Real-time tracking shows how batteries degrade

How disposable Lithium batteries degrade during normal use has been tracked in real-time by a UCL-led team using sophisticated 3D imaging, giving a new way to non-invasively monitor performance loss and guide the development of more effective commercial battery designs. The team recently used the same technique to show how rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries fail when they are exposed to extreme levels of heat, but this is the first time the extent of day-to-day damage of disposable Lithium batteries has been shown. The study follows calls from investigators in August 2015 for a safety review of all lithium battery-powered equipment on planes after a fire on board a grounded Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Heathrow Airport in 2013. The fire was caused by the plane's disposable Lithium battery-powered emergency locator transmitter which sends out a radar signal to locate missing aircraft. The system is designed to work indefinitely until the aircraft is found but the results show the batteries may not be as resilient as they seem. The study by UCL, Lund University, The European Synchrotron (ESRF), University of Manchester, Harwell Oxford, Oregon State University and the National Physical Laboratory, published in  Advanced Science  today, shows the internal structural damage caused to batteries working under normal conditions in real-time. Using cutting edge X-ray imaging techniques at ESRF, the team tracked different types of wear and tear which cause performance loss and linked this wear to design features of the commercial battery.