Collaborative Research: Fracture Toughness of Lithium-Ion Battery Electrodes: An Integrative Experimental and Computational Study

该奖项的研究目标是使用综合实验和计算方法来研究锂离子电池（lib）中电极材料的断裂韧性和潜在断裂机制。该研究将开发并实施一个原位实验装置，以测量在良好控制的机械和电化学条件下锂化电极的本构行为和外在断裂性能。采用数值场投影格式从实验远场信息中提取裂纹尖端过程区的内聚特性。力学和电化学过程对电极断裂特征的耦合影响将通过包含测量本构规律和内聚参数的细观力学破坏模型来阐明。如果成功，上述研究将显著推进目前对lib中电极材料断裂的有限理解。该研究结果将为提高循环寿命的超高容量电极材料的微观结构优化提供基础设计准则。紧密结合的实验和计算研究将使参与的学生接触到断裂力学的新领域，这是电化学，物理，材料科学和力学的交叉。研究成果将通过开放的网络资源迅速传播，并将整合到本科和研究生课程中。通过多媒体工具增强的现场演示，pi将积极教育小学生最新的储能技术，以激励他们从事科学和工程事业。

The research objective of this award is to use an integrative experimental and computational approach to investigate the fracture toughness and the underlying fracture mechanisms of electrode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The proposed research will develop and implement an in-situ experimental setup to measure the constitutive behavior and extrinsic fracture properties of lithiated electrodes under well-controlled mechanical and electrochemical conditions. A numerical field-projection scheme will be used to extract the intrinsic cohesive properties at the crack-tip process zone from experimental far-field information. The coupled effects of mechanical and electrochemical processes on the electrode fracture characteristics will be elucidated by a micromechanics failure model, which incorporates the measured constitutive law and intrinsic cohesive parameters.If successful, the above studies will significantly advance the currently limited understanding of electrode material fracture in LIBs. Findings from this research will provide fundamental design criteria for microstructural optimization of ultra-high-capacity electrode materials with improved cycle life. The tightly integrated experimental and computational studies will expose participating students to a new field of fracture mechanics, which lies at the intersection of electrochemistry, physics, materials science and mechanics. Research results will be rapidly disseminated via open-access web-based resources, and will be integrated into undergraduate and graduate level courses. Through live demonstrations enhanced with multimedia tools, the PIs will actively educate elementary school students in the latest energy storage technologies to inspire them towards careers in science and engineering.