Negative Pulsed Current Charging: An Approach for Battery Lifetime Enhancement

This study investigates the impact of a novel negative pulse current (NPC) charging profile on lithium-ion battery lifetime. NPC charging, a hybrid approach combining constant current, positive pulses, and negative pulses, was compared to traditional constant current charging on cylindrical 18650 NMC-based Lithium-ion battery cells. Results show that NPC charging significantly reduces capacity fade and internal resistance increase compared to constant current charging. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis confirms that NPC charging mitigates SEI layer growth and increases electrochemical reaction rate. Increasing the negative pulse length further enhances these benefits. The findings demonstrate NPC charging as a promising strategy for extending lithium-ion battery lifetime.