Comparison of Different Macroscopic Models for the Simulation of Li-S Batteries with Liquid Electrolyte

Abstract

Despite the large amount of experimental research that currently exists on Li-S batteries, the theoretical understanding of the physio-chemical processes at the macroscopic scale is lacking behind. The very few macroscopic models that currently exist in the literature are often contradictory and provide a partial and often inaccurate description of the experimental data. This fact is due in part to our lack of understanding of complex chemical and electrochemical reactions in these batteries, to challenges related to properly model nucleation and precipitation effects, and to difficulties related to parameter identification and solving the macroscopic equation numerically in more than one spatial dimension. In this presentation we will discuss about each of the above challenges, separately. Then, we will compare the different models that currently exist in the literature for the macroscopic description of Li-S batteries with liquid electrolyte and will discuss about their limitations, areas of applicability, and performance. Special attention will be given to the way the different models describe the nucleation and precipitation effects during charging and discharging.