dendrite

Phase-field simulations of lithium dendrite growth

The formation of lithium dendrites during the oxidation process may cause a decrease of the performance of lithium batteries, internal short circuit, deflagration and even other disasters. A phase-field model of lithium dendrite growth helps to study the influence of the parameters in the corrosion process during the charge and discharge of the battery.

This model is based in the article of Zijian Hong and Venkatasubramanian Viswanathan. It is a system of three equations in partial derivatives that define the time and space evolution evolution of the order parameter and the chemical potential together with the spatial distribution of the electrical overpotential. The phase field variable ξ is used as an order parameter which is defined such that ξ = 1 and ξ = 0 for the pure electrode and electrolyte phases, respectively.