Electrochemomechanical coupled behaviors of deformation and failure in electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries

The growing demands of lithium-ion batteries with high energy density motivate the development of high-capacity electrode materials. The critical issue in the commercial application of these electrodes is electrochemomechanical degradation accompanied with the large volume change, built-in stress, and fracture during lithiation and delithiation. The strong and complex couplings between mechanics and electrochemistry have been extensively studied in recent years. The multi-directional couplings, e.g., (de)lithiation-induced effects and stress-regulated effects, require cooperation in the interdisciplinary fields and advance the theoretical and computational models. In this review, we focus on the recent work with topics in the electrochemomechanical couplings of deformation and fracture of conventional and alloying electrodes through experimental characterization, theoretical and computational models. Based on the point of view from mechanics, the strategies for alleviating the degradation are also discussed, with particular perspectives for component-interaction patterns in the composite electrodes. With interdisciplinary principles, comprehensive understanding of the electrochemomechanical coupled mechanism is expected to provide feasible solutions for low-cost, high-capacity, high-safety and durable electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.