Simulation of Pseudo-Elastic Behaviour in a System of Rubber Balloons

The behavior of a many-particle electrode in a lithium-ion battery

“…There is a regime of two coexisting phases, formed by small and large balloons, respectively. Each balloon is in a homogeneous and single-phase state, however, some balloons are in one phase and others are in the other phase; see [14,15,23] for more details. The same happens in the storage system during charging and discharging of the battery: there is a regime of particles with small, respectively, large lithium content.…”

Mesoscopic modeling of Li insertion in phase-separating electrode materials: application to lithium iron phosphate

“…26,27,32 In contrast to the idea of the two end-members coexisting in the same particle, recent phase mapping experiments on electrochemically lithiated-delithiated LFP electrodes have shown that the total Li content of the electrode is distributed between two distinct groups of particles that are either Li-rich or Li-poor. [33][34][35][36] Based on an analogy with the inflation-deflation of a system of interconnected rubber balloons, 37,38 Dreyer and co-workers developed a so-called ''many-particle'' model where particles in a porous electrode are allowed to randomly exchange Li + ions and electrons through the electrolyte and the conductive matrix, respectively. 39,40 The state of the electrode evolves from a given initial condition quasi-statically whereby the configurational entropy accounts for the stochastic exchange of matter among the particles.…”