Electrical and electrochemical performance characteristics of small commercial Li-ion cells

Advanced rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are presently being developed and commercialized worldwide for use in consumer electronics, military and space applications. At Sandia National Laboratories, the authors have used different electrochemical techniques such as impedance and charge/discharge at ambient and subambient temperatures to probe the various electrochemical processes that are occurring in Li-ion cell. The purpose of this study is to identify the component that reduces the cell performance at subambient temperatures. Their impedance data suggest that while the variation in the electrolyte resistance between room temperature and -20°C is negligible the anode electrolyte interfacial resistance increases by an order of magnitude in the same temperature regime. They believe that the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer on the carbon anode may be responsible for the increase in cell impedance. They have also evaluated the cells in hybrid mode with capacitors. High-current operation in the hybrid mode allowed full usage of the Li-ion cell capacity at 25°C and showed a factor of 5 improvement in delivered capacity at -20°C