High-energy X-ray compton scattering imaging of 18650-type lithium-ion battery cell

Abstract

High-energy synchrotron X-ray Compton scattering imaging was applied to a commercial 18650-type cell, which is a cylindrical lithium-ion battery in wide current use. By measuring the Compton scattering X-ray energy spectrum non-destructively, the lithiation state in both fresh and aged cells was obtained from two different regions of the cell, one near the outer casing and the other near the center of the cell. Our technique has the advantage that it can reveal the lithiation state with a micron-scale spatial resolution even in large cells. The present method enables us to monitor the operation of large-scale cells and can thus accelerate the development of advanced lithium-ion batteries.