Research Projects

The development of efficient fast charging energy storage solutions is pivotal towards the transition to cleaner and energy-efficient alternatives in automotive industry. The project aims to explore the effect of magnetic field towards improvement of electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries during fast charging (under 15 mins). The proposed work is based on the concept of flux homogenisation to minimise electrochemical degradation during fast charging of lithium-ion batteries by utilisation of magnetohydrodynamic effects. The project proposes to perform electrochemical fast charging of commercial lithium-ion batteries under external applied magnetic field. The sample cells will be cycled under extreme charging rates (1 – 5 C) and exposed to complex magnetic waveforms (DC, AC and pulsed). The cells will be in-situ characterised for capacity and efficiency. Differential voltage/capacity analysis will be used to determine the phase evolution of the electrodes under the effect of applied field. Post-mortem investigations on the degraded electrode surface will be performed to elucidate the morphology (SEM) and composition of the interfacial film (EDS, XPS) against baseline measurements (without field). The dismantled electrodes will be formed into coin half cells (against Li-metal) for electrochemical analysis (CV, EIS, DVDQ) of anode/cathode separately. Computational models will be developed to simulate the magnetic and electrochemical interactions induced by magnetohydrodynamic effects on the lithium ions during the fast charging of the cells under applied field. The model will be used to predict cell performance based on complex charging protocols. New designs for charging protocols will be integrated with magnetic field waveforms and deployed to fast charge the cells with enhanced performance. Characterisations will be performed to determine improvements in cell performance and reduction in overall system operational cost. Finally, a small prototype EM charging system will be made with a thermal management system to test the potential of technological deployment in commercial setup. The charging system would test fast charging abilities of one or more pouch cells, as a pilot device to be deployed in EV battery packs.