Gauging the internal condition of a lithium-ion battery currently requires use of an X-ray machine, a high-cost method that may not identify all existing defects. A more streamlined and accurate approach developed at the University of Sheffield, U.K., applies ultrasonic waves to probe a battery’s internal structure.

The technique could help users spot faulty batteries. Source: Adobe Stock

A single ultrasonic wave and a genetic algorithm are used to reverse engineer a lithium-ion battery cell in a process that can reveal structural or operational issues earlier and help extend device lifetime. When tested against an idealized model battery and its predicted waveform, the algorithm was demonstrated effective in converging the predicted wave response to the reference signal and creating accurate battery structures.

The method described in the Journal of Energy Storage can determine material wave speed to 40 m/s to 1100 m/s, or 3% to 29%, accuracy when battery layer geometry is provided. The researchers note that this development could lead to the design of small sensors that could be fitted onto the battery to provide real-time monitoring of its condition and expand the capability to monitor the health of batteries used in electronics such as mobile phones, laptops and electric vehicles.