Modeling of Lithium plating in lithium ion batteries based on Monte Carlo method

Lithium-ion batteries have been widely used in electric vehicles and play an important role in the energy storage system. However, lithium plating is one of the major degradation processes in lithium-ion batteries, leading to severe capacity fading and other latent safety problems. Lithium plating should be prevented or detected effectively to ensure the operation of LIBs safe and reliable. In this paper, an electrochemical model of lithium plating combined with Monte Carlo method is established to investigate the lithium plating process at different operating conditions, considering the influence of electric field and concentration field. Particle movement and system evolution in atomic scale is simulated at two dimensions with the mobility of each Li⁺ computed. In-situ optical detection experiments of lithium plating at different charging rates are designed and carried out with a charge coupled device (CCD) digital camera and an optical microscope to validate the viability of model. Finally, other usages of this model are discussed. This model will contribute to the novel microscopic insight for mechanism of lithium plating, with the combination of modeling analysis and experiments developing detection techniques for lithium plating.