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Currently, Li-ion cells are the preferred candidates as energy sources for existing portable applications and for those being developed. Thus, a proper characterization of Li-ion cells is required to optimize their use and their manufacturing process. In this study, the transport phenomena and electrochemical processes taking place in LiCoO2-Li(NiMnCo)O2/graphite (LCO-NMC/graphite) cells are identified from half-cell measurements by means of impedance spectroscopy. The results are calculated from current densities, instead of absolute values, for the future comparison of this data with other cells. In particular, impedance spectra are fitted to simple electrical models composed of an inductive part, serial resistance, and various RQ networks—the parallel combination of a resistor and a constant phase element—depending on the cell. Thus, the evolution of resistances, capacitances, and the characteristic frequencies of the various effects are tracked with the state-of-charge (SoC) at two aging levels. Concretely, two effects are identified at the impedance spectrum; one is clearly caused by the charge transfer at the positive electrode, whereas the other one is presumably caused by the transport of lithium ions across the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. Moreover, as the cells age, the characteristic frequency of the charge transfer is drastically reduced by a factor of around 70%.

Currently, lithium-ion batteries are widely used as energy storage systems for mobile applications. However, a better understanding of their nature is still required to improve battery management systems (BMS). Overvoltages and open-circuit voltage (OCV) hysteresis provide valuable information regarding battery performance, but estimations of these parameters are generally inaccurate, leading to errors in BMS. Studies on hysteresis are commonly avoided because the hysteresis depends on the state of charge and degradation level and requires time-consuming measurements. We have investigated hysteresis and overvoltages in Li(NiMnCo)O2/graphite and LiFePO4/graphite commercial cells. Here we report a direct relationship between an increase in OCV hysteresis and an increase in charge overvoltage when the cells are degraded by cycling. We find that the hysteresis is related to diffusion and increases with the formation of pure phases, being primarily related to the graphite electrode. These findings indicate that the graphite electrode is a determining factor for cell efficiency.

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Entropy and irreversibility in the quantum realm Am. J. Phys. 79, 297 (2011) We propose a method to characterize electrical resistor damage based on entropy measurements. Irreversible entropy and the rate at which it is generated are more convenient parameters than resistance for describing damage because they are essentially positive in virtue of the second law of thermodynamics, whereas resistance may increase or decrease depending on the degradation mechanism. Commercial resistors were tested in order to characterize the damage induced by power surges. Resistors were biased with constant and pulsed voltage signals, leading to power dissipation in the range of 4-8 W, which is well above the 0.25 W nominal power to initiate failure. Entropy was inferred from the added power and temperature evolution. A model is proposed to understand the relationship among resistance, entropy, and damage. The power surge dissipates into heat (Joule effect) and damages the resistor. The results show a correlation between entropy generation rate and resistor failure. We conclude that damage can be conveniently assessed from irreversible entropy generation. Our results for resistors can be easily extrapolated to other systems or machines that can be modeled based on their resistance. V C 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.