Professor Alexej Jerschow and his group have published a study in Nature Communications 9 (2018) called, "Rechargeable lithium-ion cell state of charge and defect detection by in-situ inside-out magnetic resonance imaging." Click here to read the full article. Authors include postdoctoral fellow Andrew Ilott and graduate student Mohaddese Mohammadi. The work was picked up by NYU Research Highlights in an article called "Chemists Develop MRI-Like Technique to Detect What Ails Batteries." Click here to read.
Abstract: When and why does a rechargeable battery lose capacity or go bad? This is a question that is surprisingly difficult to answer; yet, it lies at the heart of progress in the fields of consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and electrical storage. The difficulty is related to the limited amount of information one can obtain from a cell without taking it apart and analyzing it destructively. Here, we demonstrate that the measurement of tiny induced magnetic field changes within a cell can be used to assess the level of lithium incorporation into the electrode materials, and diagnose certain cell flaws that could arise from assembly. The measurements are fast, can be performed on finished and unfinished cells, and most importantly, can be done nondestructively with cells that are compatible with commercial design requirements with conductive enclosures.
This research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the NYU Technology and Acceleration & Commercialization Program.