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Magnetic microscopy for operando imaging of battery dynamics
Stefan Pollok1, Mohamad Khoshkalam1, Fardin Ghaffari-Tabrizi1
1Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
Nature Communications
|September 17, 2025
Summary
Operando magnetic microscopy reveals nanoscale insights into battery charge/discharge cycles. This method visualizes ionic and electronic currents, aiding understanding of battery degradation and improving performance.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Physics
Background:
- Battery performance relies on understanding operational and degradation processes.
- Heterogeneous charge transport at the nanoscale drives battery degradation, but is difficult to image.
- Current operando imaging techniques struggle to resolve nanoscale inhomogeneities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a data-driven approach using operando magnetic microscopy for battery analysis.
- To investigate charge and discharge cycles in lithium and post-lithium batteries.
- To gain insights into battery inhomogeneities and degradation mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing operando magnetic microscopy for quantitative imaging.
- Analyzing ionic and electronic current distributions at the nanoscale.
- Probing nanoscale chemical reactions during battery cycling.
Main Results:
- Spatially resolved imaging of heterogeneous redox reactions.
- Quantitative mapping of buried ionic and electronic current distributions.
- Identification of mechanistic contributions to short-circuit endurance.
Conclusions:
- Operando magnetic microscopy offers a powerful tool for nanoscale battery characterization.
- Understanding current distributions is key to mitigating battery degradation.
- This technique provides valuable insights for developing more durable and efficient batteries.
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