Journal of Power Sources, Vol.357, 19-25, 2017
Ex-situ and in-situ observations of the effects of gamma radiation on lithium ion battery performance
Radiation effects induced by gamma rays on battery performance were investigated by measuring the capacity and resistance of a series of battery coin cells in-situ directly under gamma radiation and ex-situ. An experimental setup was developed to charge and discharge batteries directly under gamma radiation, equipped with precise temperature control, at The Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Lab. Latent effects induced by gamma radiation on battery components directly influence their performance. Charge and discharge capacity and overall resistance throughout a time span of several weeks post irradiation were monitored and compared to control groups. It was found that exposure to gamma radiation does not significantly alter the available capacity and the overall cell resistance immediately, however, battery performance significantly decreases with time post irradiation. Also, batteries exposed to a higher cumulative dose showed close-to-zero capacity at two-week post irradiation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords:Radiation induced battery performance;Gamma radiation;In situ battery testing;Li ion battery;Extreme environments