Temperature measurements of Li-ion batteries are important for assisting Battery Management Systems in controlling highly relevant states, such as State-of-Charge and State-of-Health. In addition, temperature measurements are essential to prevent dangerous situations and to maximize the performance and cycle life of batteries. However, due to thermal gradients, which might quickly develop during operation, fast and accurate temperature measurements can be rather challenging. For a proper selection of the temperature measurement method, aspects such as measurement range, accuracy, resolution, and costs of the method are important. After providing a brief overview of the working principle of Li-ion batteries, including the heat generation principles and possible consequences, this review gives a comprehensive overview of various temperature measurement methods that can be used for temperature indication of Li-ion batteries. At present, traditional temperature measurement methods, such as thermistors and thermocouples, are extensively used. Several recently introduced methods, such as impedance-based temperature indication and fiber Bragg-grating techniques, are under investigation in order to determine if those are suitable for large-scale introduction in sophisticated battery-powered applications.

This short communication presents a method to measure the integral temperature of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Based on electrochemical impedance measurements at OLEDs, a non-zero intercept frequency (NZIF) can be determined which is related to the OLED temperature. The NZIF is defined as the frequency at which the imaginary part of the impedance is equal to a predefined (non-zero) constant. The advantage of using an impedance-based temperature indication method through an NZIF is that no hardware temperature sensors are required and that temperature measurements can be performed relatively fast. An experimental analysis reveals that the NZIF is clearly temperature dependent and, moreover, also DC current dependent. Since the NZIF can readily be measured this impedance-based temperature indication method is therefore simple and convenient for many applications using OLEDs and offers an alternative for traditional temperature sensing.

Like all rechargeable battery systems, conventional Li-ion batteries (LIB) inevitably suffer from capacity losses during operation. This also holds for all-solid-state LIB. In this contribution an in operando neutron depth profiling method is developed to investigate the degradation mechanism of all-solid-state, thin film Si–Li₃PO₄–LiCoO₂ batteries. Important aspects of the long-term degradation mechanisms are elucidated. It is found that the capacity losses in these thin film batteries are mainly related to lithium immobilization in the solid-state electrolyte, starting to grow at the anode/electrolyte interface during initial charging. The Li-immobilization layer in the electrolyte is induced by silicon penetration from the anode into the solid-state electrolyte and continues to grow at a lower rate during subsequent cycling. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profiling and transmission electron microscopy analyses confirm the formation of such immobilization layer, which favorably functions as an ionic conductor for lithium ions. As a result of the immobilization process, the amount of free moveable lithium ions is reduced, leading to the pronounced storage capacity decay. Insights gained from this research shed interesting light on the degradation mechanisms of thin film, all-solid-state LIB and facilitate potential interfacial modifications which finally will lead to substantially improved battery performance.

Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ is well known to be a safe and efficient anode material for Li-ion batteries. A metal-organic chemical vapor deposition process has been developed for the synthesis of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ thin film anodes on planar and 3D substrates. The influences of various deposition parameters, including precursor flow rates and post-annealing temperatures, have been investigated by material and electrochemical analyses. Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ thin films deposited at the optimized process parameters showed a high crystallinity and high electrochemical activity. A reversible storage capacity of 151 mAh/g was achieved at a current of 0.5 C, corresponding to 86.3% of the theoretical specific capacity of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂. Up to almost 600 cycles, the electrodes showed no significant capacity loss. Furthermore, the deposited thin film anodes also showed excellent rate performance. Compared to the storage capacity at 0.5 C, 93% of the capacity was maintained at 10 C. Thin films were also deposited on highly structured substrates to investigate the uniformity and electrochemical performance. With the same footprint area, the 3D Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ film anode showed a 2.5 times higher storage capacity than planar electrode.