Contact
Dr. Tom Weier
Head Liquid metal battery
t.weier
hzdr.de
Phone: +49 351 260 2226
Local, small scale short-circuits in liquid metal batteries
When cycling liquid metal batteries, local short circuits have been observed several times. They manifest e.g. in the cell voltage. Fig. 1. shows one example: the sudden drop of the terminal voltage is a clear evidence of a short circuit of the battery. At the same time, a certain increase in cell temperature might be observed.
Fig. 1: Charge-discharge curve of a Li-Bi liquid metal battery with short-circuits during operation.
Picture: Norbert Weber
After dismantling used cells, the cathode metal can sometimes be found attached to the anode current collector. Fig. 2 shows one example: the small metallic deposits are in fact a mixture of Li and Bi. During normal operation, such effects should not occur. They can only be explained by small, localised short-circuits.
Fig. 2: Anode of a Li-Bi liquid metal battery after localised short circuits.
Picture: Steffen Landgraf
Such small-scale short-circuits can, amongst others, be explained by insufficient wetting of the current collector by the molten metal. Fig. 3 shows one example: as the molten Li does not wet the wire, large Li-droplets form. If these droplets grow too much, they might induce local short-circuits.
Fig. 3: Anode of a liquid metal battery with insufficient wetting of the current collector.
Picture: Steffen Landgraf
Publications
- Duczek, C.; Horstmann, G. M.; Ding, W.; Einarsrud, K. E.; Gelfgat, A. Y.; Godinez-Brizuela, O. E.; Kjos, O. S.; Landgraf, S.; Lappan, T.; Monrrabal, G.; Nash, W.; Personnettaz, P.; Sarma, M.; Sommerseth, C.; Trtik, P.; Weber, N.; Weier, T.
Fluid mechanics of Na-Zn liquid metal batteries
Applied Physics Reviews 11(2024), 041326 - Bénard, S.; Weber, N.; Horstmann, G.M.; Landgraf, S.; Weier, T.
Anode-metal drop formation and detachment mechanisms in liquid metal batteries
Journal of Power Sources 510(2021) 230339
