Phase-field modeling of the influence of mechanical stresses on charging and discharging processes in lithium ion batteries

A promising cathodic material for lithium ion batteries is lithium manganese oxide. However, over battery cycling, this material shows capacity fade. This behavior may be induced by mechanical failure of the particles whose granular cathode consists of. This further indicates the occurrence of very large stresses in particles. By means of a phase-field model coupled to mechanics we have computed the stresses arising in these particles.