A review of conduction phenomena in Li-ion batteries

Conduction has been one of the main barriers to further improvements in Li-ion batteries and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. In an effort to gain a better understanding of the conduction phenomena in Li-ion batteries and enable breakthrough technologies, a comprehensive survey of conduction phenomena in all components of a Li-ion cell incorporating theoretical, experimental, and simulation studies, is presented here. Included are a survey of the fundamentals of electrical and ionic conduction theories; a survey of the critical results, issues and challenges with respect to ionic and electronic conduction in the cathode, anode and electrolyte; a review of the relationship between electrical and ionic conduction for three cathode materials: LiCoO₂, LiMn₂O₄, LiFePO₄; a discussion of phase change in graphitic anodes and how it relates to diffusivity and conductivity; and the key conduction issues with organic liquid, solid-state and ionic liquid electrolytes.