Application of physical electric circuit modeling to characterize Li-ion battery electrochemical processes

A physical electric circuit model (PECM) was used to identify several electrochemical processes occurring in two commercial Li-ion batteries of different cathode materials (LixFePO4 and LixCoO2) via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Through defining these electrochemical processes in these two cells, it was determined that the charge transfer resistance (or exchange current density) observed via EIS was due to the cathodic exchange current densities in both the LixFePO4 and LixCoO2 full cells. In discussing the ionic diffusion of the examined cells, the anode of one cell and the cathode of the other were primarily responsible for the observed diffusion of the full cells. Lastly, the measured double layer capacitance was determined to be represented in EIS scans by the anodes of both full cells. The diffusion coefficient was calculated using Fick's1st Law estimation, and from this coefficient, the particle size was calculated and evaluated against scanning electron microscopy (SEM).