From Atomistic to Continuum Models of Interfaces in Lithium-Ion Batteries

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Modelling Li transport through Li-ion solid-state electrolytes is important for predicting their performances. These materials are often polycrystalline and have interfaces which significantly affect Li transport through the material. Therefore, it is vital to be able to model the effect of these grain batteries in order to fully explore potential new materials to be used in Li-ion batteries.The conventional method of modelling ionic transport across grain boundaries involves solving the Poisson-Boltzmann equation to find the equilibrium distri- bution of point defects (e.g. Li interstitials and vacancies) in a 1D continuum model. This approach assumes defects interact only through mean-field electro- statics, and corresponds to modelling the dilute limit of defect concentrations. Where here, structural defects include ion vacancies and dopant ions. In bat- tery materials, where defect concentrations can be high, interactions between these defects are more complex than the dilute limit mean-field description. To develop accurate models of the effects of grain boundaries on lithium-ion trans- port in these materials, it is therefore necessary to go beyond the dilute limit approximation.The project will involve investigating the thermodynamics of the problem in order to try to incorporate an additional concentration dependent term to the chemical potential. Attempts of producing a model that incorporates the inter- actions between structural defects in solid state electrolytes have been made, however these methods are not widely accepted at the present time, due to the lack of a method for calculating the key parameters for these models [1]. After the form of this additional term is determined, methods of calculating coefficients for such a term for individual grain boundaries and materials will be required. This will require investigating the fundamental thermodynamics of the problem further and determining which calculations are required in order to obtain the values of these parameters a priori. An alternative approach whereby chemical activities are used in order to minimise the free energy of the entire system will also be explored.Throughout the project, the existing code (written and developed by the pre- vious PhD candidate, Georgina Wellock) will be improved and altered to meet the requirements of the new thermodynamics of the problem or to improve efficiency.References[1] Mebane D. S. and De Souza R. A.; Energy Environ. Sci. 2015, 8, 2935-2940.