Project description
A peek inside lithium batteries at work
Lithium-ion batteries are used in everything from portable electronics to power tools, drones, medical devices and electric cars. Optimising them has relied on experimental testing during development and the so-called post-mortem at end of life. However, to truly understand degradation processes, one needs to get up close and inside the batteries while they work. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ISOBEL project is implementing cutting-edge in situ spectroscopy techniques that will enable scientists to simultaneously analyse both electrodes and electrolytes. Insight will lead to improved design to minimise transition-metal dissolution and its detrimental impact on battery life.
Objective
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are a key technology in enabling the transition from a dependence on fossil fuels towards renewable energy sources. However, increased energy density, cycle life, and recyclability are still needed. The different degradation processes in the LIBs are hard to disentangle from post-mortem measurements alone, as intermediate species cannot be detected and changes may occur during cell disassembly. This project aims to apply novel in situ techniques to directly observe the processes involved in transition metal (TM) dissolution, how this affects electrolyte decomposition at the cathode and anode, and the effect on the stability of the solid electrolyte interphase layer. This will be achieved via novel in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements that allow electrodes and electrolyte to be simultaneously observed during cycling. This understanding will be used to develop solutions to mitigate TM-dissolution and its impact on cycle life. The focus will be LiNixMn(1-x)/2Co(1-x)/2O2 (NMC) electrodes used in many commercial LIBs, where larger energy densities can be achieved by increasing the nickel content. However, this is accompanied by higher levels of side-reactions from the more reactive surfaces. The electrolyte degradation products coming from NMC materials with different nickel content will be identified and prevented from reaching the graphite electrode by using lithium-ion conducting glass to separate the electrodes. This will help finding out how Ni-rich NMC materials can be stabilized and the extent to which cross talk products contribute to ageing. The project will also investigate new ways to recycling aged NMC to enable their re-use in new cells, decreasing the energy consumption in the recycling and avoiding the disposal of costly and toxic elements. This will include developing heat treatment protocols for replenishing lithium content and restoring the initial structure.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes recycling
- natural sciences chemical sciences electrochemistry electric batteries
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry transition metals
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy absorption spectroscopy
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
OX1 2JD Oxford
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.