Direct determination of diffusion coefficients in commercial Li-ion batteries

Diffusion coefficients are important parameters for the characterization of new electrode materials, but they are also essential for the study of cell aging and as input parameters in battery modeling. In this report, the applicability of the galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) on commercial cells is studied. A GITT protocol is applied on a set of commercial cells with graphite anodes and various cathode materials. The cell response is then compared with the ones of the individual electrodes, obtained in three-electrode and half-cell configurations. In particular, mostly due to the particular potential profile of graphite, the full cell GITT response corresponds to the anode and cathode response at low and high state of charge, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the diffusion coefficients of the individual electrodes by a simple experiment on commercial cells, although only in limited ranges of SOC. If the experiments are performed at different temperatures, it is also possible to determine the activation energies of the diffusion coefficients. In conclusion, GITT allows an estimation of the diffusivity data in commercial cells, and can be therefore used as fast analytical tool for the study of aging and for the modeling of lithium-ion batteries.