Cross-Cut I

To achieve the scientific mission and research objectives of CARES, the fundamental safety science of various next-generation battery chemistries and their mechanistic links to degradation pathways and electrochemical responses will be investigated through a comprehensive and multiscale operando analytics framework. This approach integrates multi-modal techniques, including three-electrode analysis, thermal sensing, optical visualization, physics-based modeling, and data-driven methods, to gain real-time insights into electrochemical processes and their impact on performance and safety.

Using advanced operando analytics, we gain insights into the contributions of individual electrodes to overall performance and explore specific degradation pathways unique to next-generation chemistries. Real-time observation of these parameters allows us to deconvolute capacity loss, lithium/sodium plating, and safety risks such as the onset of copper dissolution or irreversible energy losses in batteries.

Testing under various operational conditions, including abuse scenarios such as fast charging, overcharging, over-discharging, internal short circuits, and low-temperature cycling, allows for a comprehensive understanding of safety and degradation mechanisms. This approach helps identify the operational limits of beyond lithium-ion chemistries while also providing valuable insights into electrode resistances, plating parameters, SEI kinetics, and charge transfer processes, which are critical for advancing next-generation battery technologies. Through this framework, we will develop comprehensive safety and performance analytics for future energy storage systems, paving the way for safer and resilient batteries.