Recently, the research team led by Prof. Chunyu Du at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, has achieved important progress in the field of nondestructive battery diagnostics. Innovatively developing an operando nondestructive mapping technique based on the external magnetic field of batteries, the team has successfully addressed the long-standing challenge of monitoring the spatiotemporal distribution of internal reactions in commercial batteries. This advancement enables operando characterization and visual analysis of the spatiotemporal evolution of the electrochemical reactions within commercial lithium-ion batteries. The research findings, titled “Operando mapping of the dynamic of spatially inhomogeneous reactions in commercial batteries”, have been published in Joule, providing a new framework for investigating the operational stability and reliability of batteries under complex working conditions.
The spatiotemporal distribution and evolution of internal reactions are key factors determining battery performance and critical indicators of a battery’s internal state. However, the battery field has long faced a global challenge; internal reactions during operation are invisible, and their dynamic evolution is difficult to resolve. To tackle this issue, the team established a quantitative mapping relationship between the external magnetic field of the battery and its internal current density, invented a new magnetic-field imaging and analysis technique for the tracking spatiotemporal dynamic evolution of internal reactions, and independently designed and constructed a highly sensitive, low-noise, automated operando testing system. These efforts have overcome the hurdle of accurately characterizing the distribution of internal reactions in lithium-ion batteries. Using this technique, the team has elucidated the internal self-regulating dynamic feedback mechanisms during the operation of lithium-ion batteries.
This technology can accurately identify potential design and manufacturing defects in batteries as well as analyze internal battery states under different operating conditions, structural configurations, and stress conditions. It offers a new approach for optimizing battery structural design, elucidating degradation mechanisms, achieving early diagnosis of abnormal states, and implementing quality control in battery manufacturing thus holding great promise for engineering applications. Meanwhile, the technology exhibits remarkable universality and versatility, making it suitable for high-resolution, nondestructive detection and analysis of the spatial distribution and dynamic evolution of reactions across a wide range of electrochemical systems.
Spatiotemporal mapping of internal inhomogeneous reactions in commercial batteries via external magnetic field measurements
Harbin Institute of Technology is listed as the first contributing institution for this paper. Huaian Zhao, a doctoral student at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, is the first author, with Professor Chunyu Du serving as the corresponding author. Professor Geping Yin, Associate Researcher Guokang Han, Assistant Researcher Jiannan Du, and doctoral students Lizhi Xiang, Binghan Cui, Qingjie Zhou, Sai Li, and Zheng Liu also made significant contributions to the research.
This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and other funding programs.
Article link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2025.102201
Chunyu Du is a Professor and doctoral supervisor, Vice Dean of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, and Director of the Institute of Advanced Chemical Power Sources. He has been selected for a national high-level talent program.
Over the long term, Professor Du has focused his research on addressing major national defense needs, specializing in key materials, structural design, and state evaluation and analysis for advanced chemical power sources such as lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. He has achieved numerous important breakthroughs in core material and component design, multiscale interfacial regulation, and state diagnostic methodologies. His research outcomes have been successfully implemented in major engineering projects and transferred to a number of well-known enterprises, generating substantial economic and social benefits.
Prof. Du has led and undertaken more than 20 major projects, including key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Science and Technology Major Project for Energy Conservation and New-Energy Vehicles, key projects under the National Key Research and Development Program, and key projects in civil space programs. He has published over 200 SCI-indexed papers in leading international journals such as Nature Communications, Energy & Environmental Science, and Advanced Energy Materials, authored four academic monographs, filed 96 national invention patent applications, and been granted 53 invention patents.
