Battery electronification: intracell actuation and thermal management.

Longchamps, Ryan S; Ge, Shanhai; Trdinich, Zachary J; Liao, Jie; Wang, Chao-Yang · Nat Commun · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Electrochemical batteries - essential to vehicle electrification and renewable energy storage - have ever-present reaction interfaces that require compromise among power, energy, lifetime, and safety. Here we report a chip-in-cell battery by integrating an ultrathin foil heater and a microswitch into the layer-by-layer architecture of a battery cell to harness intracell actuation and mutual thermal management between the heat-generating switch and heat-absorbing battery materials. The result is a two-terminal, drop-in ready battery with no bulky heat sinks or heavy wiring needed for an external high-power switch. We demonstrate rapid self-heating (∼ 60 °C min<sup>-</sup><sup>1</sup>), low energy consumption (0.138% °C<sup>-</sup><sup>1</sup> of battery energy), and excellent durability (> 2000 cycles) of the greatly simplified chip-in-cell structure. The battery electronification platform unveiled here opens doors to include integrated-circuit chips inside energy storage cells for sensing, control, actuating, and wireless communications such that performance, lifetime, and safety of electrochemical energy storage devices can be internally regulated.