Inserting a lithiation potential gap as a factor for degradation control in aluminum-foil anodes by utilizing roll-bonding processes

Abstract

Using a roll-bonding process, the authors combine Al foils with different alloy additions into clad Al foils. The lithiation potential difference between the Al foils serves as a control factor to regulate lithium penetration during cycles.

Impact of LiAl Nucleation Kinetics on the Microstructural Evolution of Aluminum Foil Anodes in Lithium-ion Batteries

“…Under these conditions, it is likely that an electrochemically inactive current collector would be needed to maintain electrical contact, and it has recently been shown that certain aluminum alloys are suitable for current collectors. 43 We suspect that the mechanochemical behavior of the Al foil anode may be significantly different when there is not an excess of unreacted Al available. Overall, these results show that the uncontrolled nucleation of β-LiAl during cycling, which is caused by the passivation of the surface by α-Al after deep discharge, is a major cause of mechanical degradation of Al foil anodes.…”

“…3c). 43 When cycled with a low charge capacity cutoff (i.e., 0.2 mAh cm −2 ) and a thick Al foil, Al foil anodes have been shown to withstand hundreds of cycles before sudden failure. 44 Conversely, when the cycled capacity is close to the theoretical capacity, sudden failure occurs within a few cycles.…”