The thermal behaviour of Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) is governed by the heat generated inside the battery cell, the intrinsic thermal properties of the cell, and the cell’s ability to exchange heat with the environment. While irreversible heat generation is due to ohmic losses, entropic potential data is necessary to model the reversible component of the heat generated in the cell. Both contributions need to be considered for a holistic characterisation of heat generation. Entropic profiles are necessary to predict the reversible heat generation term. If accurate entropic profiles are incorporated into thermal models, the accuracy of heat generation predictions is then improved.
In this work, we present entropic potential and OCV data for broad range of materials at BoL typically used in lithium-ion electrodes. We then show that by combining a given anode and cathode, the entropic potential of the resulting full cell can be calculated, depending on electrode balancing. The data is validated with measurements of bespoke set of single layer pouch cells and multi-layer pouch cells. The technique is useful to make predictions of how the reversible component of heat generation will change as the cell degrades, given that changes in electrode balancing will impact the entropic potential profile. This is consequential, because changes in electrode balancing, whether intentional (e.g., for performance optimization) or as a result of electrode degradation, can significantly alter the entropic profile of the full cell and, consequently, its thermal behaviour.