Magnetic Supraparticles as Identifiers in Single-Layer Lithium-Ion Battery Pouch Cells

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Recycling Technologies

Background:

• Effective recycling of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) requires accessible information, leading to the proposed digital battery passport.
• Current identification methods using optical labels are susceptible to damage, hindering reliable data access for recycling.
• The European battery regulation emphasizes machine-readable identifiers for battery information retrieval.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of using magnetic supraparticles (SPs) for contactless identification of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) battery pouch cells.
• To evaluate magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS) as a method for discriminating between multiple battery cells based on unique magnetic codes.
• To assess the influence of SP integration location on detection and potential cell performance impacts.

Main Methods:

• Development and application of magnetic supraparticles (SPs) for labeling NMC battery pouch cells.
• Utilizing magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS) for contactless detection and identification of the SP-labeled cells.
• Comparative analysis of SP integration at three different locations within a metallic environment.

Main Results:

• Successful contactless identification of NMC battery pouch cells using magnetic supraparticles (SPs) and magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS).
• Demonstrated ability to discriminate between multiple pouch cells based on unique magnetic codes imprinted by SPs.
• Detection efficacy and impact on cell performance were found to be dependent on the SP integration location.

Conclusions:

• Magnetic supraparticles (SPs) coupled with magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS) offer a viable, damage-resistant alternative to optical labeling for battery identification.
• This magnetic identification technology is effective even in challenging metallic environments, supporting the digital battery passport concept.
• The findings lay the groundwork for advanced selective labeling technologies to enhance LIB recycling and promote sustainability.