Addressing Mass Conservation in Two-Dimensional Modeling of Lithium Metal Batteries with Electrochemically Plated/Stripped Interfaces

Several previous studies have aimed to develop mathematical models based on the moving boundary approach for predicting changes in lithium morphology during the cycling of lithium metal batteries under different operating conditions. These modeling frameworks play a crucial role in enhancing our fundamental understanding of the transport and reaction mechanisms and guide experimentalists in developing safer and more efficient lithium metal anodes. In this work, using a simple two-dimensional model for the lithium metal battery, we aim to bring attention to the bulk convection in the liquid electrolytes induced by the movement of the lithium metal surface modeled as a moving boundary. The back-and-forth motion of the lithium metal surface during the plating and stripping of lithium introduces a weak fluid motion in the liquid electrolyte that should be incorporated in the model equations and corresponding boundary conditions (Figure 1). The results for the electrochemical signatures and morphology evolution thus obtained by solving a coupled fluid model are compared with the case where the velocity distribution in the liquid electrolyte is ignored. This work extends our previously reported perspective on the convective flux correction to rectify the mass conservation failures at moving boundaries in one-dimensional models to two dimensions. This careful implementation of the correct boundary conditions ensures the mass conservation of lithium in two-dimensional simulations for predicting the morphological evolution of lithium metal electrodes over cycles. These revised battery models with accurate mass and charge conservation are crucial for predicting the performance of the battery over cycles. Additionally, these relative fluxes at the moving and fixed boundaries are sometimes ignored by assuming a bulk concentration condition at the far end, especially at the cathode/separator interface. While it may not affect overpotential signatures at the anode, it leads to mass conservation issues with implications for the accuracy of cycling simulations. Thus, with the help of a two-dimensional electro-convection model, this study addresses the role of bulk convection in liquid electrolytes and the importance of ensuring mass conservation in lithium metal battery models. References: T. Jang et al. , J. Electrochem. Soc., 170 (11), 110516 (2023). T. Jang et al. , J. Electrochem. Soc., 169 (8), 080516 (2023). T. Jang et al ., ECS Trans , 104 (1), 131 (2021). L. Mishra et al ., J Electrochem Soc , 168 (9), 092502 (2021). Figure 1