to validate the performance of this design. The results demonstrate that it offers superior spatial resolution and successfully captures localized anode potential variations, which are crucial for early-stage detection of localized lithium plating. Furthermore, this design optimizes a non-destructive fast-charging protocol, effectively reducing the risk of lithium plating while refining the lithium plating current boundaries at the electrode level. This study establishes a foundation for advancing intelligent battery management systems, enhancing the development of next-generation intelligent battery technologies.