Hidden threat harms battery health
A recent study in South Korea has found that deep discharging of lithium-ion batteries, especially those rich in nickel such as NMC batteries, significantly accelerates their performance degradation. Lowering the discharge voltage speeds up structural changes on the cathode’s surface, such as oxygen loss and the formation of oxygen vacancies, which reduce the battery’s lifespan and cause it to lose capacity over multiple cycles. Additionally, deep discharging greatly increases gas production within the cells, with gas quantities being approximately 29 times higher than in batteries that are not subjected to such discharges. This deterioration can be mitigated by updating the Battery Management System (BMS) software to raise the cutoff discharge voltage, thereby protecting the cathode and extending the battery’s life, although this might slightly reduce the full utilization of its capacity. The study highlights the importance of how batteries are used during discharge, particularly emphasizing nickel-rich batteries, and suggests that these insights could lead to the development of techniques to prolong battery life without physical changes to their chemical composition.
Notice: This Is an AI-Generated Summary
Comments (0)