PhD Studentship: Catching Lithium Plating in the Act: Developing a non-destructive diagnostic tool for one of the most dangerous failure mechanisms in lithium-ion batteries

Lithium plating is among the most hazardous failure mechanisms affecting lithium-ion batteries under aggressive cycling conditions. It often initiates silently, yet can lead to catastrophic outcomes, and the sector urgently needs reliable methods to detect and understand it. At present, however, plating remains extremely difficult to measure non-destructively in industry-relevant cell formats. This leaves manufacturers and battery management system developers with limited data on which to define safe operating windows, while the computational models intended to predict plating–stripping dynamics remain under-constrained by a lack of experimental evidence. This project addresses that gap directly.

Project overview

The successful candidate will develop a quantitative, non-destructive, in-situ diagnostic methodology for metallic lithium plating in industry-relevant cell formats. The approach is fundamentally based on diffraction and small-angle scattering techniques using both X-rays and neutrons, enabling the direct deconvolution of favourable bulk lithium-ion intercalation from unfavourable lithium plating. This multimodal combination probes the structural and spatial length scales relevant to the problem, with the sensitivity required to distinguish between the different forms of lithium present within a cell.

Beginning with single-layer pouch cells and then extending to larger cell formats, the student will systematically evaluate stimuli known to trigger plating, including cycling rate, negative-to-positive (N:P) electrode capacity ratio, and low-temperature operation, generating quantitative data to underpin both safer operating protocols and more accurate predictive models.

Significance

Lithium plating sits at the intersection of battery safety, performance, and the broader drive towards faster charging and extended cell lifetimes. Establishing a robust, non-destructive detection methodology will have direct implications for cell design, the definition of safe operating windows, and the next generation of physics-based degradation models grounded in measured rather than assumed parameters. This project offers a rare combination of fundamental scientific depth and clear industrial relevance.

Benefits to the candidate

Beyond the scientific outcomes, the student will gain hands-on experience working at the Battery Scale-up Facility at WMG, one of the UK's leading centres for battery research and manufacturing, alongside access to major international X-ray and neutron facilities like the Diamond Light Source and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source. This combination of industrial-scale and large-facility experience provides a distinctive and highly transferable skill set, well suited to a future career in academic research, industrial R&D, or the wider battery and energy storage sector.

Training and development

The student will receive training in advanced X-ray and neutron diffraction and small-angle scattering techniques at major international facilities, alongside a thorough grounding in lithium-ion cell electrochemistry and degradation mechanisms. The project will involve experimental campaigns at central facilities and close collaboration with beamline scientists and industrial partners within WMG, equipping the student with a skill set highly sought after in both academic research and the battery industry.

All researchers will also receive £2,000 per year to support training and consumables, alongside access to a bespoke Faraday Institution PhD Training Programme valued at approximately £5,000 per year. Recipients benefit from a wide range of development opportunities, including networking events, industry visits, mentorship, and internships, as well as high-quality training experiences designed to further develop their knowledge, skills, and career aspirations.

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