Exploring restrictive overdischarge cycling as a method to accelerate characteristic ageing in lithium-ion cells

This study presents a test protocol that greatly accelerates the ageing process of lithium-ion battery cells comprising a positive electrode of nickel manganese cobalt oxide while preserving their characteristic degradation upon cyclic ageing. Applying a repetitive restricted overdischarge, resulting in a depth of discharge larger than 100 %, a capacity loss of 20 % is achieved over five times faster compared to conventional cycling. The well-known overdischarge degradation phenomenon of copper current collector dissolution is deliberately prevented by setting a discharge cutoff voltage above the theoretical threshold of copper oxidation. Hence, the accelerated degradation can be primarily connected to solid electrolyte interphase growth. A comparative assessment of the ageing dynamics using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and differential voltage analysis hints towards similar, characteristic degradation processes during accelerated and conventional ageing. A post-ageing examination of the electrical behaviour (i.e., coulombic and energy efficiency, capacity fade) under reference conditions reveals very little to no lasting damages caused by overdischarging. Additionally, post-mortem analysis discloses no increased copper dissolution when comparing cells subjected to accelerated and conventional ageing. Generally, the developed ageing method appears suitable for providing cells with a defined state of health at a reasonable timescale without altering the main degradation mechanisms significantly.