Impedance Investigation of Silicon/Graphite Anode during Cycling

Silicon/graphite material is one of the most promising anodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. However, the considerable deformation occurring during the charge/discharge process leading to its degradation hinders its application. Research on the electrochemical performance of silicon/graphite anode have mainly focused on its cyclic performance and microscopic mechanism, whilst the correlation between electrochemical performance and the mechanical deformation of batteries at the cell level is in few numbers. In this study, the electrochemical performance and cycling performance of the cells in Ah-level silicon/graphite anode pouch cells with different SiO weight ratios (5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, and 20 wt.%) in the anode, and LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1 as the cathode are investigated by quantitative analysis. It is found that cells with different SiO weight ratios in anodes under a different state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH) demonstrate remarkable differences in electrochemical impedance characteristics. The results show that SOC, SOH and the weight ratios of SiO are the main factors affecting the impedance characteristics for batteries with silicon/graphite anode, which is deeply related to the change in the thickness of the electrode during lithiation/delithiation. This research facilitates the application of EIS in battery management and the design of silicon/graphite anode lithium-ion batteries.