Elemental analysis of lithium ion batteries

Abstract

Being successfully introduced into the market only 25 years ago, lithium ion batteries are already state-of-the-art power sources for portable electronic devices and the most promising candidate for energy storage in large-size batteries. A major challenge is the degradation of the cell constituents, which is called aging and which minimizes both storage lifetime (calendar life) and operation lifetime (cycle life). Due to the numerous aging effects, both in the individual constituents and their interactions with each other, a myriad of instruments and methods are reported in the literature for the investigation of these effects. Elemental analysis of lithium ion batteries and their decomposition products can provide valuable information in order to overcome or at least minimize the aging effects and support the improvement of the consumer acceptance of lithium ion batteries for electro-mobility, stationary and grid applications. In this review, we show a comprehensive overview of the elemental analysis of lithium ion battery constituents and their degradation products.