Review of ultrasonic methods for monitoring, damage detection, and processing of lithium-ion batteries throughout their life-cycle

TL;DR

This paper reviews ultrasonic testing methods for monitoring lithium-ion batteries throughout their life-cycle, emphasizing the potential of UT for non-invasive, physics-based, and data-driven assessment of battery health and damage.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of ultrasonic techniques applied to LIBs, discusses modeling approaches, and highlights challenges and opportunities for future research.

Findings

UT shows promise for non-invasive battery assessment

Physics-based and data-driven models interpret ultrasonic signals

Identifies challenges in applying UT across battery life-cycle

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the leading technology used in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and grid-level electrochemical energy storage applications. The ever-increasing use of LIBs has highlighted a gap in understanding of their behavior throughout their life-cycle. Current monitoring systems rely on electrical and sometimes temperature measurements to assess the internal state which limits information about complex electrochemical processes. In response, ultrasonic testing (UT) has shown promise for non-invasive assessment due to its ease of use and sensitivity to mechanical changes which are correlated with electrochemical changes within the battery. We summarize the research in UT methods applied to LIBs throughout their life-cycle and the relevant techniques at each stage. We also discuss physics-based and data-driven modeling approaches used to interpret ultrasonic signals in the context of LIBs, with an emphasis on the existing challenge of establishing rigorous links between electrochemical behavior and elastic and poroelastic wave physics to gain insight regarding physical changes in the LIB that can be directly measured using UT. Finally, we discuss the challenges of implementing UT across the LIB life-cycle and identify opportunities for further research. This review aims to provide helpful guidance to researchers and practitioners of UT in the growing field of UT for electrochemical battery systems.