Thermal characterization of Li/sulfur, Li/ S–LiFePO4 and Li/S–LiV3O8 cells using Isothermal Micro-Calorimetry and Accelerating Rate Calorimetry

Abstract The thermal behavior of three cathode materials for the lithium/sulfur (Li/S) cell, namely – sulfur, sulfur-LiFePO 4 (S-LFP) composite and sulfur-LiV 3 O 8 (S-LVO) composite was studied using Isothermal Micro-Calorimetry (IMC) at various discharge rates. A continuum model was used to calculate the reversible entropic heat and irreversible resistive heat generated over the discharge process and the model data was compared to the experimental data to elucidate contributions of reversible and irreversible heats to the overall heat generated during discharge. The reaction enthalpy (ΔH Rx ) was measured using IMC for each elementary reaction step and in combination with the calculated reversible entropic heat and irreversible resistive heat was fitted against the experimental total heat measurement. The model showed an excellent fit against the experimental data. Further, Accelerating Rate Calorimetry (ARC) was used to study the thermal safety of these three cells. The cell with the S-LVO composite cathode was found to have the highest onset temperature for thermal runaway and also the lowest maximum self-heat rate. Results of this study suggest that S-LVO composite is a promising electrode for Li/S cells.