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Lithium ion batteries: When chemistry meets mechanics

Joost Vlassak, Harvard University
[email protected] 781 652 8144

Kejie Zhao, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
[email protected]

Siva Nadimpalli, Brown University
[email protected]

Vijay A Sethuraman, Brown University
[email protected]

(Mechanics in Materials Science)

Li-ion battery technology is an emerging field that dynamically couples electrochemistry and mechanics. The chemistry of lithiation and delithiation leads to rich phenomena of mechanics in electrodes, such as large deformation, structural transformation, plasticity, fracture and fatigue. Likewise, the stress field generated upon lithium insertion influences the kinetics of lithium transport and chemical reactions in a significant manner. Stress-induced mechanical degradation is one of the primary mechanisms of failure in commercial batteries and limits commercialization of high capacity electrodes.

The goal of this symposium is to elucidate the interplay between chemistry and mechanics in Li-ion batteries and to explore the role of mechanics in designing reliable electrodes. Session topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • Experimental measurements of mechanical properties of electrodes as a function of the state of charge, and characterizations of mechanical stability of nanostructured electrodes associated with electrochemical processes,
  • Constitutive descriptions on the chemo-mechanical behaviors of electrodes, analysis of failure mechanisms in electrodes induced by deformation and stresses, and exploration of mechanics in design of reliable electrodes with prolonged cycle life,
  • Multiscale modeling on the kinetics of Li transport and electrochemical reactions, studies on the microscopic mechanism of deformation and structural transformation, and simulations of mechanical and chemical degradations. 

This symposium aims to bring together experimentalists and theoreticians in the field to highlight the state-of-the-art progresses, and to promote idea exchanges to advance the understanding of the concurrent chemical and mechanical processes in electrodes of Li-ion batteries. 

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