Integrated Formation Process and Controlled Over-Discharge Strategy for Battery Management

This study investigates the influence of a battery’s formation process on its long-term performance and proposes a management strategy that integrates formation optimization with controlled over-discharge recovery. The results indicate that the initial formation is a critical prerequisite determining the effectiveness of subsequent capacity recovery. The proposed controlled over-discharge strategy aims to “reset” the battery degradation process by controllably oxidizing and decomposing the aged SEI and in situ reconstructing a new SEI. The efficacy of this strategy highly depends on the SEI substrate characteristics determined by the initial formation: different formation processes result in initial SEI layers with significant differences in structure and composition, which directly affect their reconstructability during over-discharge and the upper limit of performance recovery. Experiments confirm that batteries subjected to an optimized formation process achieve a maximum SOH improvement of 3.11% and a maximum cycle life extension of 19.7%. In contrast, batteries with a non-optimized formation show only a 2.01% SOH improvement and a 12.8% life extension. Therefore, optimizing the formation process is not only fundamental for enhancing the initial battery state but also a necessary prerequisite for fully unleashing the potential of subsequent recovery strategies. This study provides theoretical and technical foundations for establishing an integrated battery management strategy spanning from manufacturing formation to regeneration.