The new resource gives the global scientific community free access to advanced battery imaging data, helping to support further research into battery materials, performance and the development of next-generation technologies, while providing valuable datasets for the development of AI and new approaches to image analysis.
Scientists from Diamond Light Source and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source have contributed to the development of the world’s first open-access battery imaging library. The library was created through an international collaboration led by Dr Antony Vamvakeros, Royal Society Industry Fellow at Imperial College London and Research and Development Lead at Finden Ltd, which is co-located with both facilities on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus.
The Battery Imaging Library (BIL) contains over 4.5 terabytes of experimental data acquired at various synchrotrons and national laboratories. The initiative brought together 48 scientists from 18 institutions around the world to acquire experimental battery data using 13 distinct imaging modalities at different length scales.
Using Diamond’s I12-JEEP, the UK’s flagship high-energy X-ray imaging and diffraction beamline, the team was able to acquire high resolution static and dynamic X-ray micro-CT measurements. The team scanned commercial cylindrical Li ion, LiFeS2 and alkaline batteries to reveal their internal structures. Professor Genoveva Burca, Principal Beamline Scientist at I12, said: “The I12-JEEP beamline offers unique capabilities for probing and investigating the internal morphological structure of batteries. We are delighted that these dynamic X-ray micro CT datasets are now freely available through the Battery Imaging Library so that scientists worldwide can use them to develop safer and more efficient energy storage devices.”
The IMAT neutron imaging beamline at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source was used to collect neutron-CT data, which is particularly valuable as it is rarely available to the battery community. It provides complementary contrast to X-rays for light components in Li-ion batteries, enabling the visualisation of Li-based electrolytes and the location of the Li species in general within the cell. By including data from multiple techniques, the library enables scientists to get the full picture required for their analysis.
Read more on the Diamond website