New publication about diagnostics on and degradation of Li-ion-batteries

Li₂CO₃ decomposition in Li-ion batteries induced by the electrochemical oxidation of the electrolyte and of electrolyte impurities / Anna T.S. Freiberg, Johannes Sicklinger, Sophie Solchenbach, Hubert A. Gasteiger Gasteiger, H. A. / Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 346, 136271 (2020) - DOI

This paper presents the study of the decomposition reaction of Li₂CO₃ in a standard Li-ion battery electrolyte. The major technique is on-line electrochemical mass spectrometry, employing an electrode only consisting of Li₂CO₃ and conductive carbon. By modifying the electrode configurations in the cell, scientists are able to show that the decomposition of Li₂CO₃ occurs as a chemical process without any direct electrochemical oxidation of the Li₂CO₃ particles.