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Averting cracks caused by insertion reaction in lithium–ion batteries

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Abstract

In a lithium-ion battery, both electrodes are atomic frameworks that host mobile lithium ions. When the battery is being charged or discharged, lithium ions diffuse from one electrode to the other. Such an insertion reaction deforms the electrodes and may cause the electrodes to crack. This paper uses fracture mechanics to determine the critical conditions to avert insertion-induced cracking. The method is applied to cracks induced by the mismatch between phases in LiFePO4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA

    Yuhang Hu, Xuanhe Zhao & Suo Zhigang

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  1. Yuhang Hu
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  2. Xuanhe Zhao
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  3. Suo Zhigang
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Correspondence to Suo Zhigang.

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The purpose of this Materials Communications section is to provide accelerated publication of important new results in the fields regularly covered by Journal of Materials Research. Materials Communications cannot exceed four printed pages in length, including space allowed for title, figures, tables, references, and an abstract limited to about 100 words.

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Hu, Y., Zhao, X. & Zhigang, S. Averting cracks caused by insertion reaction in lithium–ion batteries. Journal of Materials Research 25, 1007–1010 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2010.0142

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2010.0142

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