Lithium plating occurs when metallic lithium builds up on the surface of a battery’s anode during rapid charging.
“The mechanisms that trigger lithium plating, until now, have not been well understood,” added the press release.
Lithium plating accelerates battery degradation
Lithium-ion batteries’ ability to charge quickly is a significant advantage. However, the propensity for these batteries to overheat or even catch fire during rapid charging has raised safety concerns.
Lithium plating is a major contributing factor to these issues, as it can lead to short circuits and accelerated battery degradation.
“Lithium (Li) plating is a major challenge limiting the adoption of fast-charging Li-ion batteries,” asserted the researcher in a new study.