Group 9 uses models to study spatial effects in cells. Models provide a rigorous language for describing the physics of a battery, and different applications may draw on different combinations of chemical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical physics.

These models are often simplified by studying a single point in a cell, which makes it easier to investigate how temperature, electrochemical, and mechanical behaviours interact with each other.

However, a single point is not always representative of a full cell, which may see large spatial variations in states such as temperature, electrolyte concentration, and electrode stoichiometry.

This so-called heterogeneity impacts performance all the way from particle to pack level, however the exact effects are difficult to predict, due to the coupling between many types of physics and the varied spatial and temporal scales they act over.

Group 9 uses modelling tools to shine new insights onto heterogeneous effects, to extract better performance and longer lifespans from existing battery chemistries.

Group 10 aims to improve how battery safety is assessed by developing methods that better capture a battery’s condition throughout its lifetime.

The WP combines advanced computational models with experimental measurements of internal battery states to improve our understanding of the physical and chemical processes that underpin the link between battery degradation and potential failure.

By integrating insights from battery behaviour, materials degradation, and safety testing, Group 10 will support the development of more informative safety assessment tools that have the potential to be deployed in battery management systems (BMS).

The outcomes will help enable more reliable battery monitoring and management, supporting the safe deployment of batteries in applications ranging from transport to stationary energy storage.