Crack pattern formation in thin film lithium-ion battery electrodes

Cracking of electrodes caused by large volume change and the associated lithium diffusion-induced stress during electrochemical cycling is one of the main reasons for the short cycle life of lithium-ion batteries using high capacity anode materials, such as Si and Sn. In this work, we study the fracture behavior and cracking patterns in amorphous Si thin film electrodes as a result of electrochemical cycling. A modified spring-block model is shown to capture the essential features of cracking patterns of electrode materials, including self-similarity. It is shown that cracks are straight in thick films, but show more wiggles in thin films. As the thickness of film decreases, the average size of islands separated by cracks decreases. A critical thickness bellow which material would not crack is found for amorphous Si films. The experimental and simulation results of this work provide guidelines for designing crack free thin-film lithium ion battery electrodes during cycling by patterning the electrode and reducing the film thickness.