Electrochemical polarization-based fast charging of lithium-ion batteries in embedded systems

The deposition of metallic lithium on the negative electrode's surface of a lithium-ion battery, known as lithium plating, can significantly reduce the battery's cycle life, performance, and safety. The likelihood of the lithium plating reaction depends on the current rate, temperature, and the state of charge (SOC), which complicates the prediction of this phenomenon. In this paper, a novel fast charging procedure is introduced. It utilizes a correlation between the negative electrode's polarization and the anode potential for current regulation. The correlation is investigated under various operational parameters. Thereby, a linear relation between cell voltage and anode potential is shown independently of the current rate, temperature, and the initial SOC. Based on the linear relation, an anode potential regulation is implemented. In this regard, a Newman-type P2D modeling framework is used to derive a dynamic voltage threshold. Due to the anode potential regulation, the risk of unwanted lithium plating is significantly reduced. The implementation is considered not to require a P2D model on a micro-controller, which is a significant advantage, especially in embedded systems.