Strategy and mechanism for external-induced recovery of lithium-ion battery internal short circuit

<h2>Summary</h2> Internal short circuiting (ISC) plays a key role in lithium-ion battery thermal runaway (TR) events. While ISC faults can attenuate, evidenced by normalized voltage and temperature, their intrinsic recovery remains uncertain. Current ISC recoveries are spontaneous and unpredictable, posing risks to battery reliability. This study explores controlled ISC recovery under mechanical and electrical abuse scenarios. In mechanical abuse, repeated charging/discharging induces crack propagation that hinders electron transfer between anode and cathode inside the battery, increasing Coulombic efficiency from 62% to 93% and relaxation voltage from 2.00 V to 2.58 V. However, this recovery compromises long-term structural integrity. In electrical abuse, external vibrations can directly break dendrites—one of the root causes of ISC—offering more fundamental recovery. This research introduces an interesting concept of regular, externally induced ISC recovery and discusses its effects on battery performance, providing comprehensive insights into ISC evolution and control.