Alternatively, non-destructive computed tomography measurements using X-ray and neutron techniques can serve as powerful instruments for understanding battery degradation at different scales. However, the prohibitive costs and extensive duration of these experiments hinder their widespread industrial application.
There is not a big principle. But this would require all materials to be in their most stable state and this is not possible during operation. Moreover in real batteries one can have deformation, leakage, ecc. But in theory a battery is not required to degrade by its working principle.
Similar to non-invasive medical screening detecting various health conditions without harming the body, non-destructive characterization of batteries can provide critical data for optimizing performance and longevity without compromising the battery’s structural integrity.
To quantify battery degradation, electrochemical tests are typically conducted, including open circuit voltage, internal resistance and capacity measurements. Among them, incremental capacity (DV-IC) analysis can be used to assess the health and performance of a battery 72.
The degradation of the cathode material plays a crucial role in the overall performance decline of the battery. Similar observations are shown in Fig. 8 (c) and (d), related to the 10 % degradation and EOL conditions of the 1.3C CCCV charging protocol.
This review explores various non-destructive methods for evaluating lithium batteries, i.e., electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, infrared thermography, X-ray computed tomography and ultrasonic testing, considers and compares several aspects such as sensitivity, flexibility, accuracy, complexity, industrial applicability, and cost.